What if you had “Affordable Housing” and nobody came?
That’s what it sounds like when I read through the public input received on the City of Wenatchee’s 2008 Housing and Community Development Action Plan you can find here. There was a public hearing on April 12, 2007 and nobody spoke. In August of 2007 notice was published inviting public comments from residents and other interested folks to comment on the 2008 action plan. One letter was received. In October of 2007 a public hearing was held to review comments received on the plan. No one spoke at the public hearing.
This month, on April 24th, the City of Wenatchee is having a symposium on an “independent” consultant’s recommendations to make it easier for low to middle income residents to buy a home. I wonder if anybody will come? I hope they do. From 3 to 5 p.m., a housing industry discussion is planned. From 7:00 to 8:30 a community discussion with the City Council and presentation of the city’s affordable housing assessment. All of this is going to be at the Wenatchee Convention Center.
Looking through the action plan, the City of Wenatchee is really attempting do something about low income housing. Reading their action plan, it just sounds like folks don’t care enough to provide any input. With all the plans, public meetings, hearings and associated hoops the city must jump through to do something like this, I get curious about what percentage of the taxpayers’ money actually gets through to these various agencies. If I get to the meeting on the 24th, maybe I can ask! Taxpayer subsidized affordable housing has gotten to be a big industry. As a citizen, you might want to decide how much money you think should be spent on it because the folks receiving the money will tell you it is never enough. In this case, they are the ones who got to select the consultant!
This consultant who is presenting at the symposium was chosen by a local committee that included city planners, Housing Authority folks and an attorney from the Northwest Justice Project. I find it odd that builders, developers, representatives of the North Central Home Builders’ Association, the Building Industry Association of Washington or somebody from the private housing industry were not part of that committee. Of course, people from private industry might start talking about the costs of the Growth Management Act and local planning, which you can find here, that are making housing less affordable for everybody in Washington State.
I think the chances are high that this consultant will recommend that all the taxpayer money available, plus some, should be spent on programs that benefit the folks who selected the consultant. But remember, the taxpayers actually (hired) paid for this “independent” study! Do you think there is any chance that a critical look was taken at the planning codes or impact fees in Wenatchee and how those things prevent private industry from building affordable housing?
Alright, maybe I’m a cynic and I will happily post my about my misguided preconceptions if they are wrong. The announcements of this symposium of the “independent” assessment just sounds so much like the propaganda I would expect to hear in Seattle or King County than in (formerly?) practical and down to earth Wenatchee!
Get involved, go to the symposium on the 24th! Learn about the city’s housing assessment and decide for yourself how dire the issue of affordable housing is in Wenatchee. Public input can really make a difference. It sounds like they have a big room available and are hoping for bigger crowds than last year. If you’ve ever complained about taxes or housing affordability, this might be one opportunity to hear about the city’s plans and impact how they might spend your money.
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[…] A city of Wenatchee consultant (David Paul Rosen & Associates) is studying the need for affordable housing — and how to meet that need — makes its report Thursday. Click here to read Chris Pratt’s advance report on the meeting. There is wide agreement that housing affordability is a problem in the Wenatchee area. Aside from personal experience of people trying to buy a home, the issue is kept before the public by rising home prices of recent years and the the pending eviction of Ninth Street Trailer Park residents to make room for riverfront development. The real estate industry generally would like to see denser development and fewer regulations to cut the cost of housing. Here’s one industry view on the issue and Thursday’s sessions. […]