Here We Grow is excited to share our latest report, Builder and Developer Perspectives on Workforce Housing Attainability, now available for download. The report builds on the wide-ranging stakeholder conversations Capital Crossroads and the Polk County Housing Trust Fund have had regarding local policy actions to build needed workforce housing supply in Greater Des Moines.
What is the challenge we are addressing?
The Here We Grow campaign has the goal of increasing the supply of housing our workforce needs through regional collaboration. For Greater Des Moines to meet its full range of housing needs, our communities need housing located near jobs, affordable at prices that match today’s wages, and with a focus on removing barriers people face when they look for housing. As prices have risen recently, the task of supporting policies and strategies to reduce housing costs has been top-of-mind for leaders across our region. Here We Grow provides a forum to discuss solutions.
Key takeaways from the report
Builder and developer feedback is key to understanding local market conditions and knowing what policy actions will be most meaningful in holding back rising housing costs. Here We Grow has collected developer feedback in a variety of ways including a recent listening session to seek input on some of the trends we have observed in doing our work. Among the key items:
Regulatory reform: Communities can help increase the local supply of workforce housing by streamlining regulatory processes setting policies for development that benefit health and safety while being conscious of the impact on housing cost.
Regional collaboration: Seeing impact in the housing market requires regional effort and collaboration so that solutions reach a scale that will benefit people and families.
Public investment: Public investment is sometimes needed to ensure housing options exist for every person and family, but those resources are not infinite and must be deployed wisely.
Community engagement: Continued engagement across a wide range of regional stakeholders to make sure our region’s affordability advantage is available to everybody who calls Greater Des Moines home.
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