Housing in our region is resilient to climate change impacts and furthers environmental justice

Policy

Support the development, retrofitting, and maintenance of homes to create a climate-resilient future and improve health for residents in the region.

Actions are grouped under the categories of Partner, Plan, and Provide to better tell the story of how policy produces results.

• Livable Communities programs support the equitable development of, and policies to support, housing that adapts to and mitigates climate change in regional development.
  • Give funding consideration in Livable Communities Act grants to projects that use cost-effective energy-saving and decarbonization elements, promoted by Green Communities criteria, the Minnesota Sustainable Building Guidelines, or other green and sustainable building practices.
  • Prioritize energy efficiency, climate resilience, and decarbonization in preservation projects.
  • Share and promote green development and design resources with developers and communities through Livable Communities program resources (for example, solar-ready, green roofs, landscaping, and model ordinance resources).
  • Livable Communities programs will prioritize reductions for households that are both energy cost-burdened and housing cost burdened
• Provide climate mitigation and adaptation technical resources to local governments (for example, resources for extreme heat, shade, and energy) for multifamily housing projects to increase resilience and maximize the impact of limited resources.
• When allocating climate-action and/or energy-efficiency funds, prioritize directing funding to affordable housing and/or low-income households
• Continue implementing energy-efficiency efforts for Met Council-owned housing units, including the purchase of energy-efficient equipment and supplies.
• Provide data for place-based decision making to prioritize affordable housing construction in areas that are less at risk for climate-change impacts.
• Identify key brownfield and infill sites for redevelopment and assist local governments to apply for brownfield cleanup grants.
  

• Ensure the inclusion of utility costs in rent and ownership affordability limits.
• Local governments, in their comprehensive plans, identify opportunities to direct energy-efficiency, weatherization, and decarbonization resources to low-income households and multifamily rental properties.

• Explore opportunities to access and align with federal and state funding that supports climate resilient housing production and preservation.
• Integrate the Met Council’s Climate Action Work Plan commitments and strategies into housing policies and programming.
• Explore opportunities to partner with organizations to further implement environmental justice efforts in housing policy and programming.

Read and give feedback on the complete draft of the housing policy plan