Coordinating Transportation and Housing
There is a direct connection between housing and transportation. The number, location, size, typology, and density of the homes we build directly impact where and how we travel. Since the early 2000s, COMPASS has tracked development approvals and provided summaries on the region’s growth in its Development Monitoring Reports.
Affordable and well-located housing options contribute to a healthy regional economy and a functioning transportation system. However, recently, housing affordability has become a critical issue facing communities of all sizes within Ada and Canyon Counties. Coordination among government, private, and non-government organizations is required to keep pace with the unprecedented rate of population growth and ensure ensuring housing stability remains achievable for all.
Regional Housing Coordination Plan
To better understand the housing-transportation nexus and to better prepare for current and future housing needs, COMPASS has developed a Regional Housing Coordination Plan. This plan provides COMPASS and member agencies with an estimate of the region’s housing “underproduction,” or units needed to meet current and future housing demands. Additionally, the plan reviews housing best practices for communities of all sizes and provides recommended strategies to address the region’s housing needs and affordability impediments.
COMPASS’ Affordable Housing Advisory Workgroup, made of planning agencies, housing developers, advocates, and service providers, guided the development of the plan by identifying regional needs and opportunities for collaboration, shaping the analyses, and reviewing the findings. Now that the plan is complete, the group is working with COMPASS to help guide implementation.