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Spotsy housing plan draws criticism

Experts, developers criticize Spotsylvania County's proposed affordable housing plan that is part of the draft comprehensive plan. Residents will have a chance to comment on the comp plan Aug. 12 during a public hearing

Date published: 6/27/2008

By DAN TELVOCK

Housing experts say an affordable-housing proposal Spotsylvania County supervisors are considering will provide little relief for people who cannot afford homes here.

Critics of the plan say:

The proposal addresses affordable housing for families only.

It does not address affordability for police officers, teachers or similarly paid workers.

The proposal discourages local government assistance and incentives to developers, which are common in areas that have had success with affordable housing.

"Clearly, what is being proposed here is nothing," said Michelle Krocker, executive director of the Northern Virginia Affordable Housing Alliance.

Instead, the plan says:

The market will drive the availability of affordable homes.

Developers should build more mixed-use projects, with a variety of housing choices even though the county does not have any land zoned for higher densities.

Developers seeking a rezoning should designate a minimum of 10 percent of the units in a project as affordable, but provides no incentives.

Krocker said government interaction is a key component for affordable housing. For example, Fairfax County recently donated land so a developer could build affordable housing near its government center, she said.

"What is being presented here is really not a program or policy at all. It basically boils down to this: As the real estate market becomes more depressed, [their] hope is housing prices will come down low enough so they are 'affordable,'" she said.

The proposal is just one element of the county's growth blueprint, called the comprehensive plan, which will be the subject of an Aug. 12 public hearing. The entire plan, which is a guide for growth and not law, can still be changed, and it is updated every five years.

County staff defined affordable as a household earning the median income or less paying no more than 30 percent of its income for housing. The proposed plan uses 2006 statistics with a family median income of $75,507. So monthly rent or mortgage could be up to $1,887.

But since 2006, the median income level for a household here has jumped to $99,000, according to the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Using those figures, "affordable" is $2,475 per month in mortgage or rent.

AFFORDABLE HOUSING LIKELY IN COMP PLAN Spotsylvania County supervisors decided Tuesday to incorporate an affordable housing element into the 2008 draft comprehensive land-use plan, which is a guide for growth in the county. The entire package will be the subject of a public hearing Aug. 12 at the Holbert Building on Courthouse Road. Here are the major elements of the affordable-housing plan: Affordable housing should primarily be market-driven. Strategies should not involve local government funding, an affordable housing fund, relief from proffers or credits, tax incentives or other measures that require staff time or public dollars. Applicants seeking rezonings should set aside 10 percent of housing for affordable units. It encourages mixed-use developments to provide range of housing types. Affordable homes should have deed restrictions to keep units affordable after a sale. Supervisors should adopt a transfer-of-development-rights program that preserves open space and sends affordable housing to primary-growth areas. Supervisors should adopt new ordinances to allow for cluster subdivisions, traditional neighborhood design and apartments attached to homes or garages.

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Date published: 6/27/2008

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