In The News - 10/17/2024
The Spokesman Review
State looks to resolve conflicts that block housing for homeless people
Housing developers and local governments can now go through a state-led dispute resolution process if a city refuses to permit emergency and temporary housing for people who are homeless.
Earlier this month, the Department of Commerce launched the program to encourage more permitting of shelters, transitional and emergency homes, and permanent supportive housing, which includes services like mental health support or employment resources.
By 2044, Washington needs more than 1.1 million new homes, including 220,000 emergency and temporary housing units across the state. Counties, cities and towns are required to accommodate some of this housing under their land use and zoning plans, but permitting these projects at the local level can be difficult.
“There’s a lot of communities that are doing great things to allow this housing, but there are also a lot of communities that are having trouble accepting these targets and planning for them because there’s a lot of fear about what they could entail,” said Laura Hodgson, housing planning and data manager at the Department of Commerce.
To help address concerns from communities and local governments, the Legislature set aside $600,000 in the budget this year to help the Department of Commerce set up a system to resolve disputes around these projects.
The funding came after a bill to set up a similar program failed to pass the Legislature earlier this year.
House Bill 2474 would have allowed the Department of Commerce to resolve disputes between cities and organizations trying to develop supportive housing, and if mediation failed, it could have held back state funding from cities found to be out of compliance with state law.
The proposed legislation came after the city of Kenmore canceled an affordable housing project amid an outcry from residents. The project was moved to nearby Redmond.
The mediation proposal received backlash from Republicans in the Legislature. They said it took away too much local control and that local governments are best positioned to address homelessness in their communities. Democrats, on the other hand, supported the bill, which they said targeted localities that consistently refuse to permit these projects.
French, Marshall clash at KSPS debate
Candidates hold disparate views on housing, homelessness, cooperation
Three weeks before voters determine who wins a seat on the Spokane County Commission, the candidates took another chance to argue why it should be them to represent the southwestern part of the county.
Republican incumbent Al French and Democratic challenger Molly Marshall exchanged perspectives on homelessness, cooperation with other entities and fentanyl among other issues at the KSPS PBS debate Wednesday.
Homelessness
Asked about addressing homelessness, a reality faced by more than 2,000 people in Spokane County, Marshall again emphasized the importance of collaboration with other entities to get the best bang for their buck.
“Different municipalities or different agencies actually control different funds, so coming together for a regional approach is key to success,” Marshall said. “What I think we need to get away from is politicizing homelessness.”
The politicization in question, Marshall said, was French’s presence at a rally in Medical Lake, hosted by the city’s Mayor Terri Cooper involving French and other local Republican lawmakers. At the contentious event, French denounced any plans to turn a vacant building in the small city into a homeless shelter. Spokane Mayor Lisa Brown said were never plans in the first place.
“He went out to Medical Lake and actually had a press conference putting forth misinformation, creating fear and division,” Marshall said.
Echoing sentiments at the rally, French said there’s a lack of trust between municipalities that needs to be earned before a regional approach is possible. He referenced two ways to “bring these kinds of projects into a community.”
“One is collaboration, the other one’s anonymity,” French said. “That’s get everything in place and then release it onto the community without them knowing about it until it’s way too late to stop it.
“Mayor Brown wants to control the regional system, and based upon what they’ve achieved so far, I’d be opposed to that.”
Housing
The state Department of Commerce estimates an extra 1 million new homes will be needed to meet state demands for housing, based on population trends on the rise locally, such as in Airway Heights, for example.
French advocated for an “aggressive” strategy to address housing demand and improve affordability.
“I presented a number of different programs, one even for Latah Valley, that uses tax increment financing to lower the cost of housing at the entry level and make more affordable housing available to everybody in this community,” French said.
Marshall, in contrast, criticized the county’s current emphasis on “urban sprawl” where residences are built faster than services can keep up, citing Latah Valley’s temporary fire station in an area at risk for wildfires.
“We need to concentrate that building within our centers and corridors where we already have services,” Marshall said. “We have multiple communities out there that are living on islands without the appropriate services.”
Fentanyl Crisis
While drug overdose deaths have been on the decline nationally, Washington state and Spokane County show the opposite trend.
Asked what the county commissioners’ roles should be in addressing this trend, Marshall referenced her work in the military partnering with the FBI and local law enforcement to target drug use.
“The thing I saw that worked the best was collaboration: sharing resources, working with one another and sharing that information,” Marshall said. “So we have to come together as a region to tackle this tough issue and work together to find those solutions.”
French also highlighted partnerships, referencing the work between the Sheriff’s department with the FBI and Drug Enforcement Agency as well as the county’s recent investments in drug treatment centers from state lawsuits against opioid manufacturers.
“We’ve taken our opioid money and are now in the process of developing a drug treatment center to help those that are impacted by not only the opioids, but also fentanyl,” French said.
RangeMedia
WA State Representative, D3 Position 1: Natasha Hill vs. Tony Kiepe
What policies do you plan to advocate for to address Spokane’s housing crisis?
Natasha Hill
We need renter protections including rent stabilization across our state. We also need to increase our funding and revenues to build the housing our communities need and deserve, no matter what income level they are at. We need to remove restrictions on building condominiums and make pathways to homeownership more accessible and equitable.
Tony Kiepe
One big issue is it costs 26% more to build a house in Washington than it does in Idaho. That’s because of the bureaucracy, permitting processes, permitting fees — land costs more. You have to look at our Comprehensive Plan, our grand plan. We’re doing 15 minute cities. Well, immediately all your land goes up because you’re within that 15 minute city. I’d like us to look at 20 minute cities, a little further out, and provide services, transportation, buses, schools. But we’ve got to get a little further out of the actual city.
The Center Square
Spokane County considers policy to gift surplus properties for affordable housing
Spokane County may auction off one of its surplus properties soon, but one commissioner has another idea: create a system for converting these types of real estate holdings into affordable housing.
State law allows the Board of County Commissioners to do just that: transfer surplus properties at low cost, or even for free, to provide more affordable housing. Commissioner Chris Jordan wants to adopt the law at the local level, creating a policy that mimics the process in Spokane.
He asked his fellow commissioners on Tuesday to postpone the county’s upcoming hearing over a potential sale in Spokane Valley for this reason. Jordan said Habitat for Humanity, Thrive International, SNAP and Family Promise all expressed an interest in using the state law to drive up options.