Williams: No need for Hanover’s home issues
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Rolling up the welcome mat?
Columnist Mike Williams asks whether opposition to affordable housing in Hanover County is really about the haves wanting to keep out the have-nots.Perhaps a "Keep Hanover Affluent" sign should be planted at the county line, featuring an encircled bungalow with a diagonal slash across its facade.
How else can we explain the county's apparent aversion to affordable housing?
Hanover Habitat for Humanity has teamed with Home town Realty, which has agreed to build seven homes ranging from $225,000 to $260,000, near Ashcake and Lewistown roads. Hanover Habitat would build two additional homes selling for about $130,000, said its executive director, Tim Bowring. The developers, for the third time, are bringing their proposal to the county Planning Commission.
Hanover has a median household income of $74,273, higher than Richmond's, Henrico County's and Chesterfield County's. The state's median household income is $58,378, according to 2007 census figures.
In Hanover, the average cost of a new home is $419,000. Affordable housing, as defined by the Department of Housing and Urban Development, requires no more than 30 percent of the buyer's gross income.
County planners realize they have a problem.
"It is clear that the number of new and existing homes that are sold in Hanover which can be afforded by an individual or family making the county's median income or less has dropped considerably in recent years," the county's comprehensive plan states.
For Hanover to debate the construction of two affordable homes is beyond silly and self-defeating. It's shameful.
"When people first find out that Habitat is building homes in their neighborhood, it is not unusual for them to have that 'not in my backyard' reaction," said Overton McGehee, executive director of Habitat for Humanity Virginia.
"But that objection usually goes away when they realize that Habitat partner families are homeowners. Habitat families pay a mortgage and have the pride of ownership that other homeowner families have."
In the Hanover case, McGehee said, the Habitat affiliate has offered to create a mixed-income neighborhood and to make the homes architecturally interesting.
"Those approaches have appealed to many communities that wanted to have affordable housing well-knit into their community," he said.
Those communities include Albemarle County, which expects developers to set aside 15 percent of a project for affordable housing, Bowring said. "It's quite different there than it is here."
Actually, the stretch of Ashcake between Interstate 95 and Lewistown Road is already a mixed-income community.
Brown Grove, a blend of modest to humble homes and trailers, was settled by freed slaves during Reconstruction. Nearby Cheroy Woods is a collection of expensive homes on expansive lots.
The Hanover Planning Commission is slated to discuss the proposal again Jan. 15.
"What people need to know is we're not going to give up on this," Bowring said. "We're not going away. People deserve to live in safe, decent housing."
Yes, even in Hanover.
Contact Michael Paul Williams at (804) 649-6815 or
.
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Reader Reactions
pflady… Apparently you haven’t read much of Williams’ rants. Race is a part of everything he writes, even if he doesn’t mention it. It’s insinuated, like it is in this piece. He’s the paper’s community stir-up-trouble guy.
People keep stating that Mr. Williams keeps trying to make this a race issue. I didn’t see any mention of race in his article - just wealthy vs. poor. The only insertion of the race card seems to involve the posters, who are apparently white, while Mr. Williams is black.
Some items not mentioned in Mr. Williams’ column that may help frame this discussion follow:
1. There are already 9 Habitat homes in the immediate area of interest. The argument that Hanover does not embrace affordable housing, particularly in this area, lacks merit.
2. The proposed development will include 3 Habitat homes, not 2, as presented in the article.
3. Habitat purchased the property, developed an initial site plan and expedited the Public Hearing a year ago without first involving the community. The community should have been approached with the plans early in the process so as to assure a partnership as opposed to an adversarial relationship - to resolve misunderstandings and come to a mutually agreeable plan.
4. It is that site plan that has been at issue. The first version was wholly inadequate. So, the citizens decided to work diligently to have that plan revised and improved to include, for example, landscaping and a minimum house square footage consistent with homes in the immediate area.
5. Infrastructure issues that remain unresolved. Since there are no sidewalks on Askcake Rd., a 2-lane, 45 mph twisty corridor with no shoulders, people walk and ride bicycles in the middle of the road…at night…making a dangerous situation. Also, the area floods when it rains so drainage needs to be improved.
These are the items the citizens would like corrected, but these requests go unheeded. What about this is shameful (other than Mr. Williams’ attempt to make this a race issue)?
JN
Thanks, qhgirl, for clarifying my comments for Mr M. You are correct.
My comment regarding blacks in Hanover was referring to MPW’s implication that Hanover is racist, and I was expecting others to bring that into the equation as well, whereas it is not a racist county (i.e. people that aren’t white live in my neighborhood, which is in Hanover county).
I also stated the fact that my house was LESS than $300,000 - actually closer to $250,000. This is much less than the $419,000 average cost in Hanover (MPW really should have used the median cost, which is more accurate). Note that the cost of the Habitat houses is projected to be between $225,000 and $260,000 - this is actually more than many of the smaller lot neighborhoods in Hanover.
Also, qhgirl is correct regarding my view on Habitat home owner’s not neccessarily knowing how to manage a home. MR M mentioned that he’s seen houses for $300,000 in foreclosure that are in bad shape - well, the house was in foreclosure. Duh! Of course it’s in bad shape! If the house is in foreclosure, the owners probably couldn’t afford to take care of the house in the first place. Those particular people probably couldn’t manage their finances OR their homes.
On a side note - calling someone an idiot and ‘piece of work’ doesn’t really doesn’t add to the conversation, so maybe try leaving out the colorful comments next time.
Wow! Sounds like Mr. Williams sure did his research (right within the confines of Mr. Bowring’s office doors!) The Brown Grove Community consists of a little less than a 2-mile stretch along Ashcake Road with a couple of side roads in between. I noticed that the article fails to mention that HFH have already built 7 houses in the Brown Grove Community. Mr. Williams stated “For Hanover to debate the construction of two affordable homes is beyond silly and self-defeating. It’s shameful.” Do your research and get your facts straight Mr. Williams. When the Brown Grove & Cheroywoods residents first heard about the proposed HFH construction project, they were proposing to build 9 additional homes in this area with 8 of the with the same exterior & similar floor plan as the 7 homes already here. And none of the homes originally proposed were anywhere near the $225,000 to $260,000 selling range mentioned in this article. And Mr. Bowring knows that for a fact! And Mr. Bowring knows that when Habitat first came to our community, they were welcomed and some of us even helped to build the HFH homes already here. Being a resident of the Brown Grove Community, I can say that we are not a bunch rich, self-centered folks sitting here counting our money. To the contrary, most of us are just regular hardworking people who just want to be given an opportunity to have some kind of input on what happens in our community. There’s nothing shameful about that! We still don’t understand why so many HFH homes being concentrated in one place and not spread out through the whole county. And for the comment stating “We’re not going away”. I respect that, but don’t think we are going to continue to roll over and allow you to BULLY us either!
I was just using Monument Ave as an example. I realize there are other nice areas in the city. I have worked in the city for years so I am not totally oblivous, even if I live in a county.
I never said everyone in the city lives in a small home, nor did I say that every house in Hanover sits on a large lot. I did not say one was better than the other, obviously I know that many people prefer the city to the country. I also realize that there are some good schools in the city but as a whole the school system in the city sucks. Next time I post a comment about the city I will do thorough research and will be specific in my comments!
Here we go again, city v. county. mbknott, for what it’s worth, there are many more areas other than Monument Avenue in the City of Richmond that are desirable to a large number of people. It’s a generalization to call people from the suburbs close-minded, but look what you say in return. I’m sorry, but the country is not for everyone and not every home in Hanover is located on a large lot or comes with acreage. It is a misconception to assume that everyone who lives in the city lives in small quarters, or in crime-infested areas, or must send their children to private school. I live in a lovely (and safe) area immediately south of the river and can see the James and the numerous running and biking trails from my large backyard. And yes, the school system in Richmond leaves a lot to be desired, but there are several good elementary schools that are (imagine this) on par with county schools. Everyone needs to open their minds and realize that there is more than one way of living.
Mr. M, From what I read, AC was making a couple of not necesssarily related points in their comment. They stated that they bought a home for under 300K therefore there is quasi affordable housing. They stated their opinion that people at the income levels needing a habitat house might not take care of them properly. This is not a real stretch here.. people who don’t make a lot of money often are in those positions due to poor choices or management of their lives. Sure this isn’t a popular opinion, but people making low wages often are at those levels because they did not do the necessary life preparation (pay attention in school, stay away from drugs, work hard while others are playing) neccessary to get a good job with good wages. Sure, I know some people have circumstances beyond their control, but I have known many people (of all races and backgrounds) that have a disadvantaged background to overcome and they have done it. The foresight to save for future home repairs and the knowledge of how to care for a home will be new to these people, so they might not do as well as they should.
AC’s other comment about racism not being a factor seemed to be agreeing with an earlier poster’s comment that although racism would surely be brought into the picture by other posters, the fact that they had many black neighbors should refute those statements.
AC states that he or she brought a house in hanover for $300,000 ,quality neighborhoods,also ac states theres Black people in my neighborhood . A.C. your idiot comment like that is what racism is about ,you also say they don’t know how to take care of a house ,duh you really are a piece of work .I buy $300,000 foreclosures you should see how well kept they are.Give Habitat credit for helping which is more than you do .
This is for the person who said “boring,small minded people” live in the suburbs.Why are they small minded and boring? I guess we should all be open minded like you and live in the city? Sorry, most people don’t want to live in a city w/ crime, high taxes,and poor school systems. Unless of course you can afford to live on Monument Ave and send your kids to private school. But that wouldn’t be small minded or boring would it?
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