When I moved to Lake Forest Park, I was only able to purchase my house by bidding $70,000 over the asking price. Currently, home prices are rising faster than new buyers can save up money. This is not sustainable and it's not equitable. I feel that as a city, we need to do our part to bring more affordable housing to Lake Forest Park. At the same time, we are a small, primarily residential, community and any housing development must fit into the scale and character of our city. Clearly we're not going to be building skyscrapers in LFP. But I do think there are a few things we can do as a community.
ADUs - I'm proud that I voted to make it easier for owners to build ADUs back in 2022, but there is more we can do to make it easier for interested homeowners to build attached or detached ADUs. For example, the city could provide some stock ADU templates homeowners could choose which would reduce the amount of permitting red tape they need to go through in order to build an ADU.
Middle Housing - A housing forum put on my local residents showed that Lake Forest Park does not have enough 1-2 bedroom homes. We need more of this missing middle housing. We will be required by state law to allow duplexes in residential zones. But I'd like to see us consider sensible cottage housing or cluster housing, particular near transit stops or on very large lots. I'd also like to see us consider making it easier for neighborhood businesses to operate around the city. For example, therapist offices, tailors, photographers, and neighborhood cafes.
Community partnerships - I am a big fan of Community Land Trusts. These trusts will own the land while supporting individuals to purchase the home on the land. It's a big win for lower-income homebuyers since they can purchase a much more affordable home and start building equity. As a city, we should be looking around for parcels that could be sold or donated to a community land trust to start this process.
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