Last month, the
Big Picture Project
kicked off with a public meeting at the Profile Event Center in
Minneapolis, themed around equitable transit-oriented development in
Seattle.
It'll help inform future affordable housing projects along the planned 11-mile
Central Corridor Light Rail Transit line that is to connect downtown Minneapolis and St. Paul.
The Big Picture Project is an effort to come up with a comprehensive affordable housing strategy for this key stretch.
Ryan Curren, a special projects coordinator for the city of
Seattle's Office of Housing, who spoke at the meeting last
month, says of the project, "It's smart
to set affordable housing targets along the corridor and stations years
ahead of when the line is running.".
"It gives something to aim for and a way to orient policy proposals
toward those goals, with inclusionary goals or new sources of funding or
existing sources of funding," he says.
To meet those goals, Seattle has found that "It
takes more targeted public subsidy and a tool or policy that requires
market-rate developers to create some level of affordable housing in
their development," on-site or off-site.
TC LISC,
a local branch of a national organization that helps leverage resources
for community development, is leading the Big Picture Project in partnership with
the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, with the support of the
Central Corridor Funders Collaborative, according to TC LISC program officer
Kristina Homstad.
As it is, over 30 plans envisioning future
affordable housing developments near the line have been put together,
but there's no "coordinated plan that brings synergy to this wide range
of effort," the project's website reads.
The idea is to "move beyond projects to placemaking."
A
"big picture" strategy can help attract investment to the area,
stabilize existing housing stock, preserve affordable rentals, and ensure
that any new developments are in the best interests of community
members, the website explains.
To carry out the project, a team
that includes government, finance, community, and development
representatives is studying the various affordable housing plans, maps, national
case studies, and more.
Based on their findings, the group will
come up with some recommendations and policies, which the public will be
able to weigh in on in a series of community forums and
neighborhood meetings that are underway through September.
In
November a final plan will go before various project partners, including
the Central Corridor Funders Collaborative, the cities of Minneapolis and
St. Paul, Hennepin and Ramsey counties, the
Metropolitan Council, and
Minnesota Housing, according to Big Picture Project information.
Ultimately,
the group hopes that the plan will lead to "better coordinated housing
that helps create a sense of place along the Central Corridor and
improves residents' lives," the website states.
Source: Kristina Homstad, program officer, TC LISC, Ryan Curren, city of Seattle
Writer: Anna Pratt