Maybe one thing that the city can do to address affordable housing is to re-evaluate their current portfolio of subsidized housing that’s suburban and replace it? I don’t know enough about policy or how these things are done, but I can imagine them partnering with a developer and making agreements about affordable housing as a percentage of the overall development based on a below market price for the land. Just look at how much housing opportunity is being left on the table at Heritage Park with its 2-story building, suburban site plan, and don’t get me started (again) about the 27 acre Walnut Terrace project that was more recently built. There could have been hundreds and hundreds of affordable housing units on a site that large, in addition to hundreds of market rate units and a mixed use of retail and services. Instead, we have a two-story suburban style project that’s better fitted for Garner. IMO, that’s the biggest development “crime” committed downtown in recent memory.
Capital Park (north of Peace U) is similar, but at least its site plan is way more efficient use of land. Even then, Capital Park’s site plan isn’t as efficient as the market rate housing to the north of Cedar St. What gives on such poor land use decision making near the very core of the city where the land is the most expensive?
13 Likes