Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Affordable housing

[Geoff Mamlet (mamlet]

Jerry --

Do you know of any groups that have used a "density bonus", or an analog? How
has that been worked out between the "market rate" community members and the
"affordable" members?  Are there feelings that people have about the financial
disparity (e.g., "I feel guilty because these other people are subsidizing
me" or "Hey, I paid for this Common House and you didn't!") that get in the
way of forming a strong community?

Thanks!

Geoff

> 
> 
> 
> On Wed, 22 Mar 1995, Geoff Mamlet wrote:
> 
> > 
> > We've been planning a community of 30 units, all at market rate.  We've been
> > given to understand that the town where we are buying land to develop has a
> > strong interest in gaining more affordable housing.  The idea is to offer to
> > add units that will qualify as "affordable" in return for being able to 
> > increase the density of our development (we are already having to go through
> > a rezoning process just to be able to cluster units, instead of being 
> > subject
> > to the existing "snob" zoning of 1 unit per acre).  So instead of a 
> > community
> > of 30 market rate units, we would become, say, a community of 30 market rate
> > and 5 "affordable" units.
> > 
> Geoff, That's what they call a density bonus.  Many communities offer 
> them.  In California, the state requires cities and counties to give a 25% 
> density bonuses for housing projects that include an equal number of 
> affordable units.  It works well unless the higher density increases the
> development significantly.  
> 
> Jerry
>