►
From YouTube: Council Minute May 25
Description
In this week’s Council Minute Mayor Tim Busse explains zoning changes approved by the City Council designed to create more opportunities for affordable homeownership. Plus, an update on public safety and how the state’s 2023 legislative session impacts Bloomington.
A
Hello
Bloomington
I'm
mayor
Tim
Bussey,
and
this
is
the
council
minute
for
the
week
of
May
22nd.
On
Monday
night,
the
city
council
approved
a
series
of
zoning
changes
that
are
designed
to
create
more
opportunities
for
affordable
home
ownership
in
Bloomington
and
allow
options
for
smaller
homes
that
are
becoming
more
attractive
to
a
number
of
potential
home
buyers
who
are
looking
to
downsize.
A
We've
been
working
through
this
issue
for
five
months
now,
looking
for
answers
on
how
to
allow
for
an
increased
variety
of
new
dwellings
and
create
affordable
housing
opportunities
now
and
in
future
Generations,
while
at
the
same
time
considering
how
or
if
these
changes
may
impact
Bloomington
neighborhoods.
The
ordinance
passed.
Monday
night
makes
several
tweaks
to
the
current
zoning
code,
including
reducing
the
minimum
interior
lot
width
from
80
feet
to
60
feet
and
reducing
the
minimum
interior
lot
size
from
11
000
to
7
800
square
feet.
A
It
also
includes
requiring
two
parking
spaces
per
unit
instead
of
four
and
making
it
simpler
to
apply
for
a
permit
to
divide
lots
and
build
two
family
homes.
The
cost
of
new
housing
is
determined
by
land,
labor
and
lumber
and
in
any
City's
bag
of
tools.
The
one
area
where
a
city
has
the
most
influence
is
on
the
land,
specifically
around
zoning
regulations.
By
providing
more
flexibility
on
land
use
regulations
like
lot
sizes
and
setback
requirements,
the
city
can
improve
the
cost
of
new
home
construction.
A
The
changes
won't
magically
or
immediately
bring
down
overall
housing
costs,
but
they
will
provide
incremental
benefit.
There's
evidence
that
easing
zoning
restrictions
slows
the
rapid
rate
of
increase
in
the
cost
of
housing
over
the
long
term.
So,
yes,
these
changes
are
modest.
They
will
result
in
incremental
changes,
not
wholesale
shifts
in
the
character
of
Bloomington
neighborhoods,
at
best
they're
anticipated
to
result
in
about
10
or
so
new
units
a
year
city-wide
with
a
mix
of
affordable
and
market
rate
units.
But
every
little
bit
helps
for
those
10
families.
A
It
will
make
all
the
difference
in
the
world.
It's
also
another
opportunity
for
Bloomington
to
continue
to
be
a
leader
among
Minnesota
cities,
from
building
a
baseball
stadium
out
in
a
cornfield
to
Banning
smoking
in
bars
and
restaurants,
to
our
hugely
successful
opportunity.
Housing
ordinance,
Bloomington,
has
always
been
a
leader
and
very
often
when
Bloomington
leads.
The
rest
of
the
state
of
Minnesota
follows
a
lack
of
affordable
housing
opportunities
is
not
unique
to
our
city.
It's
a
Statewide
issue
that
needs
a
Statewide
solution.
A
One
of
the
core
values
in
our
new
strategic
plan
in
Bloomington
tomorrow
together,
is
that
we
will
take
risks,
innovate
and
try
things
that
haven't
been
tried
before
all
in
the
name
of
cultivating
and
enduring
and
remarkable
Community
where
people
want
to
be.
We
wrapped
up
our
meeting
on
Monday
night
about
two
hours
ahead
of
when
the
Minnesota
Legislature
wrapped
up
their
2023
legislative
session.
It
was
a
very
busy
five
months
in
Saint
Paul
and
the
city
of
Bloomington
did
well
from
a
legislative
perspective.
A
Our
request
regarding
a
Bloomington
sales
tax
was
included
in
the
final
tax
bill.
That
means
voters
will
have
the
opportunity
this
fall
to
decide
if
Bloomington
should
impose
a
local
half
cent
sales
tax
to
fund
a
Community,
Health
and
Wellness
Center,
vital
Renovations
at
Bloomington,
Ice
garden
and
The
Nine
Mile
Creek
Corridor
renewal
project
Bloomington
also
receives
State
bonding
money
not
as
much
as
we
had
asked
for,
but
still
we
received
1.8
million
for
planning
and
design
of
a
Community
Health
and
Wellness
Center
and
2.2
million
dollars
for
planning
and
design
work
at
Big.
A
Also
in
the
bonding
bill
is
three
hundred
and
fifty
thousand
dollars
for
the
Bloomington
remembers
veterans
project.
Although
this
request
came
from
a
community
group,
the
city,
council
and
staff
are
certainly
supportive
of
it
and
we're
very
excited
to
see
it
included
in
the
bonding
Bill.
The
public
safety
Bill
includes
money
for
cities,
and
the
allocation
for
Bloomington
is
3.98
million
dollars
of
one-time
money.
A
It's
a
500
million
dollar
allocation
for
business
development
and
half
of
that
250
million
dollars
will
be
available
to
microchip
companies
to
use
as
matching
funds
as
they
apply
for
federal
funding.
We
have
a
robust
and
growing
microchip
industry
here
in
Bloomington
and
I
can
guarantee.
We
will
see
investment
locally,
as
are
the
result
of
the
Minnesota
forward
fund.
A
Aside
from
the
funding
allocations,
there
are
a
bunch
of
policy
issues
that
affect
Bloomington,
including
the
legalization
of
marijuana,
the
state
adoption
of
earned
sick
and
safe
leave
and
affordable
housing.
Now,
regardless
of
your
political
leanings,
it
was
probably
the
most
significant
legislative
session
in
the
last
half
century.
It's
going
to
take
some
time
to
sort
out
exactly
how
Bloomington
will
be
impacted
and
I
promise
you'll
be
hearing
more
about
that
list
that
I
just
mentioned
and
likely
more
in
the
coming
weeks
and
months.
A
A
sincere
thank
you
to
our
Bloomington
legislative
delegation
for
their
work
on
behalf
of
Bloomington
over
the
past
five
months
and
finally,
today,
earlier
this
month,
police
chief
Booker
Hodges
spoke
to
the
city
council
and
delivered
the
very
good
news
that
crime
in
Bloomington
is
at
a
four-year
low.
The
chief
shared
this
chart
showing
the
crime
categories
that
saw
a
decrease
from
2021
to
2022.
A
significant
crimes
like
burglary,
rape,
robbery,
vandalism,
aggravated
assault
and
motor
vehicle
thefts
all
decreased
from
21
to
22..
He
also
shared
a
chart
of
crime
categories
that
increased.
In
that
same
time
period
the
biggest
increases
were
in
DUI
arrests,
larceny
of
Auto
Parts,
that's
the
catalytic
converter,
thefts
and
shoplifting,
and
the
chief
brought
the
numbers
together
in
a
bar
chart
for
the
crimes
he
described
as
priority
crimes.
It
also
includes
2023
numbers
from
January
through
March
and
its
show
is
pretty
clearly
the
overall
downward
trend
of
priority
crimes.
A
In
Bloomington,
but
the
chief
did
say
that
the
number
of
Motor
Vehicle
thefts
is
trending
higher
and
it's
something
that
they'll
keep
a
close
eye
on.
The
bottom
line
is
that
crime
is
at
a
four-year
low
in
Bloomington
and
that
our
fully
staffed,
Police
Department
is
doing
outstanding
work.
In
addition
to
the
crime
statistics,
Chief
Hodges
called
out
work
that
the
department
did
recently
with
the
center
for
value-based
initiatives.
It's
an
organization
that
works
with
police
departments
to
put
strategies
in
place
that
increase
Community
engagement,
increase,
transparent
communication
and
encourage
respectful
attitudes.
A
Funding
from
the
city
council
allowed
the
BPD
to
work
with
the
center
and
conduct
community-based
focus
groups
that
resulted
in
a
mission
statement,
a
vision
statement
and
a
set
of
core
values
that
are
being
implemented
throughout
the
police
department.
You
see
them
here
and
I
hope
you
notice.
The
key
word
included
in
all
three
statements
is
the
word
respect
the
mission.