Letter to the Editor SPOTLIGHT: Sauk Centre’s creativity pays off
This LTE originally appeared in The Minnesota Star Tribune on April 19th, 2025 in response to the article from April 12, 2025 "Ramstad: No one is developing land for homes in Sauk Centre. The city decided to do it."
I’m a Twin Cities resident who cares about housing availability and affordability. But these are not just big-city concerns, so I appreciated your recent perspectives on housing availability in Sauk Centre and elsewhere in Minnesota (“Small city becomes its own developer,” April 13). And there are a few lessons here. One is that sometimes a small prod is all that is needed to unlock development. Sauk Centre purchased and divided some land, added a few improvements and suddenly it has a growing neighborhood popping up.
A second lesson is that government can be proactive in understanding its housing challenges and in discovering creative solutions: Here the city found a financing partner in a local employer. It could be that not enough housing of the right type exists: Young families might want starter homes but only larger homes are being built. Maybe developers can’t afford to go through lengthy approvals processes only to be denied a needed variance. Leaders should understand these concerns and preemptively clear roadblocks where appropriate.
There is some good work at the state Legislature on this, especially HF1987/SF2229, which would allow smaller homes on smaller lots. Housing policy often has big families in mind, but empty nesters and smaller families need homes too. The goal should be that every household has a good chance of finding the right home for their situation. With reforms like these, we have a chance to get there.
Chris Lynch, Minneapolis
