Efforts to boost affordable housing in the Wood River Valley and beyond have taken center stage at the county level, where a newly proposed ordinance would forever change the rules of residential development in Blaine County.
Blaine County Commission Chair Sarah Michael has drafted an inclusionary housing ordinance that would require 20 percent of the lots and houses in future county subdivisions to be permanently restricted as affordable housing.
Michael and William Collins, a planning consultant from Jackson, Wyo., presented the ordinance to the Blaine County Planning and Zoning Commission during a public hearing Thursday, Feb. 9. The concept was first discussed by the commission nearly a year ago to the day.
After close to four hours of review and discussion, the hearing was continued to Feb. 23.
"I think it was a good discussion, good dialogue," Michael said. "We're close to having a recommendation from Planning and Zoning on the ordinance and that's very positive."
The cities of Sun Valley and Hailey have already adopted similar inclusionary affordable housing ordinances—Sun Valley requires 15 percent, Hailey 20 percent. Ketchum has an incentive-based program that allows for increased density in developments that include affordable housing. The Bellevue and Carey city councils are currently exploring how best to approach the situation.
Although some key points will likely change before a decision is reached, the county ordinance is designed to give developers options to best fulfill the affordable housing requirements. They are:
· The applicant builds community housing on the site of the subdivision.
· The applicant builds community housing off the site of the subdivision.
· The applicant conveys land for community housing.
· The applicant pays a fee-in lieu of providing community housing.
All fees collected would be deposited into a community housing trust account.
The ordinance also is designed to include three specific income classes, or categories. Those earning 80 to 100 percent of the county's median household income ($56,900-$71,200) fall in category 4; 100 to 120 percent ($71,200-$85,440) constitute category 5; and 120-140 percent ($85,440-$99,680) category 6. The ordinance states that "one-third of the required community housing units shall be affordable to households in each of the three income categories."
But P&Z Commissioner Donald Nurge said he felt the category requirement would "limit the flexibility of the Blaine-Ketchum Housing Authority.
"South of the Bellevue city limit, the income average is 2.5, and were talking 4, 5 and 6?" he said. "The ordinance needs to be more reflective ... to promote a diversity of housing types, a mixture that better reflects that geographic area."
Comments and concerns from the public mainly focused on the timing of the ordinance and the areas it should—but probably won't—impact.
"I'm afraid we're attacking the wrong problem first," said Ketchum attorney Barry Luboviski, adding that he does support the effort but feels all resources should be poured into to the affordable housing shortage in Ketchum. "Seventy-five percent of the jobs are in the north county; that's where we should start this process."
Other concerns surrounded the appropriateness of building affordable housing in remote, agricultural areas.
"Developers say it just won't work, they say (affordable housing) will poison the development," said Nick Purdy, owner of Picabo Livestock Co., and a major property owner in Picabo, one of the county's smallest communities, south of Bellevue on U.S. Highway 20.
Transportation from remote county locations also was cause for concern.
Alterations to the ordinance could include, among other things, incentives like density bonuses for developers and expedited processing.
The Feb. 23 public hearing will begin at 6:30 p.m. at the Old County Courthouse in Hailey.
