Redmond planning for 20 years of housing needs

The city of Redmond is planning for future growth and housing needs.

A new study aims to answer a few key housing questions Redmond faces as the city continues to grow, and housing prices to rise.

Some those questions are about the changing demographics of the city, and population growth.

The study, which was conducted by ECONorthwest, takes a look at the next 20 years of housing needs in the city. The results were presented Monday evening to the Redmond Planning Commission

According to that study, Redmond is set to add more than 17,000 new residents by the year 2039. That means the city will need to add around 7,000 new housing units.

And in turn, that means the city will likely look to its border for more land that right now is designated as “rural.”

Deborah McMahon, the city’s planning manager, said Monday evening said the city wants about 60 percent of those units to be single-family housing, and 40 percent of them to be attached dwellings.

“We think that split better represents what we see in Redmond already,” McMahon said. “And then looks at densifying in a more reasonable and logical way throughout the community that responds to our growth needs.”

The study also showed many in the community are not able to afford houses in the city, whether they are renting or buying.

According to the study, about 42 percent of the people in the city are “cost-burdened” when it comes to paying for their housing. That means those people pay 30 percent or more of their paychecks toward their housing.

That’s something McMahon hopes can change.

“We have started with policies, making sure that we take away any barriers to affordable housing and making sure that we respond to growth pressures,” McMahon said. “For example, if growth doubled in the next five years, we’d make adjustments accordingly. So it’s not a one-time thing. We will examine our housing needs every two years.”

The study also shows the city needs to build 4,178 single-family homes, 1,044 attached homes, such as townhouses, and around 1,741 multifamily units, such as apartments or condos over the next two decades.

The next steps are up to the city’s planning commission, and ultimately the City Council, as it works to rezone lands within the urban growth boundary for development.