A new brewery in Minneapolis; new housing, including affordable homes, in Chaska; mixed retail, manufacturing, and housing in Saint Paul; and affordable housing for seniors and a new senior center in Rogers.
These are among the hundreds of metro area developments that have received Livable Communities funding over the last 25 years to support local development investment.
The Metropolitan Council administers the Livable Communities program and says $25 million will be available in 2022 to eligible and participating communities to help fund:
- Affordable housing: $3.5 million
- Development that promotes mixed and connected land uses that link housing (market-rate and affordable housing), jobs, and services, including transit-oriented and predevelopment grants: $16 million
- Brownfield or polluted-site cleanup for redevelopment: $5.5 million
75 metro cities and one township are currently participating in the voluntary program.
“The Livable Communities program is a financial tool we use to help communities advance goals of housing affordability, redevelopment, and connected development that supports walkable places and access to transit,” said Lisa Barajas, community development director.
“It’s all about enhancing and supporting livability in communities and the region,” said Barajas. “These grants provide a strategic investment in our ability to achieve long-term sustainability, equity, and economic vitality as a region, and in our communities and neighborhoods.”
The legislature enacted the Livable Communities program in 1995. Over 25 years, the program has contributed to cleanup and redevelopment that resulted in thousands of new jobs, created thousands of new and updated homes for lower-income families, and helped to leverage billions of public and private dollars for investment in economic opportunity.
Earlier this month, Met Council staff held a webinar on the various accounts that make up the Livable Communities Fund.
Learn more about the various accounts, project profiles, available funds, and application deadlines for the Livable Communities program.