River Falls, WI — Representative Shannon Zimmerman (R–River Falls) voted for a package of
bills to lower costs for home buyers and increase the supply of homes during today’s Assembly
floor session. After passage, he released the following statement:
“In recent years there are many individuals who are struggling to purchase their first homes. This
issue is of particular concern in my district, where there are many families that are leaving
Minnesota to live in our state,” said Representative Zimmerman. “The reality is there are too few
homes available for home buyers. I am proud to vote for a number of bills that will create new
opportunities for housing development, clean up the permit process, and cut burdensome red
tape.”
The housing package that passed included a number of critical changes to housing regulations,
building codes, and modifications to current programs. Assembly Bill 451 expands the purpose
of Tax Incremental Districts (TIDs), which are currently used for commercial developments, to
assist with the development of infrastructure for residential subdivisions. Infrastructure costs can
add tens of thousands of dollars to the cost of a new home. By allowing resources from TIDs to
go toward construction costs for things like streets, sidewalks, curbs, and gutters in subdivisions,
these costs will not be borne by developers or passed along to homebuyers.
Assembly Bill 452, another bill within the housing package, is aimed to improve the
relationships between local governments and developers. Developers can often face challenges
when seeking approval for a construction permit. Rules that local governments provide at the
start of the process may change, adding costs on developers. This bill creates transparency and
clarity in the process by removing these hurdles and ultimately protects home buyers from facing
higher costs.
The housing package now moves to the State Senate for consideration.
