Duplex Construction Bill Stalls In Minnesota House

A bill in the Minnesota State House that would have ended single-family zoning across the state will not move forward this year.

The proposal would have allowed for the construction of accessory dwelling units (ADUs), duplexes, triplexes and up to ten-unit buildings, as well as other types of housing in traditionally single-family neighborhoods.  It was hoped the measure would have increased the supply of “missing middle” housing.

The thought was that by reducing regulatory restrictions imposed by cities, some of the costs and barriers to development would be removed. This would have made it more profitable for builders and developers to construct this type of housing.

The bill was backed by almost everyone; Democrats, Republicans, Realtors, social justice organizations, affordable housing advocates, chambers of commerce, construction unions, private and non-profit housing developers.

With that much support, why did it die?

Cities.

They said they didn’t have the infrastructure or budgets to make sure things like roads, sewer and water lines aren’t overburdened by a bigger population.  Rural cities also resisted being subjected to policies designed for more urban centers.

When lawmakers heard pushback from the cities in their districts, support in the House waned. A similar bill in the Senate has not received a hearing in the State and Local Government and Veterans committee.

While there is some hope some of these bills provisions could be incorporated into other bills and be passed that way, there are just six weeks left in this year’s legislative session.