A year of housing columns. Do we agree more or less on how to house our community? | Opinion

Last year I launched a monthly housing column to explore homelessness, affordability, density and other tough topics that regularly boil over on social media sites. My hope was to increase understanding of our critical need for more affordable housing and encourage people to avoid stigmatizing those who are unhoused as “those people.”

The jury is out on whether I brought more of us together or pushed us further apart, but our need for more affordable housing persists.

According to housing experts ranging from the federal General Accounting Office to the Low-Income Housing Institute, the housing crisis is worsening, propelled by rising mortgage interest rates, rent hikes, lagging housing inventory and stagnant wages. While most of us agree there is a problem, we remain divided on solutions. This isn’t surprising given that polarization is the new language of American politics.

Although my series of columns ends, our need to keep talking about how to create more affordable housing continues. To that end I offer my 2024 New Year’s wish list for housing solutions:

Housing affordability: Thurston Regional Planning reports that nearly one-third of our neighbors pay over 30% of their income on housing. How can we make housing more affordable? 1) Continue reform of zoning codes and development standards to lower the cost of homes. 2) Create more downpayment assistance to help lower-income homebuyers. 3) Explore options to incentivize rather than penalize landlords who lower rent. 4) Expand rental assistance for the growing number of people who can’t afford their rent.

Build more housing: Our legislators report that we lag behind in the new housing needed each year to house our growing community. How can we increase production? 1) Consider zoning code and development standard changes that allow for more housing construction — well-built, smaller homes in high amenity areas (close to parks, schools, grocery stores, and public transportation). 2) Continue to build agreement on the need to protect our open lands and make better use of core services by increasing our housing density along main streets and in neighborhood hubs. 3) Reexamine impact fees to address the negative impact on renters and owners. 4) Expand policies like the Multi-family Tax Exemption (MFTE) to create more housing, both market rate and affordable, within the urban core.

Preserve existing housing: When existing housing is redeveloped, it’s often replaced by higher-cost homes. How can we keep what we have? 1) Identify and preserve endangered manufactured housing parks, one of the lowest cost housing models. 2) Expand publicly funded housing rehabilitation programs that allow people to remain in their homes, particularly seniors. 3) Ensure that redevelopment of existing low-cost housing requires one for one replacement of affordable homes.

Accessible housing: Aging Baby Boomers are the fastest growing demographic, yet the number of wheelchair-accessible homes is not keeping up with the need. How do we increase the number of accessible homes? 1) Incentivize and/or require basic ADA standards in all new construction: larger bathrooms with grab bars, 36-inch doorways and wheelchair ramps. 2) Expand housing rehabilitation funding for the ADA conversion of existing homes.

Supporting tenants: There is a high percentage of renters in the urban hub, yet tenant perspectives are under-represented in local government. How can we better meet tenant needs? 1) Reexamine housing policies to ensure balanced representation of tenants’ needs. 2) Provide the same level of support to tenants as offered to neighborhood organizations. 3) Expand tenant protections. 4) Find ways to incentivize landlords.

A recent column by Todd Monohon offered good advice on housing policy: Create a “Missing Middle” process to gather people of differing opinions to hash out public policy that balances our differences. While this isn’t a new approach, sitting down to listen to differing opinions never loses its value. May Mr. Monohon get his New Year’s wish to find the “Missing Middle” of housing solutions.

Anna Schlecht is retired from the City of Olympia where she worked on housing and homeless issues for several decades. This is the final column in her year-long exploration of housing issues in our region.

This story was originally published January 14, 2024 at 5:00 AM.