Project Information

Bid Title

City of Hopkins Comprehensive Housing Needs Assessment and Strategic Funding Plan

Issuing Agency

Hopkins city

Location

Minnesota

Published Date

Jan 26, 2026

Closing Date

Feb 27, 2026

Government Level

State & Local

Status

Closed

Original Source

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Bid Documents

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Project Description

Bid Title:	City of Hopkins Comprehensive Housing Needs Assessment and Strategic Funding Plan
Category:	Request for Proposals
Status:	Open

Publication Date/Time: 1/26/2026 12:00 AM Closing Date/Time: 2/27/2026 11:59 PM Submittal Information: rneedham@hopkinsmn.com Related Documents: City of Hopkins Comprehensive Housing Needs Assessment and Strategic Funding Plan RFP (PDF)

Attachment Preview

Request for Proposals

for

City of Hopkins Comprehensive Housing

Needs Assessment and Strategic Funding Plan

Issued On: January 26, 2026

Due On: February 27, 2026

Page | 1

Scope of Work

I. Background and Purpose

The City of Hopkins, population 19,079, is a Charter City with a City Council/City

Manager form of government. The City Council consists of a Mayor and four

Council Members elected at-large. All policy and legislative decisions are the

responsibility of the Council. The Council delegates the administrative duties to

the City Manager who is responsible for hiring and managing City Staff and

carrying out the policies of the Council. The City has a Housing and

Redevelopment Authority (HRA) which is comprised of the City Council

members.

The City has continually reaffirmed a commitment to support a range of housing

options that are affordable at varying income levels and engage

underrepresented populations: communities of color and the rental community,

as identified in the 2025 Strategic Plan. In 2024, the City Council established the

goal of exploring additional affordable housing policies & programs utilizing new

funds made available through the creation of an Affordable Housing Trust Fund

(AHTF) and Local Affordable Housing Assistance (LAHA).

The City has received $641,916 in LAHA funds to date. The City established an

Affordable Housing Trust Fund in 2025 with an initial seed balance of $150,000

and a $150,000 matching grant from Minnesota Housing. The 2026 HRA levy is

set at the maximum at $551,750, however this levy does not directly support

housing programs and is used for other initiatives.

The City of Hopkins has a very unique set of opportunities and challenges when

it comes to residential preservation and development. Hopkins is a fully

developed city classified as an Urban Center by the Metropolitan Council, with a

wide mix of housing choices. The investment of the Green Line Extension (GLE)

and Hopkins’ location in the southwest Metro has fueled redevelopment of new

housing, including several 100% affordable developments (Vista 44, Chorus

Apartments, Burnes Building) and some 100% market rate developments

(Ovation, Hallon I & II, Moline), but no mixed-income developments to date. The

City adopted an Inclusionary Housing Policy in 2024, requiring 10% of the units

be affordable at 60% AMI or 5% at 50% AMI. The policy has yet to be applied to a

traditional development proposal and we are unsure if it will result in a greater

need to provide public subsidies for new development projects.

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Unlike most cities, the majority of residents are renters and most of our rental

housing is affordable today. However, the majority of the affordable rental

housing is Naturally Occurring Affordable Housing (NOAH) and not guaranteed

to remain affordable. The City has explored some preservation tools, such as

low-income rental classification program, but the cost due to tax base loss, is a

concern. Hopkins has one of the highest tax rates in Hennepin County and

shifting more tax burden onto other property is not ideal.

Hopkins’ single family, townhome and condominium market is strong but with

limited inventory and a resurgence in the popularity of walkable, bikeable

communities with vibrant downtown areas, property values are increasing at a

significant pace, and many are getting priced out of homeownership. Rising

property values and the subsequent taxes may also force many existing

homeowners to sell and move from the community.

According to the most recent data available (ACS 2023):

• Approximately 37% of city residents own homes, while 63% rent.

• Median single family home value is $350,000.

• Hopkins is approximately 63% white, and 37% Black, Indigenous, People of

Color (BIPOC).

• The median household income is $71,000 compared to $96,339 in Hennepin

County as a whole.

Additional demographic information on the City is available on the Metropolitan

Council website here.

The purpose of this study is to analyze Hopkins’ unique housing stock and

recommend the most effective way to use limited resources (including LAHA

and AHTF) to meet community priorities for housing, including the preservation

of affordable housing and the creation of new affordable housing.

II. Scope of Work and Deliverables

The City of Hopkins seeks to engage a qualified consultant to conduct a

comprehensive housing assessment and recommend priority spending areas

and strategies to remove barriers to the production and preservation of

affordable housing. This work will support the City’s efforts to equitably allocate

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new affordable housing resources and advance inclusive community

development. Ultimately this work will also inform the 2050 Comprehensive

Plan.

The objectives of this work include:

• Assess current housing stock and identify any gaps in housing types that

could be supported in the market

• Identify affordable housing needs within the community of Hopkins

• Inventory and evaluate affordable housing funding sources

• Identify funding opportunities for addressing priority needs

• Recommend policy and program development based on funding

opportunities with a cost-benefit analysis (how can be best use our limited

resources for the most impact)

• Engage stakeholders throughout this process

The scope of the study should include, but is not limited to:

Housing Data Collection

• Conduct a housing needs assessment that includes an analysis of

housing types, housing conditions, housing demand, affordability gaps,

population growth, and demographic trends

• Identify current and projected housing needs across income levels,

household types, and demographic groups, with particular attention to

cost-burdened households, vulnerable populations, and areas facing

gentrification or housing instability

• Provide data in accessible format to staff to create a Housing Dashboard

to display the affordable housing data (example: Minnetonka Housing

ArcGIS StoryMap and Rental Inventory; St Louis Park Housing Multifamily

Housing)

Data should be sufficient to meet the minimum requirements for the housing

portion of the 2050 Comprehensive Plan.

Dow Towers Evaluation (Alternate Bid)

Dow Towers is a federally subsidized Public Housing development overseen by

the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development Office of

Public and Indian Housing and is owned/administer locally by the HRA. The City

Page | 4

is interested in evaluating conversion options under HUD’s Rental Assistance

Demonstration (RAD) program including Section 18/RAD blend and seeks a

feasibility analysis that reflects current federal policy, funding uncertainty, and

local financing considerations.

At a minimum, the consultant shall:

• Evaluate the feasibility, benefits, risk, and prerequisites of converting

Dow Towers from Public Housing to: RAD Project Based Voucher (PBV),

Projected Based Rental Assistance (PBRA) and Section 18 Disposition

with Tenant Protection Vouchers, including a Section 18/RAD Blend

Scenario.

• Analyze resident impacts and protections, including but not limited to:

changes to the resident rent calculations, utility allowances, income

recertification requirements, Right-To-Return, relocation requirements

(temporary or permanent), resident communication obligations, impacts

to resident services, supportive housing consideration, and long-term

housing stability

• Assess financial implications including but not limited to: changes to

operating subsidy, capital funding, long term revenue stability, impacts to

rental income, program income, cash flow under RAD and/or Section 18

scenarios, ability to leverage private debt, tax-exempt bonds, or other

capital sources post-conversion

• Evaluate capital needs and funding feasibility including but not limited to:

RAD Awards and/or Section 18 approvals, implications of congressional

appropriations volatility and timing risk related to RAD and Section 18

funding. Anticipated HUD processing timelines, milestones, and approval

risk based on current federal guidance

• Analyze the interaction with the State of Minnesota resources including

but not limited to: eligibility for and impacts of the Minnesota Publicly

Owned Housing Program specifically coordination or conflicts between

POHP requirements the HRA is obligated to and HUD conversion

pathways

• Assess the impact of local financing decisions including but not limited

to: how acceptance or use of proceeds from General Obligation bonds

(POHP), Housing Improvement Area bonds, or other public financing may

effect eligibility for Section 18 disposition or RAD conversion with

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Commodity Codes

• NAICS 541611Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services

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