2025 Minneapolis Housing Questionnaire — Ward 12

Neighbors for More Neighbors has partnered with Inquilinxs Unidxs Por Justicia, Wedge LIVE!, The Housing Justice League, Housing in Action and BikeMN to sponsor a housing questionnaire for the 2025 Minneapolis Elections. You can see all responses (mayoral and city council candidates) here.

We sent this questionnaire to all candidates who filed campaign finance reports as of April 16, 2025. We received responses from Aurin Chowdhury (Incumbent) and Becka Thompson.

The candidates are ordered alphabetically by last name, except for the incumbent, who is placed first. You may view the candidate responses to each question by clicking on the “+” icon to the left of the question.

Question 1: One way to create complete, walkable neighborhoods is to legalize local commercial use within those neighborhoods. The existing zoning code prohibits commercial use on approximately 89% of Minneapolis lots.

Will you vote for zoning changes to allow local, low-impact small businesses (e.g. coffee shops, restaurants, corner stores, etc.) to be built in residential neighborhoods throughout our entire city?

  • Aurin Chowdhury (Incumbent)
    Yes

    Becka Thompson
    Yes
    The revival of the ‘corner store’ is imperative in the robust return of our beautiful city. I believe these should be limited to some corridors and intersections yet there is no reason why it can’t be expanded from what is currently available.

Question 2: Some cities like South Bend, Indiana, have developed a set of pre-approved, residential project plans to help (1) lower the cost of construction by reducing design fees and (2) speed up approval times. These initiatives involve working with architects and engineers to develop a set of plans for one to six-unit homes that are permitted throughout the city.

Will you vote to create an accessible catalog of free or low-cost, pre-approved home plans for the City of Minneapolis?

  • Aurin Chowdhury (Incumbent)
    Yes

    Becka Thompson
    Abstain
    I believe that this is a good step, yet am cautious that it would make the city architecturally extremely boring. What often times happens in the ‘best laid plans’ is that we cut corners for efficiency and lose out on the artistic nature of what a city needs to be pleasing to the eye as you look around it. Our structural design cannot be brutalist. It is our obligation to see the comprehensive plan in a manner that uplifts the city even in the scope of design. So though I definitely support the idea, I sit with caution for the actual implementation, hence I abstained from the Y/N. Thanks!

Question 3: Given Minneapolis’s history of redlining, exclusionary zoning, freeway construction through historically Black & minority neighborhoods, slum clearance, and urban renewal, what are your goals to address historic & ongoing harms–in an equitable and restorative way–to build a better and more livable Minneapolis for all residents?

  • Aurin Chowdhury (Incumbent)
    Rising interest rates, the cost of homes, and rent have created barriers to housing and home ownership. Not only is the rising cost of living too expensive for new homeowners to buy a home, but current homeowners (especially those on fixed incomes) are feeling the impact. Working people and renters across the city of Minneapolis are especially impacted by this.

    To address the historic and ongoing harms of the past and present, and build towards a Minneapolis that is multiracial, multigenerational, interconnected, livable, and accessible, I will work to ensure everyone who calls the City of Minneapolis home has a stable place to call home.

    If re-elected to the City Council, I will look towards the future of housing and work to create a locally owned social housing program – where the City will develop, own, and manage housing units to create more truly affordable housing, without relying on multinational corporations and investors.

    Another much needed change is changing the Land Use Policy to create wider availability of Accessory Dwelling Units. This creates more affordable housing availability for middle and lower-income residents, and will provide homes for our seniors who are in need of care and want to be close to their loved ones.

    I would also work to remove zoning restrictions that make it harder to build mixed-income housing, as well as advocate for the creation of more quality public housing that can directly serve people who are unhoused and have been on the public housing waitlist.

    I would continue to expand homeownership opportunities, especially for working families by building the necessary partnerships to bring a much needed affordable housing – including affordable senior housing projects to the 12th Ward and working with Minneapolis Public Schools and Minneapolis Public Housing Authority to provide resources for families experiencing homelessness.

    Becka Thompson
    As it seems everyone involved in the city knows at this point, I have lived in the historically marginalized north side for 15 years and been a part of the community for 30+. The free ways are a problem. I believe that economic opportunity are the best way to move forward. Much of the land in north minneapolis and in other historic neighborhoods of poverty have become wastelands of government owned and controlled plots. Small business struggles because they are not empowered with the organizing and operational opportunities. It is my goal to go into ordinances and lift some so that we can free this land to entrepreneurs outside of CPED. To create a rubric to get low interest or no interest loans (measurable… I am a math teacher after all). In a dream world We would also, eventually, have a land bridge over 35w in south and 94 in north. Though we cannot remove these corridors at this point in our city’s history, we can drastically reframe the way they are utilized.

Question 4: Minneapolis currently allows property owners to build triplexes on any residential lot. In practice, on an average 5,000 square foot lot in Minneapolis, each triplex unit is constrained to ~800 square feet due to other size and height limitations in the code (these are built-form restrictions & floor-to-area ratios). Most of the triplexes that currently exist were built decades ago and would not be allowed today under current rules.

Will you vote to change city built-form restrictions so that new triplexes could be built if they stayed consistent with existing forms?

  • Aurin Chowdhury (Incumbent)
    Yes

    Becka Thompson
    Abstain
    I am on the city planning commission. I find this as I did question 2. It is a great idea but it is far beyond a Y/N question. I have concerns about our green spaces, water quality, water table and ability to attract financing to make these things happen. But I like it in idea.

Question 5: The Minneapolis 2040 Plan has been highly successful in allowing more studios and 1 to 2 bedroom homes to be built in the City, primarily in buildings with 20 or more units. However, 3 or more bedroom homes in these same buildings are rare; meaning families with children are competing for a limited supply of single-family homes.

Will you vote to change zoning restrictions to encourage the development of 3-bedroom units–in multi-unit buildings–for growing Minneapolis families?

  • Aurin Chowdhury (Incumbent)
    Yes

    Becka Thompson
    Yes
    This is a very passionate topic for me. I watched last 2040 seemed to only support studios and 1BR. Beyond that, the construction is almost all rental. We need to change some state ordinances and city regulations to allow for the creation of condominiums as well. It is well documented that people do better when they own rather than rent as a home is the quickest and easiest way to build inter-generational wealth -something I am very passionate about for low income opportunities and people who have historically struggled to be able to own a home of their own. a mortgage is almost always cheaper than rent and as the city as a whole does better, then the owner gets to see those overall dividends. It is a high priority for me to see this kind of construction and making sure that it is available to purchase rather than rent. This requires lifting restrictions on builders who have found it challenging to finance. (I can get into the details later if people ever wanted. 🙂 )

Question 6: Across the country, many cities and states are updating their zoning codes to allow more homes near high-quality transit. For example, Washington State legalized six-plexes within a half-mile of major transit stops.

Will you vote for zoning reforms in Minneapolis to support more homes on all land within a half-mile of major transit stops, including LRT, BRT, and ABRT lines?

  • Aurin Chowdhury (Incumbent)
    Yes

    Becka Thompson
    Abstain
    This also requires massive nuance. I sit on the blue line commission as well. Many of the impacts in north minneapolis, on this project displace people who have long called north home where they wouldn’t be able to afford anywhere else. When we up zone, it must be done with caution. Additionally, our rail might not even be built. I see this from funding break downs at the federal level. We cannot change zoning without a clear picture of the growth of our city. At least, that is how I view it. Thusly, I would like to answer this more fully with more data. Again, it’s a great idea in practice.

Question 7: What specific anti-displacement measures will you support to ensure these zoning changes benefit existing residents and prevent displacement of low-income communities for current and future projects?

  • Aurin Chowdhury (Incumbent)
    In my first term, I have worked diligently to expand the Minneapolis Homes Program to expand affordable homeownership opportunities that may not be available on the market. On the Council, we have also Expanded the Inclusionary Zoning policy to increase the amount of deeply affordable housing across Minneapolis. The expansion of the 4D program also preserves deeply affordable housing through tax deductions that fund the upkeep and maintenance of affordable housing units. Furthermore, we passed an ordinance to allow adaptive reuse of buildings, such as the conversion of vacant office buildings to housing in the downtown core.

    I think it is important that our city is thoughtful about how we use public subsidy to make affordable projects possible— ensuring that the unit types, the amenities, and affordability level matches the needs of the current constituency. Working class people deserve to have nice things and enjoy nice neighborhoods as development occurs.

    I have also supported policies to grow our perpetually affordable housing program to create homeownership opportunities by lowering the purchasing cost and ensuring that the same house that was bought with that upfront affordability continues to the next homebuyer should the house go for sell.

    I have championed renters protections, such a 30 day pre-eviction notice for nonpayment of rent so that people have enough time to get rental assistance so they are not pushed out of their home and stability is possible.

    At the end of the day, we just need to create more types of housing models that will serve our diverse constituencies and work through any bottlenecks we might see in the housing market.

    Becka Thompson
    Interesting how I just mentioned it in my previous question! 🙂 This is challenging. The reality is the best ‘anti- displacement’ is opportunities for longtime residents to OWN rather than rent their space. In that capacity I would look to make sure that people who want to stay can and that we create a city where ownership is much more affordable and we can streamline the process for residents who want to buy for opportunities for lending. Many people simply don’t know that these opportunities exist and they need people to help walk them through it. Making is clear and getting out the information is crucial.

Question 8: Minneapolis residents, City Council, and the current Mayor are all concerned with rising homelessness rates, which increase the prevalence of local encampments.

Do you support the current mayoral administration’s policy of encampment clearing?

  • Aurin Chowdhury (Incumbent)
    No
    Encampment is not a safe, healthy, or dignified place to live. Playing whack a mole and wasting tax payer dollars just to displace encampments to the next neighborhood over and harm people who are unhoused is not working and is the outcome of Mayor’s administration’s current approach. Please read my answer to question 9 for more.

    Becka Thompson
    Abstain
    There is no positive that comes to people in encampments. Now, when the question is posed ‘clear’ I 100% support that, but it leads a space to think that they are just emptied. I support and will fight for robust opportunities for people who want help to get it. The fentanyl crisis is awful. it is destroying many lives. The response to this is extremely multi-faceted. We need to create a city where it is so financially successful that people can see opportunities and make attempts to take them. We need to partner with the state to get mental health facilities and we need to create spaces for them to thrive after attempts at recovery. I know that much mental illness is a life long battle with trauma. yet I know that encampments themselves are not the solution and almost always put people at higher risk of human trafficking, disease and death. they are not safe and I will never say otherwise.

Question 9: What will you do to protect people who see encampments as their only option, while increasing and expanding access to stable, permanent and deeply affordable housing for all people in Minneapolis?

  • Aurin Chowdhury (Incumbent)
    In my first term, I have worked diligently to expand the Minneapolis Homes Program to expand affordable homeownership opportunities that may not be available on the market. On the Council, we have also Expanded the Inclusionary Zoning policy to increase the amount of deeply affordable housing across Minneapolis. The expansion of the 4D program also preserves deeply affordable housing through tax deductions that fund the upkeep and maintenance of affordable housing units. Furthermore, we passed an ordinance to allow adaptive reuse of buildings, such as the conversion of vacant office buildings to housing in the downtown core.

    I think it is important that our city is thoughtful about how we use public subsidy to make affordable projects possible— ensuring that the unit types, the amenities, and affordability level matches the needs of the current constituency. Working class people deserve to have nice things and enjoy nice neighborhoods as development occurs.

    I have also supported policies to grow our perpetually affordable housing program to create homeownership opportunities by lowering the purchasing cost and ensuring that the same house that was bought with that upfront affordability continues to the next homebuyer should the house go for sell.

    I have championed renters protections, such a 30 day pre-eviction notice for nonpayment of rent so that people have enough time to get rental assistance so they are not pushed out of their home and stability is possible.

    At the end of the day, we just need to create more types of housing models that will serve our diverse constituencies and work through any bottlenecks we might see in the housing market.

    Becka Thompson
    I answered much above but will re-iterate here. “deeply affordable” What does that mean? If we’re talking AMI it is unsustainable to have that in a free market. In that regard we need mental health hospitals and long term care run by the state as the state has the most money and the structural influence to do that. As a member of the city council I will work to partner with the state to make sure that these things get accomplished. People are migratory, so to say ‘all people in Minneapois’ is also challenging. People come and go. that is one of the hallmarks of people in encampments. We cannot control the bounds of the city limits, but what we can do is create a larger community that cares, if you’re in St. Paul, Robbinsdale, Brooklyn Center or Rochester. What this crisis needs is not one city trying to take it on but rather a state that knows how to deal with it. The disconnect at the state level has been profoundly challenging. My answer is very much ‘for all people in Minnesota’ because that is what we are really looking at.

Question 10: Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act (TOPA) gives current tenants the first right to purchase the property that they live in should their landlord want to sell. A policy such as TOPA advances opportunities for community ownership as well as a transfer of wealth back to renters. If you are elected, will you vote to advance TOPA?

  • Aurin Chowdhury (Incumbent)
    Yes

    Becka Thompson
    Abstain
    Again ‘first right’ is a loose term. Does it mean a statute of 6 months? How does the organization of tenants become a NP? a 501c3? A co-operative? these things require deep questions and to answer is way beyond a ‘yes/no’. I do not support simplistic answers to complex questions. That noted, I absolutely support people given the opportunity to collectively come together and purchase the building that they live in, should they find ways to do that. I believe that the seller (current property owner) should at least give equal weight to that offer but should not be obligated to sell to a low bid, that I do not support. What that would do is de-incentivize anyone from wanting to invest in our city, and we need the opposite to happen right now so that we can fund the issues in questions 7 -9.

Question 11: Will you support using city resources to establish locally-owned housing–sometimes referred to as social housing–that is permanently affordable, protected from private market forces, publicly owned, and under democratic governance by the tenants?

  • Aurin Chowdhury (Incumbent)
    Yes

    Becka Thompson
    No
    100% no.

Question 12: Today, city property taxes are set primarily on the “improvements” or value of the buildings on land. As a result, “low value” land with parking lots or vacant lots pay very little in taxes while making surrounding neighborhoods less livable. This incentivizes low-value land owners to engage in land speculation for years or even decades until they get a big payout. A Land Value Tax (LVT) doesn’t change their taxes to the city; it shifts how taxes are set to be primarily based on the value of the land to discourage land speculation.

If the state passes legislation to allow it–pending special session outcomes–will you vote to pilot a LVT to encourage development of under-used land in Minneapolis?

  • Aurin Chowdhury (Incumbent)
    Yes

    Becka Thompson
    Abstain
    Possibly. I have some experience from this in north minneapolis and it is infuriating that owners can sit on land and let it blight the neighborhood and use it as a tax right off. Rather than new policies I’d rather look into existing coding to try to incentivize the land owner to sell.

Question 13: Rent stabilization continues to be considered in Minneapolis. Supporters hope to discourage unfair rent gouging and displacement. Opponents worry it could stifle the development of new homes.

How would you evaluate rent stabilization policy? What components could you vote for and which would you not be able to vote for?

Examples of policy components include, but are not limited to: a specific percentage cap on rent increases, a new construction exemption, vacancy decontrol, just cause eviction, etc.

  • Aurin Chowdhury (Incumbent)
    A stable home should not be a luxury. But as the cost of living rises, many people in our city are struggling to afford their lives. Minneapolis renters are burdened by soaring rents. This disproportionately impacts our Black, Brown, Indigenous, disabled, and working neighbors and families.

    The ground we are on continues to shift, at this moment in time we are seeing slows in new housing creation across the country and Minneapolis is no exception. With the slow of new housing production and as the build more era seems to be closing, we know that rents will rise. I am open to a rent stabilization policy for Minneapolis, I think it will be a challenge to get it right. I know right off the bat that I support new construction exemptions and vacancy decontrol. As a policy maker, you have to be able to step back from the politics of an issue such as rent stabilization and consider what is needed by the constituency. It would be short-sighted to close oneself off to rent stabilization as one of the tools in the toolbox to address the housing crisis. It’s not a silver bullet solution and we shouldn’t take it off the table.

    Becka Thompson
    I could see myself being wiling to see a rent increase cap to that of 2% over inflation. Which would make it a moving target based on the FED (federal reserve bank). Getting too involved in putting our thumbs on the scales of the marketplace is challenging. I have lived many sides of this albatross and have found that volume usually sets the best tone.

Question 14: Evictions in Minneapolis have skyrocketed since the eviction moratorium was lifted and far too many renters are one paycheck away from losing their home.

What ideas do you have to reduce evictions in our communities?

  • Aurin Chowdhury (Incumbent)
    At the local level, the goal is to continue to be responsive and creative in making housing affordable and possible, whether you are a homeowner or renter. To ensure that we take tangible action on the increase of evictions in our communities and across the city, I authored and passed an ordinance to increase the pre-eviction notice for nonpayment of rent from 14 days to 30 days, which creates a more realistic timeline to make minimum rental payments. I also supported and passed a mandatory disclosure ordinance requiring landlords inform tenants of their rights as renters. This is just the beginning, and there is much more that can and should be done to ensure that we can reduce increasing eviction rates.

    As Chair of the Intergovernmental Relations committee (IGR), I work alongside my counterparts – other elected officials – across various levels of government, to tackle a wide array of issues, housing being one of them.

    On the Council, in my first term I have led the effort to expand the Minneapolis Stable Homes Stable Schools program to help families facing homelessness get stable housing. I have also worked to reinstate an Emergency Housing Vouchers program at $1.8 million to provide 50 families and 50 individuals with permanent housing and wraparound services, which has proven incredibly effective since its re-implementation.

    Becka Thompson
    Rebuild the business community in our city. I have had this happen to many family members. they wanted to live in the city but they couldn’t find a job in the city. So they would work at MOA or out on grand avenue. Being car-less, they would take the bus or sometimes uber. I would try to caution of the cost of uber but they would get off work after the busses were safe. This is a vicious cycle for our young people especially. Fixing this is very simply, for one family member for example, would mean having more resturants nearby where he lived in Stevens Square. Having a coffee shop that is hiring. Having busses that run more regularly and where young people feel safe being on them. This is the state of the city. This is also something that I have lived. It is so scary and stressful to live ‘month to month’. It affects your body it literally puts toxic stress chemicals into your body, which makes the cycle harder. I have lived this. It is awful. Every morning I wake up grateful for stable housing that I have had now for 8 years. Seriously. We already have a $15 minimum wage in the city and we already have a community that is great tipping. I firmly believe that if we support our small and local businesses so many of these issues will all be fixed together. landlords don’t want to evict. They want tenants, they evict when they are also struggling. When we all do better, we all do better. Thanks for the questions!