Spate of New Affordable Housing Projects Coming to Dakota County

A 50-unit housing development designed for low- to moderate-income families got a green light from the Eagan City Council on Tuesday. But that's just one of a handful of new affordable workforce housing developments on the way in Dakota County.

Dakota County Community Development Agency Director Mark Ulfers told Eagan city officials at a Tuesday meeting that the organization recently purchased sites in Rosemount, Lakeville, Inver Grove Heights and Farmington—and was close to closing a property deal in Apple Valley.

The announcement came during a lengthy discussion regarding the latest Eagan project. In the last year, the CDA has constructed or sought approval for three new affordable workforce housing developments in the city—in addition to the two workforce housing facilities it already operates in Eagan.

The agency currently operates 19-such facilities in the county. All are part of the agency's Family Townhome Program. The program is designed for moderate-income families with children 18 years old or younger that can provide good landlord and credit references and pass a criminal history check. Under the program guidelines, applicants must also meet minimum and maximum income requirements.

But growing demand as a result of economic instability has prompted a spate of new affordable housing building projects for the CDA, Ulfers said.

"We’ll fully engage the rest of the county," Ulfers said.

In the end, the Eagan council voted unanimously to move forward with the Eagan project; approving rezoning, a site plan and final platting for the development, which will be located at 1319 Jurdy Road. Construction on the project would likely begin next summer, with a tentative completion date set for 2015.

But Ulfers and city officials spent more than an hour assuaging the fears of a group of nearby residents worried about increased traffic and crime the facility could bring.

"I think we have enough of the lower income [housing] in that area right there, and I’m very concerned for the safety of the children in that neighborhood," said one neighborhood resident.

"I have a difficult time getting out of my driveway … and I’m very apprehensive about the additional traffic near my home and my family," another neighor, Angela Morley, told the council.

Ulfers told many residents applying for the Lemay Lake project were teacher's assistants, pharmacy technicians, hotel service workers and other gainfully employed local residents.

Because of high demand for workforce housing, Ulfers added, the agency can be "choosy" about who it accepts for the program. The organization also employs full-time caretakers at each townhome facility to deal with upkeep and address any security concerns, Ulfers said.

"We are able to use a lot of diligence in making these choices because there’s a lot of demand, and we don’t have to deal with the economic pressure that some landlords may feel," Ulfers said.

Eagan Police Chief Jim McDonald also testified in favor of the agency's family townhome developments. The crime rate at the CDA's workforce two pre-existing housing facilities in Eagan were comparable to private housing developments in the city, McDonald said.

"Any time we’ve had any issues with their tenants, they’ve been very responsive," McDonald said of the CDA.

As many as one-third of the CDA's Family Townhome Program applicants go on to purchase houses in local communities, Ulfers added.

"I think of it like an incubator for home ownership," Ulfers said of the program.