Affordable Housing Research, Education the Immediate Focus for Commission

MOSCOW – A presentation about lending assistance for Moscow’s low- and middle-income home buyers will be set up to educate the Fair & Affordable Housing Commission, that group voted unanimously at its monthly meeting Wednesday.

“You can educate yourselves, and then decide how to develop a platform to educate the public,” said Nicole Baird Spencer, deputy city administrator for community development, who sat in to advise the commission as needed. 

City planner and commission staff liaison Lucy Falcy was asked to contact the Idaho Housing and Finance Association about making the presentation at an upcoming meeting. The association is a nonprofit created by the state to coordinate housing policy and administer federal Housing and Urban Development (HUD) resources. 

The Moscow commission, which earlier petitioned the City Council to consider a housing authority, wants to research information to help the council focus on specific actions to increase housing affordability and attainability. Findings may or may not result in a housing authority, different commissioners said, but they agreed on their need to understand the problem and help develop solutions.

Affordable housing might be better addressed by a housing authority than the City Council, said Evan Holmes, the council liaison to the housing commission. He said he would bring up the topic in September, when the council embarks on its four-year strategic planning. But commission research and recommendations could be submitted to the council any time during the four-year cycle, he said, since affordable housing is a critical need.

After hearing from lenders, the commission agreed, it may also hear from builders and from city departments that deal with water hookup and building permit fees.

Commissioners discussed the dearth of homes in Moscow between $200,000 – the price of some manufactured homes – and $400,000 – homes that are hotly contended for and, consequently, sometimes bid up higher. 

They discussed tax incentives for vacant-property owners and builders, and down-payment assistance available for affordable housing, but they also acknowledged their need to better understand the definitions of “affordable” and “attainable” in the Moscow market.

In other business, the Fair & Affordable Housing Commission:

* Heard that the City Council set the commission budget for the coming year at $1,250 – rather than the requested $3,600. City Councilman Holmes said the budget is tight and at least one commission only received $200. He said it helped that the housing commission requests were for specific things – like a fair housing forum – and that the group partnered with others to pay for the forum.

* Was asked to provide two questions for the fall citywide survey, which is conducted every few years. The questions will be voted on at the next commission meeting, which is scheduled for Aug. 6.