Chris LaTondresse 2 , CD3 DFL

Hennepin County Board approves a record $17 million for affordable housing projects

It’s the largest amount awarded by the board to support affordability.

Hennepin County is spending a record $17 million for 27 affordable housing and development projects this year to create nearly 2,300 units and the county’s first low-income rent-reduction subsidy program.

The grants are the largest amount ever awarded by the board at one time to support affordable housing, officials said. The awards represent more than double the funding approved for affordable housing in 2018, and it’s part of the county’s 10-year plan to bolster housing for its poorest families and most vulnerable residents.

The projects are sprinkled throughout the county and will consist of 1,550 new or improved affordable housing units. There will also be another 800 units in major transit corridors with commercial and community space. Nearly 400 units are designated for households with the lowest income of less than 30% of the area median income, or about $31,450 for a four-person household. Continue reading.

Commissioner Chris LaTondresse (Dist. 6) Update: May 15, 2021

May 14, 2021

Dear friends and neighbors,

This week the Hennepin County Housing and Redevelopment Authority (HRA), which I Chair, unanimously approved a historic $17.1 million in new investments for affordable housing. This is not only the largest amount we’ve ever awarded at once to support affordable housing, it offers new focus and urgency on how our County is confronting this crisis.

For District 6 this action brings $2.85 million in new investments to five different projects that will create at least 416 affordable housing units in Edina, Minnetonka and Hopkins.

Our community is facing intersecting crises in housing, homelessness, income, public health and public safety. These crises affect all of us, and disproportionately harms communities of color. Now is the time for government to step up and take bold, innovative action to meet these challenges. That is what we’ve done with this week’s round of new investments.

HC Commissioner Chris LaTondresse (Dist. 6) Update: May 7, 2021

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

“Warmer and wetter.” These two words not only describe Minnesota’s climate future. They represent the current reality experienced by many Hennepin County residents, as we all learn to adapt new realities brought on by climate change. A recent report lists Minnesota as second in the nation for extreme weather events and another Federal analysis shows that we are warming faster than many other states.

That’s why I am proud to share that this week Hennepin County officially adopted our Climate Action Plan, building on our new Net-Zero by 2050 emissions goal and the creation of a new director-level role responsible for operationalizing this work across our organization. On Tuesday I spotlighted two important themes of the plan—Resilience and Partnerships—at Arden Park in Edina, where improvements led by the City of Edina and Minnehaha Watershed District in partnership with County offer a model for the future.

Learn more about the Climate Action Plan and the event (covered by WCCO and the Star Tribune) below.

HC Commissioner Chris LaTondresse (Dist. 6) Update: April 30, 2021

April 30, 2021

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

Please join me tomorrow for my monthly ‘Coffee with Chris’ series where we sit down over a cup of coffee for an informal conversation. This Saturday, May 1, you can join me by clicking here.

Updates you’ll find in this week’s newsletter:

🌎 Climate Action Plan Updates: The plan (PDF) the board considered earlier this week reflects additional changes that were made based on the comments received.

HC Commissioner Chris LaTondresse Update: April 16, 2021

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

This week our community is mourning and responding to the loss of Daunte Wright, a Black resident in Hennepin County. His death at hands of local law enforcement heaps injustice upon a mountain of grief that no mother, no citizen, no community should ever experience from those sworn to serve and protect them. As neighbors and fellow citizens, we must demand equal justice and public safety for all of our residents, no exceptions. View my full statement below.

Updates you’ll find in this week’s newsletter:

🌳 Climate Action Plan Updates: An updated version of the Climate Action Plan (PDF) is available online and has been submitted to the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners for consideration on Tuesday, April 27 and adoption on Tuesday, May 5. The public is encouraged to share feedback on the latest changes made to the plan by completing the Climate Action Plan feedback form by Thursday, April 22 at noon.

Better Government Starts with Us

None of us expected our days to look like this.

As the spouse of a nurse practitioner at Hennepin Healthcare, I didn’t expect to feel like I was sending my wife into a war zone every morning as a frontline health worker in a pandemic.

As a school board member, I didn’t expect my role to shift from public education governance to crisis management, figuring out how to remotely educate and feed 6,000 students. Continue reading.

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