SF 3035 - NYU Furman Center

State Land Use Enacted Legislation

Bill #	State	Year	Party	Topic
SF 3035	MN	2023	D	Faith-based organizations, Manufactured Housing, Tiny and Micro Units

Provided by Furman

Summary

Section 57 authorizes religious institutions to develop “sacred communities” of micro units to provide permanent housing to people who are chronically homeless, extremely low-income, or designated volunteers. Per this authorization, the section:
- Requires that religious institutions must annually certify to the relevant local government that it has complied with eligibility requirements.
- Defines “chronically homeless” as individuals who (1) resides in a place not meant for human habitation, a safe haven, or an emergency shelter; (2) has been homeless for at least one year or on at least four separate occasions in the last three years; and (3) has a diagnosable substance use disorder, serious mental illness, developmental disability, post-traumatic stress disorder, cognitive impairments resulting from a brain injury, or chronic physical illness or disability, including the co-occurrence of two or more of those conditions.
- Defines “designated volunteers” as non-homeless persons approved by the religious institution to live in a sacred community as their sole form of housing.
- Defines “extremely low income” as an income not greater than 30 percent of the area median income.
- Defines “sacred community” as a residential settlement on or contiguous to the grounds of a religious institution’s primary worship location.
- Defines “micro unit” as a mobile residential dwelling providing permanent housing within a sacred community that is no more than 400 gross square feet, meets applicable construction standards, and complies with municipal setback requirements for manufactured homes or is set back on all sides by at least ten feet.
- Requires that residents have access to water and electricity, a permanent common kitchen, toilet, bathing, and laundry facilities, and that one-third to 40 percent of micro units are occupied by designated volunteers. A written plan that outlines disposal of water and sewage, emergency access, parking, lighting, and security, safety, and conduct protocols is required.
- Exempts sacred communities from additional permitting standards not outlined in the section.
Section 16 creates the Emerging Developer Fund Program, which authorizes the Commissioner of Employment and Economic Development to provide predevelopment grants of up to $100,000 and predevelopment, bridge, or construction loans of up to $1,000,000 to emerging developers for eligible economic development projects, which, among other purposes, increases the supply or improves the condition of affordable housing and homeownership and reduces racial and socioeconomic disparities.

Emerging developer is defined as a developer who has limited access to loans from traditional financial institutions or is a new or smaller developer who has engaged in educational training and is either a minority, woman, person with a disability, or low-income person (a person whose income does not exceed 200 percent of the federal poverty level or does not exceed 60 percent of area median income).

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