WAC 365-195-310   Housing element.  (1) Requirements. This element shall contain at least the following features:

     (a) An inventory and analysis of existing and projected housing needs.

     (b) A statement of the goals, policies, and objectives for the preservation, improvement, and development of housing.

     (c) Identification of sufficient land for housing, including, but not limited to, government-assisted housing, housing for low-income families, manufactured housing, multifamily housing, and group homes and foster care facilities.

     (d) Adequate provisions for existing and projected housing needs of all economic segments of the community.

     (2) Recommendations for meeting requirements. The following steps are recommended in preparing the housing element:

     (a) Preparation of an inventory and analysis of the condition of existing housing stocks, using currently available data to the extent possible.

     (b) An assessment of the needs for housing in the planning area, including both present needs and needs anticipated as a result of planned growth over the planning period.

     (c) Evaluation of the extent to which the existing and projected market can provide housing at various costs and for various income levels.

     (d) Estimation of the present and future extent of populations in the planning area which require assistance to obtain housing they can afford.

     (e) Identification of existing programs and policies to promote adequate housing for population segments which cannot afford housing in the existing market and evaluation of their effectiveness.

     (f) Incorporation of county-wide planning policies on affordable housing and parameters for the distribution of such housing. This should include identification of the share of affordable housing to be provided by the planning jurisdiction and how it will be achieved. In some cases, it may be appropriate for a jurisdiction to provide assistance for the location of affordable housing elsewhere.

     (g) Planning jurisdictions should use the following ranges for various economic groupings in the planning area:

     (i) Extremely low income - below thirty percent of median income.

     (ii) Very low income - between thirty-one percent and fifty percent of median income.

     (iii) Low income - between fifty-one percent and eighty percent of median income.

     (iv) Moderate income - between eighty-one percent and ninety-five percent of median income.

     (v) Middle income - between ninety-six percent and one hundred twenty percent of median income.

     The parameters to be used in planning for affordable housing should be those adopted and annually adjusted for household size by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

     (h) Determination of housing goals, policies, and objectives in light of the needs identified. This process should include consideration of the locational needs of various types of housing in light of proximity to employment and of access to transportation and services.

     (i) Identification of new programs and policies which can be instituted to promote adequate housing for all economic segments of the population.

     (j) Preparation of a strategy for preserving, improving, and developing housing which will attempt to meet the needs identified for all economic segments of the population in the planning area. The strategy should include:

     (i) Consideration of the range of housing choices to be encouraged, including but not limited to, multifamily housing, mixed uses, manufactured homes, accessory living units, and detached homes.

     (ii) Consideration of various lot sizes and densities, and of clustering and other design configurations.

     (iii) Identification of sufficient appropriately zoned land to accommodate the identified housing needs over the planning period.

     (iv) Evaluation of the capacity of local public and private entities and the availability of financing to produce housing to the meet the identified need.

     (k) Emphasis should be placed on adequately providing for group homes, foster care facilities, and facilities for other special populations, while maintaining an equitable distribution of these facilities among neighboring jurisdictions.

     (l) In developing the housing element attention should be directed to working with the desires of residents to preserve the character and vitality of existing neighborhoods, along with the rights of people to live in the neighborhood of their choice.

     (m) The provisions of the housing element should be integrated with the provisions of the land use element.

     (n) Provision for a program of ongoing review to monitor the performance of the housing strategy and for making adjustments and revisions as needed to achieve the goals, policies, and objectives. Such a program could include the collection and maintenance of information about the housing market, and where reasonably available from existing sources, data on the supply of developable residential building lots at various land-use densities and the supply of rental and for-sale housing at various price levels.



[Statutory Authority: RCW 36.70A.190 (4)(b). 92-23-065, § 365-195-310, filed 11/17/92, effective 12/18/92.]