Advancing Equity in Historic Preservation: OUR COMMITMENT
PUBLIC POLICY
RETHOS POLICY INSTITUTE
The state Historic Structure Rehabilitation Tax Credit has been reinstated! The final bill makes the HTC retroactive to the previous sunset date and extends it until June 30, 2030.
Rethos has been advocating for an extension to the HTC since 2018. After weathering one set-back after another, we can hardly believe the news! THANK YOU to all of the individuals and organizations who have helped advocate for this critical tool for preserving unique places and promoting community vitality! Read more on our blog.
All of the buildings pictured below were rehabilitated and repurposed using the Minnesota Historic Structure Rehabilitation Tax Credits. Learn more about how Rethos can help maximize these credits with Historic Rehab Loans.
Responses from new and returning Legislators continue to show strong bipartisan support for preservation activities.
Prior to the November 2022 election, Rethos invited candidates for the Minnesota Senate and House of Representatives to respond to a survey about preservation-related community development, sustainability, and economic issues. Of the candidates who completed the survey, about half were elected. We are confident that their responses indicate a high level of bipartisan, statewide support for Main Streets, building rehabilitation, and historic places among policymakers in Minnesota.
But many of the Legislators have yet to hear from their constituents that preservation matters! Tell your Senator and Representative about the unique places in your community, and the kinds of financial assistance and policy support that are needed to help your community thrive. If you’re new to this, we’ll help you learn how between now and May 22, 2023, when the Legislature adjourns. Sign up for our Policy Updates here to get information and calls to action delivered right to your inbox.
Small business is the backbone of our communities. I have long been supportive of economic development and will continue to do so.
- Carla Nelson, MN 24, Republican
Preserving historic buildings and finding new uses for them not only preserves our state history, it is more environmentally sound to repurpose or restore a building.
- Robert Kupec, MN 4, DFL
Message from the Director
Welcome to the Rethos Policy Institute, a resource for elected leaders, local and state government officials, active community members, and everyone interested in promoting the best practices in public policy around historic preservation and building reuse.
Rethos has been doing this work for decades, but we have now organized our public policy research, advocacy, and education into this single program. We will be the venue for leading change in all the areas in which preservation is relevant: equity and inclusion, sustainability and environmental justice, and economic revitalization. Follow us on social media to stay in touch with the latest updates about the Rethos Policy Institute.
Public policies, whether in the form of legislation, zoning ordinances, or recommendations from civic advisory boards, form the basis upon which our shared historic preservations goals and ambitions become realized. Forward-thinking communities are always looking for the most relevant and useful policy ideas and research-informed practices to help guide their work. It is our objective to be a resource for you and your fellow leaders, ensuring the best outcomes for the people and places you hold dear.
Your voice is needed as we continue to move forward together. Please participate in our events, educational sessions (in person and online), and share your ideas and questions with us and other people working every day to preserve historic places and tell important stories. Together we will find and share solutions to challenges, identify opportunities, and craft the most beneficial policies, laws, and processes to meet the needs of our communities.
Thank you for your willingness to come along on this journey!
Sincerely,
Erin Hanafin Berg
Director, Rethos Policy Institute
Policy News
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Elected officials from both parties support Historic Tax Credits.
“For every dollar we put into this...
it generates in the neighborhood of about $9.50 of economic activity.
So it’s just a tremendously great project I think in terms of saving historical structures, which are important to a lot of Main Streets across Minnesota.”
- Senator David Senjem, MN-25, R
"I support the Historic Tax Credit extension. We have a lot of beautiful {iconic} buildings in this state that are a part of our history. And I think this will help preserve them and maybe repurpose them.”
- Senator Kari Dziedzic, MN-60 – DFL
28,480 jobs have been created since the
Historic Tax Credit was enacted in Minnesota in 2011.
About the Minnesota Historic Tax Credit
Minnesota's Historic Tax Credit Structure Rehabilitation Tax Credit (MN Statute 290.0681), passed into law in 2010, has been a successful economic development tool for revitalizing distressed, vacant, and underutilized historic properties throughout the state. The credit provides a refundable income tax credit equal to 20% of qualified rehabilitation expenses made to buildings listed in the National Register of Historic Places and used for income-producing purposes (including office, industrial, retail, hospitality, and rental residential).