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Committee reviews draft housing goals and implementation actions; staff seeks council feedback ahead of June review
Summary
Staff presented a first draft of the comprehensive plan’s housing goals, policies and implementation actions, incorporating the housing action plan and emphasizing production, preservation and permanent affordable housing funding; council members asked for clearer tracking of code pain points and flexibility for infill projects.
City planning staff presented an initial draft of the housing goals, policies and implementation actions for the 2025 comprehensive plan to the General Government Committee on March 18, 2025, and asked the committee to review the document before a technical companion element is finalized.
Dana Bowers and Brad (planning staff) summarized how the housing action plan was integrated into the housing element and described the draft’s core goals: build more housing, preserve existing housing, and pursue permanent funding for affordable housing (defined in the draft as serving households under 80% area median income). Staff said each policy and action in the draft is tagged by issue type (for example, affordability or eviction prevention) and by relative ease of implementation to help prioritize work.
Committee members asked for specific mechanisms to address recurring “pain points” developers have reported — for example, project delays caused by code requirements for buffers, sidewalks and fencing — and how the comprehensive plan language could create flexibility to allow infill and density while maintaining design and safety standards. Lisa (city staff) said the comprehensive plan provides policy guidance and that code amendments would follow to implement flexibility; she added that the city can track code issues and bring them to council’s attention so staff and council can consider targeted code updates.
Council members requested clearer resident‑focused language (changing “citizen” to “resident” in documents) and asked staff to provide a schedule for comment. Staff said they aim to reengage the housing stakeholder group, expect to bring the element and technical materials back for internal review in coming months, and planned public review with the planning commission and council in May or June.
No formal action was taken at the March 18 meeting; staff asked council members to provide written feedback, with a suggested internal deadline of April to allow edits ahead of the June review.
