Raleigh News & Observer Logo

Bob Wilson: Next stop, affordable housing | Raleigh News & Observer

×
  • E-edition
    • Customer Service
    • Support
    • Contact Us
    • About Us
    • FAQ
    • Sponsorships
    • Stay connected
    • Mobile & Apps
    • Facebook
    • Google+
    • Instagram
    • Twitter
    • Social Media Directory
    • N&O Store
    • Buy Photos
    • Databases
    • Archives
    • Newsletters

    • Blogs
    • Columnists
    • Crime
    • Education
    • Health
    • Local
    • North Carolina
    • Nation/World
    • Science
    • Thumbs Up
    • Traffic
    • Weather
    • Weird News
    • All News
    • Counties
    • Durham County
    • Johnston County
    • Orange County
    • Wake County
    • All Sports
    • Baseball
    • Canes
    • College
    • Columns & Blogs
    • High Schools
    • NASCAR & Auto Racing
    • NBA
    • NFL
    • NHL
    • Olympics
    • Outdoors
    • Panthers
    • Soccer
    • Schools
    • Duke
    • East Carolina
    • NC State
    • North Carolina
    • All Politics
    • The North Carolina Influencer Series
    • State Politics
    • Blogs
    • Columnists
    • PolitiFact
    • PolitiFact NC
    • Rob Christensen
    • Under the Dome
    • All Business
    • Blogs
    • Columnists
    • Health Care
    • Personal Finance
    • Real Estate
    • Shop Talk
    • Stocks Center
    • Technology
    • All Living
    • Video Now
    • Best-Kept Secrets
    • Blogs
    • Celebrations
    • Comics
    • Family
    • Fashion
    • Fitness
    • Food
    • Games and Puzzles
    • Home and Garden
    • Horoscopes
    • Mouthful
    • Past Times
    • Pets
    • Religion
    • Travel
    • Video Now
    • Arts News
    • ArtsNow
    • Books
    • Contests
    • Dining
    • Entertainment
    • Games
    • Movies
    • Music
    • Nightlife
    • Television
    • On the Beat
    • Happiness is a Warm TV
    • All Opinion
    • Columnists
    • Dwane Powell
    • Editorials
    • Influencers Opinion
    • Letters
    • Opinion Shop Blog
    • Other Views
    • Submit a Letter
  • Obituaries

    • Advertise with us
    • Place Ad
    • Apartments
    • Cars
    • Homes
    • Jobs
    • Legals
    • Obits/In Memoriams
    • Weddings
    • Today's Daily Deal
    • Special Sections
    • Today's Circulars
    • Rewards
    • Photo Store
  • Classifieds
  • Jobs
  • Moonlighting
  • Cars
  • Homes
  • Legals

Durham News: Opinion

Bob Wilson: Next stop, affordable housing

By Bob Wilson

Commentary

    ORDER REPRINT →

March 13, 2015 08:00 AM

“Affordable housing” is one of those phrases much beloved by the social engineering class, but like Jell-O the reality can be too slippery to grasp.

Still, let’s give Durham’s planners and politicos the Mt. Everest Award for trying. Their latest summit attempt is affordable housing near light-rail stations.

That is, the housing that will be there if the $1.8 billion line between Alston Avenue and UNC Hospitals is ever built. Right now, that’s a formidable if because the financing package is incomplete.

But assume that light rail comes here. Housing developers, never enthusiastic about government mandates setting aside units for affordable housing, could get more sugar on their strawberries with Durham’s first three-for-one builder’s bonus.

Sign Up and Save

Get six months of free digital access to The News & Observer

SUBSCRIBE WITH GOOGLE

#ReadLocal

In planner-speak, that means developers could build three market-rate housing units for every one designated for affordable housing. That’s a pretty good deal, considering that the city and county governments want 15 percent of housing half a mile or less from a light-rail station reserved for lower-income residents.

That’s the maximum walking distance for someone without transport to and from a station. Dicey in bad weather, but not unreasonable.

What would be unreasonable in the minds of many is a proposed one-car parking space for residents in these new communities. Why not the customary two spaces? Because cutting out the other space helps down costs.

That concession would work against people living in the market-rate units, perhaps enough to discourage some young, upwardly mobile residents vital to the financial health of new housing communities.

The eternal problem with affordable housing isn’t the objective, which is eminently worthwhile, but with that old bugaboo, economics.

Affordable housing is affordable only because someone else’s money is paying for it. Usually, that subsidy comes from residents paying market-rate rents, which of course respond to the rising cost of new housing.

As staff writer Jim Wise noted recently, the experience of Charlotte and other cities with housing clusters around light-rail stations shows that property values (and thus taxes) can jump dramatically.

That’s the major reason for Durham’s interest in the three-for-one bonus: It dilutes the pain by coming closer to what the market would do if it were unfettered by government diktat.

What the market would not do, though is provide affordable housing as government defines it.

The benchmark for affordable housing near light rail, adopted by city and county governments in 2014, requires lower-income residents to earn 60 percent or less of area median income (AMI).

In 2014, the AMI for Durham County was $65,700. That’s an impressive figure, so high that a family of four seeking affordable housing could earn $39,420 a year and still qualify.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development defines affordable as rent or mortgage payments that don’t exceed 30 percent of household income.

Using AMI, that would be a maximum of $11,826 a year, or $985.50 a month in Durham.

Many lower-income households wouldn’t pay the maximum amount, but they would still get decent housing thanks to OPM – other people’s money. It’s been part of the social contract since the federal government got into the housing business in the 1930s, with decidedly mixed results.

It’s safe to say that Durham’s people want affordable housing for everyone, though like chasing a rainbow, no one ever reaches its end. The challenge is not the destination, but the journey.

  Comments  

Videos

Duke’s Krzyzewski speaks about Zion Williamson’s injury and loss to UNC

Zion Williamson injured as Duke falls to North Carolina

View More Video

Trending Stories

John Harris warned his father about legal red flags involving Bladen operative

February 20, 2019 02:13 PM

Will former President Obama attend the Duke-UNC game? Here’s the latest buzz.

February 19, 2019 06:30 PM

Zion Williamson injured during Duke-UNC game after foot blows through shoe

February 20, 2019 09:53 PM

Hurricanes owner Dundon takes over new football league

February 19, 2019 08:43 AM

Transgender woman has asked to be moved from a men’s prison. So far, NC has said no.

February 20, 2019 01:42 PM

Read Next

Durham News

End of school year the best and most grueling time of year – Bert L’Homme

By Bert L’Homme

    ORDER REPRINT →

June 02, 2017 07:21 AM

With the end of the year comes additional tutoring and review, final exams and testing – all of the last-minute work to bring the school year to a successful conclusion.

KEEP READING

Sign Up and Save

#ReadLocal

Get six months of free digital access to The News & Observer

SUBSCRIBE WITH GOOGLE

MORE DURHAM NEWS: OPINION

My name and proud of it – Katie Mgongolwa

Durham News: Opinion

My name and proud of it – Katie Mgongolwa

May 26, 2017 11:06 AM
A living wage is a profitable wage. And taxpayers win too.

Durham News: Opinion

A living wage is a profitable wage. And taxpayers win too.

May 19, 2017 07:02 AM
Durham Tech program teaches students how to help us buy the perfect eyeglasses

Chapel Hill: Opinion

Durham Tech program teaches students how to help us buy the perfect eyeglasses

May 17, 2017 04:16 PM
County’s leadership asked to learn about Attila the Hun

Durham News: Opinion

County’s leadership asked to learn about Attila the Hun

May 12, 2017 11:34 AM
Time to scrutinize some key county spending – Tom Gasparoli

Durham News: Opinion

Time to scrutinize some key county spending – Tom Gasparoli

April 28, 2017 07:30 AM

Chapel Hill: Opinion

Developing the potential of women with the Junior League of Durham and Orange Counties

April 17, 2017 11:11 AM
Take Us With You

Real-time updates and all local stories you want right in the palm of your hand.

Icon for mobile apps

Raleigh News & Observer App

View Newsletters

Subscriptions
  • Start a Subscription
  • Customer Service
  • eEdition
  • Vacation Hold
  • Pay Your Bill
  • Rewards
Learn More
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Newsletters
  • News in Education
  • Triangletoday.com
  • Legal Notices
Advertising
  • Advertise With Us
  • About Our Ads
  • Place a Classified
  • Local Deals
  • N&O Store
  • N&O Photos
Copyright
Commenting Policy
Report News
Privacy Policy
Terms of Use


Back to Story