Council supports amending land use for NE Rochester affordable housing proposal

After delaying a decision for two weeks, the Rochester City Council gave the preliminary go-ahead for a 66-unit affordable housing project to move forward Monday night.

In two separate 5-2 votes, the council approved a request from Joseph Development to rezone and amend the land use plan for a 2.5 acre plot of land in the Northern Heights neighborhood. The four-story complex will include 33 units affordable at 60 percent annual median income (AMI) and another 33 units at 50 percent AMI.

The debate lasted nearly an hour, following a two-hour discussion on April 5 that did not result in a vote. Monday’s decision was highly watched as a potential precedent for how a new council may balance existing zoning regulations with workforce housing needs.

Mayor Kim Norton, who wrote a letter endorsing the project in July 2020, said the project should be prioritized because of its location — outside of the immediate downtown area in northeast Rochester, bringing affordable housing to an area of the city that doesn’t have a similar complex for two miles.

“If we are to create a community that has mixed-income, including affordable housing in every quadrant of the community, we have to do things like this,” said Norton.

Some neighbors around the potential site rallied against the project during the council’s public hearing April 5, saying the apartment complex would bring unwanted noise and traffic to the area. No public comments were allowed at Monday’s meeting.

Council Member Shaun Palmer — who represents Ward 5, the section of Rochester where this project would be built — said he believes the Northern Heights neighborhood is not the right location for a new multi-story complex.

“There’s better spots in Rochester that this place could be put into,” said Palmer. “This property was not mis-zoned. It was zoned in the ‘90s for a reason. This area was zoned as B1 [commercial]. We need more business in this area — there’s only two empty lots — and you have to think of the owners in the subdivision next to this. Think of them buying their home, having the thought that it was going to be commercial, a one-story building, and now it’s going to be a four-story building, 41 feet tall.”

While “nay” voters — notably CM Palmer —  said the land in question had been correctly zoned in years past, Council Member Nick Campion said the fact that the lot was still up for development was a sign that it should be rezoned.

“Council Member Palmer said it best — this was zoned commercial and has been since the 90s,” said Campion. “It hasn’t developed. So the idea that these plots are going to sit undeveloped permanently is just not the best land use for the community.” 

Once built, the complex will sit in the middle of a “food desert,” with the closest full-service grocery store over two miles away. While a Kwik Trip convenience store sits feet from the proposed location, Council Member Mark Bransford said the distance from a true grocery store was a major factor in his “nay” vote.

“I want to vote yes for it, but I really, truly do think we’re doing our affordable housing needs a bit of a disfavor in this case,” said Bransford. “A food desert is what it is. It’s a long way away. A single mom, without a car, on the weekend, that has to work a job… that’s going to be tough.”

After devoting nearly three hours of public time to the topic, the council still needs to approve final building plans before shovels hit the ground. 

Monday’s action simply cleared the way for planning to continue — though it could have lasting effects on how the city prioritizes future development. After weeks of research and nearly three hours of discussion in the public arena, Council President Brooke Carlson said her final decision came down to one question: what does Rochester need right now?

“In my heart of hearts, I represent the whole community, and the whole community desperately needs housing and we need places that are available right now in the near term while we’re working on longer-term, better solutions to the housing crisis in this community,” said Carlson.

Isaac Jahns is a Rochester native and a 2019 graduate of the Missouri School of Journalism. He reports on politics, business and music for Med City Beat.

Cover: map of the proposed development site / via council agenda packet