Changing the RATIOS of low, lower and lowest HAP clients at Columbia Villa does NOT qualify as a mixed income community 12/8/02

Hi Fred Leeson:
In today's Oregonian you wrote, "New Columbia will have 850 housing units, including 230 that will be sold to private home buyers. The goal of the redevelopment plan is to create a mixed-income neighborhood."*

Exhibit E page 36 of the Hope VI grant application submitted June 22, 2001 states that there will be, "180 units of for-sale housing for households earning 60%-80% of AMI."

It is VERY important that a distinction be made between what HAP considers a "mixed-income" neighborhood and what the rest of us would consider an economically integrated community.

With the exception of 50 rental units ALL the remaining housing units REQUIRE residents to fit into one of HAP's qualifying income ranges, i.e. 0-30, 31-50, 51-80 % AMI. It would be quite surprising if ANY of the 50 so-called "unrestricted" rental units were priced for or rented by anyone not HAP qualified.

Changing the RATIOS of low, lower and lowest HAP clients at Columbia Villa does NOT qualify as a mixed income community.

Thirteen hundred new Portsmouth neighborhood residents with above 80% AMI living in owner occupied, market rate housing ($150,000 to $250,000 which is the range in North Portland) would create an authentic economically integrated community.

I hope that you will continue to report on this important community matter especially the public policy issues inherent in this massive community redevelopment. From AIA architects to Audubon bird watchers to the Oregon state Treasurer, all those connected to this project are making a statement about public housing policy.

* http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/xml/story.ssf/html_standard.xsl?/base/news/103935212730602.xml

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