Excelsior will now Require Approval for New or Expanding Homes
Excelsior City Council recently voted that any person looking to build a new home or expand a current home in Excelsior will need to get the City’s approval for construction. New and expanding homes will be reviewed by the city’s planning commission and receive feedback from neighbors who own property within 350 feet of the construction. The new city ordinance, the strictest of its kind in Minnesota, went into effect on October 1, 2020.
Excelsior has had years of discussion leading to this new ordinance, evaluating ways to preserve the look and feel of the city, especially the older residential areas. Excelsior residents have complained in the past that new construction does not fit with the design and size of some older homes. Opponents of the ordinance believe that this new ordinance will slow the growing property values in Excelsior as smaller homes will not increase in value as quickly as the larger homes in the area. The council’s 3-2 vote solidified the ordinance, despite those critiques.
Although the changes will add an extra step for potential home buyers who hope to move to Excelsior, the council hopes that the ordinance will maintain the city’s existing character.
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