FAYETTEVILLE — The Fayetteville Housing Crisis Task Force made its final findings to the City Council Tuesday, emphasizing immediate action while also expressing a need to sustain those efforts long-term.
“There is no silver bullet. We hope there’s silver buckshot,” said Jessica Lewallen, task force co-chair, early in the presentation.
Lewallen and co-chair Henry Ho presented the findings to the council at its 4:30 p.m. agenda session at City Hall.
The dozens of recommendations — meant to be taken as a whole, not a list of options — include setting up an emergency housing fund, updating zoning regulations, streamlining city inspection and permit approval processes and setting up advisory groups. The report is available online at the task force webpage.
The city formed the task force a year ago, giving the group 12 months to come up with proposals as housing prices rapidly increased in the region. The group’s 10 members met monthly.
Getting and keeping community support is a vital first step, Ho said. The report suggests teams of people to advise the city on how to best help worker-level income families get into housing and a team of people who have experienced homelessness. Council member Robert Stafford suggested putting as many functions as possible into one council, saying the city has a variety of boards and commissions already.
The proposed housing stabilization fund would provide short-term financial support to residents facing eviction and other crises. The fund could draw from private philanthropic efforts. Council member Sarah Moore suggested allowing such a fund to be the beneficiary of an estate.
Ho and Lewallen thanked the council for actions already taken even before the task force report was finished. In particular, the city’s creation of a chief housing officer staff position and the rezoning of land around College Avenue and South School Street were steps the plan recommends that are already in place. The housing officer position has not been filled yet.
As for zoning and city codes, Lewallen said allowing larger homes to be converted into several apartments under one roof is one example of a change that’s needed. Historically such changes were common, she said. Fayetteville needs closer cooperation with other entities in the region such as the Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission, she said.
State laws restrict too much of what cities can do as far as making such zoning changes, Ho and Lewallen told the council. The city and the region have a wealth of experts in city planning and private development who can help the city convince lawmakers to make changes, they said.
“We have to get involved at the state level,” Ho said.
The city needs to take a hard look at the amount of parking space it requires at residential developments, which takes up a lot of land available for living space, the report finds. The city also needs to consider pre-approving dwelling designs, allowing a shortcut through the approval process to build, the report says.
The city needs to set reachable, measurable goals such as the number of new housing units to be attracted and opened to the city in a year, Ho said.
In other business, Mayor Molly Rawn said she will propose transfer of $450,000 out of the city’s general fund into a special fund to help the city’s unhoused population at the council’s next regular meeting July 15.
On the webFayetteville Housing Crisis Task Force webpage with final report: https://www.fayetteville-ar.gov/4335/Mayors-Housing-Crisis-Task-Force