Affordable housing

I was pleased to see the editorial in favor of affordable housing in today's Chaska Herald. It was a well-written, persuasive article that provided facts and information without being overbearing.

I used to be one of those people who didn't believe that "affordable housing" belonged in my neighborhood. But then I took the time to educate myself about what "affordable housing" really means, and, surprisingly, I found myself in favor of it. In fact, one of the reasons we moved to our neighborhood in Jonathan was because of the mix of housing styles and income levels.

If we don't provide appropriate, affordable housing opportunities for people who are just starting out, or for people who work hard and want opportunities for their children, or people who have worked hard all their lives and want to settle in a beautiful community, then what does that say about us? It says we're not welcoming, and we're not willing to share our quality of life with others. It says we're snobs.

What makes my kids more deserving of a good education and a warm, inviting neighborhood than the children of people who make less money than I do? Nothing. Each and every child deserves the opportunity to learn, and as a community we should strive to provide those opportunities to live and learn in the same town. And affordable housing is what gives these children the opportunities that our children take for granted.

Let's face it - a home in the "low 200,000's" may seem extremely inexpensive to Minnesotans, but it's still a huge chunk of many people's overall household incomes. If they are willing to make the sacrifices required to own a home in our town, we should be willing to welcome them with open arms and make them members of our wonderful community.

And, for those of you who know me, I am not becoming a liberal! Once election season 2008 rolls around, I'm sure I'll show my Republican leanings! :)

-Katie

We live in the Chaska Highland neighborhood and we are deeply concerned on how the current Beise Concept Plan provides affordable housing. Most of our neighbors are in agreement that affordable housing is a wonderful opportunity for everyone in the community. But we do have some concerns on how Affordable Housing should be implemented in the Greater Chaska Heights Development.

First of all, there have been no studies by Chaska to determine the long term affects of affordable housing, how it should be implemented (mixed versus clustered), or if the concept works. How will the resale value for those houses in the higher price range be affected? During the city council meeting, it was concluded that it is impossible to maintain affordable housing once the home changes hands for the very first time. Clover Ridge is a prime example. What is the point of implementing affordable housing using the mixed housing model when the property value of the lower cost homes increase so much that it is no longer affordable to the market it was built to address? Many realtors we have spoken to agree that clustering affordable housing together helps to sustain the lower price points that exist within that affordable housing neighborhood. The current Beise plan calls for mixing affordable housing within higher priced homes. However it is proven that the values of the lower cost homes are pushed up because of the value of the more expensive homes that surround it. We believe that more studies need to be done to validate the correct way to deploy affordable housing. With the new homes being built in the Chaska Heights, having such differences in lot sizes and lower home values, this causes a great concern that there will be no continuity between the new and existing neighborhood. Because buyers put most of their investments in purchasing a home, they will evaluate not just the home, but the home prices of the surrounding neighborhood. Here in the Highlands, we are completely developed, and assumed the extension of the Highlands would be a mirrored image in value. Can affordable housing be implemented in an already existing neighborhood without depreciating our real-estate values? Or can it be implanted in new developments where continuity can exist, and home values of pre-existing homes are not adversely affected?

Speaking for ourselves, and many of our neighbors, had we known of the plan to build affordable housing in the extension of the Chaska Highlands, we would not have built in the Highlands. Any person moving into or building in a development that is to be intermixed with affordable housing makes a choice in doing so. But that is a choice we should have the right to make. In this situation the residents of the Chaska Highlands are not being given a choice, and that is not right.