The county's Affordable Housing Advisory Committee presented its 2025 incentive review to the Board of County Commissioners on Dec. 2, recommending mostly retention of the 11 statutory incentives but suggesting targeted language changes to bolster infill and transit-oriented development.

Steve Reinhart, AHAC chair, said the committee suggested changing the reservation-of-infrastructure-capacity incentive from a quarter-mile to 1 mile to increase eligibility in a geographically spread-out county and removing a 3,500-square-foot minimum lot-size restriction so infill projects and tiny homes are not excluded. He described the lot-size change as intended to allow minor plats or certified lot splits to create additional small units that could qualify as affordable housing.

The committee also recommended adopting a nonbinding project preview process so developers of affordable housing could get early feedback on compatibility and "sentiment" from the board before incurring major costs.

Commissioners asked for backup data on the 1-mile threshold; AHAC members said the suggestion was largely pragmatic and would be refined in a workshop. Commissioners generally supported staff working with planning and development services on transmittal language and scheduled further analysis in a February workshop.

What happens next: Staff will work with planning and development services to refine language and hold a workshop early next year. The board emphasized the need to preserve SHIP funding eligibility and avoid losing state dollars due to technical language errors.