Tax Reform — Federal Policy Impacting Affordable Housing

For the first time, the National Association of Home Builders has agreed to support converting the Mortgage Interest Deduction (MID) to a tax credit. By shifting the MID to a tax credit, all tax payers, not only those who itemize, can benefit. The tax credit also provides the same percentage cost reduction to all homeowners […]
Federal Budget — Federal Policy Impacting Affordable Housing

Federal Budget The Presidential Budget Proposal reduced funding to the Department of Housing and Urban Development by 14%. This would have eliminated funding for several key programs including the HOME program which has funded over 50 units of housing in Blaine County since 2009. Fortunately, Congress has not accepted the proposal, the current budget, which has […]
The Housing Affordability Pickle
The Housing Affordability Pickle Valley cities face a complex puzzle of jobs, housing, and long-term viability “If jobs-versus – [housing] rentals in the classifieds are a kind of balance sheet to economic health, the situation is totally out of whack considering the discrepancy in column inches for each side of the equation.” Sun Valley Magazine discusses […]
COMMUNITY HOUSING: It’s a balancing act.

One might argue that Community Housing programs are unnecessary. ” Let the free market forces level the playing field; do not engage in social engineering,” is the cry heard most often. The problem with that point of view is that in order for the fee market to address the problem, wages, and therefore prices of […]
It’s simple: If you can’t afford to live here, you won’t work here.

The supply of moderately priced housing is critical to the economic viability of the Wood River Valley. Every employer facing hiring decisions is confronted with not being able to recommend affordable housing options for prospective employees. Until we, as a community, can create a supply of quality housing options at moderate prices we will struggle […]
What is an affordability gap anyway?

An AFFORDABILITY GAP is the difference between the median selling price of homes and the amount purchasers (earning median household income) can afford to pay for them. Normally, purchasers with fixed wages are limited to a target purchase price of roughly 3 times their annual wages. In 2016, over 87% of all homes sold in […]
ARCH rental housing project approved for Woodside

Hailey Planning and Zoning unanimously approves ARCH plan to build 8 new units of affordable rental housing. If you are interested in renting these units, please contact the Blaine County Housing Authority at (208) 788-6102. Read the complete write up in the Idaho Mountain Express: http://bit.ly/2sqhxXX
ARCH Housing Trust Announces Washington Federal Donation to the Self Sustaining Single Family Program

KETCHUM, IDAHO ARCH COMMUNITY HOUSING TRUST announces a $3,000 grant from Washington Federal Bank. This important funding will allow ARCH to continue to grow the Self Sustaining Single Family Program. This program enables ARCH to deliver affordable housing while simultaneously becoming a self-sustaining organization. Under this program, ARCH develops single family rental homes serving households […]
Not From Our Mouth

We love when we get glimpses of articles that don’t come from us that speak to the need of affordable housing in the Wood River Valley. On April 26th, the Idaho Mountain Express wrote a fantastic article about having affordable housing as a top priority. As the article states, Development of an adequate supply of […]
Voted in Favor!

We’ve had some exciting news happen this past week. On Monday, March 27th, the Hailey City council voted in favor to rezone a half-acre acre lot in South Woodside subdivision from the Recreational Greenbelt to General Residential Zone to facilitate construction of a rental housing development, despite strong opposition from neighbors to the project. This […]