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Council discusses 2000 affordable housing goal
Members mull changes in effort to up affordability
The Boulder City Council took the first steps Thursday night in reshaping how the city will attempt to boost affordable housing by 40 percent in the next three years.
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The council met with the city's Department of Housing and Human Services in a study session to discuss how Boulder's affordable housing programs will move toward 2011, when the city hopes to have 4,500 permanently affordable units. There were 2,831 units in the city at the end of 2007, with 2,090 of those rental units.
"My whole goal is socio-economic diversity," Councilwoman Angelique Espinoza said. "That's what I think we should want to have in our community."
The goal of 4,500 was set in 2000, when that City Council appointed a task force to review the city's affordable housing goals. The task force suggested 10 percent of Boulder's housing should be affordable 10 years from that date.On Thursday night, the new council discussed possibly altering the city's inclusionary zoning ordinance.
The ordinance requires "all new residential developments to provide 20 percent of the total number of units as permanently affordable to low/moderate income households." But that requirement can be filled by paying a cash equivalent, money the city uses to fund the affordable housing programs.
Some council members suggested possibly extending that ordinance to commercial developers as well, but Councilman Matt Appelbaum expressed concern over how that would affect taxes already in place.
The council also discussed the affordable housing problem as a regional one, and not just specific to Boulder. That could lead to involving surrounding communities as Boulder tries to retain lower-income families and "essential workers," such as teachers and health-care professionals.
"I think we need to increasingly understand we're getting help from our neighbors with housing our people," Councilwoman Suzy Ageton said.
The housing department staff will return in the fall with recommendations for the City Council, based on its Thursday night discussion. The City Council could make final decisions then on how to move forward with its goal, and the housing department is expecting to enact any new policies by next winter.
Posted by lynn_segal_aka_lds on June 6, 2008 at 1:06 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Hope they talked about demographic of income level job types so they can couple affordable housing to high-end research/business as well as the service industry support jobs. THOSE ALSO BRING HOUSING DEMAND.
I hear for every high end job, FOUR support jobs are created and those incomes are pretty low.
AMD (area median income) is high in Boulder 70 or 80 k. Thats because all the new low income workers leave the housing market, unable to afford residency. The amount of affordable housing the developer is required to pay for in development excise tax is pitiful at 20%, isn't it? Not only that they can actually STILL pay in lieu. Course nobody dispursing those funds can afford to put up the housing in Boulder for that.
BUT CAN THEY DEVELOP THE SPINE TO REZONE THE ORCHARD GROVE MOBILE HOME PARK?
More importantly can they improve the infrastructure and MAINTAIN THE PROPERTY WITH MOBILE HOMES????? There are realllly poor folks in Boulder and the ones who could afford to pay a LITTLE more for a redevelopment DOES NOT ACCOUNT FOR GIVING A HAND UP TO THE HOMELESS TO HELP THEM OFF THE STREET AND ENABLE THEM TO MOVE UP TO THE MOBILE HOMES THAT HAVE BEEN DISPOSED OF.
Or is this community too rich to understand the dynamics of the value of the utilization of finite resources--the HUMAN BEING kind?
I do not support increased development excise taxes, which, I might add is non-existant for commercial development.
Why?
I support IMPACT FEES! Get it Planning Board? You are only consultants. GET IT, CITY COUNCIL? Not just Lisa and Macon, Crystal and Susan. THAT WON'T CUT IT. Stop thinking higher political aspirations. This is where you can make a difference!! The community will pull you along.
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