The legislature’s joint Land Use and Housing Study Committee convened in Sandpoint on Thursday to hear from the local officials, nonprofits and other organizations working to increase affordable housing in the Panhandle.
The committee is comprised of three senators and three legislators along with 14 other stakeholders in the housing and land use arena.
“I was born and raised in Idaho Falls and bought my first house for $71,000 when I was 19,” said James Casper, executive director of Habitat for Humanity of North Idaho. “That is not available today for young kids trying to move on, start a family and start a life.”
Only 20 percent of county residents can afford to buy homes in Kootenai County, Casper said, putting homeownership out of reach for most local workers, especially single-income households.
Coeur d’Alene City Councilor Kiki Miller, founder of the Housing Solutions Partnership, broached legislative changes that could bolster the partnership’s efforts to increase affordable, local worker housing.
The partnership’s recommendations included:
- Allowing construction of two living units on one lot, such as two-single family homes, a single-family home plus accessory dwelling unit, multigenerational housing, a duplex or a single-family home with housing for a farmhand.
- Expanding use of twin homes in lower density zones and on lots zoned for duplexes. Miller said that twin homes share a common wall like duplexes, but the lot and homes are divided and can be sold separately. She said twin homes can increase the inventory of available homes and encourage homeownership.
- Prohibiting cities from banning accessory dwelling units and restricting the ability of homeowner’s associations to ban detached accessory dwelling units. Miller noted that state law could grant some exceptions, like requiring compliance with existing homeowner’s association regulations, meeting short-term rental codes and complying with existing zoning.
- Adding language to the state’s statutes governing development agreements to allow jurisdictions to defer impact fees for projects that include deed-restricted affordable housing.
- Allowing Urban Renewal Agencies to participate in efforts to increase affordable housing within the agency’s boundaries.
- Adding a tax credit category to allow deductions for donations toward affordable housing projects and housing support organizations.
- Providing one-time funding for an organization within each county or region to launch homesharing programs. Miller said HomeShare Kootenai County, a nonprofit that connects homeowners with extra space to rent with homeseekers, is positioned to franchise throughout the state. The program, which provided homes for 65 individuals in its first year, is already working with other communities in North Idaho to provide administrative support for newly started homesharing programs.
- Relaxing mixed-use zoning code to remove restrictions that prohibit residential developments in commercial zones.
Miller said there is also a need for consistency in how inspectors and other building officials interpret codes and rules. In talking with developers, Miller said she learned that inconsistencies from one jurisdiction to the next are one of the largest costs in time and money for housing projects.
Thursday’s meeting also included testimony from the Panhandle Affordable Housing Alliance, City of Post Falls, North Idaho Building Contractors Association and the Idaho Chapter of the American Planning Association.
“If we want to stay a healthy state and a robust state, we must address this issue,” said Maggie Lyons, executive director of the Panhandle Affordable Housing Alliance.
Lyons told legislators about the success of PAHA’s Miracle on Britton – a housing development with homes priced below market and deed-restricted to ensure the homes remain affordable for future owners.
It’s a solution, Lyons said, that is “scalable and replicable” and can be a blueprint for other developments in the county and throughout the state.
Bob Seale, community development director for the City of Post Falls, showcased code changes the city has made to increase affordable housing, like allowing tiny homes and cottage homes and relaxing restrictions on accessory dwelling units.
The American Planning Association’s Idaho Chapter proposed several statewide initiatives, including creation of a standing state committee to recommend land use-related legislation.
Coeur d’Alene Planning Director Hilary Patterson, who also services as the Idaho chapter president for the APA, asked legislators to introduce legislation that would eliminate the requirement to advertise public hearings in the newspaper. She also suggested loosening requirements for public hearings and allowing some matters to instead be decided through an administrative process.
The Land Use and Housing Study Committee’s next meeting is set for September 26. The location has yet to be determined. For meeting schedules, agendas and more visit https://legislature.idaho.gov/sessioninfo/2025/interim/lhsc/
To learn more about the Housing Solutions Partnership’s mission and progress in Kootenai County, visit www.housingni.org