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Consultants tell Auburn council city needs about 1,300–1,400 more homes by 2030
Summary
HR&A presented a commissioned housing study showing Auburn will need roughly 1,300–1,400 homes through 2030 to address historic underproduction and household/stock mismatches; consultants and councilors discussed policy levers, permitting, and an interactive online portal for the full data and analysis.
Phil Cash, a partner at consulting firm HR&A, told the Auburn City Council on Aug. 4 that a local deep-dive of a state housing analysis found Auburn will need roughly 1,300 to 1,400 additional housing units by 2030 to address historic underproduction.
“The state did a report for the region, and when we apportioned that down we came to just over 1,300 homes,” Cash said, explaining the firm used county- and city-level projections for jobs, population aging and vacancy rates to arrive at the target. He told the council the county-level range of needed homes was about 6,000–6,500.
Anna Galicchio of HR&A walked councilors through the demand-side findings, saying Auburn’s housing stock is poorly matched to household sizes: “Over 70% of folks are in households of one or two persons, and only around 20% of your housing stock is a studio or one-bedroom.” She added the city faces acute shortages for lower-income renters, noting many households earning under $35,000 were cost-burdened.
The consultants put the shortfall in local context: continuing Auburn’s recent permitting pace would produce about 720 homes by 2030, leaving the city roughly 580 units short of the study’s local target. Cash cautioned that some drivers — construction costs and interest rates — are outside a city’s control, but said local rules can influence permitting speed, land availability and impact fees.
Councilor Belinda Gary expressed concern about displacement of longtime residents and seniors, saying the report made “my heart sink” and urging that the city consider how to preserve community members as the market changes.
HR&A and staff said the full study and the underlying data will be available via an interactive portal linked from the city website within about a week. The presentation was framed by committee chairs and staff as a resource to inform the city’s comprehensive-plan work and possible zoning, permitting or funding responses.
The council did not take formal action on specific policy steps at the workshop; staff and consultants said the report is intended to inform future code and budget discussions, including options that balance housing goals with schools, parks and public-safety concerns.
