Wyoming housing analysis shows there are big needs in Laramie County

Mar. 14—CHEYENNE — The Wyoming Community Development Authority released a statewide housing needs assessment at the beginning of the month. It is not the first to find that there is a housing shortage in Laramie County and across Wyoming.

The assessment conducted by Root Policy Research, on behalf of WCDA, provides demographic trends, economic impact and in-depth analyses of factors such as housing affordability, availability and sustainability. WCDA's intention is that the findings will serve as a foundation for informed decision-making, policy development and resource allocation to meet the housing requirements Wyoming residents.

It suggests the state aim to expand housing production to accommodate and encourage economic growth.

"Currently, housing affordability for workers is a binding constraint for economic growth, as housing supply continues to be outstripped by demand and the workforce needed to support business growth struggles to find affordable housing," the report said.

With population growth over the past decade and moderate population growth projected, WCDA suggests the state needs to add between 20,700 and 38,600 units by 2030.

In Laramie County, WCDA estimates we will need between 1,204 and 1,994 additional rental units and between 3,181 and 5,271 additional housing units, totaling between 4,386 and 7,266 total units needed by 2030.

There are currently several multi-family housing projects being constructed in the county, but many of them will not be affordable to current and incoming residents.

Residential building permits in Wyoming's Southeast Region (which the assessment defines as Niobrara, Platte, Goshen, Albany and Laramie counties) have been largely dominated by units in single-family structures. Around 71% of units permitted in the Southeast Region since 1980 are units in single-family structures and around 20% are units in multifamily structures of five units or more.

In 2023, the median rent for a unit in a multi-family structure was $1,102. The median sale price for a single-family home in Laramie County was $350,000 in 2022.

Although income for renters and owners in the county increased by 33% and 30% respectively between 2010 and 2021, multi-family median rent increased 43% in the same timeframe to $954. In 2023, that number had increased to $1,102, a 65% increase from 2010.

With population projected to increase in Laramie County between the Sentinel project and various data centers and other businesses coming to Cheyenne, the WCDA proposed a few recommendations for promoting sustainable growth in the Southeast Region.

First, they suggest making any possible changes to allow for more multi-family housing. This may include development code amendments like removing height restrictions and changing parking restrictions as well as rezoning land. Particularly, they suggest promoting apartments.

The assessment also recommends allowing more single-family homes that are more densely built by changing the minimum lot size. This can lead to lower land costs per unit and allow for condos and townhomes.

WCDA's final suggestion is to expand on-base housing and near-base housing. "An on-base complex can house operations staff, while large complexes near the base can be used to house construction crews and non-military personnel," the assessment said.

Cheyenne's city council has already been addressing many of these suggestions in recent months. In December, they approved several amendments to the Unified Development Code (UDC) to encourage development of more dense and more affordable housing.

Some of these changes included eliminating the minimum lot area for residential properties, removing density requirements for multi-dwelling buildings and reducing parking spaces to one space per studio or one-bedroom unit and 1.5 for all other residential units.

The city also approved the intent to apply for a loan that would support housing development on land near F.E. Warren Air Force Base in December.

Cheyenne Mayor Patrick Collins said housing will be one of his main priorities this year at the 2024 city council goal-setting session and that it will remain one of his running points as he seeks reelection in November.

Naturally, the housing shortage is not unique to Laramie County but is an issue across the state and the nation.

On the statewide level, the assessment recommends the state government:

— remove protest petition laws that allow neighbors to fight the development of multifamily housing such as apartments

— revisit extraterritorial jurisdiction, which allows the governing body of a Wyoming city to regulate beyond city limits

— in a way that allows city expansion and democratic representation

— increase public input earlier in the planning process by inviting more commentary during the design of growth plans and zoning laws

— incentivize local governments to deregulate housing density restrictions

— facilitate and expand local access to infrastructure funds

— and provide technical support for local governments to identify housing infrastructure gaps.

Noah Zahn is the Wyoming Tribune Eagle's local government/business reporter. He can be reached at 307-633-3128 or nzahn@wyomingnews.com. Follow him on X @NoahZahnn.