LEGAL ADVOCACY
Housing First Minnesota Files Brief in Support of Harstad in Suit Against Woodbury’s Fees
Housing Affordability Institute
In February, BATC-Housing First Minnesota submitted a friend-of-the-court brief in support of Twin Cities developer Martin Harstad’s suit against Woodbury’s traffic fees. Harstad sued the City of Woodbury in 2015, contending the city’s Major Roadway Assessment fees, which are used to pay for anticipated but not confirmed traffic-related improvements throughout the city, were not permitted under state law. In September, the Court of Appeals upheld a lower court’s ruling that these fees are unlawful.
BATC-Housing First Minnesota staff and the steering committee of the Housing Affordability Institute, formerly known as the Legal Defense Fund Committee, have been working to establish the new entity. Watch for more news in Q2.
The Minnesota Supreme Court granted Woodbury’s petition for review in November. Rochester-area developer and BATC-Housing First Minnesota member Frank Kottschade and the National Association of Home Builders joined BATC-Housing First Minnesota in submitting the amicus brief. The Minnesota Supreme Court has not yet set a date for the hearing.
28 || THE DIGEST || April-June 2018 || BATC.org
ADVOCACY