Three St. Paul City Council members are preparing legislation to exempt newer buildings from the city's rent control regulations.

Why it matters: Housing construction has stalled, and while rent control is one of many reasons for that stagnation, supporters hope loosening regulations will signal to developers that St. Paul is still open for business.

State of play: Council Members Saura Jost, Rebecca Noecker and Anika Bowie plan to introduce an amendment next week that would permanently remove rent control from housing built in St. Paul after 2004, as Mayor Melvin Carter proposed last year.

• Under the current ordinance, newly built housing is exempt from rent control for the first 20 years. After that, the city's 3% cap on annual rent increases kicks in.

Plus: Council members plan to pair the rent control proposal with separate legislation reviving many of the tenant protections the city first tried to enact in 2020, Jost and Noecker told Axios.

• A federal judge blocked that ordinance in 2021, largely because it limited a landlord's right to evict tenants without "just cause." The new legislation wouldn't include this provision, Noecker said.

What they're saying: "No amount of policy can get us out of a housing crisis if we're not building more housing," Carter told Axios, noting he also previously called for restoring tenant protections.

• "Investors are really hesitant to build in St. Paul," Jost, the lead co-author, told Axios.
• Noecker called the package an "elegant solution" that leaves rent control protections in place in most of the city's housing stock, more than 90% of which was built before 2004.

Zoom out: The Twin Cities led the Midwest in housing construction in the early 2020s, but that pace has since slowed.

• High interest rates and soaring materials and labor costs are among the many reasons why — but St. Paul leaders have seized on rent control as one factor that sits within the city's control.

The other side: Council Member HwaJeong Kim opposes the rent control change, saying the ordinance was always meant as a counterweight to developers.

• Weakening it would make St. Paul less affordable for working-class tenants, she told Axios.

What we're watching: Council Member Cheniqua Johnson — whose vote could be decisive — told Axios in an email she won't support a new rent control exemption without the council passing and implementing tenant protections.

What's next

Top state Republicans are calling for the immediate resignation of a GOP state senator who police say attempted to solicit a minor for prostitution.

Driving the news: Detectives arrested Sen. Jason Eichorn (R-Grand Rapids) after they communicated with a man who believed he was talking to a 16-year-old girl and arranged to meet her on Monday, according to the Bloomington Police Department.

• As of yesterday afternoon, he had not been charged.
• Eichorn, who was still in custody Wednesday morning, has not responded to various attempts by Axios to obtain his comment.

What they're saying: "We are shocked by these reports and this alleged conduct demands an immediate resignation," the Senate Republican Caucus said in a joint statement yesterday. "Justin has a difficult road ahead and he needs to focus on his family."

• House Republican leaders, the Minnesota Republican Party and the DFL Party also issued statements calling for his resignation.
• Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy (DFL-St. Paul) said the "deeply disturbing" arrest "raises serious questions that will need to be answered by the court, as well as his caucus and constituents."

The big picture: Eichorn's arrest follows last year's arrest of state Sen. Nicole Mitchell (DFL-Woodbury) on felony burglary charges. Mitchell pleaded not guilty and her trial is scheduled to begin this summer.

• Republicans have repeatedly called for Mitchell's resignation or expulsion. Senate Democrats have resisted, saying she is entitled to due process.

Full story

🏛️ Closing arguments began yesterday in the federal trial of Aimee Bock, founder of the now-defunct nonprofit Feeding Our Future, and co-defendant Salim Said. (Sahan Journal)

• Prosecutors allege Bock and Said were central figures in a fraud scheme involving nearly $250 million in federal pandemic aid. Bock and Said have both denied wrongdoing.

🥮 The Buttered Tin's cinnamon rolls are hitting the Whole Foods freezer aisle under a new distribution deal. (Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal)

🎸 The Steve Miller Band will play at this year's State Fair, joining a Grandstand lineup that already includes Def Leppard, Melissa Etheridge, the Indigo Girls and more. (Details)

• Tickets for the just-announced show go on sale Friday.

👀 Discover new local events.

Professional Development Breakfast: The Pursuit of Purpose Lena Scullard at Delta Hotels Minneapolis Northeast on April 8: A transformative program designed to help individuals align their actions with a clear purpose and meaningful goals. $25.97-$300.90.

Hosting an event? Email [email protected].

Gen Z homebuyers represented an estimated 14.5% of mortgage applications in the Twin Cities metro area in 2024.

• That's slightly higher than the national average of 13%, according to an analysis by CoreLogic, an industry data provider.

Between the lines: While the data indicates that young people want to buy houses, they're running into a rough market.

• There were 4.7% fewer metro-area houses on the market in February 2025 compared to February 2024, according to Minnesota Realtors data.
• Plus the median sale price jumped 7.1%, to $385,000.

The bottom line: The typical all-in payment on a median-priced home, including taxes and insurance, has risen from $1,800 a month in 2021 to $2,800 in 2024.

Go Deeper: Where Gen Zers are buying homes

Wintry weather may be in the forecast today, but one sign of spring arrived over the weekend: Conny's Creamy Cone reopened for the 2025 season.

• The St. Paul walk-up ice cream stand has dozens of sweet treats, including 30+ flavors of soft serve, and a food menu where everything is under $10.

Details on our Instagram