Story County board approves updated Housing Action Plan, shifts some items to ongoing guidance

The Story County Board of Supervisors on March 11 approved changes to the county’s Housing Action Plan that mark completed tasks, convert several actions to an “ongoing” time frame and reframe the county’s role as providing guidance rather than implementing certain housing tools.

Andrea Wagner, who presented the update to the board, said the committee conducted a line-by-line review and “what it boiled down to was a realization that some of these tools as were initially, you know, thought up and put in the plan are simply infeasible for the county to be the proper entity to complete them.” She said many items have been checked as finished and others moved to an “ongoing” timeframe on page 6 of the draft.

The revision also sets the Housing Action Plan Committee to deliver an annual update to the board; Wagner said that decision coordinates with MIPA’s quarterly ARPA-funded contract updates so the committee will not duplicate that cadence. The plan’s language was edited to clarify responsibilities: the county will “provide guidance or education or examples” while expecting private developers and municipalities to lead implementation, Wagner said.

Supervisors who spoke at the meeting praised the committee’s work and said they expect to continue exploring ways the county can help housing development without compromising quality or regulations. One supervisor said they would like the county “to do our part” to facilitate housing but acknowledged jurisdictional and funding limits.

The board voted to approve the Housing Action Plan changes as presented.

Looking ahead, presenters said some struck-out tools could return to the plan if new funding mechanisms or authority arise. The committee’s annual updates will present any such changes for board consideration.