Columbia Gorge News, Sept. 28, 2022
As a home owner of 30 years in Hood River, I am concerned about affordable housing for our community. I am frankly discouraged by the lack of humanity toward the working poor and the fact that we haven’t come up with solutions to make our neighborhoods safe. I am looking for a candidate that can see this issue from the point of view of ‘and/both’. I have recently been looking into the Democratic Candidate, Raz Mason, concerning this issue. Here are a few of her proposals that I can get behind as a solution to a vexing problem.
Ms. Mason wants to:
Expand ‘medium zoning’ housing, by adding more mother-in-law apartments, duplexes and triplexes. This would give more people an opportunity to live and work in Hood River as well as support the rental market for landlords.
Increase taxes on short-term rentals and limit out-of-town owners by taxing empty houses.
Promote home-shares (see HomeShareOregon.org) and allow on-driveway RV rentals that expand affordable housing and increase owners’ income.
Facilitate co-housing and tiny home developments as well as RV and mobile home parks.
Develop more public-private partnerships to build affordable apartments.
Increase mixed-use density in our small-town downtowns, which means stores below, apartments above.
Ms. Mason’s proposals have been refreshing solutions to a huge problem.
Sheila Shearer
Hood River