Langley needs 115 new homes in next decade, study finds

Published 1:30 am Friday, October 7, 2022

The city of Langley will require a total of 115 new dwelling units to be constructed within the coming decade to meet the projected population growth and ensuing demand for housing, according to a recent report detailing the city’s housing assessment needs.

Meredith Penny, Langley’s director of Community Planning, shared the results of the consultant-prepared draft report with the city council Monday night. The report draws from census data and other publicly available data sources from federal, state, and local government resources.

At its current population of 1,155, Langley has already exceeded the projected population estimate for 2036, which was established in the 2016 Island County Comprehensive Plan.

Data from the report showed that the city’s population is aging faster than the county as a whole, with the median age in Langley being 23 years older than the median age in Island County. From 2010 to 2020, Langley’s median age increased by 12 years.

However, household incomes in Langley are lower than the county overall, with about 40% of households earning less than $50,000 annually.

“This could be explained by the high number of retirees living in Langley,” Penny said. “However since 2010, the percent of Langley households that earned greater than $75,000 annually has actually increased by over 100%, so that could indicate an influx of higher income earners, although inflation could account for that increase as well.”

About 95% of jobs are filled by workers commuting into Langley, with the average commute time being nearly 32 minutes. In contrast, only 27 employees both live and work in the city.

Langley is expected to accommodate an additional 51 jobs by 2036, which represents 17% of employment in southern Island County.

Aside from an increase in ADUs in 2020, and the addition of a tiny home development, as Penny pointed out, residential development has decreased.

“Langley has one of the highest median home sales prices on Whidbey Island, which is financially unobtainable for our local residents,” she said.

Between 2017 and 2022, the median home sales price increased by 60%. The median price in 2022 is $600,000. Penny said she is reaching out to a local real estate company to ask about rental properties the company manages in order to determine an average rent for Langley.

To accommodate the city’s forecasted population for 2036, the report found that an additional 54 housing units are needed. To meet demand for short-term rentals or second homes, the city will require an additional 44 units.

The report also looks at underproduction of housing units relative to the number of households formed in Langley. With the combination of underproduction and the projected need, Langley will require a total of 115 new housing units to be built by 2036.

Next steps include meeting with focus groups and receiving feedback on the report. Penny said she is hoping to have a community meeting on the subject in early November. In addition, a recent housing survey garnered 443 responses. Once the housing needs analysis report is finalized, work can begin on an inclusionary zoning ordinance.

Councilmember Craig Cyr said it was fascinating to see all the numbers.

“Langley has told itself the story in the past that it’s an affluent community,” he said. “I’ve actually heard that statement in a council meeting when I first joined the council, and it’s not true. What we have is affluent individuals inside the city.”

On the other hand, Councilmember Gail Fleming said it was shocking to see the statistic that in 2021, 35% of housing units sold in Langley were not for primary residences.

“This is a big deal,” she said. “A lot of people say, ‘We need to just build more houses and then everything will be fine’ but we have no control over who buys those. If they live somewhere else and they want to have a second home, we can’t say that that’s not okay. That cuts down on what’s available for people who live here.”

Councilmember Rhonda Salerno suggested that second home buyers could potentially be discouraged from buying via higher utility rates.

Councilmember Thomas Gill said the data outlined in the report aligned with things he has known to be true for years.

“We did not get our 2010 development and the city has always kind of grown like clockwork, 20 to 50 units in a neighborhood every 10 years, and we didn’t get one,” he said. “And so now we’re kind of feeling the pinch of that.”

Langley resident Stef Christensen pointed out that by 2036, a lot of the “aging folks” mentioned in the report won’t be alive. She suggested looking at the turnover within five to 10 years of the houses being occupied.

“It’s good that there’s long-term residents, but people tend to get old,” she said. “When you have an attractive city that people want to live in, it’s a factor that needs to be considered.”