Treat housing like other forms of economic development

Star News

Editorials

The city of Medford is facing a housing crunch when it comes to having affordable housing options for those first entering and those leaving the workforce. This lack of housing options is presenting a significant hurdle to attracting and retaining high quality employees in the area’s factories and businesses.

The city of Medford, and other municipalities, must be willing to view housing with the same lens as other economic development efforts. For decades, government has sought to be a partner to business and industry, offering incentive packages and development deals in return for jobs and long-term growth in tax base.

At the same time they have given taxpayer handouts to industrial and commercial developers, governments have enacted complex codes and placed expensive hurdles on residential developments. Complex developer codes make residential development cost-prohibitive and effectively stifle new residential growth opportunities at all levels.

Local government must change their viewpoint when it comes to working against residential developers to working in partnership with them at the same level as any other economic development package.

Among steps government could take is to offer free or low-cost city land for development as well as extending basic infrastructure such as roads, sewer, water and electric lines as the city’s investment in community sustainability and growth. Not only will this foster growth in the community, but it will reap rewards in the future with a higher tax base and quality infrastructure both above and below the street level. At the same time, the city should look at easing restrictions on duplexes to allow their use in existing residential areas of the city.

One area of Medford that would be ideal for intensive housing growth is along Pep’s Drive south of CTH O and near the city’s industrial employers. The city is currently sitting on the land after having invested in roads and utilities in the hope of luring employers.

What good is job creation if there are not enough workers to go around for the jobs that already exist? Economic growth and residential growth are two sides to the same coin. Adding even 300 new workers and their families to the Medford community would reap benefits across the economic spectrum as these residents will spend money purchasing goods and services at businesses and participating in community events and activities.

Medford has long been open for business when it comes to retailers, factories and business. It has been woefully behind the times when it comes to working with intensive residential development needed for the community to experience real growth at the level needed for long-term sustainability in all sectors of the regional economy.

It is time to set the old handbooks of how residential development occurs aside and instead focus on how the community and developers can work together to make things happen.