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Tuesday, 30 January 2007 14:51 |
By DAVID FORBES
After hearing pleas from residents of McCormick Heights, Asheville City Council voted 5-1 on Jan. 23 to approve aid of up to $120,000 to help the residents move, even though a deal for the city to buy the complex from its current owners has not yet been finalized.
"Stepping in and using community development funds to help these people just seems like the right thing to do," Councilwoman Robin Cape said. "Whatever happens, the city is committed to making sure that there is affordable housing in that area and doing all we can for the people displaced by this."
The
dissenting vote came from Councilman Carl Mumpower, who was concerned
that, as the deal was not complete, council was acting prematurely.
"Weëre
really putting the cart before the horse if weëre deciding this before
weëre certain about the sale of the property," Mumpower said. "We donët
need to be causing any more confusion in the lives of the folks there.
We should wait and come up with a plan when we know all the facts and
when itës useful."
Mumpower also voted against the initial sale, citing concerns that the city was giving up a neighborhood to criminal activity.
Council approved
the purchase of McCormick Heights in December from a subsidiary of
Progress Energy when it heard that the complex was going to be sold.
Poor conditions and crime had resulted in the owner having difficulty
renting out apartments.
Currently, 28
residents use federal housing vouchers ÇƒÓ and the city estimates that
another 12 will need assistance with moving. The residents must move
out by the end of June.
The city,
concerned about the potential loss of affordable housing in the area,
plans to demolish McCormick Heights and replace it with mixed-income
housing.
However, the
purchase is still being negotiated ÇƒÓ and City Attorney Bob Oast noted
that city staff are still going through the history of the site,
necessitating the delay.
Mayor Terry
Bellamy was recused from voting on the matter, because it was part of a
larger package of housing grants that involved her employer, Mountain
Housing Opportunities. The McCormick Heights aid is not tied to MHO in
any way and before she was recused, Bellamy indicated that she
supported the measure. The money will come from federal housing grants.
While some
members of council initially expressed some hesitancy about allocating
aid money before the deal was finalized, current residents of McCormick
Heights asked them to reconsider, emphasizing the hardships they will
face with moving.
"I live from
paycheck to paycheck, I pay my rent ÇƒÓ and Iëm scared," resident Julie
Brown said. "I know to some of you, June 30 may seem a long way off,
but it took me eight months to get into an apartment. You can
understand why Iëm worried. Iëm a single woman, I have no brothers or
sisters to call on. Iëm panicked. Iëm scared. This is what keeps me
awake at night.
"Many of us
donët know where weëre going to be ÇƒÓ weëre talking about shelter homes.
I donët have moving money ÇƒÓ I will end up in a shelter."
The aid will
include coverage of moving expenses, security deposits, the first
monthës rent and other expenses related to finding new homes. The money
will be distributed by the Affordable Housing Coalition.
Meanwhile, David Nash, deputy director of the Housing Authority, said there is a sense of panic in McCormick Heights.
"Thereës a real
concern, a real misunderstanding and a real panic," Nash said. "The
word has gone out ÇƒÓ get out as soon as possible. People are scrambling
to move. Because the city was involved, it gives the city
responsibility here. Itës important to send the message to the tenants
that you care. Of the families there, maybe five can afford to move."
Nash added that,
if for some reason the deal with the city did not go through, it would
probably be foreclosed and the residents evicted nonetheless.
Those arguments ended up winning the day, as council voted in favor of the moving aid to McCormick Heightsë residents.
Councilman Jan
Davis had originally expressed some doubts about the wisdom of
approving the aid before the deal was done. After the public hearing,
he said he still had concerns, but felt the step necessary.
"Frankly, I had
some reservations about where we are now, but the realities are what
they are," Davis said. "I donët think weëd be helping anybody by
holding the money back. This is going to give some families a good
start towards a better tomorrow."
Likewise,
Councilman Brownie Newman had some concerns, but noted that "in an
ideal world, weëd have all the answers about what was going to happen
there, but after hearing the thoughts about the situation tonight, we
need to make sure folks can make the transition, even if we donët have
all the information."
Mumpower, however remained unconvinced.
"I think once again weëre jumping into this without really knowing where we are," he said.
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