120 or so of the Iowa City metro areas developers, politicos, agencies, Realtors, and others interested in the analysis developed at the request of the Iowa City Council were on hand at the Brown Deer Clubhouse at the invitation of the Housing Trust Fund of Johnson County to hear Eric Fulmer review his consulting firm's findings.
Additionally, Heather MacDonald, professor in the Regional and Urban Studies program at the University of Iowa presented the findings that she will present to the State legislature in the coming weeks. Also, a group of 11 entities including my group, FAIR!, worked informally to discuss what it would take to increase the amount of affordable housing in the Iowa City metro area.
From this data and a concerted effort to affect policy, it may be possible to devise strategies that will provide workforce housing to lower income persons in a way that allows Iowa City to meet the needs of the community. Of course, it will not be without its challenges.
Questions that reasoning people likely will ask:
- Who foots the bill for meeting the demand, particularly to meet the needs of those who are cost-burdened?
- Why should we do anything? Shouldn't we grow only as fast as our marketplace and area resources allow?
- Why should it be a higher priority than other needs (e.g., public safety needs)?
- How will this affect my property taxes, property value, quality of schools, etc.?
I will attempt to answer these kinds of questions in coming entries.
No comments:
Post a Comment