Spokane’s housing crisis: rapid growth, limited space, and rising costs raise concerns

SPOKANE, Wash. — Does the city of Spokane have enough housing to accommodate its rapid growth?

It’s a question city leaders have to answer, as state law requires them to conduct land capacity analysis.

Titus Hug, owner of Hug Construction, would tell you he does not believe the city is growing too fast at all.

“Trying to try to get small, it’s not going to answer it,” Hug said.

While many large housing projects are under construction around the city, the timeliness of these projects are pushing some to say zoning changes might be the answer.

In just over 20 years, the city is expected to grow by around 23,000 people. That is around a thousand people each year.

Around 81% of the city’s land is developed. A recent analysis shows 10% of that development is vacant and 9% is either partially used or underutilized.

For contractors like Bouten Construction, this citywide growth has shown in the demand for business.

“I would tell you that we probably have the largest backlog that we’ve had in many years,” said Tim Thomas, president of Bouten Construction.

Thomas feels the answer to the housing crisis is getting creative with what we have.

Hug, who focuses on residential housing, has also seen a rise in demand. But for him, he has seen his clients For his clients, grapple with costs.

“People are struggling to actually afford,” Hug said. “What used to be a dream house is now sort of a home.”

It is advertises in building costs and legal changes that make Hug feel adjustments in zoning might be the answer.

“I’d love to see them expand the urban growth boundary because I think it’ll help a lot of people within the city,” he said.

Hug says he’d want to see zoning changes and be able to build more homes on parcels or subdividing them into townhomes to offer more affordable housing near the edge of the city.

The city of Spokane says once it gets more information on what land is available, it will plan out how to get more housing units in those areas. The city of Spokane’s Land Capacity is used to decipher its comprehensive plan. You can find more information on workshops to make your voice heard on this here.