Nexus Study Presentation

Join the Blaine County Housing Authority (BCHA) and Wood River Land Trust for a presentation and discussion of the findings from the recently published "Nexus Study" that investigated "New Development’s Impacts onCommunity Housing Demand in Blaine County, Idaho."  Understanding the dire affordability gap in Blaine County-- where the median home price in Blaine County was $1 million and only affordable to buyers earning approximately 300% of the area median income-- the project partners and local leaders sought to examine the impact of new market-rate development on the demand for community housing. The Nexus Study’s findings indicate that all new market-rate development in Blaine County generates demand for additional employees and housing for those new employees. The vast majority of these new employee households won’t earn enough to afford market-rate housing, thus exacerbating the demand for community housing. The study finds that, across all jurisdictions and home sizes, 10 new market-rate homes generate demand for approximately one new home affordable to local workers. The full technical report from the study quantifies the amount and incomes of new households generated by different commercial land uses and by different home sizes across the county. Please see the full report and join us on September 17th for a review of the affordability gap in Blaine County, plus the methodology, local involvement and findings of the Nexus Study.