Josh Busard and Becky Soglin, members of the Johnson County Request for Proposal Affordable Housing Act steering committee, have been working to hire a consultant to conduct a housing assessment study. On Feb. 19 the committee determined their preferred candidate is CommunityScale.
This study will be of unincorporated areas, manufactured housing, villages, and small towns of Johnson County. They are hoping the study will provide an analysis and projections that will help them bring together what they do and don’t know about the needs of residents and give them a refreshing view.
Requests for proposals were issued on Oct. 21, 2024, and were due Dec. 18, 2024. In January 2024, the committee reviewed 10 proposals and, in February, narrowed them down to two finalists.
The committee’s budget was $150,000, and CommunityScale will cost $145,240, which includes three trips to Johnson County.
There have been substantial changes since the board originally released the impetus for the study, including when it adopted its first comprehensive plan. The goal of sustainability and supporting safe and equitable access to housing led to the decision to participate in and lead regional housing studies to identify needs.
The County Economic Development Plan of 2022 recommended a housing needs assessment, and in 2024, equitable access to safe and affordable housing became a new priority.
Soglin expressed that residents’ stories and issues and listening posts of concerns have brought the need for this study to their attention. Healthy JoCo picked four pillars out of 11 issue areas, one of which is housing.
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Soglin said the reason they waited to conduct this survey is because the City of Iowa Metro-Area led a housing study expected this spring.
CommunityScale’s expertise includes housing, economic development, planning/zoning, and data. Although based in Massachusetts, it has prior experience working in the Indianapolis area, Council Bluffs, Omaha, rural and urban areas, and regional and country-specific studies.
CommunityScale’s analysis and engagement process will involve storytelling and ground truthing about housing stock. It will use available reports and data sources, proprietary tools, and proxy data.
Soglin said they will address their 16 data point requests and bring in new data, as they have access to resources the committee is unfamiliar with.
With this study, the committee will want the report to consist of a gap analysis and impact review, policy inventory and analysis, a custom forecast, and immediate, impactful strategies with actionable outcomes.
The digital materials the committee will want from CommunityScale include an online dashboard summary, interactive maps, adaptable highlights graphics for social media, and a ready-to-go slide presentation to promote findings and recommendations.