Lack of starter homes still a problem for Juneau

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) - A lack of affordable housing for young families continues to be a problem in Alaska’s capital.

Four builders, who were among those who testified last year about the dire state of housing in Juneau, updated Juneau officials Monday on the city’s housing situation.

Russ McDougal of MAC’s Design and Construction said the biggest frustration for builders and families is the lack of stand-alone homes in the Juneau market that are intended as a family’s first home, the Juneau Empire reported (https://is.gd/FHcJLy)

These starter homes are priced between $150,000 and $250,000. No such stand-alone homes in that price range sold in the last year in Juneau.

Instead, of the 133 housing units in the price range that sold in the last year, 30 were duplexes and the rest were condominiums.

This forces young families, the very people Juneau wants to attract, to look elsewhere for a starter home.

Contract Dave Hanna said the solution might be more mobile-home subdivisions.

“That’s a home almost any young person can get into,” he said. “That’s a way to get started.”

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Information from: Juneau (Alaska) Empire, https://www.juneauempire.com