Happy Monday, Hooligans. This week is going to be Affordable Housingtastic, and I want to give y’all the inside skinny that you might miss otherwise.

The Affordable Housing Plan of 2008 (AHP08) was put together by Pisgah Legal Services “working with the members of the Mayor’s Affordable Housing Task Force. Task Force members, who represented a broad spectrum of the community, met together as a group and in sub-committees 38 times over the next six months.”

Back in 2006 Mayor Bellamy wisely asked for a unified, comprehensive plan to address our city’s affordable housing needs. Affordable housing is for teachers, firefighters, police, students, artists, service workers, and entrepreneurs. It’s for the elderly and disabled. It’s for anyone who is paying more than 30% of their monthly income for housing related costs.

Recognizing that urban density is not only an important characteristic of successful affordable housing plans but also a crucial element in building sustainable cities, Asheville’s Sustainability Advisory Committee on Energy and the Environment reviewed the proposed zoning changes. They recommended that the proposed changes apply to areas in proximity to transit lines and to focus areas like the River District.

Asheville’s Housing and Community Development Committee, consisting of Brownie Newman, Jan Davis, and yours truly, recommended proposed changes to the Unified Development Ordinance that will incentivize housing density within 1/4 mile of transit lines. These changes will be presented to the Planning and Zoning Board on Thursday. I plan to attend in order to hear the many perspectives that will be represented there. Depending on the outcome of the P&Z hearing, Asheville City Council may decide on this before summer is out.

This is a complicated and important set of changes. We all know that Asheville has one of the state’s lowest area median income while having the second highest average monthly rent. We know that having affordable housing and urban density will reduce homelessness, decrease sprawl, reduce traffic, reduce air pollution, and increase the amount of money in citizens’ pockets.

A lack of affordable housing options can force poorer families into substandard housing. Children in substandard housing are more likely to experience violence and hunger, to drop out of school, and to suffer from injuries, burns, infectious diseases and asthma attacks. Children who have secure, affordable housing are far more likely to stay in school and succeed socially.

We also know that Asheville’s housing history is one of many different styles of housing within neighborhoods. In my established neighborhood (Hall Fletcher in west Asheville), I live in a bungalow across the street from a multi-unit apartment building and down the street from another of the same variety. Some of our most historical neighborhoods have multi-unit properties within them. This lets me know that it’s historically sensitive, property value sensitive, and lifestyle sensitive to look at the proposed changes with an optimistic, can-do attitude.

The Coalition of Asheville Neighborhoods has put together an excellent resource guide to the proposed changes. Click here to see more information than you’ll be able to shake your memory sticks at. CAN is an excellent organization that has been very helpful in aligning neighborhood interests and broad city goals. If you want to learn more about how to organize your neighborhood, CAN meets the 2nd Monday each month, 7:00pm-9:00pm at the Oakley Community Center, 749 Fairview Rd.

Click here to read the .pdf of the Staff Report and proposed ordinance. Please read it and offer your questions, suggestions, insights, and concerns.

Lastly, let me acknowledge and applaud the economic development perspective put forth by my fellow Hooligan Tom Sullivan. We certainly have to continue focusing on raising wages by recruiting good jobs to our city. A healthy economy requires it. It also requires that we make efforts in regards to Affordable Housing. It’s hard for companies to locate here if there isn’t an accessible stock of housing for their workers.

Check out Mountain Xpress’ coverage of  a “new report from UNC Chapel Hill’s Center for Urban & Regional Studies: A Long Way from Home: The Impacts of a Limited Supply of Workforce Housing in the Asheville Metropolitan Area.”

You can read the executive summary in .pdf form by clicking here.

Asheville needs to increase density on transportation corridors to allow for more of the housing we need. Further, we can return to our tradition of multifamily housing in our neighborhoods. If we’re going to preach sustainability, then we’ve got to practice energy efficient housing density.

“A Long Way from Home” explains the impact of long commutes on our citizens and our environment. It’s time to move this conversation forward.