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County housing authority unveils land-prioritization tool to guide affordable housing sites
Summary
Summit County's housing authority presented a GIS-based land-prioritization map that ranks publicly owned and quasi-public parcels for affordable or workforce housing. The tool scores parcels by proximity to transit, schools and services and will be used to guide land acquisition and future neighborhood planning.
Summit County housing staff and the newly constituted county housing authority on Oct. 14 demonstrated a GIS-based land-prioritization tool intended to help identify parcels appropriate for affordable and workforce housing.
The interactive map highlights publicly owned or quasi-public land that may be easier to acquire or partner on, and scores parcels by walk, bike and drive times to schools, grocery stores, parks, transit and other community amenities. Staff said the online tool allows planners and policymakers to weight different priorities — for example, prioritizing proximity to transit or to a school — and re-sort results accordingly. The tool also identifies ‘‘underdeveloped’’ parcels by comparing assessed land value to building value, to point planners toward sites that are candidates for redevelopment rather than greenfield construction.
Housing authority staff said the map is intended to support the county's Strategic Plan 2035, which sets a target of building 1,500 additional affordable units over the coming decade, and the authority’s own implementation plans (such as targeted down-payment assistance programs, possible land acquisition and partnerships with non-profit and private developers). Commissioners and staff discussed the need to ensure a broad housing mix that matches county workforce needs (including larger family units where required), not just studio and one-bedroom units.
No formal votes were taken; staff said the map will be refined, published online for stakeholder use, and used to inform future neighborhood-level planning and targeted outreach to owners and potential partners.
