A six-meeting marathon completed a significant stretch in the City of Sun Valley's efforts to require workforce housing.
The Sun Valley Planning and Zoning Commission voted in favor of recommending the city council adopt two multi-faceted ordinances that require nearly all new developments, including single family homes, to provide a degree of work force housing. The decision came after the commission presented the plan to its citizens at a public hearing Tuesday, March 8.
"This is a small part of the partnership that has to occur to provide workforce housing," Virginia Egger, City Administrator, explained.
The commission drafted the ordinances in response to a request to develop regulation. The commission and city officials worked under a 99-day moratorium, imposed by the council, which halted the processing of new development applications.
"You are breaking ground in Blaine County, but you are not breaking ground in resort communities," Michael David, executive director of the Blaine-Ketchum Housing Authority, said.
Throughout the series of meetings, including a number of special work sessions, the commission worked closely with community leaders, Sun Valley Company, Elkhorn Springs developers, the Blaine-Ketchum Housing Authority, and consultant Melanie Rees, the principal for Rees Consulting based in Crested Butte Colorado, to outline mandates for community housing.
The commission received positive reception from the public upon their first presentation of the plan to the public.
"We are not able to get employees. We are really beginning to feel the crunch," Gail Wilker, Sun Valley resident and Sun Valley Center for the Arts Board member, said.
The approved plan consists of two ordinances and a set of resolutions that provide work force housing fueled exclusively by new development.
The council unanimously approved the first ordinance, known as Inclusionary Zoning, mandating workforce housing as a matter of public policy. The ordinance applies to residential subdivisions and multi-family residential developments. The approach requires that 15-percent of the total number of dwellings or approved lots are designated as deed restricted affordable housing.
The ordinance provides alternatives to providing housing that include a payment in-lieu fee, a conveyance of land or a Real Estate Transfer Assessment payment.
The policy aims to provide property targeted for professional employees. The measure is expected to provide 195 affordable dwelling units at the build out of the city.
The second ordinance requires workforce housing for new residential and non-residential developments. Commissioner Ken Herich cast the only dissenting vote against the second ordinance.
The regulation links new commercial and residential construction to the number of jobs generated by the projects. The approach considers the number of jobs created in various industries per 1,000 square feet of new construction and the number of home maintenance jobs created by the size of residential construction projects. New residential property of 1,200 square feet or less is exempt from the regulation.
The ordinance also provides alternatives, including a payment in-lieu fee and a conveyance of land.
Both ordinances allow work force housing units in addition to the maximum allowable densities.
With the ordinances, the commission recommended resolutions to establish a workforce housing fund and to establish fees for those who pay in lieu of providing housing.
