Council hears updated housing needs assessment calling for more varied, affordable units

Ethan Wherry, a planner with the Mid Iowa Planning Alliance, presented an updated 2025 housing needs assessment to the Boone City Council, outlining a tight rental market, an aging housing stock and strategies for increasing affordable and workforce housing.

Wherry said the study drew on data from the Boone County assessor, the City of Boone, the U.S. Census Bureau, the American Community Survey and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and was intended “to be a guide for you, city council, and community leaders, stakeholders, and professional developers, that want to come to Boone to look for housing, building opportunities.”

The assessment found a very low rental vacancy rate of 1.1%; 77% of occupied units are detached single-family homes and 74% are owner occupied. Median owner value was reported at $156,400 in the American Community Survey and $154,000 in the county assessor records. Wherry said the median year of construction in Boone is 1922 and that 2,368 homes in the city were built more than 100 years ago, creating upkeep and accessibility concerns for older housing.

Wherry highlighted cost-burdened households: about one in five Boone households spend more than 30% of gross income on housing-related costs, with renters more likely to be burdened (about one in three renters). Using population growth estimates, a 5% targeted vacancy rate and projected unit removals, the assessment estimates a need for “over 300 additional units” by 2040 under a steady-growth scenario; if the city pursues a larger growth target tied to 14,000 residents, Wherry said an additional 668 units would be required.

The presentation credited several recent developments with adding housing stock and assessed value in 2025, including Kate’s Landing (128 units), Lincoln Flats (28 apartments) and Prairie Place (8 units). Wherry said early-2025 development added valuation and property tax revenue that supports city services.

On policy, Wherry recommended tools drawn from the Housing Supply Accelerator Playbook (a joint American Planning Association and National League of Cities resource), including creating a housing steering committee, streamlining permitting for small developers, maintaining a database of vacant or derelict parcels, creating preapproved architectural designs for infill, and reviewing the city’s uniform development code for barriers such as minimum lot sizes and parking requirements. He also noted Iowa Senate File 592, which the presentation said would require cities to allow at least one accessory dwelling unit on single-family lots.

Council members asked whether recent projects were included in the counts; Wherry confirmed that the 2025 figures incorporate the building department’s data for projects completed so far this year. He and council members discussed land availability and use of incentives, and Wherry said partnerships with developers using low-income housing tax credits and workforce housing programs could help close shortages at lower income tiers.

Wherry closed by offering to share his contact information and the full report with council members.