Norwood Issues Affordable Housing Mayoral Plan
(APN) ATLANTA — Mayoral candidate and front-runner, City Councilwoman Mary Norwood issued her ten-point plan on how to address affordable housing in Atlanta. Norwood prepared the plan after Atlanta Progressive News wrote in a May 2009 analysis that while Norwood had stated affordable housing was a priority of hers, that she had not yet articulated a comprehensive plan, as she had done, for example, with public safety. In a follow-up interview with Norwood that same month, Norwood told APN that she would work on developing such a plan.
To our knowledge, Norwood is the first and only candidate to issue a comprehensive plan on affordable housing to date.
The full text of Norwood’s statement and plan is reprinted below.
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Innovative Programs for Affordable Housing and You
The Situation:
As is well documented in our city and across the nation, affordable housing is a serious concern. It is a problem for the city, which is losing its property tax base due to foreclosure and abandoned houses. It is a problem for neighborhoods, which are losing residents and gaining neglected properties. And it is a personal problem, as once stable families lose their most important asset: their homes. There are many proposed solutions to the problem including providing assistance to families facing possible foreclosure and down payment assistance for those who wish to buy homes. However many innovative measures may also be taken which are not a part of the mainstream discussion.
Workforce housing is also an issue. Our city workers and public safety personnel cannot afford to live within our city. Data on lower-cost and low-income housing indicate that the costs of home ownership are significantly higher than the average family income in Atlanta. Currently households with incomes between $36,000 and $57,000 face an affordable housing gap. In 2006, the median price of a home within the city was $186,000. But the majority of new home construction in that same time period was for homes over $200,000. Since affordable housing is good for our economic development and we all have an interest in sustainable neighborhoods, we must look for new methods of ensuring that those residents who are striving for home ownership are able to realize that goal.
What Mary Has Done:
1. Mary has supported land trusts, which allow for ease in negotiating home sales, and protect home owners who experience short term interruption in their income. Land trust can also be used to clear abandoned or neglected areas for use as community parks or open spaces.
2. Mary spearheaded the creation of the Home Atlanta Program: a down-payment assistance program of the Atlanta Development Authority.
3. Mary led the charge to combat mortgage fraud in Atlanta neighborhoods by participating in the 30310 Mortgage Fraud Task Force; as a speaker at GREFPAC (Georgia Real Estate Fraud Prevention and Awareness Coalition) Conferences, and by contacting banks and officials at the local and state level.
4. Mary created a video and marketing plan that showcased the rich heritage and potential of Atlanta’s Southside and Westside neighborhoods and obtained funding from The Home Depot Foundation to enable over a dozen neighborhoods to participate at the Atlanta Home Show.
5. Mary has supported inclusionary zoning, which encourages the building of affordable housing in neighborhoods. Mary favors mixed income communities, which avoid pockets of poverty.
6. Mary responded to Shamrock Gardens Apartments’ plea for assistance in creating a safe, affordable environment for their residents on Campbellton Road. Shamrock Gardens has won the highest national award bestowed from the National Apartment Association.
What Mary Will Do As Mayor:
1. Work to allow Atlanta Fire Fighters, Atlanta Police Officers and other workers access to foreclosed homes. This will not only support in-town neighborhoods, but will contribute to community safety.
2. Continue the funding for the Home Atlanta Program: the down-payment assistance program of the Atlanta Development Authority that Mary lobbied for. To date, the Home Atlanta Program has enabled hundreds of first-time homebuyers to own homes in the City of Atlanta.
3. Support and develop land trusts and cooperatives to allow affordable housing for low income residents to minimize risks and protect home owners from foreclosure.
4. Support incentives for builders and developers who participate in inclusionary zoning development.
5. Work to assist formerly homeless resident to find stable housing through the administration of supportive housing projects in the city.
6. Support the process of planning in neighborhoods using the Neighborhood Planning Units (NPUs) as a strong voice for community planning.
7. Create a directory of affordable housing and work with real estate professionals to aid families who are seeking affordable housing within the city.
8. Support the revitalization of properties to allow for affordable housing in established neighborhoods. This has been shown to improve the quality of life and the condition of homes in older neighborhoods.
9. Revitalize the Land Bank Authority to facilitate the acquisition, renovation, and rehabilitation of abandoned and blighted properties in neighborhoods and on commercial corridors.
10. Support the Neighborhood Stabilization Program of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act through the City’s Community Development Block Grant program.
About the author:
Matthew Cardinale is the News Editor for Atlanta Progressive News and is reachable at matthew@atlantaprogressivenews.com.
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