Washington State funded Kent's Housing Options Plan with the explicit goal of “increasing the residential building capacity”—i.e., building more homes. The City of Kent is not a housing provider, so our ability to impact housing outcomes is mostly limited to land use policy. Policies affect what can be built and where, so the focus of the Plan is on policies that help Kent increase the number of homes in the ways that best meet the needs of Kent’s unique community. The Plan can’t make your tax bill or rent lower, but it can point us toward a future where homeownership is more within reach, and rents are more predictable.

While the City of Kent has only a small role in the overall housing market, we want to make sure that our codes and requirements focus on the things that are most important to our residents. We know that there is not one approach that will serve all people, nor one policy for all housing challenges. The Housing Options Plan will identify Kent’s specific set of needs and provide guidance on how we can better reach them.

• How much and what housing types does Kent have and need?
• How can the City of Kent preserve options and affordability for existing residents?
• How can city policies better serve people who want to live in Kent, but can’t find housing that meets their needs?
• What are the city’s existing housing policies and how are they working? 
• Where can we improve?
• What are some new ideas to meet Kent’s specific needs?

Due to the lack of available in-person outreach methods, staff focused on expanding the types of direct methods to engage as many sectors of the Kent population as possible. Through these methods, nearly 300 people responded to the survey, and staff spoke directly to over 80 people “in-person” over digital meeting platforms. The three live meetings were strategically held at different times on November 20, 2020, December 10, 2020, and January 23, 2021.

• Project website
• Online survey
• Listserv
• Three digital live meetings
• Direct communication with all registered Homeowners’ and Neighborhood Associations
• Direct communication with Kent Cultural Communities Board
• Presentations and discussions with:
  • Cambridge Neighborhood Association Meeting
  • Kent Cultural Diversity Initiative Group (24 CBOs)
  • Kent Community Development Collaborative- KCDC (7 Development Partners)
  • Kent Sustainability Ambassadors Youth Leaders
• Flyers to Kent School District families
• Targeted Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter ads
• 400 hand-delivered postcards to King County Housing Authority residents
• 300 postcards delivered to culturally specific grocery stores in the Valley and Kent East Hill
• 300 postcards distributed at the Kent Foodbank
• Mayor’s weekly email communication
• Mayor video spotlight