There’s not enough affordable housing in Washoe County…and more and more residents are getting priced out of owning their own homes. That’s according to a studyby the Truckee Meadows Regional Planning Agency. Kim Robinson is the organization’s executive director and Jeremy Smith is GIS coordinator. They talked to our news director Michelle Billman about their findings.
While the cost of housing has spiked in Washoe County, incomes have not kept up, which has left many residents cost-burdened.
“It basically means that families are spending greater than 30% of their incomes on housing costs," explains Smith.
The study also shows that Washoe County has developed what’s called a missing middle.
"It really speaks to a variety of housing types that aren't necessarily prevalent the way they used to be across the county, and that can range from duplexes, triplexes, and various kinds of denser housing units," says Robinson.
As a note of disclosure, we should mention that Kim Robinson is a member of KUNR’s community leadership board.
