Are Slow Baby Steps Enough to Resolve Our Accessible Housing Crisis?

Highlights of our weekly reporting plus bonus content.

Dec 08, 2023

While there’s been some good recent reporting on tracking the number of unhoused in our community (RGJ) and not so good (Wall Street Journal, basing an entire “trending” article on faulty point in time counts), a main problem remains having enough accessible housing for people in need, however much pre housing help is given.

Following this week’s Reno City Council meeting, communications specialist Landon Miller outlined the five housing initiatives which were presented:

Incentives for Affordable Housing Projects

Density Bonus for Affordable Housing Projects

Density Bonus for Market Rate Infill Projects

Allowing for More Development By-Right

Allowing for More “Missing Middle” Development

As has been the case in previous discussions, early opposition came from Naomi Duerr, concerned about increasing density in south Reno, and from Jenny Brekhus who thought City staff weren’t aiming big and bold enough. Devon Reese who is going for re-election in a newly drawn Ward 5 struck his usual optimistic tone, saying any moves toward more local affordable housing are steps in the right direction.

Miller concluded his email saying “Staff will take today’s feedback and will create recommendations to share with the public during stakeholder outreach meetings. Future discussions will then take place with the Reno Planning Commission before being brought back to Council later next year,” reflecting a lack of extreme urgency.