Let’s not do that

The Olympia City Council in June approved a Housing Action Plan that lists specific actions the City will take to ensure our housing supply is adequate and affordable for the people who live here now and in the future.

It also lists actions the Council considered but decided to exclude from the Plan. Both lists are useful for understanding the City’s commitment to market rate housing as the answer to the need for low-income housing. Excluded actions:

1. Allow more housing types in commercial zones.
2. Allow ADUs in commercial zones.
3. Retain existing subsidized housing
4. Limit the density of group homes to prevent concentration in any one area.
5. Establish a manufactured home park zone to promote their preservation.
6. Fund self-sufficiency and transitional housing programs that help break the cycle of homelessness.
7. Provide funding to Regional Housing Council for temporary emergency housing programs.
8. On a regular basis, evaluate the effectiveness of (MFTE) is being used to further affordable housing goals.
9. Require developers to provide income restricted units as part of low-density developments.
10. Require property owners to provide an affordable housing fee when building homes over a certain size.
11. Establish alternative development standards for affordable housing.
12. Require the owners of rental properties to obtain a business license.
13. On a regular basis, inventory rental housing.
14. Require developers to provide relocation assistance when a manufactured home park cannot be preserved.
15. Establish a property tax assistance program for low-income homeowners..
16. Establish a property tax assistance program for homeowners with disabilities.