Plymouth City Council Approves Policy To Increase Affordable Housing
The city of Plymouth has taken steps to create and preserve affordable housing by approving a policy that has been two years in the making.
The Plymouth City Council approved the so-called “inclusionary housing policy” at its June 25 meeting, a vote that drew applause from the crowd.
“I think it’s long overdue,” said Plymouth City Council member Jim Willis, who was part of a unanimous council vote.
The policy allows the city to assure affordable housing in future projects if developers receive financial assistance, such as through tax increment financing (TIF) or other government funds.
Residents in support of the policy spoke out about the significant need.
“We see a tremendous amount of need from Plymouth residents, both in our emergency food shelf as well as in our housing program,” said Michelle Ness, executive director of PRISM, a nonprofit organization serving northwest suburbs.
Ness said health challenges exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to the financial struggles and needs of her organization’s clients.
A school teacher also addressed the need for stable housing.
“When that basic need of housing is solid, schools see an increase in attendance, academic proficiency, just participation in enrichment opportunities and overall greater family engagement,” said Beth Van Orsow, a teacher at Sunset Hill Elementary.
Developers Given Options for Affordable Housing
Plymouth’s Housing and Redevelopment Authority came up with the policy, which pertains to new residential developments or substantial rehab projects of 10 or more units.
Under the policy, developers that receive city assistance can select a level of affordability suitable for their project.
Options for developers range from making at least 20 percent of units affordable to households at or below 60 percent of area median income income (AMI), at least 10 percent of units affordable for households at or below 50 percent AMI, or at least 5 percent of units affordable for households at or below 30 percent AMI.
The city of Plymouth joins a dozen other cities in metro area with similar policies, said Grant Fernelius, the city’s community and economic development director.
Plymouth Mayor Jeff Wosje commented that he didn’t want to support a policy that’s too cumbersome for developers.
“One thing I know about developers, they’re like water, they take the easiest path down anything,” said Wosje. “And if something becomes too hard, they’ll just go somewhere else.”
Wosje also stressed patience for such projects due to the challenging development climate attributed to higher interest rates, labor costs and prices for construction materials.
The city Plymouth is also expected to begin a new housing study next year to determine long-term needs based on Metropolitan Council population estimates.
