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    New Programs Target Affordable Housing Supply, Lack of Diversity in Development Industry

    The U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Marcia Fudge was in town this week to promote two different programs – one national in scope and the other local – that are both aimed at increasing the supply of affordable housing.

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    The local program also aims to increase the number of people from underrepresented groups working as developers in Central Ohio.

    Called the Emerging Developers Accelerator Program, the new initiative was created by Lark Mallory of the Affordable Housing Trust for Columbus and Franklin County, with funding from the City of Columbus, Franklin County and private businesses.

    An event celebrating its launch was held today at North Bank Park and attended by Secretary Fudge, Mayor Andrew Ginther, Franklin County Commissioner Kevin Boyce and others.

    “As we know, our community is facing a housing crisis, [and] with any complicated economic problem, we must attack it from both demand side and supply side,” said Mallory, in a statement. “This program is focused on supply side—bringing emerging developers, particularly women and people of color, into the pipeline.

    “As we increase the number of developers, we also increase the number of housing units we bring online…typically, women and people of color get left behind when economic booms like Intel happen, but we are ensuring that sustainable and meaningful change starts right here, right now.”

    A big part of the program will be a six-month course covering “all aspects of development,” according to a press release, including “project feasibility; site selection and acquisition; proformas; architectural relationships; selecting, negotiating and working with a general contractor; zoning; obtaining financing; and more.”

    Participants who complete the course will then be eligible to receive – through the Affordable Housing Trust – loans to build affordable housing, as well as access to ongoing mentorship opportunities.

    Carlie Boos, Executive Director of the Affordable Housing Alliance of Central Ohio, called this morning’s announcement “a huge leap forward in the fight for housing equity…it makes sure we aren’t simply expanding access to affordable housing, but we’re also expanding access to the affordable housing industry and the wealth building opportunities that come with it.”

    Biden Administration Housing Plan

    Secretary Fudge also participated in an event held yesterday on the South Side touting the Biden administration’s new Housing Supply Action Plan. The plan calls for a series of new policy proposals and administrative actions designed to bring down the cost of housing.  

    One of the policies featured in the new plan is a collection of incentives meant to encourage jurisdictions to implement zoning code changes. By making it harder to build housing – particularly higher density housing – in certain areas, zoning codes and other types of development regulations have contributed to the nation’s housing shortage.

    The City of Columbus is in the middle of a years-long re-examination of its zoning code – the city first began looking at updating the code in 2020, and last year released a study laying out the impact that the current code has on development in the city.

    Also featured in the plan are changes to several existing programs that are used to build affordable housing, like the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program and HOME Investment Partnerships Program, as well as new policies designed to make it easier for nonprofit housing organizations to compete with investors to acquire properties.

    For more information on the Emerging Developers Accelerator Program, see hztrust.org.

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    Brent Warren
    Brent Warrenhttps://columbusunderground.com/author/brent-warren
    Brent Warren is a staff reporter for Columbus Underground covering urban development, transportation, city planning, neighborhoods, and other related topics. He grew up in Grandview Heights, lives in the University District and studied City and Regional Planning at OSU.
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