While demolition – or the lack thereof – is a hot topic amongst both Jamestown officials and its residents, a better question for the council and mayor is how Jamestown can attract more new housing starts.

State rules, a lack of contractors certified to handle certain demolitions and the expensive price tag to demolish all of the substandard housing in Jamestown means the city will never be able to do the job in one year. There will always be a backlog of houses waiting to be taken down.

But it’s important to realize that simply taking houses down creates its own set of issues. Jamestown doesn’t have enough of certain types of housing and purchasing homes right now is difficult for some families. The houses that are being demolished aren’t necessarily part of a healthy housing market, but decreasing supply inevitably means increased housing costs for the rest of us. Taking down houses also hurts the city’s taxable assessment – which ends up meaning higher tax bills for the remaining property owners.

The idea of modular homes has been discussed by Crystal Surdyk, city development director, and councilwoman Marie Carrubba, D-Ward 4, in recent months as a way to increase available housing stock in the city. That’s certainly worth discussion as a possible solution.

Councilman Jeff Russell, R-At Large, raised another idea worth discussion on Monday. Other than a link on the city’s website, little is done to push those looking to build new houses toward the Country View Estates subdivision on the city’s south side. There are 15 lots available at prices ranging from $13,000 to $16,000, with Russell proposing perhaps selling the lots at a discount with a promise to have homes built within three years. It’s not a bad thought.

The Country View Estates program hasn’t been quite the slam dunk it was promised to be back in the 1980 when it was first discussed. That doesn’t mean it can’t be useful in 2023. City officials should take Russell’s suggestion and create a program to sell last of the Country View Estates lots.