"Everybody is in favor of affordable housing. But when it comes to doing it, it becomes a much stickier wicket," County Planning Commissioner Tom Gorton commented at the Aug. 4 meeting to continue updating the county Comprehensive Plan.
Commissioners are working on the housing section, with the focus on affordable housing for working people. Affordable is defined as payments (including utilities) of no more than 30 percent of monthly household income. The chapter cites a 2015 housing demand study from the Regional Housing Alliance that the county needs from 560 to 790 new housing units per year to keep up with growth projections. Around 300 are actually being built, according to discussion at last month's meeting.
Gorton said, "I see (audience member) Dick Norton and remember that about 20 years ago, we were on a commission in (Durango) looking at affordable housing. It's very difficult ... It's a daunting task, but we should commit ourselves to it."
He said he used to live in Santa Barbara, California, where a small bungalow now goes for $800,000 and the traffic is horrible. He asked, "Do we think that's an acceptable thing to happen to Durango, because it's starting to happen."
He cited the original proposal for workforce multi-family housing on the old Boker Lumber property at the base of Goeglein Gulch hill in Durango. "That was rejected. Now, it's half the units at twice the price," he said.
Inclusionary zoning, which requires some percentage of affordable homes as part of a market rate development, "is a very short-sighted way to push the problem off to a very small number of people," Gorton said. "Is it fair for 90 percent of the people (buying in that subdivision) to pay 20 percent more? The county needs to find ways to make it happen by incentives - much higher densities, streamlining approvals, implementing infrastructure."
Planning Commission Chair Jim Tencza said, "We are encouraging things instead of saying you can't do that."
The up-front cost of installing roads and utilities has been cited as a barrier to development and affordable housing. Housing chapter staff revisions for the Aug. 4 meeting included "coordinated infrastructure improvements leveraging state and federal resources, making affordable housing feasible." It also lists housing or infrastructure built by a local government, nonprofit housing entity, or subsidies for rent or downpayment.
Norton said the county needs to look at the front-end costs required by county regulations. He touted mobile and modular homes as a key to narrow the gap between need for workforce housing and the supply. "A lot of what goes on is the politics of dealing with the public," he said. "Mobile homes aren't desired neighbors."
Norton continued, "Private industry hasn't done a good job selling this to the public. ... To my knowledge, there hasn't been a new mobile home park in the county or (Durango) since I've been here, 30 years."
He cited a state legislative declaration that encourages support for and protection of mobile homes and urges local governments to provide incentives for mobile home parks. That should be quoted in the Comp Plan. "That's where the authority comes from. It says you should treat mobile homes differently. Tell people there's a reasonable chance that a mobile home park could spring up next to them."
Planning Director Damian Peduto said staff would add the legislative declaration to the housing chapter overview.
The revised housing chapter has an objective to "Preserve or provide for the replacement of existing affordable housing units, including mobile home parks."
Tencza said builders pass the cost of regulations on to their buyers. "Someone has to pay the cost of growth," he said.
Gorton commented, "When you look at what drives housing costs, the amount of fees the county charges and the time element are minor compared to the cost of infrastructure. This is an expensive place to build. They all add up and are important, but the infrastructure, labor and materials are by far the biggest piece of the pie."
The housing element will wrap up at the planning commission's Sept. 1 meeting, and discussion will start on the environmental section.
