Officials point to housing supply and the 'missing middle' as steps toward affordability amid $600,000 median prices

Assistant County Manager Dave Solero and Truckee Meadows Regional Planning Agency Director Jeremy Smith discussed housing affordability, wages and the types of housing that could ease pressure on prices.

Solero noted median home prices in the area are currently about "$600,000," which he said makes ownership unaffordable for many local workers such as schoolteachers. He and Smith said one way to increase choice is to permit more varied housing types — the so‑called "missing middle" (duplexes, smaller patio homes, townhouses) — so workers have more options beyond large single‑family homes or large apartment complexes.

Smith said supply in the right places matters: "If you have a very limited market, then that creates this environment where housing prices... you can ask what you want, right?" The pair described county updates to development code that permit a wider range of housing types in unincorporated areas as part of efforts to broaden supply.

They also emphasized that housing affordability links to jobs and wages, and that a multi‑pronged approach is needed. Solero noted it is expensive to build vertically and to retrofit built‑out neighborhoods, which can slow the production of denser housing, but said county changes to zoning and the development code aim to enable more housing choice.

Officials encouraged residents to engage early through the neighborhood hub and parcel maps to see entitlements and proposed changes; they said developers are required to hold community meetings before filing applications, which can produce design changes that respond to neighborhood concerns.

The segment closed with officials urging practical engagement and broader housing choices as part of a long‑term strategy rather than unilateral moratoria on development.