Council considers Housing Production Strategy to guide non-regulatory measures for housing growth

City planning staff presented a Housing Production Strategy to the Independence City Council describing recommended actions — partnerships, regulatory considerations, incentives and land actions — to address housing needs following a housing-needs analysis. Staff characterized the strategy as non-regulatory guidance meant to identify options for future code or policy changes rather than immediate code amendments.

Staff highlighted that the multi-unit property tax exemption had been removed from the draft following council feedback at a previous meeting. The plan groups recommendations by likely impact and identifies several items the city is already pursuing, such as infill standards and parking requirement considerations. Staff recommended council adopt a resolution to approve the strategy so the city can show progress on the State-required housing-production effort.

A motion to adopt the housing production strategy resolution was made and seconded on the council floor. The transcript excerpt includes the motion and second; no roll-call vote is recorded in the provided excerpt. Staff and councilors noted the strategy’s role as a non-regulatory document and said it would point to potential future code changes or programs to increase housing supply over the coming eight-year planning window.