COUNTY STRATEGIES TO PROMOTE HOUSING AFFORDABILITY AND JOBS NARC Conference 2019 Daria Daniel, Associate Legislative Director, NACo

ABOUT COUNTIES Counties vary in population and land mass. The 144 largest counties total 50 percent of the U.S. population. 70 percent of counties are considered rural with populations less than 50,000.

HOUSING AFFORDABILITY

WHAT IS HOUSING AFFORDABILITY ? Not a characteristic of housing, but rather a relationship between housing and people. Housing affordability relates the experience of households to their housing situation. It is the general level of housing prices relative to the general level of household or family income.

LACK OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING IMPACT Impact on county operations and county budgets transportation social services costs economy Lack of affordable housing translates to increased costs for counties in both the short- and long-term

TOTAL HOUSING UNITS There were more than 129 million housing units in counties across the nation in 2016.

MEASURES OF HOUSING AFFORDABILITY The standard threshold is 30 percent of income spent on housing, including utilities. Households that spend more than 30 percent of their income on housing are referred to as cost-burdened. Households that spend more than half of their income are referred to as severely cost- burdened.

MEASURES OF HOUSING AFFORDABILITY In 2016, over one third of all homes were unaffordable for those living in them.

COST BURDENED RENTERS In 2016, more than 51 percent of renter households—in counties were cost-burdened.

COST BURDEN BY REGION The highest number of cost-burdened homeowners was reported in the South (6.3 million households) followed by the West (4.5 million households). The highest share of cost-burdened renters was reported in the West (53 percent) followed by the Northeast (52 percent).

SEVERELY COST-BURDENED OWNERS Nationally, 10 percent of owner households – more than 7.4 million homeowners – were severely cost- burdened in 2016, meaning that they were spending more than half of their incomes on housing.

NACo AFFORDABLE HOUSING SERIES www.NACo.org/ AccessToHousing www.NACo.org/ HousingConnections www.NACo.org/ BuildingHomes www.NACo.org/ PlanningAhead

NACo AFFORDABLE HOUSING TOOLKIT www.NACo.org/ AffordableHousingToolkit Research@NACo.org

AFFORDABLE HOUSING EXPENDITURES In 2016, counties invested more than $11.5 billion in housing and community development.

INTER-JURISDICTIONAL PARTNERSHIPS & COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT Multiple levels of government Study potential partnerships and funding Partner with private companies Community Engagement Identify community needs Build support for programs Engage residents in program development Affordable Housing Task Force www.NACo.org/HousingConnections

FUNDING AND FINANCING SOLUTIONS Housing Trust Fund Service Sharing Other Taxes and Fees Commercial linkage fees Developer impact fees Demolition fees Fees on short-term rentals / hotel-motel taxes Additional property/sales taxes Community Land Trust www.NACo.org/BuildingHomes

PLANNING FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING County Comprehensive Plans Infrastructure expansion Economic development Natural / Cultural resources HOUSING Housing Needs Analysis Evaluate current and future needs Location, form, cost Potential incentives for developers Affordable Housing Impact Statements Similar to environmental or economic impact statements

ZONING AND LAND USE SOLUTIONS Subdivision, setback and lot size requirements Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) Inclusionary zoning Density bonuses Form-based code Medium-density zoning Overlay zone

County-Owned Land / Buildings Expedited Permitting COUNTY-OWNED PROPERTY, PERMITS & FEES County-Owned Land / Buildings Expedited Permitting Reduced Developer Fees 6.7%

COUNTY DATA & HOUSING AFFORDABILITY PROFILES For more on the county data and the housing affordability profiles, please go to explorer.naco.org

HOUSING AFFORDABILITY PROFILES

QUESTIONS? Daria Daniel Associate Legislative Director National Association of Counties 202-942-4212 ddaniel@naco.org