Since the Mayor's Housing Quality Task Force concluded in the fourth quarter of 2016 a project team was established in April 2017 to begin working on creating a definition and set of minimum standards for existing housing in Spokane. The project team is a subset of members from the original Task Force who will lead the work effort.
The project team concluded their work in July 2017 and the work product of the team included the definition for housing quality and draft Property Maintenance Code (PMC) which outlines the minimum housing quality standards.
Immediately after the project team concluded their work effort in an advisory committee was convened to further refine the PMC and to determine enforcement of the code. The advisory committee was made up of city staff whose departments would be directly impacted by the enforcement of the new PMC.
Today advisory committee is finalizing the PMC language and logistics of enforcing the code through a three pronged approach that would include Code Enforcement, Developer Services Center and the Fire Department. The city will adopt the new PMC before the end of the year 2018 with enforcement to being sometime in 2019.
Prior to adopting the code, educational materials are available to the public. Check out the Property Maintenance Code (PMC) Blog to find out more. Scroll down to related documents for all additional educational materials.
The Mayor's Housing Quality Task Force convened in 2016 to address housing quality and affordability throughout Spokane. Quality and affordable housing is multifaceted; it is both multifamily and single family, owner occupied and renter occupied and it is both new developments and the rehabilitation of existing properties. Housing quality and affordability is interrelated and, when planned for, the outcome of addressing both can result in increased availability of housing for a mix of income levels and an increase in housing options available throughout the city and in every neighborhood.
The purpose of the Task Force was to identify recommendations to improving housing with a specific focus on six key areas:
The result of this effort concluded in 2016 with an identified list of nineteen (19) priority recommendations. The recommendations range from creating new municipal codes to address property maintenance, to education, investments and incentives.
The public is invited to participate by providing written comments throughout the process, contact the city staff person listed under the contact information on this page.
Neighborhoods & Business Services
Alicia Ayars
509.625.6780
aayars@spokanecity.org
