Housing officials are hoping to have the housing plan completed for city council discussion in September, outlining affordable housing goals and setting protocol for an annual review of progress.

“The goal is to substantially increase the number of available and affordable housing options for all residents of all incomes,” Affordable Housing Advancement Project Manager Leah Bloom said.

Tuesday’s discussions came just a few months after Council declared an affordable housing emergency that prompted city officials to begin developing a 10-year housing plan. The hope is that the plan will outline goals and provide opportunity for annual review on progress, Bloom said.

On Jan. 28, the city’s housing commission approved a public participation plan and project timeline through 2031 as a part of the first phase of creating the 10-year plan. Housing commissioners also formed six working groups consisting of staff and community members to address the topics of policy, affordable housing, health, sustainability, neighborhood context and zoning.

As the plan draws closer to completion, staff and members of the commission will seek input from the community on housing needs and policy, Housing Director Sarah Darr said.

“We are making sure there are multiple opportunities for public involvement. Anyone who’s interested in participating, there will be a way,” Darr said.

The discussion also returned to an affordable housing bond recommended by the housing commission that would allot $10 million of funds apiece to emergency, rental and workforce housing.

Efforts to get the bond on the ballot had previously hit a standstill last March when the coronavirus prompted Council to put off any bonds for voter approval. The commission now recommends that Council consider placing the bond on the 2022 ballot.

Under Council direction, the bond will return to the commission for further review before it is brought back to Council again for discussion and public input.

“I am enthusiastic about a bond going before voters on affordable housing,” Vice Mayor Becky Daggett said.

The city housing section’s affordability goals are threefold: to create opportunities for residents to secure housing that is decent, safe and affordable; to preserve quality and affordable workforce housing; and to encourage economic diversity in Flagstaff, housing manager Justyna Costa said.

Flagstaff’s lack of affordable housing has been at the forefront of public concern for years. The cost of housing is 33.5% higher than the national average and nearly half of all households in Flagstaff are considered low income, according to a needs assessment by the City of Flagstaff and Housing Solutions of Northern Arizona.

Occupying tenants who pay more than 30% of their annual income on housing expenses are considered cost-burdened, Darr said, citing information from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

In Flagstaff, as much as 45% of the city’s households are considered to be cost-burdened -- a figure that jumps to 55% when accounting for just property renters, according to the needs assessment.

To put that in perspective, a single-household service industry worker in Flagstaff making $15 an hour can likely afford a maximum monthly rent payment of $780 before being considered cost-burdened, according to the needs assessment.

In the meantime, the city currently offers two homebuyer assistance programs: the Community Homebuyer Assistance Program and the Employer Assisted Housing Program.

Last year, the two programs combined to assist 20 low-to-moderate income households with down payment and closing cost assistance, amounting to $260,000 in aid, Costa said.

Since 1999, the city has assisted 275 households.