Erin Hut, Communications Director, 509.625.6740
Monday, July 1, 2024 at 12:04 p.m.
A national organization has recognized the City of Spokane’s efforts to address the housing supply crisis.
The American Planning Association featured in a blog post the City’s permanent code changes approved in 2023 to allow for more housing diversity that followed the former Building Opportunity and Choices for All interim ordinance approved in 2022.
“Spokane is an example of a community taking action through local, planning-led reforms to address the housing supply crisis and expand its missing middle housing options,” said Angela D. Brooks, APA President and a native of Washington state. “APA spotlights community zoning reform efforts to show the depth and variety of options that can be taken to create more diverse, attainable, and equitable housing supply throughout the nation.”
City Planning Services Director Spencer Gardner said the swift policy move reflected what was being felt in the community.
“We felt that allowing for a few additional units on each lot was a way to open up for incremental growth that didn't necessarily overwhelm any one neighborhood but allowed for each to adapt and change over time,” Gardner told the APA.
"One of the consistent themes was that everybody knew somebody who was struggling to find housing. I think that's what led to our success. Ultimately, we grounded it in people's experiences and the struggles they were (feeling) at the moment."
Spokane’s historic roots are connected to the recent moves that the City took to address the need for more housing with small-scale development and flexibility for meeting the demands of the market. As highlighted in the short “River City Rising” documentary, the city’s population tripled in size from 1900 to 1910 when a variety of housing types, price levels and family situations were incorporated to create Spokane’s cherished neighborhoods.
“We’re thrilled that Spokane has set a national example for others to follow that increases housing options for people at all stages of life,” Mayor Lisa Brown said.
The City’s Housing Action Plan, adopted in 2021, identified a desire to streamline permitting and simplify processes for the approval of new housing across the City.
The APA article is the latest recognition of the City’s middle housing initiative. Gov. Jay Inslee earlier this year presented the City with the 2023 Smart Communities Award for the Smart Housing Strategies Category in a statewide competition organized by the Washington State Department of Commerce. The City last year earned a state Excellence in Planning Award in the Comprehensive Plan-Large Cities and Counties Category from the Planning Association of Washington.
