The HCA was absolutely not written with affordable housing in mind. It has ZERO requirements for affordable housing written into it and it caps the amount of affordable housing that most towns can require at 10%.
You also have to keep in mind that “affordable income units” are capped at 80% of the median area income under HCA. *Lincoln’s median household income is $145k* *80% of Lincoln’s median income is $116k* The reality is we will be paying developers *millions of dollars* out of our affordable housing trust so people who make $100k+ a year can have “affordable housing” and live side by side with those who make even more. Furthermore, Lincoln woods is a perfect example of how a higher percentage of lower income, and moderate income housing next to market rate units succeeds. Lincoln Woods currently has 72 affordable units and 53 Market rate units. That is 53% affordable. And their units are in high demand, for this very reason. So while I agree that some “affordable units” are better than none… it’s a far stretch to think that the HCA was designed with affordable housing in mind. And an even bigger stretch to think this development will promote diversity, or give elderly a modest place to downsize into, or be a place where the retail employees in Lincoln will be able to call home. Our affordable housing trust should be dedicated to creating low and moderate income housing for those who are truly in need, not wasted on padding a developer’s pocket to make an already extremely profitable project even more profitable. Sarah On Fri, Nov 17, 2023 at 9:24 AM Allen Vander Meulen <pastorall...@gmail.com> wrote: > There’s been a lot of discussion about the number of Actual Affordable > units in town vs. each development’s impact on the town's SHI. > > That the number of actual units is less than what the town get’s “credit” > for on our SHI is a valid concern, but there are reasons why this is done. > > For one, it allows a developer or owner to subsidize the affordable units > out of the income derived from the development's market rate units - > without using public money (beyond any incentives that may have been > negotiated with the town at the outset). > > For another, it encourages “mixed income” developments where individuals > and families with a wide range of income levels live together in the same > neighborhood. This is far preferable (as supported by numerous studies > over the years) to the failed monolithic “projects” of the mid 20th > century, which concentrated large numbers of lower income folks into what > were often described (rightly) as ghettoes. > > Lincoln has done a great job over the years of creating affordable housing > scattered throughout the town, without creating neighborhoods that are > exclusively “affordable” units. Even our largest single bloc of affordable > housing, Lincoln Woods, has just 72 Affordable units out of 125 overall. > > So, while not perfect, the State’s method for handling the SHI does a > relatively good job of encouraging the creation of affordable housing using > private, rather than public, funds; and ensuring that affordable units are > not concentrated in a single area. > > The HCA was clearly written with these two principles in mind. And, our > HCAWG and Town Administration are doing a great job of advocating on the > town’s behalf with the State, as well as crafting viable options that meet > the HCA’s legal requirements while laying a solid foundation that will > support these principles in a way that will respect Lincoln’s history, > environment, and traditions, in the decades to come. > > - Allen Vander Meulen > -- > The LincolnTalk mailing list. > To post, send mail to Lincoln@lincolntalk.org. > Browse the archives at https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/private/lincoln/ > . > Change your subscription settings at > https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/lincoln. > >
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