Read FOCC’s Statement Concerning Comments from a Representative of the Development and Engineering Advisory Board (DEAB)
In a Clark County public hearing on January 15th, Eric Golemo of the Clark County Development & Engineering Advisory Board (DEAB) testified, saying “…we’ll attract what we plan for. While Clark County used to attract the best and the brightest from the metro area, we’ll now be at risk of becoming a hub for low-income and subsidized housing.” This statement translates to “We do not want people who need low income or affordable housing in Clark County because they are not the best or the brightest.”
This is a classist and racist sentiment, as we know that communities of color are disproportionately lower income due to systemic racism. This comment also reflects land use planning’s historically racist practice of keeping people of color out of communities, known as redlining.
Can we not as a community acknowledge, and embrace, that residents actually need affordable housing? While county data is not detailed, we know a significant number of our very own residents work in low-wage industries, and that wages have simply not kept up with costs of housing. Locally, “affordable” housing is typically described as either 60% or 80% of Annual Median Income (AMI), based on the 2023 median household income for the Portland/Vancouver Metro area of $94,925. 60% of that average income is $56,955, and 80% is $75,940. These income levels are patently unrealistic for many people in Clark County–especially folks of color. If the DEAB is not sympathetic to this problem, then DEAB, and those it represents, is part of the problem.
The Councilmembers who have steadfastly advocated for truly affordable housing should be concerned that the spokesperson for one of the County’s own advisory committees thinks it’s acceptable to publicly state that the County should not provide affordable housing because those who need it are not “the best” or “the brightest.” Moreover, for someone to hold that belief while making recommendations to our Council on housing policy is deeply troubling. Finally, Mr. Golemo’s statement demonstrates a flagrant disregard for the affordable housing requirements of the Growth Management Act.
The exclusionary attitude evidenced by this DEAB comment reveals how relevant and challenging it is to elevate equity and inclusion in land use planning. Council should not allow urban growth area expansions requested by the cities that don’t need them. Our communities’ needs for more equitable housing options, climate resilience and food security are too important to ignore.