Next Generation Housing

What do you think of when you picture the "American Dream?"

Over the last 30 years, housing costs have increased substantially, making it difficult for young professionals to purchase a first home.  Creating community driven neighborhoods with high quality homes built on low cost lots, will diversify the housing market within Washington County. The Next Generation Housing Initiative will fill the market void in our suburban/exurban communities, providing attainable quality housing opportunities throughout Washington County for our next generation workforce. One of the main goals for Next Generation Housing is to support investments in the housing stock and advance the quality of the neighborhoods in the County.

The Next Generation's Housing journey will look different than the preceding generation's. Community leaders, employers, and employees have long expressed concerns over the perceived housing inventory and attainability in Washington County. View the ArcGIS Storymap below created by Economic Development Washington County (EDWC) for a detailed analysis of workforce, population, household income, and the difficulties of purchasing a home in today's economy. EDWC Storymap (External Link)

 On October 7th, Washington County hosted the Next Generation Housing Kick-off Event. During the kick-off, County Executive Josh Schoemann provided information on the new Community Development Department, introduced the Community Development Director and provided details what Next Generation Housing Initiative is trying to achieve. EDWC provided a presentation on a workforce study that was completed detailing the shortage in the workforce and the difficulties of purchasing a home in the County. Following the EDWC presentation, a panel of private sector businesses presented their perspective on the workforce shortage and housing shortage and gave their support for this new program. Lastly, there was closing remarks from the County Executive. The event had about 100 local government officials and private sector businesses in attendance. The two hour long Next Generation Housing Kick-Off Event livestream is below.

See the Next Generation Housing Event PowerPoint presentation. 

The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) awarded Washington County $26 million in recovery funds for economic and community recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic that will be used to address the current and future issues pertaining to the declining workforce in Washington County. This funding will be utilized within the Community Development Department to address the current housing barriers.

View the Barriers to Opportunities Infographic as a pdf.

The Next Generation Housing Committee

The Community Development Department established the Next Generation Housing Committee comprised of local governments and key stakeholders. This Committee will work together to overcome the barriers to Next Generation Housing and drive the implementation of the Vision and long-term solutions. The first meeting was held on December 2nd, 2021. The Housing Committee members include:

View the Key Players Infographic as a pdf.

Ad Hoc Workgroups

Comprised of lenders, educators, builders, developers, planners, businesses, civic/non-profit groups, and realtors, this workgroup will be the resource to determining real solutions to barriers and the resource to implement solutions. The first Ad Hoc Workgroup meeting was held on December 16th. See the summary report for more information.

Ad Hoc Workgroup Summary Report