By C. Duncan Pardo – September 24, 2008<\/p>\n
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The Affordable Housing Task Force had its second meeting yesterday afternoon. City council created the 23-member task force to bring perspective on affordable housing and what\u2019s being called \u201cworkforce housing\u201d to the comprehensive plan process. The task force is set to deliver a report to council in February and the comprehensive plan should be ready for review next summer.<\/p>\n
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City planners expect Raleigh to grow by 70 percent over the next 20 years. The comprehensive plan is supposed to lay out what Raleigh will look like in 2030, from public transit to schools to high-rise office space.<\/p>\n
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The task force only has four meetings before members are scheduled to approve a report for council. Chair Jeanne Tedrow said the task force\u2019s mission is to \u201ctake some time to deliberate on very serious issues\u201d facing Raleigh. But, she acknowledged, they\u2019re on a \u201ctight time table.\u201d<\/p>\n
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The issues members are to deliberate on are supply and preservation of affordable housing. \u201cAffordable\u201d is defined by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development as housing for people who earn 80 percent of the median income spending no more than 30 percent of gross income on rent or mortgage.<\/p>\n
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According to the Census Bureau\u2019s 2004 data, 80 percent of Wake County\u2019s median income is about $46,000. That would put affordable rent or mortgage payments, including utilities, at just over $1,100. Many people in Raleigh make less than $46,000 a year, and that\u2019s who task force members say they\u2019re concerned about.<\/p>\n
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