IDAHO — Housing professionals and local officials from across Idaho gathered Thursday to discuss whether smaller homes on smaller lots could help ease the state’s housing affordability challenges.
Representatives from communities including Boise, Kuna, McCall, Nampa and Moscow attended the virtual workshop hosted by Gem State Housing Alliance, a pro-housing advocacy group.
Ali Rabe, the organization’s executive director, said Idaho housing costs have increased by 40% over the past decade while local wages have struggled to keep pace.
“Young people who want to stay and work here in Idaho – who are stuck in our rental market paying $2,000 a month toward their rent – who can’t afford to get into a $500,000 home,” Rabe said. “That’s not a starter home.”
WATCH: Idaho workshop explores small-lot development as housing solution
Rabe acknowledged that developers have built thousands of houses in recent years, but she estimated about 95% are larger, single-family homes in suburban neighborhoods.
The workshop focused on another option: building smaller homes on smaller lots.
Matthew Adams, a principal and landscape architect with The Land Group in Eagle, explained how those developments differ from a typical subdivision.
“When we say small lot, we’re talking about as low as 933 square feet for the entire platted lot,” Adams said.
That compares with the roughly 5,000-square-foot lot Adams said is common in many communities.
Small-lot homes may sound like a new approach to Idaho’s housing shortage, but advocates say they represent a return to how many older neighborhoods were built.
Boise-area urban planner Chris Danley said small-lot development could also create more options between apartments and large suburban homes.
“We’ve been really, really good at building two types of homes in the last 50 years — mostly single-family homes and apartments,” Danley said. “And there’s middle ground to be had here.”
Supporters say smaller homes and lots can reduce land, construction and infrastructure costs, although that does not guarantee a lower sale price.
This year, Idaho lawmakers passed measures requiring cities with at least 10,000 residents to allow accessory dwelling units and lots as small as 1,500 square feet.
Rabe said those changes could remove barriers to building more housing options.
“We need more housing of all types and sizes to keep up with demand, but particularly smaller homes and different types and sizes of homes that locals can afford,” Rabe said.
Gem State Housing Alliance is also accepting applications for a new program that will help three to five Idaho cities review their housing rules and consider local changes. Applications are due Oct. 1.
