Beyond the Skyline: Q&A with Nick Erickson

The Minnesota Legislature is closely divided between DFLers and Republicans, with both parties jockeying for position to gain power. Amid the turmoil, Housing First Minnesota’s Nick Erickson is confident that leaders on both sides of the aisle can agree on at least one thing this legislative session: that Minnesota needs more housing, especially starter homes. “I can tell you that there is 100% appetite for bipartisan [housing] reform,” said Erickson, senior director of housing policy for Housing First Minnesota, which represents homebuilders, remodelers, developers throughout the state. Erickson says the state is roughly 100,000 homes short of a stable market. Regulatory requirements such as minimum lot sizes and aesthetic mandates are barriers to housing production and affordability, according to Erickson and others in the homebuilding industry. In this interview, Erickson talks about Housing First Minnesota’s legislative agenda, how he got into the homebuilder advocacy business, the state of the power struggle in the Minnesota House and Senate, and more.