You can't stop growth. But you can choose how to grow.

Here's something we hear a lot at city council meetings across Idaho: "I moved here for the wide open spaces. I just don't want it to change."

As an Idaho native, I understand that sentiment. People are drawn to Idaho because of its quality of life, and it’s natural to want to protect what makes a place special. But that instinct, on its own, isn’t a housing policy—and it can make it harder to address the real challenges our communities are facing.

Idaho is one of the fastest-growing states in the country. People are coming from California, Washington, Oregon—places where housing costs are significantly higher—and they’re arriving with resources that allow them to compete aggressively in our housing market. What feels affordable to an out-of-state buyer often isn’t affordable to a family, because wages and cost of living here are very different.  When a nurse, teacher, or young family is outbid for a starter home, it’s a signal that our housing supply isn’t keeping up with demand—and local workers are feeling the consequences.

And yet, in many Idaho communities, the response has been to make it harder to build homes. Minimum lot sizes increase, projects are denied, and housing types like townhomes or cottages are often met with concern about traffic, density, or neighborhood character.  Those concerns are important—and they deserve to be addressed. But the question is whether our response helps solve the problem, or unintentionally makes it worse.

The Drawbridge Doesn't Work

Here’s the reality: we can’t make policies that stop people from moving to Idaho. The jobs are here. The quality of life is here. Compared to coastal markets, housing is still relatively attainable. People will continue to come. The question isn’t whether we grow—it’s whether we respond in a way that works for the people who already live here. When we limit housing, we’re not stopping growth—we’re deciding who gets to stay. Valley County Commissioner Sherry Maupin put it plainly to the Idaho Legislature's housing study committee: "People are coming in in droves saying 'not in my backyard,' and that's driving a lot more litigation. We've had an increase in appeals we've never had before -- and it's slowing down the process." The opposition is slowing down housing development and pricing out the people who need it most.

If we don’t build enough homes, prices rise. And when prices rise, it’s not newcomers who are most affected—it’s the people already rooted in these communities. We’re already seeing the impact. In 2013, Idaho households spent about 25% of their income on housing. By 2023, that number had risen to 55%. That’s a fundamental shift in who can afford to live here. Teachers, firefighters, health care workers, and young families are being pushed farther from where they work—not because they don’t want to stay, but because there aren’t enough homes available at prices they can afford.

The Real Question

The question was never whether Idaho would grow. The question is whether we plan for the homes our communities need – or whether we fall further behind.  Stopping growth is never a good thing. As one former mayor said, "a gentle stream has become a gushing waterfall" -- and that's what we all have to navigate.

What does that look like in practice? It means allowing smaller lot sizes and a wider range of housing types. It means supporting infill development in areas that already have infrastructure. It means building “missing middle” housing—the kinds of homes that used to be common and attainable for working families. It also means doing the work to ensure infrastructure keeps pace with growth—so that new development contributes to, rather than strains, the community. Some communities are already moving in this direction. Post Falls, for example, is exploring smaller lots and cottage-style housing to create more attainable pathways to homeownership.

Community input matters—but participation is not the same as representation. Public hearings tend to reflect the voices of those with the time and resources to attend, which can leave out many of the people most affected by housing decisions. If we want outcomes that work for the whole community, we have to look beyond who is in the room and consider who is not—and why.

Growing for Idahoans

Most people want the same thing: communities where their neighbors, children, and local workforce can afford to live. At our organization, planning for the homes our community needs isn’t about changing what makes Idaho special—it’s about making sure the people who contribute to our communities can continue to be part of them. It means building the kind of housing stock Idaho had a generation ago, when a young couple with modest wages could actually buy a starter home and put down roots. That includes teachers, nurses, service workers, and young families. It includes the next generation deciding whether they can stay.

Policies that significantly limit housing—larger lots, fewer units, longer delays—tend to reduce supply and increase costs over time. And when that happens, access to housing becomes more limited, not more protected.

You can’t stop growth. But you can choose how to respond to it. We can plan for the homes our communities need—so that Idaho remains a place where people don’t just want to move, but can afford to stay.