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Affordable housing is vision for Columbia
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Columbia (Map, News) - Without affordable housing, Columbia’s downtown redevelopment veers away from the vision of Columbia founder Jim Rouse who saw a community where the janitor and executive could live together, activists said.
“There’s nothing for low-income housing” in the county’s plan for redeveloping downtown Columbia, said Alan Klein, head of the newly formed Coalition for Columbia’s Downtown.
Affordable housing is a tough sell among some residents who say it brings down property values and introduces crime, said Sherman Howell, a member of the county’s affordable housing task force.
But for the community to be inclusive as its founder intended, low- and moderate-income housing should be included, Klein said.
The Department of Planning and Zoning proposed setting aside 10 percent of units for moderate-income housing and 5 percent for middle-income units, according to the draft plan. Klein said that accounts for those making $50,000 to $100,000 a year and overlooks those who make less.
The group proposed setting aside at least 20 percent of all units for moderate- and low-income housing.
“We simply will not accept the fact that its impossible to have low-income housing in Columbia,” said Del. Liz Bobo, D-District 12B, who spoke at the group’s gathering Monday in Columbia.
The group also advocates fewer residential units to be built downtown — 1,600 rather than the planned 5,500 — but Howell said fewer units could mean less affordable housing.
If fewer residential units are built, builders will be quick to cut the amount of affordable housing and raise the price of the housing to make a profit. It’s tough to have both affordable housing and low density, said Howell, a member of the African American Coalition of Howard County.
smichael@baltimoreexaminer.com
Comments from Examiner Readers
10:43 AM MST on Sat., Sep. 6, 2008 re: "Waiting-list for low-income housing open in Montgomery"
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12:11 PM MST on Wed., Aug. 20, 2008
re: "Tenants-rights group planning forum"
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re: "The City's housing boom"
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re: "The City's housing boom"
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re: "Housing funds for MontCo employees go unused"
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1:06 PM MST on Fri., Jun. 15, 2007
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3:25 AM MST on Sun., May. 27, 2007
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Telisa said:
I am 17 years old. me and my 4month old daughter need a place to stay...we need help....how do i go about moving in a HUD property ASAP??
4 agree | 1 disagree
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Examiner Reader/Nadia said:
I have NO idea if you can help But Im going to take a shot at it - Last FRI there was Gun fire exchanged at my apartmnt complex right infront of my door. I have a month to month lease and have put in my 30 day notice to move out since i feel extremely unsafe. How can I move before the 30 days are up without being charged?
4 agree | 2 disagree
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Wai Yip Tung said:
By adding 60,000 units over 20 years, this housing 'boom' represent an annual growth rate of 0.77%.
6 agree | 7 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
No matter Mr. Metcalf's take on the real estate market, i have lived in SF since 1979 and, to the best of my knowledge, not a single-building boom has significantly effected the price of housing one way or the other, however, clearly (and arguably, unfortunately) real estate "bubbles" have. Even today's Chronicle states the Assessor's office in SF is overhwelmed with homeowners seeking a re-assessemnent of property values because of falling prices. My guess is that has more to do with the real estate "bubble" bursting than available housing on the market.
7 agree | 5 disagree
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Robin Ficker Broker Robin Realty said:
The county this year increased property tax revenues 14% with another huge increase expected next year. Reduce spending, and hence the next for more tax increases, by $500,000.
10 agree | 7 disagree
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Examiner reader said:
Knapp might run against Leggett for County Executive? If that happened, Knapp would surely win. Given the choice of a fiscally irresponsible, clueless, pandering politition or a tool for the developers, the voters will probably choose the tool for the developers.
10 agree | 8 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Wow! It is unbelievable the amount of selfishness that I see in people who do live in these establishments. I suppose they have the mentality of give back to the community...but not on my block. Let me tell you...I ended up in this type of housing for a year. Thank GOD it was there! I relocated from LA to MD for a $120k/yr. job which I ended up being wrongfully terminated from when I caught pneumonia. As a single mother, an educated professional, worked in my field for 17 years...I was humbled. Don't let your fill yourself with so much gusto, God has a way of humbling those on their high horse.
6 agree | 5 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
hello my name is korena i live in jhonson homes which is pha/lowincome i am looking to get a transfer out of philly how can i do that
5 agree | 6 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Yeah, that's exactly what we need, project thugs in nice new developments. I don't think so!
8 agree | 9 disagree
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Reader said:
Get a fix it man and stop whining!
9 agree | 13 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
"Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation" Run by Thomas Perez, ex chairman of the board of Casa de Md. I wonder if he allowed illegal aliens to fix or certify the roof.
9 agree | 11 disagree
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Norwood Apts Reader said:
As a tenant at the Norwood I take issue with your characterization of tenants as welfare seekers. These tenants are working class low income people who work service jobs in DC. Some tenants work in the mail room at the White House, waiters at Old Ebbitt Grill, or cleaning offices. These people are the ones who help our city run and we deserve to have a decent place to live. By decent I mean demanding a proper working elevator that does not take 31 days to repair.
375 agree | 261 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Columbia doesn't need anymore housing.....Most of the individuals at the meeting, are those seeking welfare and goverment funded housing........
299 agree | 280 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
When will this new policy take place?
643 agree | 289 disagree
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Silver Springer said:
This is a remarkably important story and the Examiner deserves a lot of credit for digging it out. while bigger papers in Baltimore and Washington failed to do so. Mortgage regulators should have stopped the current binge of looney loans years ago. They failed to do so and now large numbers of homeowners are facing foreclosure -- and more will in the future. That's a terrible price to pay to sell more loans and to inflate short-term lender profits.
301 agree | 275 disagree
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