The City of Sartell offered more details of their new "Growing Sartell Together" initiative aimed at spurring more in-fill development of single family homes.  Sartell Mayor Ryan Fitzthum unveiled the program late last year, and we opened the CMBA Government Affairs Committee new year with a presentation from Sartell's Director of Community and Economic Development, Kari Haakonson on January 20.

Haakonson highlighted findings of Sartell's "2025 Housing Needs Analysis" which identified the need for more than 1,500 new units of housing over the next ten years. The study showed the median home value in Sartell is $335,000, which requires about $100,000 per year income to afford. "56% of the average population can afford a home at that price," said Haakonson. The study also showed a fairly high median rental housing cost of $1,100 per month.

According to the study, Sartell's senior population grew by more than 80%. "We have a huge need for senior and lifecycle housing," said Haakonson. "So we can move people who are in homes to senior housing opportunities, and get that house freed-up for first or second-time home buyers."  She said the study indicates a need for 521 units of single-family, and 400 units of rental housing over the next several years.

"We have about 550 units of apartment projects planned to begin this year, and a few single family homes" said Haakonson. With the projected need for 1,500 new units over ten years, the call to action was clear.  "Given our three-year trend of building permits at 30-35 units per year for single-family homes, we would need 70 years to meet our need," she said.

Those numbers prompted city leaders to develop the "Growing Sartell Together" initiative, which waives all Water Access (WAC) and Sewer Access (SAC) fees, and caps the core building permit cost for new single-family homes at $1,500 on existing, already platted lots. The program is the first of its kind in Central Minnesota and is designed to keep homeownership attainable while supporting responsible community growth.

By reducing fees and focusing on in-fill development, Sartell hopes to encourage families and developers to move forward in 2026 and beyond, without placing additional burdens on the city’s budget or taxpayers.

For more information about "Growing Sartell Together", contact Kari Haakonson: kari.haakonson@sartellmn.com, 320-258-7312.