Ask City Council to Return to the Table

Why We Oppose the Spokane Cooling Mandate

It Makes Housing More Expensive

The ordinance creates new costs for housing providers that will take affordable housing units off the market, limit renter choice, and make future housing more expensive.

It Creates an Unfunded Mandate with No Standards for Improving Outcomes

Nonprofit housing providers and charities would be required to comply without any dedicated funding. Every dollar spent on mandates is a dollar that can’t be spent on maintenance, resident services, or creating more affordable housing. There is no requirement or guidance in the ordinance for the tenant’s spending to adequately cool their home, wasting desperately needed resources meant for those most in need.

It Isn’t Targeted to Those Most in Need

The proposal applies broadly to all tenants regardless of income. Instead of directing resources to vulnerable residents, it imposes costly requirements across the entire rental housing market.

It Sidesteps the Building Code Process

The ordinance requires “adequate cooling” for any new rental unit in Spokane but does not clearly define what that means. The ordinance short-circuits the highly technical process usually used to create these standards so that construction companies and architects have the clarity they need to SAFELY build homes to these standards.

There Are Better Solutions

Spokane should focus on targeted assistance, rebates, incentives, and partnerships that help vulnerable residents access cooling without making housing less affordable for everyone.

Tell City Council: Return to the Table to Protect Residents Without Making Housing Less Affordable

Spokane needs more housing, lower costs, and practical cooling solutions, not an extreme mandate that risks reducing the affordable housing our community depends on.

Dear Spokane City Council,

As a local housing provider and WMFHA member, I support efforts to help Spokane residents stay safe during periods of extreme heat. However, I am concerned that the proposed cooling ordinance will create unintended consequences that make housing more expensive and more difficult to provide. Many rental housing providers, especially small property owners and nonprofit organizations, operate on thin margins and are already facing rising costs. Adding new mandates without funding or clear standards will increase expenses, create compliance challenges, and could ultimately lead to higher rents or fewer housing options for Spokane residents.

I encourage the City to work with housing providers, affordable housing organizations, and other stakeholders to develop practical solutions that improve access to cooling without increasing housing costs. Targeted assistance programs, rebates, incentives, and public-private partnerships can help vulnerable residents while preserving affordability and encouraging continued investment in housing. Spokane needs more housing and better housing solutions, not policies that place additional burdens on an already strained rental housing sector.

Sincerely,
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