Creating local housing trust is one of more than 20 goals created from Boone County Housing Study
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
A year in the making, the Amarach Planning Services 2024 Columbia and Boone County Housing Study was presented to the Columbia City Council and Boone County Commission on Thursday.
The meeting brought both local governments together to review the study and decide next steps.
According to the City Council Memo, the study found a need for affordable housing in the area and gave officials a list of more than 20 suggested short to long-term goals. The goals are split up into short-term goals that can take fewer than two years, mid-term goals that are expected to take three-to-six years, and long-term goals that can take more than six years.
The goals are also categorized into four housing plan topics: Development, preservation, empowerment and sustainability. The list also mentions the expected timeframes and the stakeholders in charge of getting the goal done.
"One of the things that I think is beneficial about the study is it does give us some numbers for what we can anticipate with specific types of housing and what those housing needs are," Ward 4 Councilman Nick Foster said.
On Thursday's meeting, the recommendations that stood out were creating a streamlined review process, creating a local housing trust fund and establishing inclusionary zoning policy.
The streamlined review process is expected to be a flow chart that helps officials and developers visualize the timeline of constructing a building, from zoning to the final parts of construction. The infographic plans to both help people understand the process and also find points in the process where roadblocks tend to occur.
The local housing trust fund plans to allocate $1,000,000 from general fund reserves to support affordable housing projects. These funds may be used for home construction, renovations, and housing vouchers to prevent evictions. While the initial memo outlined specific percentages for each aspect of affordable housing, meeting members decided to take more time to determine the best way to distribute the funds. The means of funding the project were also still up in the air.
Zoning code changes hope to integrate smaller lots for construction. Currently, building on smaller lots is expensive and time-consuming due to strict regulations and lengthy approval processes. If the changes are implemented, the development process will be more straightforward and cost-effective, encouraging the use of smaller lots for construction.
Columbia Mayor Barbara Buffaloe, the main focus of all the renovation plans is to improve housing accessibility.
"It's access to housing that they can afford, it's access to housing that's close to their jobs, access to housing that's close to their school, so as we're approving new development of housing, it's also balancing those needs with the infrastructure that we have," Buffaloe said.
The group plans to meet again in mid-March with the hopes of getting in contact with local nonprofits as well as members of other Boone County City Councils like Ashland and Hallsville to get their thoughts on the project.
