Charlotte leaders turn attention to affordable housing at Durham retreat

DURHAM, N.C. — The affordable housing crisis is one of the top issues facing Charlotte.

City leaders want to tackle the problem before more people can't afford to live in the city.

Leaders started Thursday’s conversation during the second day of their retreat in Durham on affordable housing with post-it notes.

They said finding solutions is going to be much more difficult than just placing them on boards.

Expensive luxury apartments are popping up, but cheap rent and home options for those with lower incomes are harder to find.

“We are not here to talk about the problem. We are here to solve it,” council member Braxton Winston said.

In small groups, council worked to come up with strategies.

They plan to review the locational policy within 90 days. Other ideas include identifying land ready for construction, preserving already existing affordable housing and finding creative finance tools.

One possible funding source is the Housing Trust Fund, money that would have to be approved by voters.

Typically, the ask is around $15 million, but community groups have been pushing for $50 million.

“I don't think the community should hold us to a number without knowing legally and financially, without raising your taxes, what can we take on its debt,” council member LaWana Mayfield said.

In 2016, council committed to building 5,000 units in three years. Only 66 percent of those units have been built.

Leaders think if they can tackle the issue, other problems will go away with it.

“I think it is a solution that solves a lot of our city's issues,” council member Larken Egleston said. “If we get housing right, it will solve a lot of things.”

Charlotte ranked dead last among major cities for people getting out of poverty.  A senior economist said the city can solve the issue by bringing in more jobs and more educational opportunities.

Charlotte leaders focus on 2018 at retreat in Durham paid for by taxpayers

Charlotte leaders are focused on goals for 2018 at a council retreat in Durham that was paid for with taxpayer dollars.

On Wednesday, the first day of the council retreat, city leaders said that getting away from Charlotte is beneficial, despite the cost.

Leaders gathered at the Washington Duke Inn for the discussion, in which they will plan the path for this year.

Their accommodations, the materials they will review and the food they will eat are all paid for by taxpayers' money.

Newly-elected Councilman Tariq Bokhari said he is hoping this year's council retreat will be cheaper than the one last year.

“I am not a natural proponent of larger spends,” Bokhari said.

Last year, the Charlotte City Council spent nearly $42,000 on the retreat, which included a $2,500 meal at a fine dining steakhouse.

“A couple thousand bucks here or there may not seem like a lot, but when you see what we can do with that, to see how we can better our city, we have to be cognizant of it,” Bokhari said.

Councilman Justin Harlow said having an off-site retreat allows new council members to engage with the veteran elected officials.

“We can learn about each other's families and backgrounds and that really helps us kind of work cohesively,” he said.

The millennial and veteran council members found themselves pitted against each other last week during a vote on whether to livestream council meetings on Facebook, and the intense discussion is still lingering and resurfaced Wednesday.

Harlow said he hopes three days in Durham will make everyone work better as a unit.

All of the meals this year will be at the hotel and not off-site.

Harlow said he hopes the retreat will allow leaders to work together better.

“A lot of us don't know each other,” Harlow said. “Some of us were friends before running for office, but a lot of us don't know the ins and outs.”

The day was also filled with bold statements.

Mayor Vi Lyles said council only works 18 out of 24 months because of the election.

Cox Media Group