College Station tackles affordable housing access through Housing Action Plan

COLLEGE STATION, Texas (KBTX) – Affordable housing was a featured item on Thursday’s city council meeting in College Station as the city works to develop a plan to address housing issues and needs in the community.

In 2023 the city created the Housing Action Plan Steering Committee, tasked with finding solutions to tackle housing availability and affordability.

According to the city’s existing conditions report, 58% of renters and 18% of homebuyers reported being burdened by the cost of housing.

Housing is considered to be ‘affordable’ when no more than 30% of a household’s income goes toward rent or a mortgage.

The local supply of affordable housing has dwindled as more people, and more businesses, move to the area. While it may bring high-paying jobs, it also brings higher prices.

“We have some new developments that are coming aboard but they’re more, I would say, on the higher end of the market,” said Harold Womble, Brazos Valley Council of Governments housing choice voucher program manager.

Housing options in College Station are predominantly single family homes or multifamily apartments. Middle housing options, such as duplexes or townhomes, are in short supply.

“It’s putting those homes for the affordable housing up in the mid $200s, and so, that’s still not a level where most working families can afford that at this time,” Womble explained.

City officials said this is the time to take proactive measures.

“Projections indicate an impending housing supply shortage, and so by [2030] we expect to be short about 4,000 units,” predicted community development analyst David Brower.

That’s where the Housing Action Plan comes in, using public feedback to create solutions. The plan is currently in a draft state.

“Trying to engage citizens to see what housing issues they were facing, and then to see what different tools they thought could be used and should be used to address those housing issues,” Brower detailed the draft state.

Not only does the plan propose ideas for preserving affordable housing, it also looks at expanding housing options.

Some of the possible strategies and solutions discussed during the meeting included increasing density in certain areas, creating programs to promote homeownership, and partnering with developers to build affordable rental housing.

This will be a long term plan. The city estimated it will take around seven to 10 years to complete.

Despite this, city officials said it’ll address a wide range of housing issues.

“Not only expand housing opportunity for those we traditionally serve, but also expand housing opportunity for those that might be above those income limits that are also struggling with housing issues,” added Brower.

The Housing Action Plan Steering Committee is set to meet on August 12 at 4:30 p.m. to continue working on the plan.