City adopts new Middle Housing code
The cost of housing in Hood River is a burden to many families and individuals. Another major step was taken toward City Council’s Goal to create more equitable and diverse housing. Council adopted the City’s new Middle Housing development and zoning code in late April. This code allows for smaller attached and detached housing types citywide. It is one of many actions undertaken by the City in support of the housing goal.
The City’s Middle Housing code permits smaller houses (including cottage home clusters, existing home conversions, duplexes, triplexes and townhomes) to be built compatibly in existing neighborhoods. The code enables the City to better use its limited land inventory more efficiently as growth continues.
With this new code, a dwelling sized 800 square feet or less can be built on a minimum site area of 2,300 square feet in the R-1 zone, or minimum or 1,250 square feet site area in R-2, R-3 or C-1 zones. Dwellings larger than 800 square feet require slightly more land. Minimum lot or parcel sites per unit apply. To view the entire code, visit this link.
Wide-ranging public input added to robust discussions by the Planning Commission and City Council. Discussions mainly focused on height standards, unit size limits, off-street parking, landscaping requirements, and how to balance development size in a difficult real estate market. With the adoption of Ordinance 2061, Council plans to periodically request reports on the production and development of housing units. This will help measure whether changes are working to encourage smaller, more attainable housing in the community.
“The new code is not a fix-all for the housing crisis. It’s a small step to help increase the housing possibilities for some community members who cannot purchase or rent at current market rates,” said Mayor Kate McBride. “Just as we have zoning for duplexes and triplexes that only have a single home on them, this new code will be attractive and used by only some owners in the community.”
In addition to the Middle Housing Code Updates, the City has made progress on significant policy initiatives to address housing:
- Adopted Short-Term Rental regulations
- Updated townhouse code to streamline the approval process
- Adopted a 1% construction excise tax (CET) dedicated to affordable housing
- Updated ADU code to encourage development
- Incentivized the reuse of Historic Buildings through residential Renovations
More projects underway are intended to boost more equitable and diverse housing inventory:
- City’s 780 Rand Rd. development strategy to build housing for area residents with low to average incomes.
- Affordable Housing Production identifies policy tools and methods to encourage production of housing for individuals and families making 120% or less of median family income (AMI).
In the near future, the City plans to update its zoning code to streamline and simplify it. The creation of Middle Housing code under one unified chapter is a first step in this effort.
Please consider signing up HERE to receive quarterly Emails of future editions of Hood River City Connect.
Si le gusta lo que acaba de leer, considere inscribirse AQUI para recibir correos electrónicos trimestrales de futuras ediciones de Hood River City Connect.