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Spokane leaders, builders press for growth‑plan changes to ease housing shortage
Summary
On Spokane County Spotlight, County Commissioner Al French and housing industry leaders said restrictive land rules, rising lot prices and regulatory costs have reduced single‑family production and pushed residents across the Idaho border; they urged changes to the Growth Management Act and the 2026 comprehensive plan to expand workforce housing options.
Spokane County Commissioner Al French hosted a discussion with Darren Watkins, governmental affairs director for the Spokane Association of Realtors, and Isaiah Payne, public affairs and strategic officer for the Spokane Home Builders Association, to outline local housing shortages and urge policy changes to increase homeownership.
The guests cited multiple indicators of a stressed market: Payne said the city of Spokane permitted only about 120 single‑family units this year, ‘‘the lowest number since Construction Monitor started tracking this data,’’ and estimated that only about 17% of Spokane households currently can afford to purchase a home. ‘‘There’s about a $120,000 to a $130,000 gap between what median income can afford and what home prices are,’’ Payne said.
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