Minneapolis is working to set the pace nationally for pro-housing initiatives focusing specifically on ending segregation.
New Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey "proposed a $50 million housing plan [pdf] to provide housing choices that seeks to undo some of those patterns and create a more racially and economically integrated city," according to an article by Jared Brey.
According to Brey, Mayor Frey campaigned with housing as a focus, and his views are strongly progressive. "I believe we should have affordable housing in every neighborhood of this city, including the wealthy ones," said the mayor in a statement quoted in the article.
The Frey Administration will find plenty of precedents and partners to work with, according to Brey's survey of the ongoing efforts to deliver new affordable housing in the Twin Cities region. For instance, the Minneapolis City Council in April "approved a pilot program called '4d' that reduces property taxes on certain apartment buildings where at least 20 percent of the units are kept affordable for renters earning up to 60 percent of Area Median Income." The mayor has also backed a proposal to allow fourplexes on lots zoned for single-family residential.
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