Appendix / Discussion Themes / Session Feedback
Identify/communicate with populations at risk of losing housing
- Identify and mitigate barriers that prevent the people actually experiencing housing insecurity from having these conversations with the city
- City should do outreach to people living in vehicles, identify where they are staying overnight
- City should do outreach to 1-30% folks
- Homelessness is increasing among 18-30 year olds
- Senior citizens and people on a fixed income or social security are struggling to keep their homes and don’t know where to find support, they also experience ageism in the rental market
- Families struggle to balance rising childcare and housing costs
- People in the service industry often can’t afford what’s considered ‘affordable housing’
Provide resources for people experiencing homelessness, or living in vehicles and RVs
- Immediate need for safe shelter for people experiencing homelessness
- Non-congregate shelters are safer and more effective
- Increase healthcare resources available in shelters
- Tiny home communities specifically for people experiencing homelessness
- The relationship between police and people experiencing homelessness is not good
- Immediate need for parking space for people who lose their housing
- Adjust parking codes to accommodate people who are living in their vehicles and RVs
- Provide designated RV parking locations – could use city-owned land
- Drive-in movie theaters have restroom facilities that could be used
Identify opportunities to build/provide more affordable housing
- City could require affordable housing units in new developments via grants or zoning code
- City-owned units would help ensure structurally-sound units for quality of life and health
- Establish tiny home communities, possibly on city land
- Renting part of one’s home provides more housing options
- Possible locations for growth include land around Boise or increasing density around BSU
- When developing growth keep safety, security, and food resources in mind
- Use ARPA funds to find immediate solutions to housing
- Including multiple affordable housing types: single family, multi-family, and single person
Provide incentives to develop affordable housing
- City should provide incentives to developers to increase supply
- Property tax relief
- Grants
- City should provide assistance to homeowners to offset rising home prices
- City loan program with lower rates
- Expedite permitting process for developers turning vacant hotels into housing
- Work with Albertsons to build housing in new grocery stores
- Make ADU construction affordable for homeowners, or increase the financial incentive Preserve existing affordable housing
- Mobile homes are an important source of affordable housing – we should work to preserve them and increase desire and acceptance in neighborhoods
- Retrofit old buildings or work with current property owners who could convert to affordable housing – are there any processes or incentives in place for this
- Condemnation-worthy rentals could be converted into affordable housing
- Ensure affordable apartments are not low-quality
Improve zoning restrictions
- Allow Jr. ADUs in zoning code
- Eliminate R1A or allow duplexes in R1A
- Change zoning restriction to no more than 80% of property can be used for the home
- In zoning code, if a small home is torn down, provide flexibility to add ADU in rebuild
- Scrutiny over allowing developers to rezone when purchasing property
- How do zoning requirements get enforced
- In the zoning code, ensure all neighborhoods will have a diversity of income levels
Generate community buy-in on affordable housing and shelters
- Prevent HOAs from not allowing ADUs
- How can we share stories and bring humanity into the conversation; ensure homelessness is not blamed on the people who are experiencing it
- How can we have conversations with those who do not want to allow affordable housing or high density in their neighborhoods
- Work with neighborhoods that are welcoming to affordable housing
Provide resources/protections for renters
- Rent control
- Disconnect between landlords and renters
- Provide education, partnerships and incentives for landlords to improve conditions for renters
- Provide better resources for renters
Feedback on Tiny Home + ADU Pilot Program
- Increase the duration of the pilot program and add participants
- The pilot program will take too long
- Require owner-occupancy on ADUs receiving incentives from the city
- Include RVs in the pilot program
- Keep them in backyards
- Provide incentives to the renters staying in mobile tiny homes, not just homeowners
- Tiny homes increase density and provide equity for owners
Prohibitive costs and barriers for ADUs + tiny homes
- HOAs that ban ADUs and tiny homes
- Impact fees for ADUs
- Impact on property taxes – tiny homes have less of a property tax increase than ADUs
- Allowing pets
- Parking concerns
- Provide resources for people with questions
- Many RV parks ban mobile tiny homes – thus restricting the flexibility of people who put equity into their mobile tiny homes
- ADU homeowners may end up switching to Airbnb for profit and simplicity – unstable source of affordable housing
Other
- Need action now
- How do we manage growth?
- Property taxes are increasing
- Can we prioritize selling to primary occupancy homeowners?
- Housing is a Treasure Valley-wide issue, use Ada County stats as context
- Walkability and density in Boise could improve
- Better oversight on large developers and holding companies
- Immediate need to increase availability of affordable housing
- Policy vs. incentives
- Businesses are suffering as employees can’t find affordable housing
- State law makes it difficult to force anyone to do anything
- Ensure new affordable housing fits people’s needs
- Plan a panel of mayors on housing issues
- Housing equity replaces pensions/security
- Workforce housing affordability calculations are off (CCDC)