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AARP North Dakota urges Grand Forks officials to expand "middle housing" options, offers technical help
Summary
AARP North Dakota representatives presented research and model regulations on ‘middle housing’ to the Planning and Zoning Commission, outlined state-level actions and potential funding, and offered technical assistance for local code changes.
Josh Askvig, state director for AARP North Dakota, and Summer Joss, AARP government affairs director, presented to the Grand Forks Planning and Zoning Commission on Jan. 8 about expanding “middle housing” options — housing types such as duplexes, triplexes, rowhouses and courtyard apartments that are between single-family homes and large apartment buildings.
Askvig framed the discussion around AARP’s priorities for people 50 and older and said his role is “to advocate for people 50 and older, to empower them to choose how they live as they age,” and to provide nonpartisan information that helps communities plan for an aging population. The presenters summarized national survey results showing strong preference among older adults to remain in their communities and described middle housing as one tool to increase housing supply, lower per-unit costs, and expand ownership and rental options for older residents and younger families.
AARP offered examples of state-level actions taken elsewhere, cited Montana and Florida as states that have enacted reforms to ease the use of multifamily and missing-middle housing, and described the North Dakota Housing Initiative (launched by former governor Doug Burgum) and its recommendations. Askvig and Joss said the initiative’s proposals include neighborhood builder grants and financing innovations; the presentation referenced roughly $22.5 million proposed for neighborhood builder grants and about $38.5 million cited for low-interest construction loans in the initiative’s materials (presenters said final legislative details are pending and will be set during the current legislative session).
The presenters emphasized practical approaches for local governments: model ordinances with multiple drafting options, lot test-fits in smaller North Dakota towns, walking tours to show existing “middle housing” examples, and technical assistance to audit local codes and identify barriers. They offered hard-copy and digital guides and said AARP can provide technical help for communities preparing to pursue state funding.
Commission discussion and public comment
Commissioners and several attendees discussed practical barriers to producing lower-cost new housing in Grand Forks, including construction and infrastructure costs, the need to ensure incentives reach buyers (not just builders), and limits on local capacity to deliver projects in small towns. A local realtor and developers in the meeting raised concerns that builder incentives sometimes do not translate into lower prices for buyers and suggested mechanisms such as interest-rate buy-downs or other buyer-directed incentives to ensure affordability.
Commissioners expressed broad interest in using the presentation to inform staff work on code updates. Planning staff and the AARP representatives confirmed they will provide model documents and offered to follow up with technical assistance if the commission requests it.
The presentation was educational; no formal policy changes or votes resulted from the session.
