Idaho Mountain Express: Challenges loom on housing front

TALK BACK: Now you can add YOUR comments about this article.

Friday, September 18, 2009

Challenges loom on housing front

State, county officials discuss ways to ‘bridge the gap’

By JON DUVAL
Express Staff Writer

There is no easy solution for creating affordable housing in Blaine County.

That was evident after Rep. Wendy Jaquet, D-Ketchum, and other state officials held a workshop Wednesday with Blaine County commissioners, Sun Valley city officials and representatives from local community housing organizations.

Jaquet and fellow state representatives Donna Pence, D-Gooding, and Phylis King, D-Boise, along with Sun Valley Mayor Wayne Willich and Councilman Nils Ribi, discussed possible legislative methods to encourage or require development of affordable community housing.

Jaquet said the introduction of any inclusionary housing legislation—that mandating developers to build affordable units—at the state level would likely face opposition from powerful real estate and construction lobbies throughout Idaho.

"The more we can do locally, the better," she said.

Rebekah Helzel, president of the ARCH Community Housing Trust board, said incentive-based ordinances, such as those in effect in Ketchum and Hailey, appear to be the best method for creating affordable housing.

By allowing developers more density in exchange for deed-restricted housing, the cities could avoid the legal trouble that befell McCall in 2008 when a district court judge deemed the city's inclusionary housing ordinance to be an illegal tax.

"Inclusionary zoning is the solution for us right now unless someone hands us $50 million to bridge the gap," Helzel said.

However, Willich said an incentive-based ordinance likely wouldn't produce significant results in Sun Valley, where high density has not been a priority for developers.

County Commission Chairman Larry Schoen said community housing could be increased through annexation requests, in which developers would agree to provide the housing in exchange for the benefits of city services.

Schoen also said the county and cities could include property-tax exemptions for developers that include affordable housing in their projects.

"We would give up something here to get something over there," Schoen said.

Helzel also added the possibility of "green taping" a project—fast-tracking consideration of developments with a community housing component ahead of others.

Blaine County Housing Authority Treasurer Linda Thorson said that regardless of the path taken, housing goals will be most quickly reached if the county and cities in the Wood River Valley find a "common ground" with their housing ordinances.

Jon Duval: jduval@mtexpress.com

print version

Leave a Comment

There are 3 comments

The comments below are from the readers of mtexpress.com and in no way represent the views of Express Publishing Inc.

09/18/09 - 11:07

im looking around. rents are still too high!!!! free market needs a kick in the azz

09/18/09 - 08:46

Look around! The free market is taking care of providing "affordable housing". All that government intervention into housing does is make a few officials and advocates feel good while doing little to solve the problem. Unfortunately, it is government policies like restrictive zoning and listening to smart growth advocates that help to cause the problem in the first place. If you do not believe this, look at what these policies have done in places like California where vast areas have been sealed off from development.

Many people seeking affordable housing should be renters not owners. That means zoning for apartments and the like. Of course, this might require people of different social and economic status to live in the same areas to the dismay of those who advocate affordable housing in the first place.

Reply to JK

mpc

09/18/09 - 12:31

Dear JK:
The market would have brought prices down to a more affordable price had the government not intervened to try to keep prices artificially high.

I have another quote from Dr. Sowell "...The idea that government intervention improves the situation is a notion which has been repeated innumerable times in many ways, but endless repitition is not a coherent argument, much less proof. When we turn from politial rhetoric to hard facts, we find that those facts tell a story directly opposite to what is being said in politics and in much of the media. It is pecisely government intervention in housing markets which has made previously affordable housing unaffordable."

Another quote from an archane document, which our current president says is flawed and has little relevance in our times; the constitution. From amendment V: "...nor shall private property be taken for public use without just compensation." Since when is a council of bureaucrats allowing a property owner to build on their own property just compensation.

And why should we as tax payers and home buyers subsidize others to come here and live? There are plenty of places to live in this country, aren't there? I have never been afflicted with liberal guilt so I have no idea why anyone would want this, unless it helped them personally. So take a good look at the so called 'altruists' that are pushing these programs. They are stealing someone else's property for their own gain!!