Letter: Nearly impossible to live a rural lifestyle in Kennewick

I have two 20-something children. Both of them would like to have a piece of property to build a home. But the fact is, it is becoming nearly impossible to live a rural lifestyle in Kennewick.

Check the real estate availability. There are no properties on the market in the Finley/east Kennewick area. We have been searching for many months for a property that meets the description, and there have only been a few, of which they mostly are asking for cash only because of the fact that mobile homes on existing 1-3 acre lots are too old for the banks to finance them. How many young people can pay cash?

The rezone in 2011, making any piece of property 5 acres/20 acres a parcel minimum, has depleted all the 1- to 3-acre inventory from the market. There are virtually no available affordable single family neighborhood homes in Kennewick.

According to what I have read, rentals are almost 100 percent occupied, and the sales inventory is at 25 percent of availability from last year.

I am asking the city to consider our heritage, and Kennewick’s roots, and let the next generation grow up in an affordable lifestyle.

This story was originally published February 6, 2016 at 11:05 PM with the headline "Letter: Nearly impossible to live a rural lifestyle in Kennewick."