As a part of Big Lake City Administrator Clay Wilfahrt’s “Hot Topic Tuesday” interview series with city officials, he recently hosted a Facebook Live event with Community Development Director Hanna Klimmek to talk about housing in Big Lake.

Klimmek’s Job

Hanna Klimmek manages the housing applications that developers submit to the city. Most housing projects do not 100% comply with city code and ordinances, in fact Klimmek said she has never seen a project without any issues. Usually, there is a deviation from the city’s requirements, code, and ordinances. It can be something along the lines of a different method of parking, not having brick on the façade, etc. Klimmek is in charge of making sure the city’s requirements are met, or that the developer goes through the proper channels to make sure their changes are approved.

The process starts with an informal conversation to try to come to a casual agreement on some of the issues. Next comes the formal process, which includes a public hearing about the project. Wilfahrt and Klimmek agreed that the whole process was very involved, despite Klimmek’s ongoing efforts in streamlining. 

How the City Attracts Developers

The developers decide whether to come to the city or not, the city does not choose them. The city does market towards developers who will help to supply the housing needs for the city. For example, the city found that there was a need for multi-family housing, and so they make sure that information is available to developers and to the land owners in the city. The developers do “market studies” to find the cities where they will get the best return on their investment. So Klimmek always strives to keep information on the website up to date, and to pick up the phone when developers call.

The State of Housing Development

Overall, the city is down in regards to the building of single family homes, which Klimmek believes is due in part to COVID-19. There is construction coming in, however, with the Station St. Apartments, and some others around the city. 

How Citizens Can Be Involved 

Citizens can state their opinions about housing development heard at public hearings during city council meetings. Wilfahrt recommends that citizens inquire about any plans for vacant land near their property, and if they have a preference of what should go in that lot (for example, industrial vs. residential) they should make their opinions heard by city staff, ideally before a developer wants to use the land for a specific project. That way, staff can maybe guide developers to places in the city where they won’t face backlash from neighbors, and ultimately avoid a problem before it arises. 

A lot of developers are offering Zoom meetings and similar conferences for those who are not comfortable voicing their opinions at a city hall meeting.

Blighted Properties

A couple of the viewers asked about blighted properties, or properties which have junk in their yards, specifically citing a recent incident in which one homeowner was brought to court for failure to clean up their yard. The city does not actively seek out code violations on personal property. Rather, they wait for complaints from residents. In the incident mentioned, several complaints were made each day for a long period of time. In most cases, when a complaint comes in, a city staff member will look at the situation and ask the homeowner to fix the situation. If the homeowner does not comply, they will receive a fine and the police will become involved. At one point, the city did consider creating a patrol to actively seek out code violations within the city, but it was determined to be a poor use of taxpayers’ money.

Types Of Development 

The themes that the pair of Wilfahrt and Klimmek kept coming back to were multi-family, senior, and step-up housing. Klimmek noted that she has received many comments from seniors who wanted to move into the city but were unable to find housing. Currently, there is a zero percent vacancy rate in all multi-family residences, for 55 and up and without age restrictions, indicating that there is a great need for more rental units. 

“Not everyone wants to purchase a home,” Klimmek said. “Some people are looking for something more affordable, as well.” 

Klimmek recalled some calls where people said they wanted to move to Big Lake for the affordable housing, but were unable to afford it.

Follow-up Interview

Klimmek and Wilfahrt fielded many questions from the public regarding housing, and promised to bring Klimmek back in March to talk about other types of development in Big Lake. The entire video is available on the Big Lake City Facebook Page.