Legislature’s affordable housing committee meets Thursday in Sandpoint

An interim committee of Idaho legislators and building officials studying land use policies and affordable housing issues is nearing the point where it will transition from information gathering to considering action.

The Idaho Legislature’s interim Land Use and Housing Study Committee meets at 8 a.m. Thursday in Sandpoint.

Thursday’s meeting is the committee’s third since Sen. Ali Rabe, D-Boise, pushed for creation of the committee during the 2025 legislative session. In calling for the committee, Rabe said access to affordable housing is one of the most important issues facing Idaho. 

After years working on housing issues as executive director of the Boise-based nonprofit organization Jesse Tree, Rabe said the committee represents an important step of bringing state legislators, city officials, builders, planners, building officials, real estate agents and more to the same table together.

“It was an important step because the problem in the past was people would bring forward legislative proposals in January and no one was on the same page so nothing ever got done,” Rabe said. “I think it’s really important to hear from all the stakeholders.” 

Now, Rabe said legislators, building officials, planners, homebuilders and other folks are all having a comprehensive conversation around housing.

Idaho legislators will start considering recommendations to address affordable housing in the state

Through the first two meetings, the committee has been in information gathering mode, said Sen. Jim Woodward, a Republican from Sagle who serves as the committee’s co-chair. 

After Thursday’s meeting, Woodward said committee members will have a homework assignment to begin considering recommendations.

Woodward hopes to compile recommendations, not new laws, in a best practices document because the solution to housing needs may look different in small, rural or tourist communities than it will in larger cities.

“I will be slow in moving to a state-level solution because I think we can take on most of these challenges at the local level,” Woodward said Tuesday. “When we put in place a law, that always becomes a one-size-fits-all solution.”

Throughout the process, Woodward said he has been struck by how interested the public is in the committee and land use and housing issues. Woodward also said one issue with housing is undeniable – many people in Idaho are not able to afford to continue living in the place where they grew up. 

Rabe said there will be some tension as the committee moves from information gathering to decision making or taking action.

But she remains optimistic. 

“No matter their political background, folks agree this is a big issue right now that needs to be addressed,” Rabe said

Through the first two meetings, Rabe said the committee has centered around a few key issues. Rabe said one major issue is infrastructure needs like water and sewer systems. Rabe said the Idaho Legislature’s passage of the property tax bill House Bill 389 during the 2021 legislative session limits growth of local budgets and hurts cities’ and counties’ ability to afford infrastructure needed to support housing development.

“It’s one of the issues preventing housing from getting built in Idaho,” Rabe said. “We’ve talked about infrastructure quite a bit, and we will keep talking about it.”

Rabe said committee members have also discussed financing options, tax credits or subsidies for builders and other incentives as possible creative solutions to building more housing.

After this week’s meeting, the Land Use and Housing Study Committee is scheduled to meet again Sept. 26 at the Idaho State Capitol in Boise.