H.F. No. 4473 - Bill Summary

• Agencies must approve or deny written requests for building permits, zoning, septic systems, and watershed reviews within 60 days; failure to deny within 60 days constitutes automatic approval.

• Counties and municipalities are prohibited from opting out of affordable housing and workforce housing requirements under Minnesota Statutes sections 394.307 and 462.3593, effective retroactively from September 1, 2016.

• Municipalities cannot require planned unit development agreements for residential developments that comply with existing zoning ordinances or qualify as conditional uses.

• Municipalities are prohibited from conditioning approval on aesthetic requirements beyond the State Building Code and cannot require more than one garage for single-family dwellings.

• Comprehensive municipal plans are encouraged to include policies facilitating unsubsidized affordable housing, such as allowing smaller lot sizes, duplexes through fourplexes, and mixed-use development.