Citizen Portal
Sign In

Housing study: Greater Minnesota Housing Fund says Beltrami needs more than 4,000 units by 2035

Beltrami County Board of Commissioners · February 4, 2026

Get AI-powered insights, summaries, and transcripts

Subscribe
AI-Generated Content: All content on this page was generated by AI to highlight key points from the meeting. For complete details and context, we recommend watching the full video. so we can fix them.

Summary

A housing study presented by Greater Minnesota Housing Fund found Beltrami County has 18,210 households in 2025, expects about 640 added households by 2030, and estimates a need for about 4,179 general-occupancy units by 2035; recommendations include infill, density incentives and targeted financing tools.

Nate (presented in transcript as 'Nate Dorr' / 'Nate Doer') of the Greater Minnesota Housing Fund summarized a county housing study by Maxfield Research that the county commissioned (study cost cited at about $35,000). The study established a baseline of 18,210 households in Beltrami County in 2025 and projected the addition of roughly 640 households by 2030.

Key findings included a median owner home value cited at about $224,000 and average rental rates around $1,090 per month. The study estimated countywide need through 2035 at approximately 4,179 general-occupancy units — across market-rate, affordable and subsidized categories — with 1,707 for-sale units and a remaining share for rentals and senior housing.

Presenters stressed a "value gap" in which construction costs can exceed appraisal values and recommended strategies to increase supply and attract developers: preserve existing affordable housing, prioritize infill, revisit zoning and permitting, consider density bonuses and use financing tools such as tax increment financing and local housing trust funds. The Greater Minnesota Housing Fund offered technical assistance to cities and counties, including zoning audits and predevelopment grants, to help advance projects.

Commissioners asked whether projected household growth counts individual rental units within apartment buildings (presenter confirmed unit counts include each apartment unit). The board received the briefing and discussed follow-up materials and contact information for the presenter; no formal action was recorded.