A few weeks ago, Charlotte City Council voted unanimously to give developers a “density bonus” for building workforce housing in affluent parts of the city. The bonus would make affordable housing available for purchase for those who make eighty percent of the area’s median income, and for renters who make sixty percent of the median income. It sounds like a generous move, but is that enough for the city’s poorest residents? A recent study suggests that the city has a shortfall of more than 15,000 units for those earning less than 30 percent of the area median income. How much affordable housing is enough, and who should be responsible for providing it and deciding where it goes? A look inside Charlotte’s affordable housing situation, when Charlotte Talks.
