Madras ‘action plan’ seeks to ease housing deficit
The city of Madras has released its draft of a housing action plan for the next 20 years, proposing a variety of methods to reduce the lack of affordable housing and add an average of 30 new dwelling units a year.
The Madras Planning Commission will get its first staff briefing next Wednesday night on the plan, the first new housing needs analysis for the city in over a decade.
Assistant Planner Morgan Greenwood said city councilors are expected to review and comment on the plan at their Nov. 13 meeting, then it returns to the planning body Dec. 5 for a deeper discussion and returns to the council for review and possible approval at its Dec. 11 meeting.
The plan, developed by ECONorthwest, said Madras, like other Oregon communities, gets regular feedback about the challenges of finding middle-income or workforce housing. One large manufacturer estimated that half their workers live in Redmond and commute to Madras due to a lack of housing that those earning $40,000 or less a year can afford.
Nearly a third of Madras households are “cost-burdened,” which is defined as paying more than 30 percent of their income on housing costs. In part due to the recession, no new multifamily units have been developed in Madras since 2010 and only 49 single-family homes.
The plan says more than 100 people experienced homelessness in Madras this year, while the city was short about 400 housing units needed to meet the needs of households earning less than $25,000 a year and a deficit of nearly 450 homes needed for households earning $50,000 to $100,000 a year.
The Madras City Council has a goal of adding 40 units of government-subsidized housing, likely townhomes or apartments, affordable to low-income households over the next five years, as well as 75 units affordable to middle-income households, such as cottage housing, duplexes and tri- and quad-plexes. There’s also a goal of 50 units of housing affordable to those who make more than about $61,000 a year.
Among issues addressed in the action plan: identifying and reducing regulatory barriers, growing and maintaining partnerships, supporting housing production and identifying funding sources.
Various steps planned over the next few years include reviewing street standards to lower development costs, temporarily reducing system development charges and looking at a possible SDC waiver program to lower development costs for nonprofits such as Housing Works.
The council also is expected to evaluate development of an “exclusive multifamily zone” and a rental housing maintenance code.
The draft Housing Action Plan can be seen here: https://www.ci.madras.or.us/sites/default/files/ fileattachments/community_development/page/5240/madras_housing_action_plan_final.pdf
