Friends,
We've worked through the bitter cold last week and kept at it through some awful commutes with the snow this week in St. Paul. This week a report on the government's role to inflate Minnesota's housing market was released and I appeared on the public access show, Your Legislators. Have a great weekend and stay warm!
Housing Report
Minnesotans pay far more to build a new house when compared to homeowners in other states. These are the findings by the Housing Affordability Institute from its new report: The True Cost of Minnesota’s Broken Housing Market.
This report confirms what many of us have been saying for years: Minnesota's over-burdensome regulatory climate is a major cause of our housing affordability issues. I love living in Minnesota but there is no reason the exact same home should cost almost $50,000 more in Minnesota as opposed to Wisconsin. We need to take a long hard look at what the government has done to artificially raise the cost of home ownership in Minnesota and undo the damage.
The report detailed numerous land and regulatory policies that are driving up costs for new home construction in Minnesota, resulting in homes costing tens of thousands more in Minnesota than in Wisconsin and other surrounding states. One example found that the same home in Lake Elmo, Minnesota costs $47,000 more than an identical home in Hudson, Wisconsin, just ten miles away.
According to the report, virtually every requirement in our region costs more than our Midwestern peers: Met Council growth boundary policies, infrastructure upgrade costs, stormwater regulation, building code, energy code, park dedication requirements, sales tax, permits, water/sewer connections, zoning requirements, escrows, and more.
Your Legislators
This past weekend, I enjoyed being able to participate in Pioneer Public Television's "Your Legislator" program. We spoke about a number of issues and had a good discussion across party lines. Check out the link below for a few highlights or watch the entire program here.
Please Stay in Touch
Please continue to stay in touch to share your thoughts and ideas on issues important to you. You can schedule a time to meet with me in my office anytime by calling (651) 296-7065 or share your thoughts via email by emailing me at rep.bob.vogel@house.mn.
Have a great weekend,
Bob