Where people live and how much they pay for housing has a big impact on every household/

Housing affordability is a challenging issue, impacted by supply and demand; local, regional, state and national economic factors; household preferences, land availability, developer activity and more.

Background

Washington County Land Use and Transportation is planning and updating regulations to help improve housing affordability. This work includes:

• Updating regulations for Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs), which can provide smaller and less costly housing units alongside existing homes
• Updating open space requirements for Planned Developments, which can increase housing units and lower per-unit costs
• Exploring density bonuses and/or other incentives, encouraging more developers to build affordable housing units
• Encouraging a greater variety of housing, including cluster housing and “missing middle” housing, allowing smaller and more affordable options and more housing choices