By Real Issues Podcast · Powered by the Real Housing Reform Initiative
This Isn’t Political — It’s Personal
I’ve interviewed local candidates, real estate professionals, policymakers, and even city staff. And one thing has become painfully clear: affordable housing isn’t a partisan issue. Whether you rent, own, or dream of buying your first home, the cost of living here affects everyone. No one’s ideas are 100% right or 100% wrong — but we have to be honest about which policies are actually working and which ones are making things worse.
The Numbers Don’t Lie
Bellingham is the single most expensive city of its size in the United States. That didn’t happen overnight — and it didn’t happen by accident. According to the AWB Institute’s Housing Affordability Index, Washington State now ranks among the least affordable housing markets in the nation. The average household can no longer afford the average home anywhere in the state. That’s not just an affordability problem — it’s a policy problem.
We Have to Be Willing to Look at Everything
We’ve built a system that rewards process over production. Endless fees, zoning restrictions, and layers of review have created a perfect storm where housing is harder to build, slower to deliver, and more expensive than ever before. And here’s a hard truth: we can’t subsidize our way out of this. Subsidies can help fill short-term gaps — in income, supply, or opportunity — but they aren’t a solution. They’re a mask. Every dollar in subsidy comes from somewhere else, and every time we rely on them instead of fixing the underlying causes, we’re just passing the cost down the line. If we want real affordability, we have to fix the rules that caused the problem — not just fund programs that hide it.
Local Control, Local Accountability
Bellingham’s affordability crisis didn’t start in Olympia, but it’s being made worse there. State policymakers keep writing one-size-fits-all laws for cities they don’t live in. They don’t understand the land, the people, or the local conditions that make housing work here. Meanwhile, the City of Bellingham owns far more buildable property than it should — land that could be helping solve the problem instead of sitting off the market. Local decisions created this mess — and local voices are the only ones that can fix it.
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Transparency Starts Now
That’s why I founded the Real Housing Reform Initiative, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) dedicated to affordable homeownership and transparency in housing policy. From here on out, I’ll be transcribing every public meeting related to housing and land use — and breaking it down into three simple parts: 1) Why does it matter? 2) How does it affect you — whether you’re a renter, homeowner, or buyer? 3) What can you do to help? Because everyone deserves to understand how their city’s decisions are shaping their future.
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Introducing Land Use University
I’m also launching Land Use University — an open learning platform where anyone can understand how zoning, planning, and housing policy really work. If we want better outcomes, we need better understanding. And that starts with education, transparency, and honest conversation.
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Get Involved
This isn’t about anger — it’s about accountability. And it’s about making sure that the next generation doesn’t inherit a worse deal than the one we were given. So let’s fix it — together.
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👉 Get involved, share your ideas, and be part of the conversation.
Because this is your city, your future, and your voice matters.
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