Words Do Matter
By David Thompson
To: Citizens of Davis on May Day
From: David J Thompson. Affordable Housing Advocate
Re: Recent words used by or about Village Farms
Text in recent mailer from Village Farms reads as follows:
“Davis Needs Housing – Village Farms is the Answer, Housing for All…construction of 360 Permanently Affordable Homes.”
140 high density rental apartments very low-income families (max income family of 4 = $31,450)
140 high density rental apartments low-income families, (max income family of 4 = $83,900).
80 permanently restricted for sale units for moderate income families (max income for family of 4 = $136,800.
As a long-time co-developer of affordable housing in Davis, I see a real problem in getting these units being built except possibly as high density apartments with a very hard to get substantial subsidy. These will not be single family homes and there is no subsidy for this income group.
These “360 Permanently Affordable Homes” imply houses, however 280 of these units would be apartments, not houses only for lower income qualified residents. Also, this developer is not building any of these affordable units except he “may” build 100 lower income affordable rental apartments in the last phase (Phase 3) in 10 years or more down the road. But he “may” not. Let me explain this disingenuous affordable housing “plan”.
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Davisite 