In-Depth Policy Briefings & Position Papers

Ensuring Oakdale remains accessible for working families, long-time residents, and seniors requires pragmatic zoning reforms, balanced rental oversight, and proactive pathways to sustainable local homeownership.

My Views on Oakdale Housing Affordability, Homeownership, and Rental Policy

What type of rental environment is in Oakdale, with regard to regulating rental properties, including but not limited to short-term rentals?

The city requires rental housing licenses, inspections, and compliance with property maintenance standards. Rental properties are licensed annually and subject to housing quality requirements.Oakdale also recognizes short-term rentals and includes a short-term rental fire inspection process. The city’s approach generally focuses on safety, licensing, property maintenance, and neighborhood compatibility rather than rent control, rental caps, or outright bans on short-term rentals.Overall, Oakdale seeks to balance property-owner rights, tenant safety, and neighborhood quality while maintaining housing availability.

How big of a problem is housing affordability and availability in our area?

Housing affordability is a significant challenge in Oakdale, but it is somewhat different from what many fast-growing communities face. Oakdale is nearing full build-out, which limits opportunities for large-scale new residential development. Much of the city’s future housing growth will come through redevelopment, reinvestment in aging properties, and creating a broader mix of housing choices. Young adults and first-time homebuyers often struggle with rising home prices and limited starter-home options. Seniors looking to downsize want quality housing opportunities that allow them to remain in Oakdale. At the same time, many residents are concerned about rising property taxes and the overall cost of living. Oakdale’s role should be to encourage a range of housing options while protecting neighborhood character and maintaining strong infrastructure.

Homeownership and Owner-Occupied Housing

Homeownership plays an important role in building stable neighborhoods, encouraging civic engagement, and creating opportunities for families to build long-term wealth. While I am not aware of a specific city initiative whose sole purpose is increasing owner-occupied housing, Oakdale supports homeownership through planning, redevelopment, infrastructure investment, and neighborhood maintenance. As redevelopment opportunities arise, Oakdale should encourage a variety of ownership opportunities, including single-family homes, townhomes, and other owner-occupied housing options.

How would I increase homeownership among People of Color?

Minnesota’s homeownership gap is a serious concern because homeownership remains one of the primary ways families build long-term financial stability and generational wealth. My focus would be on expanding opportunities for homeownership for all residents while ensuring those opportunities are accessible to historically underserved communities. Oakdale can support attainable ownership housing and help connect residents with homebuyer education, down-payment assistance programs, nonprofit housing organizations, and financial literacy resources. The goal should be expanding opportunity, removing barriers, and creating pathways to ownership for more families.

What policies do I favor to expand homeownership opportunity in your community?

I support policies that increase the supply of attainable owner-occupied housing while preserving neighborhood character. Because Oakdale is nearing full build-out, future opportunities will largely come through thoughtful redevelopment. I support predictable zoning and permitting processes, investment in infrastructure that supports homeownership, and partnerships that connect prospective buyers with homebuyer education and assistance programs.

City government should remove unnecessary barriers while maintaining public safety and neighborhood quality.

What are my views on Point of Sale Inspections?

I do not support broad point-of-sale inspection requirements as a primary housing policy. While maintaining safe and well-kept housing is important, requiring inspections every time a property changes ownership can add costs, delays, and uncertainty to the homebuying process. Those costs are often passed along to buyers and can make homeownership less attainable. I favor targeted enforcement of health and safety standards, effective code enforcement, and proactive property maintenance programs rather than a one-size-fits-all point-of-sale inspection requirement.ays to Homeownership

Fair & Balanced Rental Standards

Encouraging starter home construction and first-time buyer assistance programs to help young Oakdale families transition from renting to permanent homeownership.

Establishing transparent rental inspection standards and tenant protections while maintaining a fair regulatory climate for local property owners.

A thriving Oakdale depends on housing options at every stage of life. We can expand affordability while preserving the distinct character of our residential neighborhoods.

Thomas Willenbring, Candidate for Oakdale City Council

Published Proposals

Policy Paper 02

I want to launch a new citywide Bike & E‑Bike Safety Program designed to help riders of all ages feel confident, stay safe, and enjoy Oakdale’s amazing trail network.

Why I propose doing this:

• Reduce crashes and near‑misses

• Teach safe riding skills for kids, teens, adults, and seniors

• Promote helmet use and proper e‑bike battery safety

• Support Oakdale’s parks, trails, and Complete Streets goals

Who it’s for:

• Kids & families

• Teens and new e‑bike riders

• Adults and commuters

• Seniors who want to ride confidently

• Anyone who enjoys biking in Oakdale!

What’s included:

• BikeMN “Walk! Bike! Fun!” youth curriculum

• E‑Bike Smart national safety training

• AAA E‑Ride Ready parent & family guidance

• Adult Smart Cycling classes

• Oakdale‑specific trail maps, rules, and seasonal tips

Update city ordinances and bring them in line with Minnesota State law, adding enforcement options.

Community events:

• Spring Bike Rodeo

• E‑Bike Safety Day

• Family Ride Nights

• Senior Center “Ride Confident” clinic

• Visibility & signaling workshops with Oakdale PD

Local partners:

Oakdale Police • Parks & Recreation • BikeMN • AAA • Local bike shops

The goal:

A safer, more confident, more connected riding community — all year long.

Public Safety in Oakdale

A Position Statement for Our Community

Oakdale is a community built on connection, trust, and shared responsibility. Over the last ten years, our crime trends reflect that: violent crime is low, property crime has steadily declined, and Oakdale remains safer than many cities of similar size. The long-term data shows what many of us already know - Oakdale is a safe place to live, work, and enjoy our parks and neighborhoods.

The numbers are clear. Over the past decade:

· The overall crime index has dropped by more than 50%

· Robberies have declined by over 70%

· Burglaries have fallen by nearly 90%

· Violent crime remains well below national averages

By every measurable trend, Oakdale is a safe community.

But public safety isn't just about statistics. It's also about how people feel in their daily lives. And lately, I've heard from residents who say they're feeling less safe than they used to. Those feelings matter, and they deserve to be addressed directly.

E-Bikes, Traffic, and Everyday Safety

One of the most common topics on local social forums is e-bike safety. These bikes are fast, quiet, and often used by younger riders who may not fully understand the rules of the road or trail etiquette. This creates real concerns for pedestrians, drivers, and other cyclists.

Oakdale can take practical steps to improve safety without discouraging e-bike use:

· Youth education through schools, parks programs, and community events

· Clear rules for trails and parks so everyone knows what's allowed

· Updating Oakdale's e-bike ordinances to reflect modern equipment, speed capabilities, and shared-use expectations

· Strengthened enforcement focused on unsafe riding, not punishment

· Partnerships with nearby bike shops - Gateway Cycle in Oakdale, Freewheel Bike in Woodbury, ERIK'S in Woodbury, and Strauss Skates & Bicycles in North St. Paul - to promote safe riding habits

These changes help keep our trails and streets safe while supporting healthy, active transportation.

Summerfest and Large-Event Safety

Even though Oakdale's long-term crime data shows a steady decline, the disruptions at Summerfest have understandably shaken people's confidence. I was there myself, and I saw how quickly confusion and fear spread. These incidents involved large groups of unsupervised youth from outside the city, many dropped off by parents with no connection to the event.

A key part of improving safety is setting clear expectations for unaccompanied minors. Summerfest welcomes everyone, but it is a family-focused event. Groups of unsupervised youth may be redirected or asked to leave if behavior becomes disruptive. This standard applies equally to all attendees, and enforcement is based on behavior, not age, appearance, or where someone comes from. This avoids unequal treatment and keeps the focus where it belongs - on maintaining a safe environment for families.

But one thing is important to say clearly: Oakdale should not create a "teen zone" that clusters unsupervised youth into one place. Cities that tried this found it can actually concentrate disruptive behavior, create a hotspot, and make intervention harder. The goal is dispersion and engagement, not containment.

The smarter, proven approach is layered crowd management - not corralling teens into a single area. Oakdale can support a stronger, budget-realistic plan that keeps Summerfest fun, free, and family-friendly without fencing Walton Park or raising costs for sponsors:

· Early-arrival monitoring to prevent large roaming groups from forming

· Designated drop-off zones with adult supervision and clear expectations

· Youth engagement teams made up of Parks & Rec staff, volunteers, and school-connected adults

· High-visibility police patrols that feel welcoming, not intimidating

· Real-time social-media awareness to identify large group meetups before they arrive

· Event-flow design that spreads out gathering points instead of clustering them

· Rapid-response protocols to stop disturbances before panic spreads

· Clear pre-event messaging about expectations, behavior, and consequences

These strategies respect the open, community-driven nature of Summerfest while keeping families safe - and they reinforce what the data already shows: Oakdale is safe, and we intend to keep it that way.

The Bottom Line

Oakdale is a safe community - the 10-year crime trend proves it. But public safety is also about confidence, visibility, and trust, and we need to address the issues that make people feel unsafe, even when the data says otherwise.

By combining:

· strong long-term crime-prevention trends,

· modern e-bike safety updates and enforcement, and

· a smarter plan for large community events,

we can keep Oakdale safe, welcoming, and fun for everyone.Write your text here...

Shape Our Community Priorities

Read the complete policy documents, share your feedback, or submit suggestions directly to Thomas Willenbring's policy team.