Julián Castro: Cities like Des Moines should encourage more affordable housing, not less

Julián Castro, a Democratic candidate for president, said cities like Des Moines should provide more opportunities for affordable housing when updating their zoning and building codes.

Iowa's capital city is overhauling its 54-year old code, which would require new single-family homes to meet minimum sizes, have single-car garages and use materials other than vinyl siding. Homebuilders and affordable housing advocates have said the proposed requirements would push the price of a new home in Des Moines to at least $300,000.

Castro, speaking Tuesday at an affordable housing town hall on the east side, said he was made aware of Des Moines' efforts earlier in the day. He met with city officials to discuss the plan, he said.

When asked by Des Moines City Councilwoman Linda Westergaard about the proposal, Castro said he would reserve judgment until he reads it in its entirety. But, based on what he'd heard, Castro said he would encourage the city to be more flexible in its approach to allow for more affordable housing.

"You're only going to have more of a need in the next few years, whether it's in Des Moines or other cities, for housing that’s affordable," he said. "And when you do an ordinance, you need to think about not just 2019, but 2025, 2029, 2035 and how much affordable housing you’re going to need in the future. And I hope the council is able to do that before passing an ordinance."

Des Moines Mayor Frank Cownie said city officials had a “good” wide-ranging conversation with Castro, the former secretary of housing and urban development under President Barack Obama. The conversation lasted about 10 minutes, and Cownie said he’s hopeful to have him back to talk about the issue further.

“He can be very helpful to us on thoughts and strategies, especially for housing and how we can lift everybody up,” Cownie said.

The mayor said the zoning code changes are designed to protect neighborhoods and make the development process easier.

In the next 20 years, the Des Moines metro would need to add 33,592 new owner-occupied housing units to keep up with the expected influx of workers as the region grows. More than half would need to be homes priced below $175,000, according to a workforce housing study commissioned by the city.

Only 12% of the expected demand is for homes priced at $350,000 or more, the study found.

Currently, Polk County is short nearly 12,000 affordable housing units, according to the Polk County Housing Trust Fund.

The city's Plan and Zoning Commission has recommended Des Moines drop from the code its minimum square footage requirements, proposed as 1,400 square feet for a one-story home and 1,800 square feet for a two-story home. It also recommended dropping a requirement for all new homes to have full basements.

It's unclear if city staff will endorse those changes when the City Council considers the ordinance in September.

"I hope that we have many revisions before the zoning ordinance actually changes," said Westergaard, a local Realtor.

Castro has released a plan that would allow the federal government to partner with cities whose land use plans make it easier for affordable home construction. Cities who remove impediments like re-zoning or setbacks would get incentives, he said.

"Zoning and other requirements that are put into place very much affect the cost of putting a house together," Castro told reporters after the event. "And so, that will generally have a significant impact on the affordability of housing in a local community."

When asked whether Des Moines' zoning code, as proposed, would qualify for such a program, Castro said he wouldn't comment on it, specifically, until he's read the plan.

"But I will say, just in general, that cities should be moving more toward making housing affordable, not unaffordable," he said.

Castro has proposed other affordable housing programs, including investing $4 billion into the low-income housing tax credit program and giving the National Housing Trust Fund $40 billion over 10 years to build affordable apartments. He's also proposed turning the housing voucher system into an entitlement for anyone earning less than 50% of the area median income.

"I believe we need to go back to a time where we’re investing in affordable housing. I see housing as a human right," Castro said. "So, come hell or high water, in this campaign, we’re going to be talking about housing."

Kim Norvell covers growth and development for the Register. Reach her at knorvell@dmreg.com or 515-284-8259.

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