Atlanta bound: National Housing Conference

This morning I'm headed to Atlanta for Solutions 2013, the National Housing Conference on State and Local Housing Policy. Some great North Carolina connections here: Chris Estes, president and CEO, came to the position a year ago from the North Carolina Housing Coalition, where he was executive director. He's well known to many of us working on affordable housing regionally. And one of the keynote speakers is Jonathan Reckford, CEO of Habitat for Humanity. He's another Tar Heel with local roots: he's the brother of Joe Reckford of Chapel Hill, and their father is Kenneth Reckford, professor emeritus of classics at UNC. Looking forward to connecting with them and many others and learning a lot.

Green and affordable

From the Utne Reader, a profile of an affordable housing development where the residents have affordable utility bills.

Viking Terrace’s green upgrades, which were completed last summer, offer its melting pot of low-income and formerly homeless residents access to a world commonly reserved for companies and individuals with the financial means to go green. Affordable housing developments like this one are springing up across the country, showing that green homes can and should be built for everyone, not just because they’re good for the environment, but also because they’re healthier, more comfortable, and—yes—more affordable.

Upscale Knightdale

Jamie Dervin of the Chamber of Commerce points me to an astonishing story in today's N&O on Knightdale's decision to cap its supply of subsidized housing. Yes, you got that right! They are implementing an across-the-board measure of exclusionary zoning to keep out any more housing for low-income folks.

"It's a great policy," Mayor Doug Boyd said last week. "We've got our fair share, and we don't need anymore."

I am not making this up.

They also have an anti-graffiti law and a 9 p.m. curfew for teens. "Knightdale is cutting-edge," said Mike Frangos, the town's planning director. "The town does a lot in response to citizen demands, and we are not afraid to push the envelope."

Keeping a lid on it in Manteo

A story in the New York Times' "Escapes" section on the good life in Manteo makes mention more than once of their inclusionary zoning ordinance, which mandates a certain percentage of affordable housing. That's the model we started with in our Chapel Hill deliberations, though we're still working on it. The consultant's report is due back in time for a hearing on June 11.

FEMA: "temporary" insanity

The Katrina Cottage was an inspired idea, "a more dignified version of the FEMA trailer." Recently it won a People's Design Award from the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum. This month, Lowe's is set to begin selling Katrina kits.

But its original mission was foiled. According to FEMA, it's "semi-permanent" housing, and they'll only pay for "temporary" shelter.

Wasn't it also FEMA's position that they wouldn't pay for "temporary" hotel/motel stays because they wanted to transition folks to more stable, indeed "permanent," housing?

UPDATE: Tucker, while doing webmaster duty, noted that this is my 1,000th blog post! Oh dear.

House wide open

I caught the tail end of the open house yesterday at 603 Nunn Street in Northside. This newest Land Trust house is a beautiful Craftsman-style house that feels bigger than its 1,300 sq. ft. The open kitchen and dining room span the length of the house down one side--living room on the other side of the handsome wooden staircase. Light pours in from every direction.

Empowerment had an open house at the same time on a property next door, also placed within the land trust for permanent affordability. A total of four lots on what had been a very troublesome patch of vacant land are being developed for home ownership.

The Northside neighborhood conservation district was created in 2004. It was one of my first Council votes; I'd served on the committee for it as a planning board member. It limits the size and scale of houses and makes design recommendations as a way to retain the look and feel of the old neighborhood. I think it's working the way we hoped. As you can see from the pictures Ruby took during the NCD process, there was room for improvement on many levels.

Brunswick Affordable Housing Summit

I've gladly accepted an invitation to speak at the Brunswick Affordable Housing Summit, July 27-28, at the Brunswick County Community College in Supply, N.C. This meeting is a follow-up to one they had on June 9.

At least they're thinking about it--unlike others closer to home.

Affordable housing: a new cottage industry?

"I wanted to create a more dignified version of the FEMA trailer," said Marianne Cusato, designer of the Katrina Cottage.

"The Katrina Cottage shows how we can create beautiful and affordable homes that give people a place of pride." She stands on the ramp leading to her smallest version of the cottage, on display in downtown Ocean Springs, Mississippi, while residents stop by to look inside. Marianne put her career of creating traditional homes on hold to bring beautiful design to the Katrina Cottage. "I've designed closets that are the size of this cottage, but my heart wasn't in it," says Marianne. "What I've always wanted to do is create a new version of the Sears, Roebuck kit home, and the time was right."