Commissioners back posting housing-element draft; city staff to pursue multifamily tax‑exemption options

City planning staff briefed the Liberty Lake Planning Commission on the housing element work and the possibility of establishing a multifamily tax exemption (MFTE) program to incentivize private‑sector production of affordable housing.

Staff described the MFTE as an incentive the city could adopt once state population thresholds are met and explained it can be structured to support both multifamily rental affordability and affordable homeownership using land‑trust or resale‑restricted mechanisms. "One of the few tools in this toolbox of government to help encourage and promote affordable housing is a multifamily tax exemption," the staff presenter said, adding that specifics (duration, percentage of units that must be kept affordable, income bands) would be developed through further outreach to nonprofit and for‑profit housing developers.