Monday, April 8, 2013
HousingLink data highlights how uneven affordable housing availability can be.
Paying for rental housing is no easy proposition in Minnesota. Last month, the National Low Income Housing Coalition’s annual Out of Reach report ranked the state worst in the Midwest and 24th nationally. A breakdown of the report by the Minnesota Housing Partnership estimated that 54 percent of renters can’t afford a modest two-bedroom apartment. But apartments can have a hard time winning neighbors over even when they don’t specifically serve low-income renters—as recent debates have shown. In St. Louis Park, some residents criticized the proposed Eliot Park Apartments development that would build two new apartment buildings with a total of 138 units on Cedar Lake Road. Said Patch reader MMG: All of a sudden, all I am seeing in this city…
Monday, January 21, 2013
The city is looking for approximately 12 to 20 people to form the task force.
Editor's Note: the following information was taken directly from the City of Richfield's website. Envisioning the future of Richfield's housing In August of 2012, at a joint City Council, Housing and Redevelopment Authority (HRA) and Planning Commission work session, a presentation and discussion took place suggesting the need for a community process to establish a Housing Vision for the city. Public leaders agreed to move forward with this process. In November of 2012, a proposal from the consulting firm Stantec was approved to guide this process. Be a part of the Housing visioning task force! As part of the Housing Visioning process a Task Force of approximately 12 - 20 people will be formed. The Task Force will meet for eight two-hour …
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
One of the most read and talked about topics in Richfield's recent history.
Richfield Patch covered a lot of different stories, topics and events throughout 2012, but there were a few that stood out as the most interesting, important or possibly infamous to our readers. The following is the No. 2 story of the year. *** Pillsbury Commons. While it's a project that's long over, the mere mention of it can still evoke passionate discussions, sighs and grumbles among Richfield residents. The affordable housing complex, which was in the works for more than two years, was officially laid to rest in July after months of back and forth between the city and the developer, Ron Clark Construction & Design—and the city and residents. The most outspoken residents opposed the development, citing increases in traffic, …
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Following a recent redevelopment failure, the need for a comprehensive housing policy was recognized.
Follow Richfield Patch on Twitter | Like us on Facebook | Sign up for our daily newsletter On the heels of June's Pillsbury Commons housing development controversy, members of the Richfield City Council, along with city staff and officials from both the Housing and Redevelopment Authority (HRA) and Richfield Planning Commission met earlier this week to develop a strategic vision that will guide future residential development. While outlining strategies and future steps needed to develop such a policy, questions posed at City Hall on Monday made it clear that work remains to be done if the hoped-for Richfield housing vision is to become a reality. “This first meeting is really more about putting together the process,” said Richfield …
Sunday, August 19, 2012
Three Richfield commissions are getting together for a special work session at 5:45 p.m. Monday.
In the midst of the final stages of Pillsbury Commons, city officials began to question its policies on housing. And with more redevelopment projects, many with housing components, on the books, uncertainty is still lingering. In an attempt to define its housing policy, the Richfield Housing and Redevelopment Authority (HRA), City Council and Planning Commission will meet Monday night to discuss the issue. Planning Commissioner Tom Rublein called attention to the issue in a June 4, 2012 meeting. He said he felt the city was "guessing" when it came to considering housing options. "Where was everybody when the comp plan was put together?" Rublein asked rhetorically. "People are not paying attention to this stuff. So now we come to this […
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
The developer’s attorney asserted the council violated some of its own rules.
The final pleas of the hopeful Pillsbury Commons developer, Ron Clark Construction & Design, fell on deaf Richfield City Council ears Tuesday night. The council struck down the developer’s request for reconsideration of the June 12 decision to reject the purchase offer for two pieces of city-owned land. The developer holds an option to purchase the former city garage site, which the city is obligated to sell. However, without the additional pieces of land to aid in meeting housing density requirements, the proposal was effectively killed that night. Following suit, the Richfield Housing and Redevelopment Authority (HRA) also denied the sale of a third parcel June 18, among other things. In a formal letter requesting the council’s …
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
The Richfield Housing and Redevelopment Authority rejected three additional actions in regards to the affordable housing project Monday night.
After the Richfield City Council refused to sell two city-owned parcels of land to Ron Clark Construction & Design last week, the Housing and Redevelopment Authority (HRA) further maimed the Pillsbury Commons project by rejecting three other items Monday night. The commission held a public hearing regarding the sale former Gleason mortuary parcel, considered a contract for private development and resolution adopting the tax increment financing and modifying the area’s redevelopment plan. All were struck down in unanimous votes. ‘Local Voices Heard’ In a final effort, Ron Clark attorney Jim Susag made a plea for all three items to be tabled, announcing the developer had submitted a letter to the city asking that the council reconsider last …
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
City denies the sale of two additional parcels, however, the developer can still choose to close on the land held by an option agreement.
Pillsbury Commons as it was most recently proposed is now, for lack of a better term, dead. The Richfield City Council rejected developer Ron Clark Construction & Design’s counter-offer to purchase two additional parcels of city-owned land at a meeting Tuesday night. Without the additional pieces of land to aid in meeting housing density requirements, the proposal as it sits “won’t work,” according to City Manager Steve Devich. However, the former Richfield Public Works storage facility, which is located south of the other two parcels, is still held by an option agreement. The city entered into the agreement about two years ago and is still required to sell the property to the developer if he still wishes to purchase it. According to City …
Friday, June 8, 2012
In a Letter to the Editor, Joe Hoover says some project supporters have been accusing opponents of being racist, however, he maintains the project itself contributes to racism.
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Friday, June 8, 2012
Editor's Note: The following is a Letter to the Editor submitted by Richfield resident Joe Hoover. My name is Joe Hoover and I am a member of Richfield Commoners United (RCU). Let's really call Pillsbury Commons out for what it is - a big money grab by Ron Clark and the city council, commissioners and it's other supporters. All they hope to do is line their pockets with the money made by this development. Now the scandalous statement I just made is not totally inaccurate. Ron Clark is doing this for the money, I doubt he would be volunteering his time and donating money for the project. But saying that the city council, commissioners and other supporters are doing this for the money is pretty much making it up out of whole cloth. However, …
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
A planning commissioner recently said he thought the city was "guessing" when it came to housing.
Follow Richfield Patch on Twitter | Like us on Facebook | Sign up for our daily newsletter Since the approval of the City of Richfield's most recent comprehensive plan, a number of redevelopment projects have come across the desks of city staff and officials—many with housing components. According to the city's website, the comprehensive plan aims to provide a long-term vision for the city and act as a guide for officials to make decisions regarding land use, parks, transportation and so on. State law requires cities to complete a new plan at least every 10 years. At a recent Richfield Planning Commission meeting, a public hearing regarding the land use application for the proposed Pillsbury Commons facility was meant to help …
mike savick
3:00 pm on Monday, April 22, 2013
Low employment bothers me a lot as a human, tax payer and business consultant. One thing to think about is that workers, raw materials and related expenses are tax deductions. Another thought is that employees are hired to make money for the employer. Investments in business equipment are tax deductions. We need business leadership to create and sell more American products. Likewise we need … more ›