With the increase in area property values how can the average person afford to purchase and will rent soon be out of reach as well?
Why should we care? For starters, when the average person cannot afford a decent living the average person departs. In an effort to maintain, the livelihood of the local economy there needs to be a place for all levels of income. Businesses will begin to move to a new location in an effort to minimize not only their operating costs but to allow the employees a decent living. One such business has moved from Bend to Prineville in an effort to continue earning a profit and maintain the employees' quality of life.
What possible viable solutions are available? Subsidized housing is a partial solution. One local company is marketing stick built homes with a trailer park concept. The purchaser buys the home and leases the land. This solution may work well if properly thought-out. The homes must sell for a low enough prices to allow those in need of affordable housing the opportunity to buy. In this instance the lease + purchase price = the interest only payment on a $240,000 home. So why bother? This is just another marketing gimmick to capture the almost able to purchase but not a solution for the lower wage earning person. Mandated low-income housing is not a viable solution. Mission Viejo Watchdogs address this issue in the following excerpt. "To put it in the vernacular, the whole system is a mess, and we would be better off scrapping this whole government-defined and marginally mandated low-income housing insanity. I do not see any benefit in the government artificially controlling real estate by having new construction forced to restrict units to allow for "affordability"." (http://www.missionviejoca.org/News/2005_10_15/03letter/03letter.htmlDevelopers) interested in the big picture and not lining their pockets will change the face of the housing dilemma. Instead, the developers come in with dollar signs in their eyes and build just above what the market will bear. The best solution here would be education. Developers should receive training prior to licensing on the importance of maintaining a healthy balance in the community they are changing.
Can a government-mandated program replace the lack of balance in a community? From a glance at past attempts the answer is no. So what is the solution? Could education make a difference? Only if those exercising their right to make a buck begin to see the need for a balanced community. Quality of life is important for all people and squeezing out those of lesser means will not improve our communities but create an imbalance. Education and responsibility are critical for all entities involved in shaping and creating a community!
Comments(2)