Community Relations Is the Top Priority for Developers
Affordable housing developers’ top concern about land use and zoning is how to overcome community opposition to multifamily and affordable housing, according to a recent survey conducted by the Partnership for Sustainable Communities.
The survey of more than 170 developers conducted in December 2009 found that developers are searching for strategies that will help them gain greater community acceptance of mixed-income and mixed-use developments and, in the words of one respondent, transform “the multifamily market to embrace green building practices and increased levels of energy efficiency.”
Thus, methods of effectively implementing a community relations strategy should include a broad definition of the term “sustainability” to encompass affordable housing. Arguments in favor of affordable housing developments might include the fact that affordable housing results in reduced traffic.
Developers also are hoping to better understand the availability of financing for mixed-use, infill, and project features that enhance sustainability. Though green features are widely touted in the media, methods of financing them are not as well discussed, and developers often face hurdles in finding cost-effective financing methods for their developments. Developers are in desperate need of “financial resources for rehabilitating and building AH so that it minimizes GHGs and VMTs.”
Survey respondents are eager for resources that bolster arguments for community acceptance of affordable housing as well as information on methods of influencing community acceptance of affordable housing.
As far as specific resources on land use and sustainability, in addition to information on community relations, developers are specifically interested in information on:
Mixed-use, mixed-income and transit-oriented development
Federal and state efforts to encourage sustainable development and coordination of housing/transit policies
Case studies and advice on how to influence local policy and design projects