Minneapolis' first-in-the-nation elimination of single-family-only zoning produced only a modest amount of newly legal duplexes and triplexes. Similar reforms in its twin city will likely have similarly anemic results.
On Wednesday, the City Council of St. Paul, Minnesota, approved a zoning code update that will allow four- and five-unit developments in areas once zoned exclusively for single-family homes. Builders can receive a density bonus to add up to six units, provided some of the new housing is offered at below-market rates to low-income buyers or renters.
