What actions should Wilsonville’s government take to address housing inequality?
Speak up now before it is too late! City Council held a work session on October 21 to discuss actions on the Equitable Housing Strategic Plan (starting on page 8). Work sessions are important because they narrow the options before Council holds a public hearing. Get caught up by reading a quick recap of the meeting below or start with coverage of previous meetings (one and two). Then, go to the Act page and in two clicks, you can email City Council and Planning Commission with your thoughts today!
Proposed actions from the October 21st City Council work session
Quick recap (my commentary in italics)
Deb Meihoff, Communitas LLC, and Kim Rybold, Senior Planner, presented the staff report with community and Planning Commission feedback on preferred housing strategies (starting on page 8). The biggest addition was a seventh objective, “Implementation of all housing policies through a lens of social equity and inclusion.” (44:00)
Excellent addition! This objective should be the lens through which all actions are evaluated.
Support for lowering System Development Charges (SDCs) to be proportional to the size of a new housing unit (55:00).
This should be an easy first step. Currently, small accessory dwelling units (approx. 500 sq.ft.) can pay the same fees as a large single-family home (approx. 3,000+ sq.ft.). Clackamas County’s Housing Task Force just produced this excellent report on a tiered fee structure.
More engagement with those who are most in need of housing. (57:00)
Agree! This has been my biggest critique of the project in previous recaps.
Why is there not more support for a community land trust? The City has a successful past example along Wilsonville Road. (58:00)
Good question. This is the first I have heard about the City’s history with a community land trust. I’ll investigate and report back.
Planning Commission did an excellent job discussing this on September 11. One councilor had a positive experience in Portland receiving a tax abatement as a new property owner. (1:03:00)
Home ownership is a good goal, but there are already federal tax exemptions. Many times, renters are left out of the tax incentive system.
Multiple people raised questions about why urban renewal in the Town Center is not called out as an action. (1:06:00)
Agree! Affordable housing works best when located near transportation and jobs. Urban renewal in the Town Center has been one of my top actions!
Deb Meihoff asked for feedback on how to define success. Not a clear response from Council. Staff will come back with draft strategies, goals, actions, and indicators. (1:08:00)
In government, if you do not measure something, you will not see it happen. These measures will be a critical component to equitable action.
Be heard!
Now that you are caught up, go to the Act page and in two clicks, you can email City Council and Planning Commission with your thoughts today! For encouragement, I provided a sample letter below.
Dear Mayor, City Council, and Planning Commission,
I thank you, City staff, and the Task Force for all your work on the Equitable Housing Strategic Plan. I have been following along with thoughts on the Task Force meetings (one and two) and the October 21 Council work session.
As policymakers, I am hoping that you can take bold actions to build upon Wilsonville’s leadership in housing to take us to the next level of addressing historic racial inequality.
I highly support the added objective of “implementation of all housing policies through a lens of social equity and inclusion.” As staff and the consultant draft measurable actions and goals to define success, this objective should be the lens through which all actions are evaluated. In government, if you do not measure something you will not see it happen. These measures will be a critical component to equitable action.
I highly support all of the proposed actions for near-term implementation with a two comments.
1. For tax abatements, home ownership is a good goal, but there are already federal tax exemptions. Many times, renters are left out of the tax incentive system. Be sure to check out the Clackamas County Housing Task Force report on a tiered System Development Charge (SDC) fee structure. Vertical Housing tax abatements to create mix-use multi-family developments are highly preferred and a way to serve renters.
2. Look to partner with a non-profit for the connections to housing resources (action 1F). For communities that have been historically disadvantaged or attacked by government, the city presence could be an encumbrance. Work with partners who have established relationships serving housing insecure people.
I highly support aggressive City action for affordable housing development, especially in the Town Center. Affordable housing works best in areas where jobs and transportation are already in place. We should use all of the necessary tools (e.g. land trust, land acquisition, parking reductions, vertical housing tax abatements, urban renewal, waiving SDCs, etc.) to make this happen.
Please feel free to reach out to me with any questions or if you want to discuss further. Thank you for your time and consideration.