Citizen's Environmental Quality Committee

April 1, 2024 Citizens Environmental Quality Committee Winona, Minnesota 55987 Dear Committee Members: The next meeting of the Citizens Environmental Quality Committee meeting will be held on Thursday, April 4th, 2024 at 4:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers at City Hall. 1. Call to Order 2. Review of March Meeting Minutes 3. Winona Housing Presentation (20 minutes) 4. Urban Forestry Report (30 minutes) 5. Prairie Plantings in Disc Golf Course Update (5 minutes) 6. Other Business 7. Adjournment Sincerely, John Howard Natural Resources Sustainability Coordinator CITIZENS ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY COMMITTEE MEETING NOTES DATE: Thursday March 7, 2024 TIME: Scheduled for 4:30 pm in the City Hall Council Chambers PRESENT: Sadie Neuman, Madalyn Bollig, and Dan Hall GUESTS: Anne Conway, Jamie Schell, Silas Schell STAFF: John Howard and Abby Wickboldt (AmeriCorps) 1. Call to Order: Call to order at 4:33 PM by Sadie Neuman 2. Review and Approval of Feb. 2024 Meeting Minutes: Motion by Dan, second by Madalyn. Approved unanimously. 3. Prairie Planting Proposal: Anne Conway introduced herself and her family, Jamie and Silas Schell. They discussed an idea of adding prairie plantings to the Willows Disc golf course in East Lake Park, which they worked on redesigning last year. As frequent users of the course, they notice that the course is almost all mowed cool season grasses. They’ve seen a number of courses across the country that have successfully integrated natural habitats into courses. They showed a map of potential prairie zones that could be added. Fire would be a useful management tool, and Anne would like to incorporate indigenous ecological knowledge to the management plan. Having the prairie areas also allows for resident participation in wildlife monitoring, such as iNaturalist bio-blitzes. Dan asked about opposition to the idea – was there some to a previous project? Anne and John described a Council member’s concerns for a West Lake Park wetland planting. Dan didn’t think the disc golf planting would encounter the same issues since they are drier areas. Anne intends to work through any concerns as the idea/project concept develops. Abby asked about obtaining funding, as the City is not likely to have funds available. Anne expects grants would be sought, and are available for restoration projects. Jamie sees long term cost savings because these areas won’t require mowing. Anne sees one challenge is public acceptance of greater use of fire, but this can be overcome with education. Jamie noted that the prairie areas would be seen as an enhancement by disc golfers, and add challenge. Abby asked about burning frequency, and Anne replied if is more frequent to start, but not all areas would burn at once. Jamie said the disturbance would be a couple of hours per year. Dan believes there will be grants for adding natural area. Anne does not have ones identified yet. John said that the Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR) has offerings like Lawns to Legumes that could fit well. Madalyn brought up the idea of companies sponsoring the work, such as Prairie Moon. Dan asked about the Park’s department view of the project? Jamie has talked with them, and they are not opposed. Anne showed some examples of courses that incorporated or were built into natural settings. Jamie shared an example of a course in Joliet, IL.  Sadie asked if there were any deadlines or timelines to keep in mind with the project. Jamie said there is no firm deadline, but might as well do the work sooner than later. Abby asked about a survey of community members for support for this project or others. Sadie said other engagement would be more effective. Jamie referenced the comprehensive plan, which considers natural areas, and maybe shows support. Dan relayed that interest in natural lands is high. Dan suggested getting an official City approval, and then to pursue funds. Sadie asked if the CEQC has an official seal of approval. John said a formal CEQC motion would show support and be a seal of approval of sorts. Dan moved to have City Staff draft a letter of support from the CEQC for the Willows Disc golf course prairie project. Seconded by Madalyn, all in favor. Jamie plans to speak with the Park Facilities director next week, and Anne will be meeting with a local prairie expert in the coming weeks. Anne, Jamie and Silas thanked the CEQC for their time and consideration. 4. Community Garden Grant: John recapped that the state has a grant program which can be used for community gardens. The grant is due March 21st or 24th, and has a max ask of $100,000. Last year, West Lake Park was the leading contender for a new garden location. John asked for CEQC guidance on applying to the program and any garden details for the application. Abby suggested considering a portion of right of way at the western end of Broadway, which is not being utilized. John pulled up the area on the map, and calculated the size to be about 0.25 acres. Sadie is hesitant to recommend a different site than one recommended by the task force since that group put in significant time and effort to evaluate options. Abby asked about opposition to the West Lake sites, and Sadie replied it was a single opposing voice, which should not be a deciding factor in a community resource. Dan said there will always be someone who is against any project. John brought up the Madison Park area as another high recommendation, but residents there did not seem all that interested. Madalyn recalled that residents felt they had adequate areas for gardens on their own properties. John provided a little more detail on the two west lake Park locations. The eastern plot just east of Dacota Street potentially has water access, while the west plot on the western side of Sioux St. has better parking and fewer neighbors. Sadie asked about water costs, which John said a conservative estimate would be about $15,000 for the Sioux area, and potentially as little as a couple hundred dollars for the Dacota area. Sadie asked for clarification on what is needed to apply? John said it would require assembling a cost/budget table and provide answers to programming and construction details. John noted the proposal needs to go before the City Council on March 18th to get their approval. Another consideration is how large to build the garden – 50 plots is the East Rec size for instance. To John’s knowledge the existing City gardens are basically fully subscribed, so he expects there is demand on the west side of town. Abby noted similar residential patterns there. Sadie asked what the CEQC needs to do to make the grant happen. John said a motion of support and recommendations on size would be helpful, as would assistance in preparing the grant document. Sadie suggests developing a larger garden would make sense, especially since the grant has adequate funding. Dan asked about underserved communities being addressed in the application. Sadie said the garden committee addressed this. Dan emphasized the importance of serving disadvantaged communities. Abby noted that much of Winona is within a poverty or economic priority zone.  Dan made a motion stating the CEQC supports developing a grant application for the west garden. Madalyn seconded, all in favor. 5. Community Solar update: John updated the CEQC that the Public Utilities Commission adopted a rate scheme similar to the one proposed, although slightly less financially detrimental to subscribers. The PUC was unanimous in their decision, and no real discussion of retaining the existing systems. The City and other partners are preparing a challenge. The adopted scheme will reduce City savings by nearly $1.8 million over the course of the contracts. 6. Other Business: On the topic of complete streets, John noted that the City Council asked for a proposal for bike use on West Broadway, and the City Engineer proposed a two way bicycle track in place of the south parking lane. John showed a map of where this area is. Abby was curious of where people would park. John said there are few residences, so a somewhat unique area. The CEQC reviewed google maps to gauge parking in the area. 7. Adjournment: Adjournment motion by Dan, second by Madalyn. Unanimous, adjourn at 5:57 pm. Notes prepared by John Howard.  CITIZENS ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY COMMITTEE AGENDA ITEM: 3. Winona Housing Presentation PREPARED BY: John Howard DATE: April 4, 2024 Dan Wilson of Engage Winona will present on Engage Winona’s “Unlocking Housing Solutions” report (attached) Requested action: Provided for education. UNLOCKING HOUSING SOLUTIONS KEY TAKEAWAYS FOR THE CITY OF WINONA FROM THE 2024 HOUSING STUDY This resource was created independently by Engage Winona and not commissioned by any other entity.  02 Photo: Mary Farrell ABOUT THIS RESOURCE This resource was created by Engage Winona in support of what our community has long asked for: more housing options. This document summarizes actionable data from the 2023 Comprehensive Housing Needs Analysis for Winona County and the 2024 Winona County Housing Study, and pairs that data with relevant information about city planning, economic development, and societal trends. This resource is not meant to replace either of the Winona County reports. We highly recommend that everyone read the entirety of those reports, which are available on the county website. Engage Winona is an independent 501c3 nonprofit that drives equitable civic action and social change by working to ensure that everyone has access, voice, and power in community planning, decisionmaking, and change making. Visit us online at engagewinona.org. Rev. 02/2024 Moving Winona forward, together.  THE 03 PROBLEMS Not enough housing In the next 5 years, the City of Winona needs 720 more housing units to meet market demand. This includes 100 subsidized senior housing units, 120 subsidized housing units, and 500 additional housing units (which includes single family homes, market rate rentals, etc). In addition, a further 60 subsidized housing units and 270 market-rate units are needed over the coming 10 years. (LOCi, ES4) Lack of housing inhibits growth From businesses being able to expand and hire workers, to young professionals putting down roots, to seniors hoping to age in place, all of Winona is hindered by the lack of housing stock available in the City and County. (MN Chamber p. 2, CWHTF). Throughout all of Engage Winona’s community engagement work from 2016 to present, housing has emerged again and again as a primary concern for Winonans (Engage Winona). Perceived scarcity There is a persistent community perception that the City of Winona does not have enough parking or enough land to build new housing units. However, the Housing Study provides evidence to refute both of these notions (HKGi, p. 77) (HKGi and LOCi, p. 186). Prioritizing public sentiment over data is not an effective or efficient approach to community development. Photo: Mary Farrell 04 The lack of housing choices means many people in Winona are forced to pay more than they can afford (LOCi, Table 1.31). Renter Cost Burden Severe burdened 18-24 yr old Rent burden is defined as household 1.5% 30% or more of income going Severe Rent Burdened towards rent+utilities Re 15.5% nt bu Severe rent burden is defined as h o rd en us e h e d 18 o ld - 50% or more of income going s 4 24yr .7 % o l d towards rent+utilities. In 2021, Winona County was the #9 Rent worst county in the state for Not Rent Burdened percentage of rent-burdened Burdened 27% 56% households (MHP, p. 55) Winona County’s current rental vacancy rate is 1.7%. A healthy market should be 5% (LOCi, p. 58) Homeowner Cost Burden Seve Senior Household Homeowner cost burden is Severe Burdened ed re B u 2.3% defined as 30% of income going en rd Bu rd en toward costs of homeownership (mortgage, insurance). Severe is ed 7% Sen % ior H 14 Bur ou den sehold more than 50%. ed 9 % Half of those experiencing homeowner cost burden are over 65 years old (LOCi, p. 34-36) Not Burdened 79% The current supply of homes for sale in Winona County is 2.7 months. A healthy market has 5-6 months (LOCi, p. 52)  05 Photo: Engage Winona STRENGTHS City staff Commonwealth Developers have commented on the speed and efficiency of working with City of Winona staff on housing projects. Seeking out and working well with potential developers is something the city is well-positioned to do. (Goltzman) Strong business community Winona has invested in our business community, which has led to a unique and robust economy. Our uniquely low MN unemployment rate (2.4%) shows the potential for workforce growth. (LOCi, p. 30) Naturally occurring affordable housing Winona has a high percentage of houses built before 1939 (29% compared to MN average of 16%). Many of these older homes are more affordable, and many also need updates. (LOCi, p. 45) WEAKNESSES Population decrease, household increase Winona’s population is projected to decline over the next 10 years. (LOCi, p. 15). The number of households, however, continues to increase due to demographic trends. (City of Winona) Burden on renters and social services Low housing stock puts a severe burden on social services in Winona, affecting everything from mental health to domestic violence. These problems then compound and place a significant burden on institutions such as healthcare centers and human service providers in Winona. (CDC, Bautista, CJCC) Siloed institutions Public and private entities will have to collaborate quickly with a unified vision of how to solve the housing crisis. This cooperation and speed is classically difficult to achieve. THE 06 OPPORTUNITIES “Moving over” to affordable senior housing As cost-burdened older adults “move over” to deeply affordable senior housing, this opens up their homes in the market, creating opportunities for first-time homebuyers (Winchester, p. 43-46). The 2023 Housing Needs Analysis identifies affordable senior housing as the largest and most urgent housing need (LOCi, p. 10, 84). Just one or two new buildings can make a big difference Deeply affordable senior housing can support a great quality of life without the need for additional mixed-income units (Vega and Wallace). The 90-100 affordable senior housing units needed in Winona can quickly be built with one or two developments close to services. This would open up a comparable amount of housing units elsewhere in the city. THE 07 OPPORTUNITIES Finding and engaging potential developers The City of Winona can make itself more appealing to developers by developing a standard packet of benefits for housing developers. The city could also identify vacant, abandoned, and deteriorated properties that they would like to see used for multi-family housing. (HKGi, p. 77) Downtown housing as an economic driver For every new housing unit created in a downtown area, $1,454 per month is generated in economic activity for downtown businesses (Main Street, p. 21). Twenty-seven parcels of downtown parking are owned by the city and could be used to further transform downtown Winona into a thriving, vibrant economic engine for the whole community. THE 08 OPPORTUNITIES Zoning can make a huge difference long term Restrictive zoning practices are widely attributed as the driving force behind the housing affordability crisis nationwide, severely limiting the amount and type of housing that can be built. Allowing the housing market to correct itself by changing zoning laws may lower the barrier to entry for smaller, local housing developers (Gray, Calder, Harvard). The City should also consider creating a new mixed-use district outside of downtown (HKGi, p. 77). More housing means more affordable rent Minneapolis’s “let ’em build” approach has successfully kept rental rates from rising since 2019 because housing stock has increased by 14%. Minneapolis’s reduction of onerous zoning requirements “should be a blueprint for other cities” (Halter). Winona’s rent has increased by 3.4% per year since 2019 (LOCi, p. 58). THE 09 OPPORTUNITIES Capturing commuters and remote workers Winona has an opportunity to grow its population to include some of the 13,000 people who commute daily into the City (City of Winona) but also remote workers leaving urban areas. Trends indicate that small cities with tourism hubs, like Winona, can attract high-income remote workers. (NYT, MN Dept Tourism) Mixed-Income developments Water’s Edge, with its combination of shallow and deep- subsidy apartments, offers a great example of how new housing development can be done in Winona. Mixed income housing developments have increasingly become the go-to solution for subsidized housing, reducing neighborhood segregation and increasing residents’ quality of life (HUD).  10 Photo: Engage Winona KEY TAKEAWAYS The 2024 Winona County Housing Study provides the hard data for what many people in Winona have been saying for years: we need more housing units of all types. Winona is presented with a daunting but exciting opportunity to provide tangible and transformative solutions to a problem that we all, knowingly or unknowingly, feel the effects of. Unfortunately, we have been here before. The City of Winona Housing Task Force in 2017 identified the same problems and solutions presented in this document and the most recent housing study (CWHTF). The 2024 Housing Study shows us that how the City has approached housing for the past 30 years has not worked. To meet this moment, the City of Winona should proactively encourage developers by identifying parcels for deeply affordable senior housing (HKGi, p. 77), rezoning land for redevelopment (HKGi, p. 77), creating a standard package of benefits for housing developers, and establishing a Local Housing Trust Fund. The city must work to ensure that its resources are in alignment to make housing a primary goal and reflect that priority in its creative, action-oriented approach to building a stronger future for everyone.  11 Citations LOCi Consulting LLC, Comprehensive Housing Needs Analysis for Winona County, https://www.co.winona.mn.us/591/Housing-Information, February 19 2024, ES4 pg 26-27 Minnesota Chamber Foundation, Minnesota:2030. 2023 Edition. https://www.mnchamber.com/minnesota-chamber- foundation/minnesota-2030-2023-edition. May 2021. Pg 2 City of Winona Housing Task Force (CWHTF), Recommendations to the Winona City Council. https://www.cityofwinona.com/DocumentCenter/View/101/City-Of-Winona-Housing-Task-Force-Recommendations-PDF. 2017. HKGi, Winona County Housing Study, https://www.co.winona.mn.us/591/Housing-Information, February 19 2024, pg. 77 HKGi and LOCi Consulting LLC, County Board Agenda Packet, https://www.co.winona.mn.us/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_02132024-1025, February 13 2024, pg 186 Engage Winona, Comprehensive Plan Update Engagement Phase 1 Report. www.cityofwinona.com/DocumentCenter/View/3203/EXECUTIVE-SUMMARY---Phase-1-Engagement-Report?bidId= pg 11. 2022 LOCi Consulting LLC, Comprehensive Housing Needs Analysis for Winona County, https://www.co.winona.mn.us/591/Housing-Information, February 19 2024, Table 1.31 pg 35-37 Minnesota Housing Partnership, State of the State’s Housing 2021. https://mhponline.org/state-of-the-states-housing-2021/. Pg 55 LOCi Consulting LLC, Comprehensive Housing Needs Analysis for Winona County, https://www.co.winona.mn.us/591/Housing-Information, February 19 2024, pg 58 LOCi Consulting LLC, Comprehensive Housing Needs Analysis for Winona County, https://www.co.winona.mn.us/591/Housing-Information, February 19 2024, pg 52 Goltzman, Ted. “Interview with Commonwealth Development”. Engage Winona June 1, 2023. LOCi Consulting LLC, Comprehensive Housing Needs Analysis for Winona County, https://www.co.winona.mn.us/591/Housing-Information, February 19 2024, pg 30 LOCi Consulting LLC, Comprehensive Housing Needs Analysis for Winona County, https://www.co.winona.mn.us/591/Housing-Information, February 19 2024, Table 2.9 pg 45 CDC, Social Determinants of Health, https://health.gov/healthypeople/priority-areas/social-determinants-health, 2020 Marla Bautista, How Does Being Homeless Affect Your Mental Health?, https://www.thebautistaprojectinc.org/post/how- does-being-homeless-affect-your-mental-health, 2022. CJCC, Presentation to Winona County Board on WRAP+, https://winonacountycjcc.org/wp- content/uploads/2023/07/2023.07.26-FINAL-WRAP-Powerpoint.pdf, 2023  12 Citations (cont.) LOCi Consulting LLC, Comprehensive Housing Needs Analysis for Winona County,https://www.co.winona.mn.us/591/Housing-Information , February 19 2024, Table 1.3 pg 15 City of Winona, 2045 Comprehensive Plan, https://hkgi.konveio.com/winona-comprehensive-plan. Chapter 4 pg 6. 2023 Benjamin Winchester, Rural Sociology Extension Center for Community Vitality, Rewriting the Rural Narrative: Moving In, Moving out, Moving over, https://www.ndsu.edu/fileadmin/challeyinstitute/Events/Rewriting_the_Rural_Narrative_by_Dr._Ben_Winchester.pdf, 2023, slide 43-46 Emily Badger, Robert Gebeloff, Josh Katz. New York Times. Places Most Affected by Remote Workers Moves Around the Country. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/06/17/upshot/17migration-patterns- movers.html#:~:text=The%20rise%20of%20remote%20work,of%20people%20working%20from%20home. 6/17/23 Dept of Tourism MN, Tourism’s Economic Impact on MN, https://mn.gov/tourism-industry/assets/22_FactSheet_tcm1135- 518462.pdf, 2022 City of Winona, Commuting Data for All Jobs:2019 Census Data, https://www.cityofwinona.com/DocumentCenter/View/3559/Commuting-1-pgr?bidId=, 2019 Main Street America, At Home on Main St: A Housing Guidebook For Local Leaders, https://www.mainstreet.org/howwecanhelp/mainstreethousing#housingguideforlocalleaders, 2023, pg 21 M. Nolan Gray, The Atlantic, Cancel Zoning, https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/06/zoning-housing- affordability-nimby-parking-houston/661289/, June 21 2022 Vanessa Brown Calder, CATO Institute, Zoning, Land‐​Use Planning, and Housing Affordability, https://www.cato.org/policy-analysis/zoning-land-use-planning-housing-affordability, October 18, 2017 Harvard Law Review, Addressing Challenges to Affordable Housing in Land Use Law: Recognizing Affordable Housing as a Right, https://harvardlawreview.org/print/vol-135/addressing-challenges-to-affordable-housing-in-land-use- law/#:~:text=Restrictive%20zoning%20rules%2C%20like%20single,cost%20of%20new%20housing%20projects. February 2022 Office of Policy Development and Research, Housing and Urban Development. Confronting Concentrated Poverty With a Mixed-Income Strategy. https://www.huduser.gov/portal/periodicals/em/spring13/highlight1.html. Spring 2013. William A Vega and Steven P. Wallace, National Library of Medicine. Affordable Housing: A Key Lever to Community Health for Older Americans. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4815997/. April 2016 Nick Halter, Axios Twin Cities, Researchers say Minneapolis should be blueprint for housing policies in other cities. https://www.axios.com/local/twin-cities/2024/01/08/minneapolis-housing-policies-blueprint-affordability, Jan 8 2024 ENGAGEWINONA.ORG | 507-312-9133 | 119 E THIRD ST. WINONA, MN 55987  CITIZENS ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY COMMITTEE AGENDA ITEM: 4. Urban Forestry Report PREPARED BY: John Howard DATE: April 4, 2024 Abby Wickboldt, the Community Forestry Corps member serving with the City, will present her findings on tree canopy cover throughout the city. Requested action: Provide any suggestions on making the information more understandable and usable for City decision makers.  CITIZENS ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY COMMITTEE AGENDA ITEM: 5. Prairie Planting in Disc Golf Course Update PREPARED BY: John Howard DATE: April 4, 2024 At the March meeting, the CEQC requested staff draft a letter of support for the Willows Disc Golf Course prairie planting idea presented by Anne Conway and her family. Requested action: Review letter text below for content and clarity. Draft letter of support: RE: Letter of Support for Willows Disc Golf Course Prairie Plantings To whom it may concern: The City of Winona Citizens Environmental Quality Committee (CEQC) received a presentation from Anne Conway, Jamie Schell and their son Silas at our March 2024 meeting. They described the idea of converting unused turf areas throughout the Willows Disc Golf Course into native prairie plantings. Since this is City property, the City will need to approve the proposal. The CEQC supports this concept and believes it will be a benefit to wildlife, provide education to park users about native vegetation, lower City maintenance burdens and enhance the disc golf course.