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STEPing Up: Planning for Deeply Affordable Housing

Session 5D | Thursday | 10:15 AM – 11:30 AM (PT)

About the Session
 

This session will explain our statewide housing needs, the requirements of local governments to plan for these needs, guidance and important information to know when developing comprehensive plans and regulations for housing, and best practices for how local governments can support and remove barriers to deeply affordable housing. This session will also go over resources the Department of Commerce has to support local governments to plan for housing for our most vulnerable including a STEP model ordinance, best practices guide, case studies of implementation, and a communications toolkit. We will also have one or two local governments share the work they are doing to plan for their lowest-income housing needs and what they have learned through going through the process (potentially Port Townsend, Redmond, King County, Olympia, and/or case study cities from Commerce's supportive housing project work).

About the Moderator
 
Laura Hodgson

Housing Planning and Data Manager, Department of Commerce (Washington State)

Laura Hodgson is the Housing Planning and Data Manager in the Growth Management Services unit at the Washington State Department of Commerce. Laura supports local governments updating their housing elements as communities take a more active role in planning for and accommodating housing needs of all incomes and addressing racially disparate impacts, exclusion, and displacement. She also oversees the development of resources to help local governments plan for housing for their most vulnerable residents and oversees a new grant program to coordinate low-income housing and emergency housing planning. She recently oversaw the development of guidance for communities updating their housing elements and the foundational changes that were made by the Legislature with HB 1220 (laws of 2021). Laura has been with the Department of Commerce since January 2020 and has been working in urban planning for 17 years. Prior to working at Commerce, she worked for a county planning department in Maryland and did consulting work in transportation and urban planning. Laura has a Bachelor's of Architecture and a Master’s in Urban and Regional Planning from Virginia Tech.
About the Speakers
 
Valerie Kendall

Housing Policy Manager, King County’s Housing and Community Development Division

Valerie is the Housing Policy Manager in King County’s Housing and Community Development Division. She leads the development of the housing element on many King County plans including the update to the King County Comprehensive Plan and the Housing Needs Assessment. Valerie and team lead and support other special projects such as alternative housing demonstration developments, anti-displacement analysis and recommendations, equitable development and building capacity for community-based organizations, and federal grant planning including fair housing plans. Prior to joining King County, Valerie worked as the Housing Director for a nonprofit affordable housing provider, leading real estate development and asset management. While there Valerie was instrumental in advancing innovative housing models and in developing alternative screening criteria to increase access to housing. Valerie brings over 20 years of experience to the work and enjoys mentoring people beginning their planning and policy careers.
Adrian Smith

Long Range Planner, City of Port Townsend Planning and Community Development Department

Adrian Smith (pronouns they/them) is a Long Range Planner at the City of Port Townsend’s Department of Planning and Community Development (PCD). They began their planning career in 2021, when they wrote their master’s thesis on transitional housing options in Jefferson County, Washington. After graduating with a master’s degree in public policy, they worked as a Planning Technician and Assistant Planner in Jefferson County before joining Port Townsend PCD. Their recent work focuses on writing and implementing policies to support affordable housing. Adrian’s current project is Port Townsend’s 2025 Periodic Review.
 
 
  

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