Issue link: https://digital.nexsitepublishing.com/i/1523082
A Tour of Housing Solutions West of the Mississippi BY JAMES SLONE WRITER Home Towns H ousing is perhaps the most contentious issue on the West Coast. Cities up and down the Pacific continue to face stratospheric home prices, housing shortages, and chronic homelessness. "California" has almost become a byword for failed housing policies. But that's not entirely fair. Look around, and you'll see that when it comes to affordable market-rate homes and rental units, housing supply is a national problem. It's trailing demand and driving up prices nearly everywhere, from Phoenix to Austin, from Miami to the Bay Area. A study published by Realtor.com found the U.S. was short 7.2 million for-sale homes to meet demand. The result is predictable. Check any real estate report, and you'll see that the median price for a home in the U.S. is now well above $412,000. That may seem affordable to high earners in Seattle, but the national median household income was just $74,580 in 2022 (U.S. Census). The Scramble for Housing The simple fact is that in much of the country—especially in our cities— homes, sold or rented, are out of reach for a large part of the population. Cities and states across North America are scrambling to change zoning and other housing policies to make building new homes in all shapes and sizes easier. The Sightline Institute reports that cities as diverse as Columbus, New York City, Milwaukee, and even Walla Walla are reforming their codes to accommodate more housing. On the state level, California has passed a raft of zoning reforms, including one that opened the door to 28,000 new ADUs in 2022. The national housing crunch is so pervasive that even Nebraska and Montana have passed middle housing bills. As the New York Times reported in March, housing policy is losing its partisan left-right character which traditionally cast urbanists on the left against NIMBYs (Not in My Back Yard) on the right. Now, all sides of the political spectrum increasingly view housing as the most pressing issue facing the country. It affects everyone. And opposition to housing solutions cannot be predicted based on party affiliation. Both progressive housing advocates and libertarian think tanks are starting to find common cause when it comes to overhauling local FEATURE STORY 23 SUMMER 2024 | master BUILDER