County: ’07 a success for affordable housing

An investment of $1.2 million in Albemarle taxpayer dollars helped generate $11 million more last year to combat the area’s lack of affordable housing.

County officials deem 2007 a success in terms of providing more affordable housing options for residents in a region with a severe lack of affordable options. Officials say they accomplished Albemarle’s goal of leveraging dollars from the private sector, nonprofits and state and federal government.

More than 800 families in 2007 received support through county-backed affordable housing initiatives, according to the Albemarle Office of Housing’s recent annual report. A similar number of families were helped during the last few years.

But officials also note the challenges ahead. Statistics show that many in the region don’t earn enough to afford housing, especially those whose incomes fall near the very bottom of the economic spectrum.

Those with incomes of less than $30,000 need more options when it comes to rental property, said Ron White, the county’s chief of housing. A Charlottesville, Albemarle and University of Virginia task force has been set up, and White said that providing more assistance and options is one of the issues the committee will examine.

“The county does not develop housing, the county doesn’t own housing,” White said of Albemarle’s approach. “The county recognizes that there is a free market for real estate and the best way to undertake this is for the public sector to work with the private sector.”

Charlottesville city Coun-cilor David Brown said providing more rentals for the least affluent warrants more cooperation between the city and county, as well as more direct investment.

“Leveraging dollars is a great idea, but you can’t always address all elements of the affordable housing dilemma in that way,” Brown said.

Supervisor David L. Slutzky, who serves on the regional task force, said the county has done a better job of providing more affordable options to those at the higher end of the need spectrum, but he hopes that the task force can build momentum for change.

“We have done a dreadfully inadequate job of addressing affordable housing at the lower end of the economic spectrum,” Slutzky said. The complex issue deserves clarity and further discussion, Slutzky said, and he hopes that the task force’s recommendations will provide the board with a road map for how to move forward.

“I think the board will react positively to those recommendations,” Slutzky said.

A key part of the county’s strategy is to get developers to build 15 percent of new development as affordable housing, which the county defines as being around $190,000. The last year saw the first affordable units under the county’s “proffer” policy go on the market at Avon Park on Avon Street Extended, south of Charlott-esville.

Church Hill Homes built nine affordable units priced at $175,000 and placed homebuyers who qualified in the homes. Each house was valued at around $225,000, according to the county’s report.

The county also has a program that provides those who qualify with down-payment assistance — for many, the hardest part for buying a home. The county provided 38 loans totaling $448,000, or an average of $11,800 per loan in 2007. Re-payment of the loan is deferred until the house is sold, White said.

Real-estate agents and developers say that the recent downward trend in the market makes it a great time to buy. But it’s not all good news, the report said. Some are skeptical of getting into the market because of the uncertainty caused by recent foreclosures. The mortgage industry has also undergone changes — lenders now demand higher credit scores and more substantial down payments.

“Unfortunately, this does not represent the typical client seeking affordable housing,” the report said. “While the [affordable] unit inventory may have improved, there are fewer options for affordable mortgages.”

The Board of Supervisors is scheduled to discuss the report Wednesday.