Housing Advocates Hope Third Time is a Charm For Zoning Reform in Minnesota

(Photo by Ellen Schmidt/Minnesota Reformer)

(Minnesota Reformer) – A bipartisan coalition of lawmakers and advocates are entering the third year of a legislative campaign to slash local red tape and open up new areas for development in the hopes of increasing the supply of new homes and apartments — and thus making them more affordable.

And — like last year — the bill authors are optimistic the bipartisan, low-to-no-cost legislation can pass the closely divided Legislature.

In 2024 and 2025, the optimism of the unlikely “Yes to Homes” coalition — Republican and Democratic housing committee leaders, labor unions, housing developers and religious groups — slammed into a wall of opposition from city government leaders with clout at the Legislature, who view the effort as an attempt to wrest local decision-making from cities. The bills have never reached the floor of the House or the Senate; in 2024, when Democrats alone controlled both chambers, the late House Speaker Melissa Hortman said the ideas required more study.

This year, however, the largest lobbying organization for Minnesota cities has shifted its approach. While the League of Minnesota Cities still opposes the bill, it will refrain from whipping votes against it, said Daniel Lightfoot, a League lobbyist.