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Regular City Council Meeting <br /> Monday, February 13,2017 <br /> Page 14 <br /> Councilmember Etten stated his agreement in retaining the Economic Develop- <br /> ment goal and revising it, but asked if"housing"was an actual priority of the City <br /> Council or simply happened in the background. <br /> Councilmember Etten stated his agreement with Councilmember Willmus on the <br /> need for single-level housing; but questioned if that was a City Council priority, <br /> was the city in turn willing to fund it as a policy priority for funding or to support <br /> developers undertaking that housing style. Councilmember Etten stated those <br /> were different discussions for him; and noted that "move up housing" had been <br /> desired by the city, but the market took over and the city wasn't called upon to <br /> subsidize it. However, Councilmember Etten stated his interest in having more <br /> discussion around that idea. <br /> Councilmember McGehee questioned the priority to "increase the value of exist- <br /> ing homes," recognizing that the city didn't need to do anything when the market <br /> increases, and since there were few factors the Council could control, questioned <br /> its retention as a goal. <br /> As an afterthought, Councilmember McGehee revised her suggestion to consider <br /> the review of the multi-family housing licensing program as a part of priority <br /> planning since it was actually a task. Specific to cost benefit analyses, Coun- <br /> cilmember McGehee spoke in support of using them anywhere possible. <br /> Mayor Roe opined that "cost benefit analysis" fell into the task versus priority ar- <br /> ea as well. Mayor Roe also questioned if other areas (e.g. rental licensing and in- <br /> creased housing values) also fell under ongoing activities that could be acknowl- <br /> edged but didn't necessarily need to be shown as a priority. However, Mayor Roe <br /> stated the importance of not losing sight of those areas either; suggesting that they <br /> be considered as part of the continuing review of programs. <br /> Councilmember McGehee opined that "cost benefit analysis" should be a policy <br /> not a task. It was a policy defining the City Council evaluated some items. <br /> Mayor Roe noted that, since the 2016 PPP, that analysis had already been added <br /> to several city policy revisions in the interim. <br /> Councilmember Willmus recognized Councilmember Etten's comments on hous- <br /> ing, while at the same time and depending on the type of development and its lo- <br /> cation,-stated that all of those considerations should remain on the table. Whether <br /> or not it should remain a goal as currently identified, Councilmember Willmus <br /> agreed probably not; but noted that over the last year or so, some tools had been <br /> implemented by the city to help facilitate desired development (e.g. resurrection <br /> of the PUD process)that could help spur that type of development in the future. <br />