Spokane Mayor declares housing shortage; City council adopts housing action plan

Spokane Mayor Nadine Woodward declared the housing emergency on Monday, while Spokane City Council advocated a number of policy changes designed to speed up housing development.

Woodward’s statement was intended as a means to initiate several proposed actions in response to the housing crisis.

“(The statement) sends a strong statement to the community that we understand this is an emergency and that we must act quickly,” Woodward told The Spokesman Review Monday.

The city’s housing action plan, unanimously approved by the city council on Monday evening, sets out several priorities and possible policy changes to meet the city’s housing needs.

The hectic housing construction activity came on Monday as elected leaders heard persistent calls for help amid record high house prices and low vacancy rates in Spokane.

Both Woodward and the steps of the council on Monday boil down to symbolic gestures. However, both branches of government promised to quickly enact new policies and programs to break down residential barriers, and their visions largely coincided.

“It’s just a plan, it’s a roadmap, but it’s pretty specific and clear,” said Breean Beggs, president of Spokane City Council.

Woodward’s declaration of emergency contained a list of measures. Some of them overlap or are close to proposals that the City Council lists in an “Implementation Plan” annexed to the Housing Action Plan.

Both the mayor and the council have an eye on the simplification and acceleration of the approval process as well as the increased development of “missing medium-sized” apartments such as double and triplexes in city districts.

Woodward expects to continue discussions with council members on possible policies that are not immediately agreed.

“We’re close on a lot of things,” said Woodward.

Woodward promised to cut permit review times from six weeks to two weeks by the end of September, fill current vacancies and staff at the town hall, and create a “development toolkit” to support those interested in building or renovating homes .

The mayor also wants to set incentives to convert existing commercial space into apartments.

The Council’s annex builds on a handful of basic strategies, including increasing housing density in specific areas, encouraging the development of additional housing units, and providing incentives to move housing development quickly.

He calls on the city to create numerous programs with the consent of the council. This includes using American Rescue Plan funds to create a housing fund that provides financial incentives for housing developments within half a mile of the city’s designated centers and corridors; a universal background check system for home-seeking tenants; and a potential excise tax on short-term rental properties such as those rented on Airbnb.

The appendix also calls on the mayor to take more than a dozen direct actions, including expanding programs to improve home ownership.

The Council also expressed a desire, in cooperation with the Planning Commission, to consider policy measures such as: B. The elimination of the requirements for off-street parking for developments within half a mile of a designated center or corridor; Adaptation of the residential single-family zones to enable the construction of maisonettes; and launch of a three-year pilot project to enable triplex and fourplex apartments in single-family homes as long as they fit the architectural style of the neighborhood.

Councilor Michael Cathcart successfully proposed a late change on Monday to include in the resolution a proposal to pass an Emergency Zone Control Ordinance that would allow Fourplexes in any residential zone.

“It’s an important step that will allow more housing choices,” said Cathcart.

He was assisted by Council members Karen Stratton, Kate Burke and Betsy Wilkerson, who noted that the details could be worked out in the future ordinance.

“I think we need a catalyst to get out of this jam,” said Wilkerson.

However, several council members expressed concerns that such an ordinance would bypass the city planning commission. Councilor Candace Mumm also pushed back strongly.

“This is a huge change and we haven’t had a chance to bring this to our neighborhoods. We definitely don’t have to do that tonight, ”said Vimes.

The Housing Action Plan sets four priorities: increasing housing supply and affordability for people of all incomes, maintaining affordable housing for those who already live here, improving access to housing and home ownership, and supporting housing initiatives across the Spokane area.

The housing plan has been in development since 2020 when the city received a $ 100,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce to fund the effort. With the completion of the plan, the city is now entitled to certain government grants to support housing development.

The plan contains a number of policy recommendations but does not implement them. Any proposed action within the plan would require separate review and approval by the entire city council.