Council candidates answer housing questions (Part 2 of 4)

||| FROM GEORGE J ZWEIBEL and SANDY BISHOP |||

Affordable housing is unquestionably one of the most important issues the new SJC Council will face and one that is a concern to most everyone who lives or works in the islands. We have been actively engaged in affordable housing for years, on both the development and policy sides of the issue.

We took it upon ourselves to ask the four candidates running for San Juan County Council positions a series of eight questions about affordable housing.

Housing Questions for Council Candidates (Questions 3 and 4)

3. As a Council member, what new initiatives would you propose or support to increase the number of affordable housing units in San Juan County?

Stephanie O’Day: I applaud the County Land Bank for purchasing a property in Town, putting a historic covenant on it, selling it to San Juan County, and I applaud the County for turning around and leasing the land to the San Juan Community Home Trust for $1 per year to be used for Affordable Housing. Lets do more of this! Also, modify the code to loosen ADU regulations.

Kari McVeigh: In addition to the changes delineated above, I think there are opportunities to create public/ private partnerships to help increase the opportunities for moderate income folks to be able to purchase permanently affordable homes. I believe the Council should pursue these opportunities.

Justin Paulsen: The greatest roadblock to the construction of housing, especially affordable housing, is the cost of land and infrastructure. For this reason, we must look at how to utilize density to our advantage in meeting the current needs of our community. As indicated above, there are several opportunities to do this through targeted code modification. I would also support the consideration of a low-interest loan program, facilitated through the County Home Fund which would assist qualified buyers and individuals building new housing units in offsetting infrastructure costs.

Much of our rental stock is owned by individual, private owners who lack the funds necessary to make repairs and upgrades on their units, resulting in unsafe and unacceptable living conditions for our community members. I would support a low-interest loan program to be offered to individual landlords who rent homes on a long-term basis which would aim to facilitate energy efficiency upgrades and critical repairs to their properties in order to maintain and improve the standard of living of their renters. Use of these funds could be tied to a commitment to maintain the home as an affordable rental for a period of time.

Rick Hughes: Using past experiences and my listening tour and personal exploration on the subject over the last few years, I am excited to develop or support new initiatives. To begin, I believe the San Juan County Council needs to help affordable housing builders secure funding from county, state and federal partners. Here are other ideas that are top of mind but by all means do not represent all of the initiatives I would support:

1. Expand the existing density bonus program to provide further incentives for creating affordable housing in Urban Growth Areas and Activity Centers.
2. Allow bonuses for multi-family affordable housing development.
3. Allow up to 50% of dwelling units counted as affordable housing for the purpose of obtaining affordable housing privileges to be for moderate income households. Leverage local funding sources to attract state, federal and private dollars to support the development of housing affordability programs.
4. Provide, as appropriate, for the sale or lease of County-owned land for permanently affordable housing development.
5. Facilitate and support the development of down payment assistance programs such as the Equity Loan Program and work with banks to develop programs to roll down payments into mortgages.
6. Lobby for funding support for affordable housing programs in rural areas using tax credits.

4. The 1% Conservation Land Bank real estate excise tax (REET) is up for voter renewal. Do you understand that if it fails and is not renewed by the sunset date of December 31, 2026 the Affordable Housing REET (1/2 of 1%) will also end at that time as required by state statute? Do you support the renewal of the Land Bank REET?

O’Day: I do support the renewal of the REET but believe that the Land Bank must slightly expand its mission. They should not buy more land unless it can be used for affordable housing, and should use the funds for maintaining what they have. This will require a modification of the mission contained in our local land bank code and perhaps a modification of the law enabling the formation of a land bank at the state level. We can do this.

McVeigh: Yes, I support its renewal! The county needs continued funding for affordable housing initiatives.

Paulsen: Simply and emphatically – YES!

Hughes: I helped work on the Affordable Housing REET while I was in office and understand the connection between the Land Bank renewal and the Affordable Housing REET. I 100% support the Land Bank and the renewal of the Land Bank Charter. The Land Bank is an important conservation tool unique to San Juan County. It protects habitat, opens up access to lands for all to use, and is important for the preservation of our island and culture.