Former board member urges recurring focus on workforce housing; staff, planning members discuss developer costs and renter seat

A former board member told the JPS city body that workforce housing should be a routine agenda item because the town’s workforce is increasingly priced out of local rentals.

"Of all the people in this room, I think there's only one who actually rents," the former board member said, arguing the board should regularly study outside models and options such as voluntary deed restrictions and use of TIF funds to preserve affordability.

The chair and community vitality staff said a workforce housing needs assessment is underway and that preliminary findings point to rental shortages rather than lack of homeownership. "What has shown up to me on the preliminary report is it's rentals, rentals, rentals," the chair said, saying the assessment draws on interviews with realtors, rental managers and focus groups.

Staff and members described a wide gap between current rents and what many workers can afford. The community vitality staff said developers who try to offer affordable units often "barely break even" once added costs are tallied, and suggested the city can help by examining flexible hookups, regulatory relief and infrastructure assistance.

"Whatever we can do to help — if it's helping with the infrastructure or if it's helping with some of the regulations that we can be flexible with" would reduce costs, the staff said.

Planning-related barriers were discussed in practical terms: one planning board member reported that a conditional-use approval at a golf-course site proceeded without objections about the zoning-related cost requirements, and participants raised the possibility of waiving water and sewer connection fees for qualifying affordable projects.

Speakers also debated housing models. Staff noted that where building hookups are shared (as in some condominium arrangements), units cannot be sold separately, which constrains certain development or ownership models and affects affordability.

Several participants proposed formal steps: reserving a seat on the board for a renter to ensure tenant perspectives, asking the workforce housing group (named in discussion as "Angela") to present its findings at a future meeting, and selecting one example drawing of a mixed-use project to "game out" barriers and possible local solutions.

A committee member warned of displacement risks after reporting that an existing apartment complex (referred to in the meeting materials) is being sold in ways that have led to tenants searching for housing. Participants said losing affordable units would likely push some workers to move out of town, reducing the local workforce.

Next steps: the body agreed to invite the workforce housing group to present, to consider a focused review of a sample development drawing to identify barriers, and to continue recruiting for a board vacancy that participants said could hold a renter seat.