An official website of the POLICY 7: Climate-resilient, healthy housing
This policy states:
Support the development, retrofitting, and maintenance of homes to create a climate-resilient future and improve health for residents in the region.
ACTIONS
Provide
Actions that describe how the Met Council will direct actions and support regional housing goals through programs, assistance, and funding, including grant priorities and criteria, voucher programs, and technical assistance.
Plan
Actions that describe how the Met Council adopts plans under the regional development guide through its housing authority to review municipal comprehensive plan updates and plan for other integral processes that will encompass the physical, social, or economic needs of the region.
Partner
Actions that describe how the Met Council will collaborate with residents, local governments, organizations, and regional experts to improve housing choice and accessibility and reduce housing inequities. These actions also describe how the Met Council will seek national and state opportunities to engage on housing issues that further the vision and values of the region.
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Livable Communities programs support the equitable development of, and policies to support, housing that adapts to and mitigates climate change in regional development.
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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.
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Prioritize energy efficiency, water efficiency, climate resilience, and decarbonization in preservation projects.
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Share and promote green development and design resources with developers, cities, and townships through Livable Communities program resources (for example, solar-ready, green roofs, landscaping, and model ordinance resources).
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Livable Communities programs will prioritize projects that reduce energy costs for households that are both energy cost-burdened and housing cost-burdened.
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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 and water-efficiency efforts for Met Council-owned housing units, including the purchase of energy-efficient and water-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.
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Ensure the inclusion of utility costs in Met Council rent and ownership affordability limits.
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Encourage local governments, in their comprehensive plans, to identify opportunities to direct energy-efficiency, weatherization, and decarbonization resources to low-income households and multifamily rental properties.
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Explore opportunities to access and align with federal and state funding that supports climate-resilient housing production and preservation.
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Integrate the Met Council’s Climate Action Work Plan commitments and strategies into housing policies and programming.
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Explore opportunities to partner with organizations to further implement environmental justice efforts in housing policy and programming.
