Saint Paul City Council adopts Mayor Carter’s rent control policy amendment

In August 2024, Saint Paul Mayor Melvin Carter proposed an amendment to the city’s rent control policy that would exempt residential units built after December 31, 2004. The goal of this amendment was to stimulate urgently needed housing construction in Saint Paul.

Following the announcement, the Saint Paul Area Association of Realtors® (SPAAR) actively engaged with the mayor and city council to advocate for the amendment’s passage. SPAAR’s Government Affairs Committee sent a letter to Mayor Carter thanking him for the proposal, and to the city council urging their support. The letter stated, in part: “This amendment will encourage developers to initiate new construction projects or restart those stalled due to rent control. An increase in housing inventory will lead to lower housing costs for both renters and homeowners. Rent control does not mitigate rising housing costs; it exacerbates them. Amending the rent control ordinance will reset the financial framework for new housing development in Saint Paul, increasing supply and ultimately reducing costs.”

In addition to the letter, SPAAR’s Government Affairs Directors Becky Wegscheid and Simon Opatz met with the mayor and city councilmembers, individually and at community meetings, to articulate SPAAR’s position and advocate for the amendment.

After months of discussion and deliberation, on May 7, 2025, the Saint Paul City Council adopted Mayor Carter’s amendment, officially exempting all units built after December 31, 2004, from the city’s rent control policy. We applaud Mayor Carter and the city council for recognizing a problem and providing a solution so that developers will choose to build more housing units in Saint Paul.

As shared by 2025 SPAAR President, Jennifer Livingston, “This is a great example of SPAAR’s ongoing efforts to advocate on behalf of our 7,500+ Realtor® members, their clients and all those in our community to solve our housing challenges and make sure we continually create more opportunities and spaces for people to call home.”