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I've recently sold my families holdings in Minneapolis. Unlike Mr. Frenz, who I believe owned mostly in Mpls, and lives in Mpls, most of my families holdings are outside of the city. We made a deliberate effort not to buy any more property in Mpls or Hennepin county in the late 80's-early-90's. Our most glaring objection was and is the city's and citizen's belief that the landlord can be held responsible for other citizens criminal behavior. Within the larger metro-state wide rental property OWNERS community, the city of Mpls is being viewed as a self inflicted sick sibling or worse a rabid dog. Something to be avoided at all costs, not trusted with serious matters (such as your retirements or kids educations), being so out of step with the rest of us that normal functions of government are not being met. The state of relations between the city and it's landlords has been bordering on hostility for some time. There is very little co-operation. When it comes to my industry, the city is so dysfunctional that it is breaking down. What I find so disheartening is this. After 10 years of persecuting landlords for all of society's ills. The city ( collectively ) was starting to wise up and look for another way out. Maybe address crime by individual. Putting the interests of landlords on par with other property owners and business owners. But I see a dangerous backsliding taking place. A new round of senior police officers are using the term "problem properties" in the open again. Landlords and buildings are getting profiled not the criminals. The new council has members who are quick to blame landlords when they ought to know better. Many gray beards who knew better have left the scene. It looks like a new dark age could be coming to my industry within the cities boundaries. The star chamber justice system is revving up again. After universal acknowledgement that the private sector is the engine that can solve all housing issues in the least amount of time with the least amount of taxpayer dollars, we have little private sector involvement at all with out huge subsidy. With interest rates at such low levels we should have been at heartstoppingly high vacancy rates. Not so. The policy of the city makes lower cost housing too much of a burden. The end result for those on the lower rungs of the economic ladder. 1. Doubling. The practice of jamming two families into space meant for one. 2. 50 percent or better of take home pay going to rent. 3. Over 100,000 citizens in Hennepin county with a UD on their record. The scarlet letter of inability to rent in most places. So many branded because of fear of City Of Minneapolis Policy. 4. Generally having their housing deconcentrated, destructed, gentrified,and being class cleanesed right out of town. 5. Having a seperate police department built just for you if you rent. Don't believe me, pick up your latest CCP/SAFE handout. Last I checked over half of the brochure was devoted to who to call if those people in the apartment building weren't behaving. 6. All sorts of non-profit housing people who could qualify elsewhere while truly needy and homeless are left on the streets. Executive directors and housing advocates eating up ever larger portions of the fatted calf while those they claim to fight for go needy again. 7. Kinsey Report is one of many sources that prove what the landlords have been saying all along is true. Thanks for reading this far. I'll conclude. What is truly sad, is that for me and many others: 10-1 years ago I would never have thought of getting out of the city. Being a landlord in the city on the good days is just a gas. All the things that make Mpls unique and desireable have their own derivitive in my industry. But the bad days kept on coming and coming. Most of them provided by our government. Even when vacancy rates were low and rents stable and rising, the city and other levels of government just ruined it all. Craig Miller Holding one last unit in Fulton. Anybody want to buy it? No longer Camden's 3rd largest landlord [EMAIL PROTECTED] The latest issue of TWIN CITIES BUSINESS JOURNAL has an interesting article regarding the sale of 20 Uptown apartment buildings from Steve Frenz (JAS Properties) to Spiros Zorbalas (Uptown Classic Properties). This sale was for $10 million which averages $45,000 per apartment unit. According to the article, Frenz is shifting his apartment investments to other cities out of frustration with the regulatory environment in Minneapolis. "The key issue raising (Frenz's) blood pressure is the way Minneapolis calculates storm-water fees based on the amount of water used within a building. Most cities instead calculate how much runoff storm water a property produces, he said. "Minneapolis' method unfairly penalizes multifamily apartment buildings because those buildings use more water, but that additional water use has nothing to do with storm water, Frenz said." Bill Dooley Kenny _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls