From the April 16, edition of Street Roots
Question two: The 30 percent set aside from Urban Renewal Areas for affordable housing was created four years ago, but it is not guaranteed. What will you do to regulate the system to guarantee that the set-aside dollars are spent as intended to fund affordable housing in the future?
Walt Nichols: This goes back to how are going to pay for it. As a homeowner, I see a need for living wage jobs first, then we need to talk about affordable housing. The way things are going, many people may not be able to live in this city much longer due to the very high fees and taxes. So, how do we pay for it?
Jason Barbour: I believe the housing crisis is the largest failure of the free-market-capitalism policies of the last several decades. As a city and a region, we should demand that certain amounts of housing be created that are designed for people of all lifestyles and incomes. For example, a single person who is active in the community and uses public transit does not want a 4,000-square foot McMansion that’s a mile-long walk to a bus that runs twice in the morning and twice in the evening on weekdays only. At the same time, families should not be crammed into two-bedroom apartments with no common areas designed for children. More affordable housing needs to be placed in established neighborhoods. We need to ensure that strong communities which foster interpersonal communication among its residents are built around suitable jobs and essential services within walking distance to the residents, with usable public transit routes connecting people with all other parts of the city and region.
Nick Fish: While the City Council adopted the 30 percent set-aside, it is not guaranteed. Last year, supporters of baseball proposed spending $40 million dollars in public funds to build a minor league baseball stadium in Lents Park. I opposed the stadium deal on principle, because it would have used up all of the public funds promised for housing under the set-aside. We won the fight, but learned that we must remain vigilant.