Housing task force seeks solutions for affordability crisis
EVERETT — Snohomish County has formed a task force to explore ways to bolster the area’s stock of affordable housing.
The partnership with local cities and tribal governments aims to identify possible changes to regulations and policies, among other options.
“The lack of affordable housing across the region is holding back our economy and contributing to congestion as people continue to move further away from job centers,” County Executive Dave Somers said, in a prepared statement. “The Snohomish County Housing Affordability Regional Task Force will bring elected officials together to devise an action plan for addressing this challenge. We must find incentives for increasing housing stock across the spectrum.”
Somers first announced the housing initiative in March, during an annual speech.
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Climbing costs have pushed home ownership and rents beyond the means of many of the area’s families.
In Snohomish County, the median sales price for houses and condos hit $479,000 in April, according to the Northwest Multiple Listing Service.
Everett’s median rent was $1,350 for a one-bedroom apartment and $1,680 for a two-bedroom, according to statistics that Apartment List released earlier this year. The nationwide online apartment marketplace claimed that Everett’s rates topped even Seattle’s.
https://www.heraldnet.com/news/housing-task-force-seeks-solutions-for-affordability-crisis/?utm_source=DAILY+HERALD&utm_campaign=5d04da6807-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_d81d073bb4-5d04da6807-228635337
I don't know about the last sentence. Seattle's rents are also ridiculously high. Just makes me glad I bought years ago.
