Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Housing Affordability topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Selby Community member urges bolder affordability targets in 'tiny homes' discussion
Summary
At the council’s invitation to the audience, resident Matt Minahan urged changes to a tiny‑homes proposal, arguing small increases in 'affordable' set‑asides will not solve county workforce housing shortages and urging higher percentages at lower AMI tiers.
At the start of Monday’s meeting during the invitation to the audience, Matt Minahan of Edgewater spoke as a member of the Selby Community Association Benefit District and urged the council to adopt stronger affordability requirements when considering tiny‑home developments.
"More housing does not by itself create more affordable housing," Minahan said, arguing that modest affordable set‑asides do not alter the county’s broader housing market dynamics. He recommended larger, tiered affordability requirements — for example, a greater share of units priced at 70–80% of AMI and a larger share at 100% of AMI — to better serve the county’s workforce.
Why it matters: Minahan framed housing affordability as a labor‑market issue, saying unaffordable housing contributes to staffing shortages across county services and local businesses. He urged the council to consider policy levers beyond simply increasing unit counts.
Ending: Minahan said amendments to the tiny‑homes proposal could help but that broader urgency and multiple price‑point incentives are needed to address countywide workforce housing shortages.
