Two new bills support statewide efforts to increase housing supply and address the affordable housing crisis

VANCOUVER – The city of Vancouver invites community members to join City and State Department of Commerce staff to learn more about and discuss the future of housing in Vancouver from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 6 at the Educational Service District Building conference center, 2500 N.E. 65th Ave., Vancouver. 

This year, Governor Jay Inslee signed two new bills into law (House Bills 1110 and 1337) that require the city to update its policies to allow for more types of housing, like duplexes, triplexes, ADUs and cottages, in areas traditionally dedicated to single-family, detached homes. These bills support statewide efforts to increase housing supply and address the affordable housing crisis. In Clark County, more than 100,000 new housing units are needed to meet these requirements by 2045. 

“Land use planning and policy created through Vancouver’s next comprehensive plan will serve as an important tool to fill the housing gap and meet the community’s housing needs over the next 20 years,” said Rebecca Kennedy, the City’s deputy director of community development. “This is our opportunity to come together and reimagine what housing options in Vancouver look like and create policies that support a more livable, equitable and affordable housing future for all.”

Participants will learn about the current state of housing in Southwest Washington, what the City is doing to support the development of more housing affordable to a variety of people, and new state housing requirements that will impact how and where different types of housing will be built in the future. As part of Our Vancouver – Comprehensive Plan 2045, the city’s 20-year growth plan that is currently under development, the community will help shape new housing policies, codes and regulations that support the development of needed housing for the entire Vancouver community. 

Meeting materials and interpretation in both American Sign Language and Spanish will be available at the forum. Dinner from local business Hawaiian Style Grill will be provided. Free parking is available on the north side of the ESD 112 conference center located between N.E. 65th Ave. and Campus Drive. The conference space is also accessible by C-TRAN bus route 30. All are welcome and no RSVP is necessary. For those who cannot attend, a recording of the event will be posted on the city’s website by Dec. 13. 

Our Vancouver, the City’s comprehensive plan, will provide the overall long-term vision and policy direction for the City, guiding how the community grows and develops in balance with the natural environment through 2045. For more information, including other opportunities to share feedback and get involved, visit [www.beheardvancouver.org/plan2045]www.beheardvancouver.org/plan2045.  

Information provided by the city of Vancouver.