By Rich Larson
Housing affordability remains one of Northfield’s most persistent challenges, and city leaders say addressing it will require sustained attention, policy changes and continued collaboration.
That was the message from City Councilor Davin Sokup and Housing Coordinator Melissa Hanson during a recent interview discussing the city’s evolving approach to housing. Sokup, who has made housing a central focus of his time on the City Council, said rising housing costs are increasingly outpacing incomes for many residents.
“It’s getting harder for younger people to find housing here and be able to afford it,” Sokup said. While housing is largely driven by market forces, he said local governments have a role to play in filling gaps when the market fails to produce homes that most people can afford—particularly as federal investment in housing has declined over decades.
Sokup pointed to the tension cities face between funding essential services through property taxes and keeping housing costs manageable. “Any rise in property taxes is a rise in housing costs,” he said, calling it a difficult balance for councils to manage.
Housing has taken on a higher profile in city discussions since the City Council assumed the role of Northfield’s Housing and Redevelopment Authority (HRA) in January. Sokup said the move has brought housing decisions closer to the council’s core work and made it easier to align housing initiatives with the city’s strategic plan.
Hanson said the transition from a standalone HRA to council oversight was “rocky at first,” compounded by recent staff changes, but has since improved efficiency. “It’s easier to get things moving forward,” she said, noting that decisions no longer need to pass through multiple bodies before final approval.
As housing coordinator, Hanson oversees a wide range of programs, including the city’s Down Payment Assistance (DPA) program. Currently funded through federal Community Development Block Grants, the program helps income-qualified buyers cover upfront costs through gap financing of up to $25,000. However, Hanson said the city is planning changes that would allow assistance to be offered through its local housing trust fund, potentially serving households earning up to 115 percent of the area median income and making the program easier to use.
“There’s a lot of feedback that if families can count on that assistance from the start, it makes the process much smoother,” Hanson said.
The city is also preparing for new housing developments, including rental townhomes at Harvest Hills near the middle school, cooperative housing at Cedar Meadows near the hospital, and ongoing growth in the Bluff View neighborhood.
Looking ahead, Sokup emphasized the importance of the city’s upcoming zoning code rewrite, which he said could reduce barriers to building “missing middle” housing, such as townhomes, accessory dwelling units and smaller single-family homes.
“Even bringing housing costs down by $10,000 could make a big difference for a lot of families,” he said.
Rich Larson is the owner and General Manager of KYMN Radio. Contact him at rich@kymnradio.net
