Watauga workforce housing bill fails to advance in legislature

A bill that would expand workforce housing opportunities in Watauga County will not advance in the legislature this session.

House Bill 306 would have given Boone, Blowing Rock and Watauga County Board of Education the opportunity to provide workforce housing for municipal workers and teachers.

Had the bill passed, the local government organizations could have rented or sold units exclusively to those employees, or worked through partnerships to build the housing. 

House Speaker Destin Hall, whose district includes part of Watauga, says opponents of the measure worried about the government competing against the private sector.

“I think the debate surrounding that bill really comes down to should local governments be getting into the business of being landlords?” he says.

Housing is getting increasingly expensive in the county, with average prices earlier this year approaching $900,000. 

Officials say many staff members can't afford to live close by on the salaries paid for their government jobs.