Letter: Ensure Vibrant Diverse City
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Letter: Ensure Vibrant Diverse City

Letter to the Editor

Wednesday, September 2, 2015

To the Editor:

Housing affordability is a crisis. Neighborhoods are undergoing gentrification and apartment communities are being redeveloped. Middle and lower income families are being pushed out and can no longer afford the city they were raised in, work in, or love. We can counter this trend and create a community with a diverse housing base where residents of all economic strata can happily coexist.

The ideas proposed below do not address subsidized housing that costs taxpayers; they address affordability by increasing and protecting the supply of all housing. Their goal is to increase housing supply that rents or sells below current market rates.

Housing is subject to supply and demand and an increase in housing supply can place downward pressure on housing costs. Policies that encourage housing can result in greater affordability. One possibility is a city-wide housing overlay zone that allows housing as a use regardless of underlying zoning. The overlay zone would allow housing up to the FAR of the underlying zone. This strategy would:

  1. Increase overall housing supply and lower the pressure on housing costs;

  2. Alleviate pressure on development of housing within existing residential zones — possibly discouraging the demolition of existing affordable housing stock, and;

  3. Lower the cost of housing developed within less favorable sites that have a lower land basis.

Older, less favorable housing is the primary source of low cost housing, and this commodity needs to be protected. Can tax relief be offered to owners who maintain but not improve current housing stock? In addition, the city can discourage owners who ask for entitlement increases that greatly improve or demolish existing housing.

Take a leadership role and establish an initiative to address housing affordability. The initiative could bring local developers, architects, planners, construction professionals, financing professionals and residents to address housing needs. Participants could contribute time and ideas, more able participants could contribute services, funds and even land in an effort to create and test solutions. National associations such as the ULI, NAHB, and AIA may be attracted to participate.

Housing affordability can be addressed through a mix of strategies including but not limited to those presented above. We need more housing, we need to maintain current housing, we need to prevent the removal of existing housing and we need to identify and explore other approaches. Housing affordability can help ensure a vibrant, diverse city.

Deena de Montigny, AIA

And Joe Demshar

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