The Boise City Council voted to make the purchase in a bid to protect residents from displacement.
To prevent low-income residents from being displaced by redevelopment, the Boise City Council is buying a manufactured home park, reports Margaret Carmel. City Council member Holli Woodings called the move an "immediate affordable housing project" that protects low-income households without building additional units. "It currently produces revenue in the way of rents from folks who already live there and it prevents dozens of people from immediate homelessness if this piece of property falls into private hands," said Woodings.
"The property will be purchased for $3.25 million from the Betts Family Trust." The lone dissenter on the council, Luci Willits, opposes the purchase on the grounds that it makes the city a landlord, but the article notes that Boise already owns and operates over 200 units of affordable housing. Willits also pointed out that buying the property removes it from the tax rolls, reducing property tax revenue. "This type of property tax shift does happen when certain properties are not taxed or have a cap on how much their bill can be, but it takes a large change to make noticeable impacts on Boise’s residential property taxpayers."
"City Council Member Patrick Bageant noted this in his comments in support of the purchase and called on the Idaho Legislature to make changes to the property tax formula to bring relief," adding that the city should also revise its zoning code to enable more housing construction.
FULL STORY: ‘Immediate affordable housing’
Mobile Home Residents Face Rising Displacement Threat
As investors continue to eye mobile home parks as a profitable opportunity, current residents, many elderly and low-income, face steep rent hikes and possible eviction.
Mobile Home Parks Becoming Unaffordable as Investors Buy Up Properties
Longtime residents of mobile home parks are seeing their land rents go up as corporate investors seek to increase profits, aided in part by federally-backed loans.
Manufactured Home Residents Face Heightened Hurricane Risks
The unique construction and ownership structure of so-called 'mobile' homes put their residents at increased risk of property damage, financial loss, and death during extreme weather events.
The Shifting Boomer Bulge: More Bad News for America’s Housing Crisis?
In the first of a two-part series, PlaceMakers’ Ben Brown interviews housing guru Arthur C. Nelson on the sweeping demographic changes complicating the housing market.
New York Governor Advances Housing Plan Amid Stiff Suburban Opposition
Governor Kathy Hochul’s ambitious proposal to create more housing has once again run into a brick wall of opposition in New York’s enormous suburbs, especially on Long Island. This year, however, the wall may have some cracks.
A Serious Critique of Congestion Costs and Induced Vehicle Travel Impacts
Some highway advocates continue to claim that roadway expansions are justified to reduce traffic congestion. That's not what the research shows. It's time to stop obsessing over congestion and instead strive for efficient accessibility.
Ranking Exclusionary Zoning: D.C., New York Metro Areas Top the List
A new database measures the restrictiveness of exclusionary zoning practices around the country. Exclusionary zoning, it turns out, is much more prevalent than commonly acknowledged.
Historically Redlined Neighborhoods Have Higher Rates of Pedestrian Deaths, Study Says
The consequences of historic redlining continue to have consequences in the present day United States. Add another example to the list.
Tolling All Lanes
Bay Area transportation planners are studying a radical idea to reduce traffic congestion and fund driving alternatives: tolling all lanes on a freeway. Even more radical, the plan considers tolling parallel roads.
City of Greenville
City of Greenville
Resource Assistance for Rural Environments (RARE) AmeriCorps Program
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact: Mobility, Community, Possibility
City of Spearfish
City of Lomita
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
