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Recently, I wrote about encouraging the Mayor and City Council to take some drastic measures to fill the empty homes in NoMi by offering them up for $1, perhaps by starting with city employees.
Today, I saw this news headline of something similar taking place in Detroit. Detroit Mayor Dave Bing is offering abandoned homes to police officers for only $1000.
I'm super excited to see this happening there because I think it will strengthen the likelihood that we will get some action like this here in Minneapolis.
Go ahead and take a few minutes to write to all the council members and the Mayor and encourage them to follow Mayor Bing's lead and let's get it started! We're already half a decade into this housing crisis!
mayor@ci.minneapolis.mn.us
kevin.reich@ci.minneapolis.mn.us
cam.gordon@ci.minneapolis.mn.us
diane.hofstede@ci.minneapolis.mn.us
barbara.johnson@ci.minneapolis.mn.us
don.samuels@ci.minneapolis.mn.us
robert.lilligren@ci.minneapolis.mn.us
lisa.goodman@ci.minneapolis.mn.us
elizabeth.glidden@ci.minneapolis.mn.us
gary.schiff@ci.minneapolis.mn.us
meg.tuthill@ci.minneapolis.mn.us
john.quincy@ci.minneapolis.mn.us
sandra.colvin.roy@ci.minneapolis.mn.us
betsy.hodges@ci.minneapolis.mn.us
We need this!
ReplyDeleteNorth Revitalizer Blog Network (NRBN) let's LIGHT THIS ISSUE UP!!!!
Amen! Detroit is getting it's act together, while Minneapolis is still worried about "maintaining property values". BTW, is that house on Hillside Avenue? Looks like one I lived in back in the 1970s.
ReplyDeleteHi Dyna, yes that big old mansion is 1522 Hillside. Sadly, there just doesn't seem to be a way to save that house from demolition, and just recently the JACC organization made a recommendation to the city to acquire it and tear it down. It breaks my heart to hear that but I trust some of the housing experts who gave their opinion. So even if our Mayor started giving houses to cops, it won't be this one.
ReplyDeleteBTW Dyna,
ReplyDeletedid you realize you are so popular you are being impersonated?
Check out this comment thread here
And then read this follow up post here
This would be fabulous if we could get something similar going here in Nomi! I can't wait to see how it takes shape there in Detroit and Ithought it was neat that the mayor is calling it "Project 14" which I guess is a police code meaning everything is back to normal, cute!
ReplyDelete~Jodi~
I emailed the council like you suggested too!
ReplyDeleteThis would be such a great thing for northside if the Mayor would put it into place. Of course it won't be easy as many people are trying to point out but the hard work to get through the obstacles will be worth it. It would do such good to kick start the market I think. Good publicity for the northside, think of how many people would give it a hard consider when they heard of this that they would come look at houses on the market and they would be blown away!
Frank and I are brainstorming the obstacles that might exist if this were to happen! Got to be prepared for rebuttals right? (;
Keep in mind, Mpls. tried a residency requirement way back in the 90's I believe. They wanted all city employees to live within the City limits. It was struck down by the courts and one of the most vocal groups against this requirement was the police. They didn't want to live in the neighborhoods where they worked. Retaliation against police in their homes was seen (and has been shown) to be a real problem.
ReplyDeleteMore research needs to be done and someone should keep a watch on the Detroit program to see how it works before everyone wants to duplicate it here. Good ideas don't always work out.
Has anyone run this idea by the Mpls Police Dept. to see what the general feeling would be?
Personally, I don't agree with the idea of a residency requirement, but I like the idea of residency incentives (which I imagine this program would be).
ReplyDeleteYes, a residency incentive, I whole heartedly agree.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I am not convinced that I am in disagreement with a residency requirement. I think I might be able to get behind it at some level. I like the idea of a strong economic development policy that puts the city's payroll dollars right into the city community. I also feel strongly about city employees endorsing the city they work for with their own blood, sweat and tears. I think it would give them an incentive to make the most out of their job.
I have not heard a convincing argument AGAINST a residency requirement, but must admit I haven't heard much of any argument against it so haven't had the chance to be convinced. And I don't think general "freedom" is a good argument against it.
If a residency requirement were to be enacted, I would not support a policy that required all city employees to move into city or resign. I would support some type of grandfathering policy.
Or perhaps some kind of quota? A certain amount of city employees must live within the city and if it dips below quota, next hires must be city residents until quota is met and filled again. Hmmm. Too tired for such hard thought. Must zone out now......zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Minneapolis did have dollar houses in the 80's I believe. I am not sure what happened but many were bought.
ReplyDeleteMCullen NE