This survey is being conducted to better quantify housing needs and identify strategies to address housing issues in Sandpoint. It will also be used to update goals and policies included in the Comprehensive Plan.
Using the numbered areas in the map below, identify where you live in Sandpoint. If you do not live in the Sandpoint city limits, please select the city or area in which you live.
Area 5
Using the numbered areas in the map above, identify where you work. If you do not work in the Sandpoint city limits, please select the city or area in which you work.
Outside of Bonner County
What is your housing status?
Own a primary residence
Adults
3
Children
3
Extended Family
1
Non-family members
No response.
Disabled Family Members
1
How much of your current gross household income do you spend per month for housing (rent or full mortgage payment, excluding utilities)?
Less than 30%
Which of these best describes the type of housing you currently reside in?
Single family home
If you have recently looked for a rental or home to purchase, how difficult was it to find?
Apartment, condo, townhome, duplex or other attached housing type to rent - Have not recently looked
Single family home to rent - Very difficult
Condo, townhome or other attached housing type to buy - Have not recently looked
Single family home to buy - Very difficult
If it was difficult to find a rental or home to purchase, please indicate reasons. Choose as many as apply:
Other - number of bedrooms, bathrooms, needed were not available unless price was doubled.
Does your current housing meet your needs?
No
If you would like to move from your current home/apartment, what is the reason? Choose as many as apply:
Bigger house/apartment
Different neighborhood / location
Need a home accessible to people with disabilities
Want alternative transportation options (bus, bike paths, sidewalks)
Other - need more space for large family- have 6 people in 1350 sq. feet with 1.5 bathrooms.
Have you tried to buy a home before?
Yes, in Sandpoint city limits
Have you faced any of the following obstacles to buying a home in Sandpoint or Bonner County? Choose all that apply:
Could not find an affordable home where I wanted to live
Could not find an affordable home that met my family's needs due to size
Other - Even with money and credit, we could not find reasonably priced housing for our family in town. We have a disabled family member and elderly family member who does not drive.
What type of housing is most needed in Sandpoint? Choose as many as apply:
Single family homes to purchase
Condominiums or townhomes to purchase
Single family homes to rent
Condominiums, apartments, or other attached housing options to rent
Homeless shelters and/or transitional housing
Workforce housing
Cottage housing (cluster of small single-family homes)
Other - A Co-Housing development would possibly do quite well in Sandpoint. Increase Habitat for Humanity efforts.
If you were to purchase a primary home, what is the maximum purchase price you would be able and/or willing to pay?
375000
What is the maximum amount of rent you are able and/or willing to pay?
1600
What is your perception of the affordability of housing?
Housing in the Sandpoint city limits? - Very Expensive
Housing in Bonner County outside of Sandpoint city limits? - Expensive
What factors are most important to you in choosing a home or apartment? Choose all that apply:
Affordability
Type of home
Close to restaurants/entertainment/shopping/services
Walkable neighborhood
Size of home/apartment
Pets allowed
Close to bus/transit stops
Accessible to other alternative transportation options such as sidewalks and/or bike paths
Should the City invest funding into creating more affordable housing options?
Yes
Please indicate if you would support the following ideas to meet the community's housing needs (with 1 being do not support and 5 being strongly support):
Partnership with local employers for workforce housing. - 5
Down payment assistance programs. - 5
Incentives for landlords to convert seasonal rentals to long-term rentals. - 5
Incentive programs to help with cost of infrastructure for new housing developments. - 5
Incentives for homes built within a specific price range, of a specific type, or in a specific area. - 5
Fund infrastructure to support workforce housing with taxes or fees collected from vacation homes. - 5
Land trusts created in partnership between private developers and public agencies, non-profit agencies, or employers. Rental or for-sale housing built on land held in a trust to control cost of homes as a result of land value. - 5
Annexation of adjacent land to build more housing near Sandpoint's current city limits. - 2
Build more high-density housing in the city (i.e., large apartment complex). - 2
Build more medium density housing in the city (i.e., duplex, townhouses, small multi-family developments). - 3
Encourage residential development above commercial or in mixed-use buildings. - 4
Tiny home (400 sq ft or less) planned unit developments. - 2
Shared equity down payment assistance grants tied to the property. - 5
Change zoning to allow construction of duplexes in single family-zoned neighborhoods. - 4
Utilize small pockets of vacant land within existing Sandpoint neighborhoods for appropriately scaled multi-family housing types. - 4
Pocket residential / cottage housing (cluster of small single-family detached homes of approximately 1000 sq ft). - 3
Limit the number of non-resident owned short-term/vacation rentals in residential neighborhoods. - 5
Please share additional thoughts or comments regarding housing in the City of Sandpoint.
Sandpoint needs FAMILY housing where people can stay for long periods of time and raise children in a stable situation. I would support some kind of program that supported landlords and renters that would make finding and leasing 3-4 bedroom homes with 2 bathrooms more feasible. Many of the 2/1 and 3/1 rental homes could be upgraded and renovated to create 4/2 homes, but the cost to the property owner is too high. Right now, there are empty rentals around town- prices are too high and the size is too small to accommodate the actual needs in the community.
Many local families are priced out of buying homes- some expensive and resort communities offer down payment assistance to public employees and lower wage workers who are first time home buyers. Renovation loan programs might help some local families stay in their homes instead of selling out to out of state cash buyers who have resources beyond what our local market has.
Do something, anything, to help get education funded so we don't have people hating each other on social media because we have levies every two years.
Cooperation with and aggressive marketing aimed at increasing awareness of and use of FHA loans, Rural Development loans, and Idaho Housing and Finance programs: https://www.idahohousing.com/
We are a good fit for Co-Housing: https://www.cohousing.org/
Housing Variety Goal: Provide a variety of housing types across income levels in Sandpoint. (1=not important, 5=very important)?
Encourage diversity in housing types by permitting detached, duplex, townhouse, stacked flats, ADUs and other types as appropriate in land use districts. - 3
Encourage low to moderate-income housing with development incentives (like density bonuses) or other similar strategies. - 4
Help reduce household transportation costs by locating housing near daily needs. - 4
Blend mixed densities in neighborhoods to provide for income diversity among neighborhood residents while ensuring that the bulk, mass or scale of any individual development does not dominate a street. - 5
Existing Neighborhoods Goal: Protect and enhance the charm and comfort of Sandpoint’s existing neighborhoods. (1=not important, 5=very important)?
Implement appropriate controls in consideration of transition areas between existing neighborhoods and adjoining districts. - 3
Create street environments that would be appropriate for historic single family neighborhoods. - 3
Encourage small accessory dwelling units throughout Sandpoint. - 1
Encourage the formation of active neighborhood organizations and advocate their participation in the public process. - 5
New Neighborhoods Goal: Ensure that new neighborhoods provide the same charm and comfort of Sandpoint’s historic neighborhoods. (1=not important, 5=very important)?
Cul-de-sacs and other dead-end streets are discouraged, with a preference instead for traditional grid street patterns. Where cul-de-sacs are allowed, they must provide for continuous, non-motorized connections between streets. - 3
Neighborhood services, public open space and parks shall be connected with multimodal paths. - 3
Development shall occur with a safe, appropriate street system in a network that provides easy access but does not allow rapid or high volume traffic to disrupt the neighborhood. - 4
Encourage a variety of housing sizes within a block. - 4
Are there any goals or policies that you feel are missing from the list above?
Sidewalks and street maintenance in existing neighborhoods. We have underutilized hotel space that could become workforce housing and temporary, "alternative" type housing for single people and couples. Salt Lake City and other metropolitan areas have some programs that use small, independently owned, hotels for transitional housing on a contract basis. Residents may have to meet certain qualifications with employment and drug/alcohol use.
Looking out 20 years, what does a livable neighborhood in Sandpoint look like to you? Be specific.
We have several areas with mobile homes and mobile home neighborhoods that will hopefully transition to affordable, more permanent housing. We should start working with these land and property owners to improve how these lots are used in the future. A livable neighborhood has sidewalks, easy access to covered SPOT bus stops, and an increase in family sized living spaces- not ADUs and tiny homes that are used for 1-2 people and producing income.
Through initial outreach during the fall, we asked the community to start thinking about what they love about Sandpoint. Of the following, what are the top 3 that are most important to you?
Neighborhood walkability
Housing options for all incomes
Housing options for renters and owners
What should Sandpoint be doing to help support these shared values?
No response.
Tell us a little about your relationship with the City of Sandpoint. Choose all that apply:
I own property in Sandpoint
Other - I own a house and live in Sandpoint with 3 teenagers, a husband who works in Sandpoint, an elderly, extended family member, and an adult son who lives independently in a run down studio apt.
What is your age?
50-59
What is your annual household income?
$100,000 or greater
How many children under the age of 18 are living at home?
3
Open Town Hall is not a certified voting system or ballot box. As with any public comment process, participation in Open Town Hall is voluntary. The responses in this record are not necessarily representative of the whole population, nor do they reflect the opinions of any government agency or elected officials.
Translate
Using the numbered areas in the map below, identify where you live in Sandpoint. If you do not live in the Sandpoint city limits, please select the city or area in which you live.
Using the numbered areas in the map above, identify where you work. If you do not work in the Sandpoint city limits, please select the city or area in which you work.
What is your housing status?
Adults
3Children
3Extended Family
1Non-family members
No response.Disabled Family Members
1How much of your current gross household income do you spend per month for housing (rent or full mortgage payment, excluding utilities)?
Which of these best describes the type of housing you currently reside in?
If you have recently looked for a rental or home to purchase, how difficult was it to find?
If it was difficult to find a rental or home to purchase, please indicate reasons. Choose as many as apply:
Does your current housing meet your needs?
If you would like to move from your current home/apartment, what is the reason? Choose as many as apply:
Have you tried to buy a home before?
Have you faced any of the following obstacles to buying a home in Sandpoint or Bonner County? Choose all that apply:
What type of housing is most needed in Sandpoint? Choose as many as apply:
If you were to purchase a primary home, what is the maximum purchase price you would be able and/or willing to pay?
375000What is the maximum amount of rent you are able and/or willing to pay?
1600What is your perception of the affordability of housing?
What factors are most important to you in choosing a home or apartment? Choose all that apply:
Should the City invest funding into creating more affordable housing options?
Please indicate if you would support the following ideas to meet the community's housing needs (with 1 being do not support and 5 being strongly support):
Please share additional thoughts or comments regarding housing in the City of Sandpoint.
Sandpoint needs FAMILY housing where people can stay for long periods of time and raise children in a stable situation. I would support some kind of program that supported landlords and renters that would make finding and leasing 3-4 bedroom homes with 2 bathrooms more feasible. Many of the 2/1 and 3/1 rental homes could be upgraded and renovated to create 4/2 homes, but the cost to the property owner is too high. Right now, there are empty rentals around town- prices are too high and the size is too small to accommodate the actual needs in the community.
Many local families are priced out of buying homes- some expensive and resort communities offer down payment assistance to public employees and lower wage workers who are first time home buyers. Renovation loan programs might help some local families stay in their homes instead of selling out to out of state cash buyers who have resources beyond what our local market has.
Do something, anything, to help get education funded so we don't have people hating each other on social media because we have levies every two years.
Cooperation with and aggressive marketing aimed at increasing awareness of and use of FHA loans, Rural Development loans, and Idaho Housing and Finance programs: https://www.idahohousing.com/
We are a good fit for Co-Housing: https://www.cohousing.org/
Housing Variety Goal: Provide a variety of housing types across income levels in Sandpoint. (1=not important, 5=very important)?
Existing Neighborhoods Goal: Protect and enhance the charm and comfort of Sandpoint’s existing neighborhoods. (1=not important, 5=very important)?
New Neighborhoods Goal: Ensure that new neighborhoods provide the same charm and comfort of Sandpoint’s historic neighborhoods. (1=not important, 5=very important)?
Are there any goals or policies that you feel are missing from the list above?
Sidewalks and street maintenance in existing neighborhoods. We have underutilized hotel space that could become workforce housing and temporary, "alternative" type housing for single people and couples. Salt Lake City and other metropolitan areas have some programs that use small, independently owned, hotels for transitional housing on a contract basis. Residents may have to meet certain qualifications with employment and drug/alcohol use.
Looking out 20 years, what does a livable neighborhood in Sandpoint look like to you? Be specific.
We have several areas with mobile homes and mobile home neighborhoods that will hopefully transition to affordable, more permanent housing. We should start working with these land and property owners to improve how these lots are used in the future. A livable neighborhood has sidewalks, easy access to covered SPOT bus stops, and an increase in family sized living spaces- not ADUs and tiny homes that are used for 1-2 people and producing income.
Through initial outreach during the fall, we asked the community to start thinking about what they love about Sandpoint. Of the following, what are the top 3 that are most important to you?
What should Sandpoint be doing to help support these shared values?
No response.Tell us a little about your relationship with the City of Sandpoint. Choose all that apply:
What is your age?
What is your annual household income?
How many children under the age of 18 are living at home?
3