Affordable Housing Rules for McCall, Valley County, ID

McCall's housing crunch produced two different city programs that a land buyer should not confuse: a mandatory inclusionary zoning requirement for new subdivisions, currently being fought over in court, and a separate, voluntary cash-incentive program for owners willing to deed-restrict a unit.

This page covers what's specific to Valley County. For the general explanation, see the national guide.

A mandatory rule, and a real legal challenge to it

McCall's zoning and development code includes inclusionary zoning provisions that require new subdivision developments to include an affordable-housing component -- not a voluntary incentive, but a condition attached to development approval itself. That requirement has been challenged in court: the McCall Board of Realtors sued the city, arguing the inclusionary zoning code is unconstitutional. This means the requirement's ultimate legal footing is, as of this research pass, unsettled rather than a fully resolved matter of local law. Anyone evaluating a McCall parcel specifically for its subdivision-development potential should treat the current inclusionary requirement as a real, presently-enforced condition, while also being aware that litigation over its validity is active and could change the requirement's scope or enforceability.

This page's research did not turn up the specific percentage-of-units or fee-in-lieu formula the ordinance requires, nor the current procedural status of the Board of Realtors' lawsuit -- both should be confirmed directly with McCall Planning and Zoning and, ideally, through a review of the current litigation's docket, before pricing a subdivision proposal around an assumed inclusionary-housing cost.

A separate, voluntary program: cash in exchange for a housing covenant

Distinct from the mandatory inclusionary zoning requirement, the City of McCall also runs a voluntary Local Housing program that offers a one-time reimbursement -- up to $10,000 per unit, or up to $20,000 if the unit is income-restricted -- to a property owner who agrees to record a local housing covenant (deed restriction) on the property. That covenant requires the unit to be rented or sold long-term to a household where a member works at least 30 hours per week (1,560 hours per year) for a McCall business, is age 65 or older, or has a disability. This is opt-in, not a condition of any particular development approval, and it applies to existing housing stock as much as new construction -- it's a different tool aimed at a different problem than the inclusionary zoning requirement above, and the two shouldn't be conflated when evaluating a property.

For a buyer, the practical distinction is which side of the transaction you're on. A parcel already zoned and platted with an existing house is a candidate for the voluntary covenant program only if you choose to opt in -- it never applies automatically. A raw parcel being purchased specifically for new subdivision development, by contrast, may run headfirst into the mandatory inclusionary requirement regardless of whether you want the affordable-housing component, since it attaches to the development approval itself rather than to any individual owner's preference. Confirm which category your intended project falls into with McCall Planning and Zoning before assuming either program's costs, incentives, or restrictions apply to your specific plan.

Housing Mitigation Requirements in McCall, Valley County, Idaho

A mandatory rule, and a real legal challenge to it

A separate, voluntary program: cash in exchange for a housing covenant

Ready to talk to someone who knows land?