Home-ownership is a cornerstone of the American Dream and the easiest way for working people to build wealth. Jeff believes that people should be encouraged to own their own homes and will stand against anything that makes it more difficult for Washington County residents to achieve that dream.
This may be the biggest issue in the Metro region and Washington County. The passage of HB 2001 will soon allow a variety of mixed-use housing in residentially zoned neighborhoods. Additionally, Metro recently relaxed the UGB for several Washington County communities and will continue to do so as applications for expansion come in. These responses are positive steps to an overall solution of a complex problem and the increase of buildable space is paramount to helping address this complex problem.
But there’s more to do:
We need to support builders and developers by reducing or waiving System Development Charges (SDC’s) when they construct affordable housing units for moderate income individuals. We need more people owning homes! This is the quickest way to generate wealth for the average person! All the data says this…
(Currently SDC charges for a single-family home can range from 40K to over 50K. This cost is always passed on to the consumer. This idea must be considered in limited developments or the ‘Affordable Housing’ problem will continue.)
- Washington County needs to begin the planning/implementation of a ‘Master Plan Tiny Home Community.’ We are way behind cities such as San Diego, Spur (TX), Orlando, Las Vegas, Austin, Elizabethtown (PA) and more. This is being done with great success all over the country.
- Financial support for organizations like ‘Proud Ground’ so we can help provide more down payment assistance so we can move more people into single-family homes. Home ownership is the fastest way to wealth for all citizens. We must support and encourage Home Ownership!
- Begin proactively recruiting and building ‘middle housing’ in Washington County. These great developments are another way to provide the ‘home ownership’ ideal that I am supporting for moderate and low-income individuals as they begin to gain wealth through equity.