Humboldt County HAG Formed

New housing group says action needed
James Faulk The Times-Standard
04/27/2007
EUREKA -- Housing for All, a new housing advocacy group, is asking the county Board of Supervisors to put into action concepts that they believe will help address the lack of affordable housing in Humboldt County.
The group held a press conference at the Humboldt County Courthouse Thursday to announce its mission to bring solutions to the table in the ongoing debate over how to provide housing for all income levels, but especially the poor.
Citing figures from the U.S. Census Bureau, the group pointed out that Humboldt County has the highest percentage in the state of people paying more than 29 percent of their income for housing, at 57.5 percent of renters.
”These people are living more on the edge,” said Kermit Thobaben, a Housing for All spokesman.
A broad range of housing is necessary, he said, including homes and apartments for low- and very-low income households.
”The market has been able to provide housing for people in the higher incomes range, but not for moderate, low- and very-low incomes,” said Rebecca Price-Hall.
Nearly everyone rents at some point in their lives, and it's pivotal that those choices are available, Thobaben said.
Housing for All wants to ensure that the Board of Supervisors takes action soon to make sure there are housing choices for everyone in the county over the next 20 years, Thobaben said.
The press release announcing Thursday's event seemed to take on the recently filed Humboldt Sunshine lawsuit against the county.
But during the press conference, organizers said they weren't against anyone -- rather they're fighting to give a voice to people normally outside the process -- the poor, the people who are living on the edge and paying too much of their income for housing, Thobaben said.
The group is not in a position to question motivations for that suit, he said.
”We're not against anybody, but we're for movement and action,” said Thobaben. “I would hope that these parties could look at our points and find some common ground.”
The most important of these, the group says in its press release, is a strong and effective inclusionary zoning policy.
”If we in Humboldt County are serious about providing affordable housing, then all new developments must include a variety of housing types to meet the needs of all income levels,” the release states.
The group said it intends to speak for those who often don't or can't speak for themselves in the Humboldt County General Plan update process.
Box:
Recommendations
* Establish strong inclusionary zoning policies to require that new residential developments include a percentage of housing for moderate, low- and very-low incomes.
* Identify a greater supply of buildable sites with appropriate infrastructure for higher-density housing that is affordable to moderate, low- and very-low income families.
* Identify sites available for homeless shelters and transitional housing.
* Create overlay zones with higher density allowances and provide incentives for providing low- and very-low income housing.
* Encourage mixed-use zoning, mixed-income developments and a broader variety of housing types.
* Reduce or eliminate minimum house size requirements, allow smaller lot sizes, and revise setbacks, lot coverages, parking requirements and solar shading ordinances to accommodate higher density developments.
* Ensure that lots appropriated and reserved for low-income housing are not used for any other kind of development.
* Provide regulatory clarity and public support for
those developers who are willing to take on the difficult task of providing low- and very-low income housing.
James Faulk can be reached at 441-0511 or jfaulk@times-standard.com.