Source: City of Phoenixย
Phoenix City Councilย unanimously approved a new citywide affordable housing initiative that will work to address the many housing needs in the nation’s fastest-growing city. Earlier in the day,ย Phoenix Housing Departmentย staff and Mayorย Kateย Gallegoย joined U.S. Housing Secretaryย Ben Carsonย as he toured city housing sites.โฏย
The plan will address the need for an additional 163,000 housing units in Phoenix. Housing costs have grown in Phoenix as wages have stayed stagnant. This, along with a dearth of affordable and workforce housing options, have widened the gap of housing accessibility for residents. The plan seeks to address the following areas:ย
- Prioritize new housing in areas of opportunityโฏโฏย
- Amend current zoning ordinances to facilitate more housing optionsโฏโฏย
- Redevelop city-owned land with mixed-income housingโฏโฏย
- Enhance Public-Private Partnerships and establish alternative funding sourcesโฏโฏย
- Implement cost savingย policies for housing developmentโฏโฏย
- Increase affordable housing developer representationโฏโฏย
- Expand efforts toย preserve existing housing stockโฏโฏย
- Support affordable housing legislationโฏโฏย
- Initiate Housing Options Education Campaignโฏโฏย
This citywide plan will require partnerships between both outside organizations and other levels of government. To that end, Mayor Gallego discussed with U.S. Housing Secretary Ben Carson how the city mightย beย better partneredย with the federal government to address the city’s housing needs.โฏย