Most people are familiar with affordable housing, which the federal government defines as housing that costs no more than 30 percent of a household's monthly income. Such housing also comes with state guidelines. But workforce
housing is a relatively new animal whose description varies depending on who you talk to.The federal Urban Land Institute (ULI) defines it as housing that is affordable to those between 60 and 120 percent of the area's median income. Many households in this group do not qualify for federal programs, yet do not have enough income for adequate housing, according to the ULI.
Nicholas Nicholson, president of Nicholson Engineering Associates, said his idea of workforce housing is a household that earns $45,000 annually or less, which includes teachers, firefighters, police officers and service-related workers. These people don't make the kind of money to afford $200,000-plus homes or homes on the scale of Glen Lakes or the proposed Hickory Hill.
But whatever they call them, county commissioners have made it clear they support developers' plans to build homes that meet more realistic budgetary constraints of the citizens. You need houses for all kinds of people on all kinds of income levels, County Commissioner Rose Rocco said.
Often, there is a death in the family, and the surviving spouse is forced to downsize because of income restraints, she said. Other candidates for these types of homes are older couples who don't want the hassles of yard maintenance or empty nesters who now find they don't need large, expensive homes, she said. These types of homes also provide a springboard for couples to move up in the future, she said. You want to be able to see your young couples, those who can't afford to go into a house at this point in time, and give them a nice place to live that is within their income range, she said. There isn't a whole lot out there like that now.
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