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Council authorizes housing‑needs study focused on China Lake workforce
Summary
Using grant funds, the city will hire Lisa Wise Consulting to produce a workforce housing needs assessment focused on the China Lake Naval base; council approved the consultant agreement 4–0 with one absent.
Ridgecrest
The Ridgecrest City Council authorized a professional services agreement on Nov. 5 to fund a workforce housing needs assessment focused on the China Lake Naval base. The contract will be paid from an Office of Local Defense Community Infrastructure grant; staff said no city general‑fund dollars are required for this task.
Staff explained the consultant—selected for its California experience and military‑facility work—will analyze projected base hiring, demographics and income levels to identify what housing types and strategies would meet future workforce needs. The analysis complements but is distinct from the city's housing element, which projects regional housing needs allotments; staff noted the housing element provides baseline inventory and capacity, while the new study will focus specifically on Navy workforce characteristics and potential public‑private partnership solutions.
Council asked about overlap with the housing element and the project cost; staff confirmed the work is grant‑funded (the resolution shows a rounded figure in the packet and staff confirmed the resolution amount is the authoritative figure). Council voted 4–0 (one absent) to authorize the city manager to sign the consulting agreement.
Next steps
The consultant will develop a demographic and housing needs profile for the Navy workforce and propose potential strategies, including public‑private partnerships, that the city and its partners could use to meet identified needs.
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