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<br /> <br />questioned if this was an issue that was impacting New Brighton currently. <br /> <br />Councilmember Jacobsen indicated he would like to see the City have something in place rather than the City <br />having to respond to actions later. He supported the Council looking at this issue further. <br /> <br />Mayor Johnson also supported the Council take a closer look at New Brighton’s rental housing stock. She <br />discussed the history of the City’s apartment buildings and how some were looking run down. She stated her <br />main concern with the proposed Ordinance would be how it would impact investment in the community. <br /> <br />Councilmember Dunsworth indicated she had the same concern and feared the proposed Ordinance could have <br />a chilling impact on economic development. Lotter suggested the Community Development staff be directed <br />to collect data regarding the City’s rental products and current rental rates. He stated he had raw data but this <br />information would need to be refined. <br /> <br />Councilmember Dunsworth stated she was not opposed to moving forward with an Ordinance but wanted to be <br />assured that it worked for New Brighton and its residents. She noted the City did have affordable housing <br />regulations on the books and recommended this language be taken into consideration within the new <br />Ordinance. <br /> <br />Councilmember Burg commented she supported affordable housing in the City, but wanted to better <br />understand how this Ordinance would look for New Brighton. <br /> <br />Councilmember Allen stated he was more willing to get involved in this issue and he appreciated the fact staff <br />could conduct research regarding the City’s rental housing stock. <br /> <br />Councilmember Dunsworth explained she did not want to keep an investor from coming into the City and <br />improving a large rental property. <br /> <br />Councilmember Burg stated one way to address the concern of increased rental rates after a property has a new <br />investor would be to require a certain number of units to remain affordable. <br /> <br />Mayor Johnson indicated the Council may have to redefine the Ordinance and suggested offering tenants six <br />months to relocate versus three. She questioned if this was a City issue or a Ramsey County issue. <br /> <br />Councilmember Allen stated he would fully support taking a look at the larger issue to address how investors <br />remodel their properties and stop renewing leases. <br /> <br />Councilmember Dunsworth commented this could be overreaching for the City because this was a private <br />business. She stated she would like to see more language that addressed this topic before she could move <br />forward with this topic. She noted she did not support Richfield’s Ordinance. She explained she wanted to <br />encourage development and redevelopment in the community. <br /> <br />Mayor Johnson indicated one-third of New Brighton residents were renters. She believed the Council could not <br />make a decision at this time without further information on the City’s rental properties and rental rates. <br /> <br />Councilmember Jacobsen agreed. <br /> <br />Councilmember Burg commented on the knowledge she had regarding Section 8 and subsidized housing in the <br />metro area. She explained as rental rates continue to go up, the number of units available goes down. <br />