Section 380 – Life Cycle Housing

Section 380.00 – Declaration of Public Purpose. In October of 2002, the cities of Saint Cloud, Saint Joseph, Sartell, Sauk Rapids, and Waite Park entered into a Joint Powers Agreement pledging to ensure that 15 % of the combined total number of owner-occupied and rental housing units built in each city will be Life Cycle Housing Units. The provisions of this Section are intended to implement the Central Minnesota Life Cycle Housing Joint Powers Agreement by establishing standards and procedures to encourage the development of Life Cycle Housing within the City of St. Cloud.

Section 380.10 – Definitions.

Subd. 1. “Life Cycle Housing Development”: A residential subdivision in which 15% of the total housing units to be constructed meet the definition of an Owner Occupied Life Cycle Housing Unit and/or Rental Life Cycle Housing Unit.

Subd. 2. “Owner Occupied Life Cycle Housing Unit”: Newly constructed units that:

(a) Are sold only to households with annual incomes at or below 80% of the area median income and are sold at or below the Life Cycle Housing price point; or (b) Are sold to anyone, regardless of income, if and only if the builder/developer has not received a written offer to purchase for a price equal to or less than the Price Point from an income-qualified buyer before the end of a 30y day period following completion of framing.

Subd. 3. “Price Point”: The maximum price for which the builder or developer can sell an owner occupied Life Cycle Housing Unit. The price point is determined by the City in cooperation with Central Minnesota Life Cycle Housing Board and will be incorporated into a subdivision agreement prior to final plat approval.

Subd. 4 “Rental Life Cycle Housing Unit”: Newly constructed rental units whose maximum monthly rent is no greater than 30% of the monthly income of households earning 65% of the area median income, adjusted for the size of the unit, as specified and periodically updated by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Section 380.20 – Incentives and Assistance. Any residential subdivision qualifying as a Life Cycle Housing Development may be eligible for incentives and assistance as set forth in this Section to facilitate the construction of Life Cycle Housing Units. The developer of a residential subdivision qualifying as a Life Cycle Housing Development may request any combination of the incentives listed to off-set the cost of providing the life cycle housing units. At its sole discretion, the City may consider for each residential subdivision the extent that these or other incentives are made available based upon the criteria established by Section 380.30, which will be agreed between the parties through the subdivision agreement.

Subd. 1. Density Bonus. The City may provide a 15 % increase in the maximum allowable residential density established by the Comprehensive Plan for any residential development qualifying as a Life Cycle Housing Development. The density bonus will not require an amendment to the Comprehensive Plan, zoning change, or other discretionary approval by the City; other than those approvals required by City if the development were not proposed as a Life Cycle Housing Development. The housing units allowed by the density bonus will not be included when determining the total number of housing units to qualify as a Life Cycle Housing Development. The density bonus will apply to housing developments consisting of five or more dwellings.

Subd. 2. RLH, Residential Life-Cycle Housing Zoning. The City has enacted the Residential Life-Cycle Housing, zoning district for the purposes of reducing the cost of housing and limiting urban sprawl through increased density of single-family residential neighborhoods. As such, the RLH zoning district establishes common standards for the development of life-cycle housing and other small-lot single-family development without the necessity of a planned unit development.

Subd. 3. Fee Waivers. At the request of the developer, the City may issue a reimbursement for fees and/or charges related to the development and construction of Life Cycle Housing Units, including but not limited to the following. Reimbursements will be issued subsequent to a determination by the City that the developer has satisfied the definitions of an owner-occupied or rental Life Cycle Housing Unit.

(a) Planning and Zoning Fees. The City may issue a reimbursement to the developer for up to 20% of the zoning and subdivision fees for any Life Cycle Housing Development. (b) Building Permit Fees. The City may issue a reimbursement to the builder for up to 20% of the building permit fee for any structure meeting the definition of a Life Cycle Housing Unit. For multiple-family housing developments, the building permit reimbursement may be available for any individual structure meeting the definition of a Life Cycle Housing Unit. (c) Sewer and Water Availability Charges. The City may issue a reimbursement to the builder in the amount of 20% of the sewer availability charge (SAC) and water availability charge (WAC) for any structure meeting the definition of a Life Cycle Housing Unit. (d) Parkland Dedication Fees. The City may issue a reimbursement to the developer in the amount of 20% of a cash payment in lieu of park and open space dedication, if any, for each Life Cycle Housing Unit constructed within a Life Cycle Housing Development. A reimbursement will not be provided for land dedication.

Subd. 4. Promotion of Life Cycle Housing Units. The City will work with developers of any Life Cycle Housing Development to promote the availability of lots intended for construction of rental or owner occupied Life Cycle Housing Units.

Subd. 5. Modification of Development Standards. At the request of the developer, the City may modify for Life Cycle Housing Developments, to the extent feasible in light of the uses, design, and infrastructure needs of the residential subdivision, the development standards of the City Code, including but not limited to the following:

(a) Right-of-Way. The City, at its sole discretion, may reduce the minimum right-of-way width for local streets serving a Life Cycle Housing Development from 66 feet to 54 feet, where appropriate to maintain a safe and efficient transportation network, as well as serve private and public infrastructure needs. (b) Street Widths. The City, at its sole discretion, may reduce the minimum street width for local streets serving a Life Cycle Housing Development from 36 feet to 30 feet, where appropriate to maintain a safe and efficient transportation network. (c) Curbs and Gutters. The City, at its sole discretion, may allow deviations from the requirement for barrier curbs upon local streets serving Life Cycle Housing Developments. Mountable curb and gutter will be permitted where deemed appropriate by the City. (d) The City, at its sole discretion, will consider the reduction to one-side or removal of sidewalks from local residential streets within Life-Cycle Housing Developments where deemed appropriate to maintain a safe pedestrian network. Sidewalks will be required along collector and arterial roadways. Trails or bike paths will be encouraged to provide alternative pedestrian routes within a development.

Subd. 6. Streamlining and Priority Processing. The City will develop procedures and policies for streamlining and priority processing of any residential development qualifying as a Life Cycle Housing Development to the extent feasible consistent with the public health, safety, and welfare.

Subd. 7. Other Requests. The City will consider other forms of incentives requested by the developer provided the request is consistent with the intent of increasing life-cycle housing while maintaining high quality living environments.

Section 380.30 Criteria for Approval of Development Incentives. The City Council will approve of a requested development incentive for a Life Cycle Housing Development provided the evidence presented is such as to establish that:

Subd. 1. The development incentive is necessary to meet the developer’s life-cycle housing commitment.

Subd. 2. The development incentive will not, under the circumstances of the particular case, be detrimental to the health, safety, or general welfare of persons within the Life Cycle Housing Development.

Subd. 3. The development incentive will not unreasonably increase congestion in the public street and/or compromise the ability to maintain the public street.

Subd. 4. The development incentive will not unreasonably diminish or impair established property values within the neighborhood, or in any way be contrary to the intent of the Zoning District in which it is located or the goals and policies of the Comprehensive Plan.