Boone County residents weigh in on housing challenges at meeting

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Boone County residents on Tuesday were able to attend a of housing meeting studies meeting, the first in a series of meetings that will take place this week throughout the county.

Tuesday's meeting took place at The Food Bank for Central & Northeast Missouri in Columbia. Owner of Amarach Planning Services, the company conducting the study David Boston said the study's focal point is on addressing the housing challenges that exist within the county and developing ways to improve those.

Boston said the current phase of the study includes gaining diverse feedback from residents and learning what specific areas they think need to be improved. According to Boston, the issue extends to both those looking to rent and buy homes and most residents say they struggle to find affordable housing.

At Tuesday's meeting, one resident shared that they think the county needs more properties that don't require a street to be attached to them. Another noted the county needs less planned districts, and more with open-zoning and touched on the lack of diversity within the county.

The study is a part of the county's Upward Mobility Action Plan, intended to "reduce racial and ethnic inequities and and support upward mobility from poverty."

According to previous reporting, the study is expected to wrap up in the fall and aims to:

• Identify housing needs across various demographic segments within the city and county.
• Evaluate existing housing stock, affordability and accessibility.
• Recommend strategic solutions and policy frameworks to meet present and future housing demands.

Boone County Presiding Commissioner Kip Kendrick said the county could need 37,000 more housing units to be built by 2050 in order to keep up with the growing population. Kendrick said he knows the issue cannot be solved completely, but conducting the survey offers ways to help with improvement.

A main focus of the study also includes looking at places similar to Boone County and weighing what has and hasn't worked for those places, according to Kendrick. However, he said looking internally will also be important.

Community members are also encouraged to attend the following meetings:

Wednesday, April 10: Hallsville Community Center, 324 E. Hwy OO, Hallsville from 5:30-7:30 p.m.

Thursday, April 11: Ashland Optimist Club Building, 511 Optimist Dr., Ashland from 5:30-7:30 p.m.

Residents are also encouraged to complete the housing survey here before it closes on Sunday.