It is a policy-making board that guides the strategic growth of the entire Twin Cities metro area. The Council's mission is to foster efficient growth for regional prosperity and high quality of life for its residents. Its investments support economic vitality and competitiveness.

The Metropolitan Council has one appointed representative for each of 16 regions, plus a chairperson. Elected officials and citizens serve on key advisory committees to the Council. This allows them to share their unique expertise with the Council. Arden Hills is in Region 10. Other cities in Region 10 are Blaine (partial), Falcon Heights, Lauderdale, Mounds View, New Brighton, North Oaks, Roseville, Shoreview, Spring Lake Park (partial). Our representative is Peter Lindstrom. More information about the Metropolitan Council is available here.

Yes. The Metropolitan Council assigns each community an affordable housing goal. The formula for determining the goal has 3 factors:

1.   the amount of affordable housing needed for the whole metro area

2.   the amount of affordable housing that already exists in each community

3.   the ratio of low-wage jobs to low wage workers living in each community

Based on the formula, Arden Hills was given the goal of building 373 affordable units by 2030.

Source: Metropolitan Council Needs, Goals, Scores 

On this metric, Arden Hills is in the highest category. That means it is a net importer of low-wage workers because few of them can afford to live here. Here's the Metropolitan Council's map.

If there’s not enough affordable housing for low-wage workers, the city won’t be eligible for transit lines. If workers don’t have good transit or housing options, they’ll take jobs in other communities that do have those options. Finding workers for retail, food service and other jobs will be more difficult. We can do better! 

Comparison of Affordable Housing Units Created since 2010

Modifying zoning rules to allow denser housing is the most effective way to increase the housing supply and ease our housing shortage.  Having more residents means that there are more employees available for employers, and that prospective employers are more confident that the employees they bring will be able to find housing.  It also means that there are more customers to support local businesses and attract new businesses.  It increases tax revenue for the city.  It also would help Arden Hills qualify for public transportation. Without greater density, the city will be at the back of the line for any type of transit.

No. The July 2014 Alternative Urban Areawide Review and Mitigation Plan (AUAR), and a 2019 update, examined two Rice Creek Commons development scenarios.  The AUAR concluded that the Rice Creek Commons was capable of accommodating up to 2,500 housing units in the “Maximum Development Scenario.”  This number of units greatly exceeds the 1,460 units now included in the Rice Creek Commons Master Plan.  In fact, the 1,460 units are actually less than the minimum of 1,500 units projected in the AUAR’s other lower development “Zoning Scenario.”

A second document, the City’s 2040 Comprehensive Plan, prepared and adopted in 2019 and subsequently approved by the Metropolitan Council, includes an allocation of 373 new affordable housing units between 2021 and 2030.  This commitment would be satisfied by providing the 373 units across a range of different affordable housing income levels, primarily as part of Rice Creek Commons, the only undeveloped area of Arden Hills capable of meeting the need. 

Most inner-city and first- and second-ring suburbs in the Twin Cities have existing affordable housing, largely older and smaller housing units.  Attrition due to renovation or replacement has slowly diminished the number of these units, but some communities have actively sought more new affordable housing in recent years to increase their overall supply.

While Arden Hills has older, post-World War II housing stock, it has not recently added any significant new affordable housing.  It is now a built-out community with the exception of the 427-acre Rice Creek Commons property. Approximately 162 acres of the property are allocated for residential use.  In 2021, the Metropolitan Council determined that about 40% of Arden Hills housing stock was affordable. Our immediate neighbors compared more favorably – New Brighton at 61%, Shoreview at 43%, and Roseville at 60% (Metropolitan Council Existing Housing Assessment, May 2021.

Individual housing units are essentially infrastructure “neutral,’ irrespective of size or cost.  The same need for public service infrastructure must be met - streets, public safety, and utilities.  The only difference might be that a greater density of affordable units could create additional demand for the public services.  However, the cost of any additional capacity necessary to meet this demand would be offset by the increased property tax collections and utility revenue associated with more housing units.  In fact, the economy of scale may generate higher amounts than those otherwise derived from more expensive, but fewer, large housing units.

The Master Plan was based on the 2014 TCAAP Final Alternative Urban Areawide Review (AUAR) and Final Mitigation Plan prepared by the City and its consultants.  The AUAR analysis compared the proposed street and access infrastructure under two development scenarios, the Minimum Development Scenario (1,500 residential units) and the Maximum Development Scenario (2,500 residential units).  It determined that the projected traffic volumes for each scenario could be mitigated with essentially the same improvements, with the exception of two additional improvements to the I-35W and County H interchange in the Maximum Development Scenario. The 2019 AUAR Update again reviewed the two scenario outcomes and made no additional traffic-related recommendations to the earlier 2014 conclusions.