How Mountain Communities are Solving the Housing Crisis:
Recreational mountain towns across the country are facing acute workforce housing shortages. Below are some examples of what our region, and similar communities are doing to address the crisis.
Declaring housing emergency crisis which allows for bypassing some zoning requirements and camping rules
Purchasing bed -and-breakfasts to be used for housing
12-month moratoriums on new short-term rental licenses, then permanent changes following housing study, such as having rental owners pay commercial taxes versus residential taxes
- “Truckee adopts changes to short-term rental rules.” Sierra Sun, March 2022
- “Placer Supervisors approve temporary moratorium on new short-term rental permits in North Lake Tahoe.” Placer County, July 2021
- “Short-term rentals could be a self-employment tax liability.” JDSupra, March 2022
- “Steamboat, Colorado City Council Passes 9% STR Tax – voters to decide in November 2022.” Sotheby’s, July 2022
- Short-term Rentals. City of Steamboat Springs
Taking steps towards a ballot measure to tax vacant homes
- “Amid housing crisis, California cities look to target vacant homes with taxes.” Courthouse News, August 2022
- Santa Cruz Empty Home Tax, Yes on Empty Home Tax Santa Cruz FPPC #1438739
Working with local utility companies, schools, and hospitals on deed restriction programs
- Inclusionary Housing: Mechanisms for Preserving Affordability, Inclusionary Housing
Agency/employee housing in cooperation with USFS, BLM, Caltrans, County
- NFFE pens letter to agency leaders on fixing forest service housing crisis, National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE), July 2022
- Summit County USFS Work Center, Summit County Colorado
- Summit County local resident workforce housing projects, Summit County Colorado
Utilize Regional Housing Authority to develop, implement, and manage housing programs
Inventory existing and/or potential agency housing areas and work with agencies to assess where additional housing might be made available. This includes examining the inventory of County-owned land for potential housing sites
- Truckee Meadows Public Lands Management Act, Landbill.org
Promote a variety of housing types (including multifamily for lower income)
Apply for funding from Dept of Housing & Community Development and other agencies if/when there's unmet need for permanent emergency shelters
- Grants and Funding, California Department of Housing and Community Development
Implement housing policies such as density bonuses
- Density Bonuses, Local Housing Solutions
- California Courts of Appeal Strengthen Density Bonus Law, Holland&Knight, June 2022
Require plans for large scale development in order to streamline process
Permit manufactured housing on all parcels and relax development standards for manufactured housing subdivisions
Permit mobile home parks on all areas designed for residential land use
Permit small mini lot sizes
Consider amending general plan to allow for higher densities, clustering, zero lot line and common-wall developments
- Truckee 2025 General Plan, Town of Truckee
- Truckee 2040
- Active Living Opportunities through Cluster Housing, American Planning Association:
- The Advantages and Disadvantages of Cluster/Conservation Development, Community Planning Zones, July 2019
Allow for residential development in commercial land use designated areas
Allow emergency shelters in at least one land use design without requiring a use permit - amend General Plan to treat these shelters like other residences
Realtors launching a housing fund
Produce Reports on COVID-related impacts on housing & Services
- Remote Working, Commuting Time, Life Events All Affect Home Buyers’ Decisions, United States Census, October 2021
Holding an annual legislative meeting & dinner
Other Useful Websites
- Town Of Truckee Accessory Dwelling Unit Program
- Placer County Workforce Housing Preservation Program
- The program pays homebuyers up to 16% of purchase price towards a down payment (based on available funding) in exchange for deed restricting their home so that it can only be occupied by local workers.
- PBS.Org, Aug 2022, Vacation towns limit short-term rentals amid housing crisis
- SF Gate, Jan 2022, Tahoe imposes new rules for Airbnbs and other short-term rentals amid housing crisis
- Truckee Measure K: Transient Occupancy Tax & Tourism Business Improvement District tax
- Mountain Area Preservation: Introduction to Affordable Housing
- Rocky Mountain PBS, July 2021, More mountain towns taking drastic measures to address housing shortages
- Bloomberg, March 2022, Housing Crunch Turns Employers Into Landlords