Published on October 15, 2020
During the 2019 legislative session, affordable housing and housing supply issues became a primary issue of concern. Inward population migration, economic growth and shortage of new housing supply had led to rapidly rising house prices and rents for the past few years. In that context, local governments were required to develop Housing Action Plans to facilitate development of housing affordable at all income levels and across housing tenures. Alignment of market conditions with growth targets and housing strategy through data resources emerged as a key issue. Many local governments sought data resources so that housing needs could be objectively identified in a consistent manner.
Several issues arising from growth management frameworks generally and planning is the assessment of housing markets. For example, if a goal is to promote affordable housing of all types and across income ranges, then how does a planner get reliable access to detailed price information by house type? How can a planner create long term plans without guidance on how the economics of supply and demand? How do planners know if they have met their planning goals without information on what is built, what is in the pipeline, and what is likely to be built? These are important aspects to consider in any comprehensive planning framework.
Before any of those questions can be addressed, data is required to develop robust planning frameworks to promote housing affordability across the housing spectrum. Without adequate data, it is not possible to assess whether affordable housing goals contained in plans have been met and to provide guidance for further action.
As a result of these discussions, the Washington Center for Real Estate Research in RCW 36.70A.610 was directed to provide data resources to jurisdictions so they can address these issues. This has led to the development of the Housing Market Data toolkit. This toolkit seeks to provide a one stop shop for data tools where planners and local government officials develop planning frameworks and assess the need and demand for affordable housing by type. This is a multi-year project that will grow and improve over time.
Part of the Washington Center for Real Estate Research, directed by James Young.