Do you think we have a housing shortage? If so, who does it affect and how do you think the Commission should address it?
City Commission Seat 1
Louis Dilbert
No, I don’t think there is a housing shortage in our community. There is, however, a shortage of affordable housing. It is difficult for the middle class to find either affordable rentals or homes to purchase. We see homes being built, but they are not homes affordable even to the middle class. Rents are extremely expensive here.
Some of the ways the Commission could address it is by providing more public awareness of existing programs to help both renters and prospective home buyers; also, through equitable bidding practices for projects using public funds. We should provide more opportunities to local businesses, rather than firms from outside the community.
Rudy Ferguson, Sr.
Yes, we have a big housing shortage and many people cannot afford rent and mortgages are skyrocketing. We need more affordable homes. We need rapid rehousing. We need to work with those who know how to do that, for example to tap into the State Housing Initiatives Program. We also need to rehab the dilapidated housing we already have. We need to have a serious conversation with people who know how to do this and work with other levels of government, be a coalition. And we need to get the homeless under a roof.
Jack Porter
We have an affordable low-income housing shortage. Low-income and middle-income people are most affected. However, we should not overreact and build-build-build, adding to sprawl is not the answer. We should incentivize building affordable residential such as tri and quadraplexes that lower the cost per unit.
We should make it possible for every-day citizens to build and not just large developers like Ghazvini and Premier Homes. We need to clearly define the zoning districts so citizens can decide where they want to live and know what to expect without uses being changed altering the character of neighborhoods. We should incentivize smart development and focus on building more affordable housing and refurbishing blighted and vacant homes.
City Commission Seat 2
Dot Inman-Johnson
There is no housing shortage. Most of our building projects are directed toward new student housing. Student housing developments have virtually taken over Frenchtown, which was once a bustling and thriving black community. Now Economy Drugs is the last business standing. The City devoted little to re-invigorate and revitalize the area, and instead they supported student housing encroachment into Frenchtown. We need workforce housing, but the City follows the money. Why don’t we use our funding and grants for affordable rental housing instead – we could provide incentives for developers to build quality affordable rental units. We are told that most of the trust fund money must be spent on owner-occupied housing- if so, then staff needs to think outside of the box find funding sources that can used where it is really needed.
The City should work with groups such as the French Town Improvement Authority to provide needed affordable rental housing and needed services and assistance.
Donna Nyack
Donna Nyack did not respond to ATN interview requests.
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Curtis Richardson
No question about it, we do have a housing shortage. Housing is the No. 2 priority on the City’s Strategic Plan but No. 1 is having a range of housing. Not just affordable or very low income but also workforce housing – we need the range.
I knew that the Tallahassee Housing Authority (THA) Orange Avenue Apartments and South City should be in the City’s CRA but it took four years – fighting tooth and nail – but I persisted and now we have the beautiful THA Columbia Gardens that was made possible partly because of CRA seed funding. On the TLC Board I have encouraged a new multi-family development at the Northwood Mall site. I also serve on the City’s Affordable Housing Advisory Council. We meet jointly with the County and develop policies to improve access to affordable housing, e.g., community land trusts to lower land expenses, incentives to developers, such as the Inclusionary Housing Ordinance, and redevelopment of old hotels like the one near Capital Circle and Apalachee Parkway. The City also sponsors Habitat for Humanity. Collectively, we are encouraging a whole range of housing with an emphasis on low-income options. The City Commission should continue to support the entire range of housing needs and on fulfilling the American Dream – home ownership.
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Bernard Stevens, Jr.
County Commission
Group 1 – At Large
Carolyn Cummings
Statistics imply that we do have a shortage of low- and middle-income housing, with apartments being unaffordable for many people. The County Commission has provided $3.7 million to increase housing, including the revitalization of the Orange Avenue Apartments and the Springfield Apartments.
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David T Hawkins
David T. Hawkins did not respond to ATN interview requests.
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District 4
Isaac Montilla
Well, I know we have projections for more growth and that means more housing needs and many people are saying we have a housing crisis now. But in new housing developments, there are a good number of vacant houses. So, I want us to be proactive about determining how much housing we need and effective in getting people into some new or existing housing.
Housing or the lack thereof affects all of us when you consider its holistic impact on things like traffic, property taxes, transportation costs, etc. I feel we need to keep rural areas rural and urban urban. The question is how to do that effectively. That’s what the commission should be addressing with the community.
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Brian Welch
Brian Welch has not yet responded to ATN interview requests.
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