COEUR d'ALENE - The city of Coeur d'Alene is close to finalizing an agreement with BBC Research and Consulting, which will be tasked with conducting a housing needs assessment and analyzing impediments to fair housing.

Coeur d'Alene Municipal Services Director Renata McLeod presented the contract Monday to the city's General Services Committee. A group of three individuals went over two proposals from companies bidding for the project and McLeod said BBC Research and Consulting was chosen unanimously.

"We have some history with BBC and they have been working with the federal government on the new guidelines for analysis of impediments to fair housing," McLeod said. "We really feel like they're a qualified candidate."

McLeod added that the $35,000 assessment will be paid for using funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Community Development Block Grant.

The assessment is required for cities that receive federal funding through the long-running program, which distributes money throughout the nation to be used toward community development. McLeod said although each city is responsible for determining when a previous study is no longer valid, it's recommended that an assessment be conducted every five years.

According to information provided by the city, if the contract is approved, BBC Research and Consulting will compile and analyze a variety of housing statistics and trends to develop a "blueprint" of housing resources and needs.

Council members Steve Adams and Amy Evans both voted in favor of the contract, which will be submitted to the city council for final approval during its next regular meeting.

After the meeting, McLeod told The Press that the assessment will enable city officials to better allocate funds it receives from the federal government through the annual CDBG grant.

"If you were a private developer, you would do a market analysis to determine your needs - what are the demographics, who do you need to cater to?" McLeod said. "We aren't building the housing but we have some benefit with the CDBG funds where maybe we can allocate some grant dollars toward the type of housing we need."

Education is the second component of the assessment's importance to the community. McLeod said the study will allow both city officials and members of the public to better understand why there is a need to target the grant funding toward a certain development.

"Everyone can look at what the findings are to figure out what the housing needs are in our community," McLeod said. "And it can help the community understand some of the development that's happening and why. That's the hope for it."

If approved by the city council, the assessment will take six months to complete. McLeod said members of BBC Research and Consulting would then present the findings of the study to the city council.