14 hours Ago By Ron Klehr, Duluth
Duluth city managers continually talk about the need for affordable housing, but affordable housing for who? What really is affordable housing? What cost? This is not the Silicon Valley with, on average, six-figure salaries. This is Taconite-Village Duluth! On Feb. 25, nonprofit leaders Khalique Rogers and Joe Nathan wrote about the need for affordable housing here.
In their “Local View” column in the News Tribune , Minnesota Housing Commissioner Jennifer Leimaile said, "It's hard to attract employees when there isn't enough affordable housing." How affordable does it have to be and for whom? No one touches that question. ADVERTISEMENT I was amazed reading the Feb.
8 front-page article, " Incline Village lands first tenant ." The development is on the same beautiful 54 acres where Central High School once sat. A 70-unit condominium development is now expected to open by 2026, with selling prices of $800,000 to $900,000 and 10 priced at more than $1million.
It’s a development with, once again, funding help from a Duluth City Council-approved (and taxpayer-subsidized) tax-increment financing, or TIF, district, this one worth $75 million. The developer is the same one behind Endi Plaza, the 142-unit eyesore apartment building on London Road, also built with TIF (our) money. Fannie Mae, a federal mortgage provider, sued the development for breach of contract.
Incline Village is expected to grow to 120 condos and 1,180 apartments. How high will rents be? Will 1,300 high-income tenants stand in line to buy? How exciting to hear for us average-paid Duluth folks. What jobs here and from what market will this housing attract? What kinds of jobs and at what salaries are needed to pay off an $800,000 to $1million condo mortgage? Are there 1,300 new six figure-paying jobs here in Taconite Country? Ron Klehr Duluth ADVERTISEMENT Email submissions to: letters@duluthnews.
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