Just Saying No to Workforce Housing Isn’t Working
By Bill Lazar, Executive Director
St. Johns Housing Partnership
(Executive Director Bill Lazar’s opinion on the recent denial of workforce housing in St. Johns County.)
“This was one of the first times we saw a large groundswell of support for workforce housing. It was voted down primarily due to the Commission’s concern for traffic and school impact.
These deficiencies are a lack of planning and the impact of those who have moved here in the last 20 years possibly “not being charged enough” when they bought their homes at that time. The problem is, if any piece of property has the current capacity it’s not being priced anywhere that remotely allows affordability.
We need areas designated as future affordable sites and a plan to bring infrastructure to them. But as always, “if not here, then where, and if not now, then when?”
Part of the traffic problem on US 1 south is due to not solving our affordable housing challenges since 2001 and having those essential workers buy homes in Palm Coast and commute in. Now they are filling up 207 commuting to Palatka.
Our County is facing employment challenges. A number of small business owners spoke about struggling to find enough employees. Families earning up to $90,000/year can’t find anything to buy and rents are ridiculous.
Some of the speakers at the meeting were parents talking about how their kids can’t afford to live here. We have families who have been in this area for several hundred years
The big problem is infrastructure, workforce housing can’t afford to include the cost of building roads, water and sewer. When the Commissioners point out the deficiencies, the primary way they hope that they are addressed is by developers, not with tax dollars.
So, there are two major problems—some schools and roads are at capacity, and some people don’t want any development—workforce or otherwise.
If you’re not concerned about employers, including City and County Utility and Road Departments, being able to hire enough to provide prompt service but you are concerned about these current deficiency problems- please offer real suggestions.
Just saying no isn’t working.
Learn more in this story by Jessica Clark, First Coast News at www.firstcoastnews.com/article/news/local/largest-workforce-housing-project-to-date-in-st-johns-county-gets-voted-down-windwood-drive-south-watson-road/77-f8522be1-d6be-45df-b67c-ca2ba328fe44.
