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<br />48 <br /> <br />Firstly, ensuring quality housing begins with effective and present inspection and enforcement. <br />This will be how the City can handle the most troublesome cases of blight or decay but can also <br />be useful in prompting smaller repairs or changes in behavior too. In order to be effective, <br />inspection needs to be backed up by quality ordinance in this case in regard to residential standards. <br />The City will be evaluating its zoning code moving forward from the Comprehensive Plan process <br />regardless, and this will be a great opportunity to update code to match long term goals. <br />Education is another lower cost option for the City. Tips and how-to guides on basic home repair <br />and improvement can be included in any print or digital communications that the City offers to <br />residents. In-person classes could also be offered at local community centers or park facilities. <br />Oftentimes, basic repairs to a home can be easily taken on by the household themselves and can <br />help to avoid more intensive and costly repairs in the long run. <br />Another option the City could examine, would be to offer a small loan program to residents who <br />wanted to repair or improve their home, but who may not have the money to do so. This would be <br />a major incentive to someone who had either been delaying making improvements, or to someone <br />who desperately wanted to make repairs but who did not have the capital to do so. These loan <br />programs are commonly found throughout the region and finding a model to work off of would <br />not be too challenging. For example, the Washington County Community Development Agency <br />offers a small loan up to $18,000 for low-to-moderate income families who want to either improve <br />or maintain their homes. Depending on the City’s discretion the loan could even be a forgivable <br />or deferred loan, to further attract lower-income residents looking to improve the quality of their <br />housing. <br />Housing Policies and Implementation <br />Low Density Residential <br />1. Protect remaining developable areas reserved for low-density residential for single family <br />development. <br /> <br />2. Continue to seek additional housing in all ends of the affordability spectrum, including middle <br />and upper ranges. <br /> <br />3. Plan for re-balancing the City’s housing stock by ensuring availability of high-amenity lands <br />for higher-end housing opportunities. <br /> <br />4. Preserve infill areas in neighborhoods currently dominated by low-density residential for <br />continued compatible land use patterns, with a presumption for single family. <br /> <br />5. Consider regulatory or other options to encourage re-investment in existing single family <br />neighborhoods by existing residents. <br /> <br />6. Continue to monitor housing condition and maintenance and consider options for preservation <br />and improvement of existing housing stock. <br />