Obi Ezeadi
For many years, native legal guidelines on the metropolis and county stage have dictated how, the place and what sorts of houses could be constructed. This type of policymaking has offered for municipal autonomy however created a housing disaster absent of a regionally coordinated and controlled pathway towards inclusive, income-diverse housing choices for our renters and consumers.
As a Westminster Metropolis councilor, I’ve an ongoing alternative to attach with my group regularly, and I perceive their wants as a result of I additionally suffered via hire insecurity as a youth. My constituents embody seniors, firefighters, younger households, nurses and Uber drivers. To assume that these people may not be capable of proceed to afford dwelling in their very own group is a part of the rationale I selected to run for workplace. My spouse and I belong to a era the place homeownership is out of attain for many of us, and I shudder to think about the way forward for unaffordability my 8-year-old daughter must dwell with. Even outdoors of Denver, houses and rents are unaffordable. We have to construct extra provide statewide and diversify housing alternative by constructing extra duplexes, townhouses, tiny houses and different different sorts.
Our neighbors should dwell safely and with dignity in whichever neighborhood they select. It’s Colorado’s worst saved secret the demand for housing is just going to proceed to extend. Analysis exhibits houses like duplexes, triplexes and townhomes are probably the most reasonably priced sorts of models to purchase. However regardless of these information, most Colorado communities can’t construct most of these houses to assist remedy the housing disaster and scale back the price of housing attributable to native restrictions. There’s a disconnect between how responsive numerous municipalities are to the nervousness and the truth residents are pressured to dwell with. In our area, 10% dwell in poverty and solely 73% earn a self-sufficient wage, but there have solely been about 1,000 reasonably priced housing models created since 2019. Somebody making minimal wage would wish to work 84 hours per week to afford to hire a 1-bedroom condominium.
Our housing scarcity is a posh interaction of metropolis, state, county and federal ranges of presidency, yielding a number of points akin to homelessness and the unaffordable hire disaster. The answer to this downside is to not cope with housing shortages as particular person municipalities however fairly on the state stage, uniting as a area to make sure our communities have the entry to housing they deserve with inventive options to fight the housing disaster.
Moreover, how we go about rising provide is essential. My lived expertise and connections with residents spotlight the necessity for us to seek out options to our housing situation — with approaches that additionally embody nonprofit builders. First, we should concurrently guarantee Black and Brown communities should not getting displaced. Second, let’s make sure the options are regional, and work with the regional council of governments to maintain each municipality accountable for doing their half. Third, whereas we fill the provision hole, allow us to concurrently deal with its impacts on transportation, local weather, open area and security crossing streets. Lastly, let’s additionally stay cognizant a brand new improvement could not really embody a significant-enough provide of housing that’s reasonably priced or attainable; and thus, allow us to at all times scrutinize this so the perfect long-term alternative for our group is made. Too typically, improvement builds for the wealthiest however we’d like reasonably priced improvement that works for everybody.
We are able to stroll and chew gum on the similar time: construct a various portfolio of housing whereas addressing any undesirable unwanted effects. The underside line is we’ve got offered the American dream that at some point we are able to personal a house. We’d like motion from our state legislature to make that dream attainable.
Obi Ezeadi is a Westminster Metropolis Council Member and a small enterprise proprietor
