A Spectrum of Housing

Charrette participants emphasized their support for Columbia’s signature value: inclusiveness. Specifically, they stressed that they wanted Downtown housing to be affordable to a wide range of Columbians, not just the affluent.

We propose firm requirements that each developer of Downtown housing must price at least 20% of their residential units for low- and moderate-income housing. We look forward to the report of the Housing Task Force recently appointed by the County Executive.

The County suggests a 10% set-aside for moderate-income housing and 5% for middle-income units, but provides no detail as to how this would be achieved. The County’s plan makes no provision for low-income families, an omission we cannot condone.