ST. PAUL, MN — Following a Star Tribune story on the many factors contributing to making homeownership out of reach for too many Minnesotans, Rep. Jim Nash, R-Waconia, released the following statement:
"Saturday's report in the Star Tribune underscores what I’ve been saying for years. Homeownership is the North Star for many Minnesotans. Unfortunately, too many are unable to attain it because of outdated zoning policies. The bicameral, bipartisan Housing Affordability Commission was created in 2019 to address issues such as these. As a member of this commission, I am calling on us to help more Minnesotans achieve the dream of homeownership and address these discrepancies."
Rep. Nash sent a letter requesting the Housing Affordability Commission Convene in light of the article on Saturday.
Also, on Tuesday, Rep. Nash was named one of the recipients of the 2021 Housing Leadership Award by Housing First Minnesota. Rep. Nash was also named the 2019 Legislator of the Year by Housing First Minnesota for his efforts to promote housing affordability and ownership.
Nash continued, "As I read the heavily researched Star Tribune story on housing, I noticed so many aspects of the story are things I’ve been advocating for at the Capitol for years. Home ownership should be an attainable dream for all Minnesotans and we need to take a comprehensive look at the multiple inputs that drive costs to skyrocket. Zoning, land use, required elements for decorative aspects of homes by a city, inspection fees, impact fees and many others. I’ve said all along that the solution is like solving a quadratic equation in algebra class: so many integers that need to be worked on separately in order to pull together the entire answer for the problem. Everyone deserves a 'North Star' to head towards, and that comes with the safety and security of homeownership."
###