OTHELLO — The city of Othello has been awarded a $25,000 grant from the Washington State Department of Commerce for the creation of a Housing Action Plan, according to Anne Henning, community development director for the city of Othello. The goal of a Housing Action Plan is to encourage affordable housing construction.

“It’s no secret that housing is scarce in and around Othello,” Henning said. “New houses are sold before they are finished, and it is rare to see a house for sale.”

Henning said that what houses are put on the market don’t last very long. Rental housing is also difficult to find.

“The vacancy rate is less than 1 percent,” Henning said. “We know that people in Othello tend to live in larger households than is the trend across most of the rest of the country, because there just isn’t enough housing for everyone, and a small family can’t afford a house of their own.”

Over the past few years, the Planning Commission and the city of Othello have been looking for ways to help solve this problem, but have so far been unsuccessful. The Housing Action Plan will help with this dilemma.

“It will start by looking at the existing housing supply and projections for future population growth, to quantify what is going on right now with housing,” Henning said. “We will try to involve various community groups in the discussion of possible solutions, and ask the public what types of housing they would like to see in the future, so that the plan reflects our community.”

Once complete, the plan will give the city different strategies on how it can increase the supply of housing while decreasing the cost. It will also include specific steps the city can take.

The city will be hiring a consultant to develop the plan. The plan must be adopted by June 15, 2021, per the requirements of the grant.

Rachal Pinkerton may be reached via email at [email protected].