The Housing Element of the 2016 Douglas County Master Plan update is scheduled to go before the Board of Commissioners on Dec. 4, 9am in Minden.

Public comment will be taken at the meeting, while written comments will be accepted before then.

According to participants in the 2016 Master Plan survey, the Housing Element was rated as one of the top three Master Plan elements needing improvement, after Growth Management and Land Use. Several survey respondents expressed concern with the lack of diverse housing stock and the expensive housing market in Douglas County.

Included in the Housing Element is a section on affordable housing. Affordable housing in the Housing Element is defined as market rate housing as well as subsidized housing. The standard rule of thumb is that housing costs, including utilities, should not exceed 30 percent of household income.

In July, the county with the Nevada Rural Housing Authority created the Douglas County Affordable Housing Task Force. Their meetings are not open to the public.