Cottage Grove EDA hears Maxfield Research housing study highlighting senior and entry-level gaps

Cottage Grove Economic Development Authority members heard key findings from a housing needs analysis by Maxfield Research on April 8, 2025, that identified strong demand for market-rate rental housing and a growing need for senior-oriented units, while noting substantial barriers to entry-level and deeply affordable housing.

Mary Bujold, a consultant with Maxfield Research, told the EDA that the study drew a primary market area including Cottage Grove, Woodbury, Newport, Saint Paul Park, Grey Cloud Island Township, Denmark Township and Hastings, and that roughly 30% of demand would come from outside that area. "Cottage Grove is definitely growing but at a decelerating pace," Bujold said, adding that household growth has continued even as population growth slows in many Twin Cities suburbs.

The study found strong demand for market-rate rental housing, persistent interest from multifamily developers and generally rising rents. Bujold said new construction has slowed relative to the 2010s and that affordability programs are constrained by high land and construction costs, tight financing and competitive tax credit processes. "Affordable housing is the most difficult to develop ... due to…