Rochester City Council prioritizes affordable housing discussions

The Rochester City Council is prioritizing affordable housing as it reviews its strategic goals. Since 2021, this issue has been highlighted as a major concern. A recent report indicates that housing access is a significant challenge for residents. The report, compiled by Raftelis, shows that the number of renters in Rochester who are cost burdened has increased. In 2023, 52% of renters spent over 30% of their income on housing. This is up from 44% in 2019. At the same time, median home values have jumped by 41%, leaving more homeowners financially strained. A community survey from 2024 found that only 21% of residents rated affordable housing in the city as good or excellent. This marks an improvement from 16% in 2022. The Vision 2050 report, led by Mayor Kim Norton, reported that residents see housing as a top investment for the future. The council plans to discuss housing and other priorities in a meeting on Monday. This session will include insights from earlier discussions as well as interviews conducted by Raftelis with city leadership and residents. The consultants aim to develop a new strategic framework for the council to review, with a potential vote in April. City leaders recognize the challenges of managing community growth and limited resources. They also highlighted the city’s strengths, such as collaboration and having significant amenities for its size. The presence of the Mayo Clinic is noted as a major economic advantage. The upcoming meetings will provide more opportunities for public involvement. However, some sessions will not be livestreamed, but they will be recorded for later viewing.