Defending the Minneapolis 2040 plan

In June 2022, a Hennepin County district court judge halted the implementation of Minneapolis’ groundbreaking 2040 Comprehensive Plan, which enabled more multi-family housing options throughout the city. The judge sided with organizations that had filed a lawsuit claiming that dense housing harms the environment. The decision was partially reversed in July, allowing implementation while the city appeals a lawsuit from its opponents.

At the invitation of Neighbors for More Neighbors (a Minneapolis advocacy group that champions abundant housing) and some pro bono attorneys, Sustain St. Paul helped prepare an amicus brief to support the City of Minneapolis’ appeal of the Hennepin County judge’s ruling to the Minnesota Supreme Court.

You may wonder: why should a St. Paul organization get involved in Minneapolis’ lawsuit? The reason: to prevent a dangerous precedent that would impede the City of St. Paul from implementing our own comprehensive plan, which aims to expand the supply and variety of housing choices in our city.

Want to learn more about this issue? Read more here:

• ‘Alarming’ court decision on Minneapolis 2040 puts a halt on expansion, growth, Bill Lindeke’s June 23, 2022 opinion column in MinnPost

• The reality and myth of the Minneapolis 2040 plan, Alex Schieferdecker’s June 20, 2022 post in Streets.MN