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- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Valley&State Backpage O&E Sports Archives Classifieds Faith&Beliefs Obituaries Revels September 9, 2004 Way behind on issue of housing The challenge of housing affordability in Ashland is not new. As a member of this community, I was involved in the quest for nearly 10 years. I served on the city's housing commission during a time when a fellow member, a local developer, was instrumental in a successful lobbying effort to pass a state law prohibiting municipalities from instituting inclusionary zoning laws that required affordable structures be a part of any new development. At the time, Ashland was the only Oregon community that had such an ordinance on the books. When I addressed the city council for support in funding the development of housing affordable to teachers, city employees and others serving our community, a long-time council member asked why it was important that those who work in Ashland be able to live here. Whether rhetorical in its nature or not, this query spoke volumes about how far policy makers needed to go in effectively addressing the affordable housing issue. After lengthy debate, the city commissioned a report that called for substantial changes in zoning ordinances, and an infusion of equally substantial municipal contributions to realistically address the growing need for affordability. While working for an Ashland non-profit organization, I was personally involved in soliciting the city's assistance in acquiring properties in their portfolio at a renumeration representing the city's initial outlay for the parcel, only to be rebuffed because the city desired to cash in on the escalating market values. The city hired a housing specialist with experience in communities where successful affordable housing strategies had been implemented. He abruptly quit, citing, among other reasons, Ashland's reluctance to commit the resources necessary to realistically address the challenge. Workable, innovative solutions have been challenged by community members, ostensibly in favor of affordable housing, because they did not want cooperative housing in their neighborhoods. There has been some progress in developing affordable housing, but nothing approaching the scale of commitment necessary to match the rapidly escalating need. The two biggest players in this drama are private developers and the city. Without major, cooperative concessions from them in helping a creative citizenry and hard-working non-profits earnestly attempting to address the issue, meaningful solution will not be employed. To use a tortured metaphor, this train left the station a long time ago, and we're not going to catch it with a handcart of lip service and hand wringing. Carlus B. Harris Ashland DailyTidings.com Home Page Valley&State | Backpage | O&E | Sports | Archives | Weather | Classifieds Columnists | Faith&Beliefs | Obituaries | Revels | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2004 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Click Here Site Search: .:Advertisements:. RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams