Housing Affordability
In the Puget Sound we are blessed with amazing access to nature that both makes the region a draw for population growth as well as creates a very real constraint on our ability to grow to meet the resulting demand for housing and services. Kirkland is in the middle of the same housing pressures facing the entire region.
While we are blessed to have amazing employers, the prosperity in high paying jobs also puts pressure on existing housing inventory and has steadily driven home values higher for the past 10 years. Finding housing that is in reach for our neighbors who are early in their careers or just entering the housing market is hard to imagine.
This is a critical issue that must be faced both regionally and directly at the City level.
We must find ways to increase overall housing volume and create variety of home options, including workforce housing and low income housing. As currently defined, affordable housing begins at King County median household income which is $95,000. This salary is simply out of reach for most single income households. Even with a focus to increase minimum wage to $15 or $20, finding housing in Kirkland is out of reach for most.
This has a direct impact on hiring and retaining employees. It impacts the diversity of our neighborhoods. It impacts the ability for our children to secure work and housing in the City they grew up in and call home.
As your elected Council Member, I will work hard to bring fresh voices to the table and a firm stance on requiring all new development to at a minimum maintain current affordability with workforce housing being a requirement for any projects that increase density.
We can solve this problem by making creation of workforce housing our primary goal in new housing development.
While we are blessed to have amazing employers, the prosperity in high paying jobs also puts pressure on existing housing inventory and has steadily driven home values higher for the past 10 years. Finding housing that is in reach for our neighbors who are early in their careers or just entering the housing market is hard to imagine.
This is a critical issue that must be faced both regionally and directly at the City level.
We must find ways to increase overall housing volume and create variety of home options, including workforce housing and low income housing. As currently defined, affordable housing begins at King County median household income which is $95,000. This salary is simply out of reach for most single income households. Even with a focus to increase minimum wage to $15 or $20, finding housing in Kirkland is out of reach for most.
This has a direct impact on hiring and retaining employees. It impacts the diversity of our neighborhoods. It impacts the ability for our children to secure work and housing in the City they grew up in and call home.
As your elected Council Member, I will work hard to bring fresh voices to the table and a firm stance on requiring all new development to at a minimum maintain current affordability with workforce housing being a requirement for any projects that increase density.
We can solve this problem by making creation of workforce housing our primary goal in new housing development.