Not to mention any statistics, such as the one that says, correcting for inflation, housing prices are lower than they were during the Grover Cleveland administration, there is a perception that rents are going up, up, up, up, up. There is another perception that families are fracturing. Without much torturous math, and acknowledging a wealth of exceptions, a simple innumerate might conclude fewer people must pool more money to make rent. The perception is felt by an undisclosed percentage of the population in Boone, who would like to change the UDO to make housing more affordable:

Council members directed staff to develop language for districts that currently require special use permits for four, five or more unrelated occupants to instead require approval through the conditional district rezoning process, which is reviewed by the Planning Commission and Boone Town Council instead of the Board of Adjustment.

I had to quote that, because I lack the credentials to get away with saying, “four, five or more,” without being redundant.