By John Levin and Pat Thompson

The housing shortage in the Twin Cities, sometimes hidden and sometimes very visible, is now estimated at about 75,000 units, with population growth continuing to outpace housing construction in coming years.

As we confront this growing crisis, we need to build more housing in ways that are sustainable and equitable, enhancing quality of life for all.

Sustainable means homes with low energy use that also let residents live low-carbon lifestyles with less need for driving. And equitable means a range of housing costs and styles that meet different needs, allowing for full lives without the cost of owning a car.

In recent decades, the metro area has sprawled in every direction, consuming more and more undeveloped land with mostly low-density, single-family homes and multi-unit buildings that lack nearby transit service and connections to local amenities.

While these homes may be attractive due to their low initial cost, many homebuyers and renters say they’d rather live closer to their jobs and activities. They’d prefer a “complete neighborhood,” with a mix of housing, businesses and green space.

As the University of Minnesota and the city of Falcon Heights work toward the sale and ultimate redevelopment of the Les Bolstad Golf Course, 2275 Larpenteur Ave., they have the opportunity to transform the area into a thriving and complete community.

To give you a sense of scale, the golf course acreage is 15% larger than the former Ford Plant in Highland Park—the area now called Highland Bridge. There is plenty of room here to meet many needs, from parks and open space to single-family homes, townhouses and multi-story apartments.

Beyond providing homes for new residents, more housing at this golf course site would benefit current Falcon Heights residents and businesses as well.

More funding for city services

A complete neighborhood will give Falcon Heights the tax base it has lacked. A large portion of the city is tax-exempt due to the U of M and the State Fairgrounds, which has an effect on funding municipal services. The site will increase the taxable land area by one-third and the tax base by even more.

More transit service: More people and jobs will help bring Bus Rapid Transit to Larpenteur/East Hennepin, making it more connected to metro services with less need for everyone to own a car.

Lower cost heating and cooling: If prioritized early, networked thermal energy at the site could keep heat and cooling bills low forever. Tapping into the consistent 55°F temperature below ground, this kind of district-wide system minimizes the added heating and cooling needed for each building. Sharing the cost across many homes makes even the up-front cost affordable.

What could it look like?

It’s possible for developments of this size to look very different than the full-block buildings usually seen in the U.S.

Multi-floor buildings can have narrower footprints, which means the apartments or condos within can have windows on two or three sides, called “sunlight suites,” with better air flow and room for balconies, not to mention a greater range of unit sizes. There’s space for families, too.

The outdoor space around these buildings should be accessible to people within them and to others as well. It should be a part of the greater neighborhood, as Ann Juergens and Eliza Swedenborg wrote in November’s Bugle—not a gated community.

These values of community connection and outdoor spaces are in keeping with what the City of Falcon Heights wants as well.

Learn more Jan. 22

The U of M’s request for proposals, which were due in December, may yield some ideas like these. But others will likely prioritize single-family homes on suburban-size lots, with much of the density based in townhouses.

Let’s think more broadly.

To hear more about visions for a denser, more complete neighborhood, join us for a panel presentation from 7 to 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 22, at Falcon Heights City Hall.

The panelists are from organizations working for more housing and livable cities and suburbs; they’re not from the City of Falcon Heights, nor do they have any commercial stake in the development. The event is sponsored by Transition Town—All St. Anthony Park. 

John Levin is a retired transportation professional living in the Hamline Midway neighborhood. He advocates for a vision of a more sustainable, equitable shared future. Pat Thompson is a member of Transition Town—All St. Anthony Park.

Photo credit: Currently, only about 1/3 of the land in Falcon Heights contributes to its property tax base. The sale of this 141-acre site will increase the property tax base to about 44% of the city. Google map modified by Pat Thompson.