COEUR d’ALENE — Some of the biggest challenges to building housing that’s affordable for working families in Idaho can be overcome at the local level, according to the Gem State Housing Alliance, a new nonprofit.

“In the past, we have never had an organization working around actual policy change on this issue,” said Sen. Ali Rabe, a Boise Democrat and founding executive director of Gem State Housing Alliance, who previously led Jesse Tree, a nonprofit focusing on preventing eviction and homelessness. “We’re very excited to work with cities, especially.” 

In a panel discussion on Tuesday, Rabe said the group will focus on city-level policy changes in its first year. The group is already in talks with candidates for city offices across Idaho to form policy agendas. 

Among them is Mark Dahlquist, the mayor-elect of Pocatello. Dahlquist is the executive director of NeighborWorks Pocatello, a community development nonprofit that specializes in housing creation and preservation. 

During his campaign for mayor, attainable housing was one of the top issues in Dahlquist’s platform. He won a special runoff election with 62% of the vote. 

“I think that really resonated with folks,” he said. “In Bannock County, our housing prices have gone up 185% in the last 15 years.” 

In cities across Idaho, Dahlquist said zoning codes with minimum lot-size, setback, and similar requirements are preventing the much-needed development of smaller family homes. He said NeighborWorks Pocatello ran into that problem when developing the Bonneville Commons community at the site of a former elementary school. 

“What was stopping us from doing that were some outdated zoning codes,” he said. “I think Pocatello, like a lot of cities in Idaho, had old codes that were probably put together in the post-World War II era.” 

Maggie Lyons, executive director of Panhandle Affordable Housing Alliance, pointed to her agency’s projects as examples of what other communities can achieve. “Miracle on Britton,” PAHA’s flagship project, is a 28-lot neighborhood of deed-restricted homes in Post Falls. 

“We’re running a blueprint for this county, as well as the state, that really can put homeownership back in the hands of our local workers,” she said. 

She said policy changes can incentivize the private market to build starter homes that working Idahoans can afford to buy. 

“The demand for these homes is overwhelming,” she said. “It’s an opportunity now through Gem State Housing Alliance to really start advancing these policies.” 

To make more affordable housing possible, Lyons said cities should allow for smaller lot sizes. 

“The lot size is not singularly the only issue, but it’s such a big component that, if just that piece could be addressed, we’d be a lot further ahead,” she said. 

Caleb Roope, CEO of Eagle-based The Pacific Companies, said leaders throughout Idaho must acknowledge that different types of housing are essential. 

“The reality is you need multifamily, too,” he said. “You need higher density housing in certain places. You need an ecosystem of housing that reaches a broad income spectrum.”