Asheville – Matt Allen of the Land of the Sky Association of REALTORS® (LOTSAR) recently spoke at a public hearing in favor of amending the Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) to modify regulations for cottage developments and construction on flag lots. The folks at LOTSAR were disappointed to see Asheville City Council put the brakes on the amendments. They’d been doing a lot of advocacy work as part of a broader effort to increase more affordable housing in the area.
LOTSAR President Nick Hinton of Hinton Realty Group said he’s learned more and more as a REALTOR® that real estate is a community endeavor. He said REALTORS® are often misrepresented as wanting to sell the biggest, most expensive homes. A lot of people don’t realize that they also spend a lot of time with buyers of all income levels. “On a daily basis, we’re getting people into housing,” he said.
That’s why LOTSAR does a lot of research. They try not to take sides on too many issues, only to put data in front of opinion leaders.
“On my last trip to Raleigh, I met with Senators Julie Mayfield and Tim Moffitt, who are on opposite ends of the spectrum, and we could all agree that affordable housing is an issue,” he said. Part of the problem was getting people to agree on how to address the shortage, but before that came the challenge of moving beyond publicly acknowledging the problem and developing actionable, mitigative steps.
Acknowledging that there is no such thing as “single-handed,” Hinton was asked for some examples of legislative reforms LOTSAR had helped enact. He replied, “Our biggest successes are in the community.” Hinton kept talking about the Housing Mobility Workshops LOTSAR hosted. They bring lenders and representatives from nonprofit organizations on-location to work with people to develop a personalized roadmap toward homeownership.
They also work with the city and county to compile “Affordable WNC.” This biannual endeavor is like a Yellow Pages for people looking for low-income housing. In addition to listing housing developments by category, it tells people where they may turn for help if faced with problems like eviction, negligent landlords, or Fair Housing Act violations. The group also worked with the City of Asheville to develop its affordable housing plan.
LOTSAR further supports public policy analysis through Thrive AVL. With collaboration and financial support from LOTSAR and other groups, Thrive AVL has informed decision-making through reports that, for example, identified imbalances in supply and demand in the local housing market. Thrive AVL is particularly interested in destination stewardship, or intentional public and private strategies to preserve heritage and natural amenities for locals as well as tourists. LOTSAR also used a Housing Opportunity Grant to help Thrive AVL promote acceptance of federal rental assistance vouchers.
LOTSAR continues to participate in and otherwise support a number of other think tank activities; it is now part of a working group to identify changes to codes and ordinances that are standing in the way of creating more affordable or workforce housing with no benefits to public health, safety, or aesthetics. They’re also working with consultants to put together a workshop to develop initiatives to help public and private developers of small affordable housing projects scale up.
Hinton characterized the short-term rental (STR) controversy as “complicated.” He accepts that people with opposing viewpoints often have legitimate concerns, but says available studies lean toward the conclusion that “STRs with reasonable regulations can have a positive effect on the economy and housing supply.” The next step is “to work with the community and government to come up with a plan that works for everybody. It’s important for us to just present data and facts instead of opinions.”
Hinton said one thing that makes housing affordability more challenging in Asheville is, “Dirt here is expensive.” For years, local leaders have encouraged building housing close to transportation, jobs, and services to keep the cost of living down. Unfortunately, the lands former City Councilman Gordon Smith described as “locationally efficient” are largely on prime real estate. It is not unusual to find vacant land prices in West Asheville pushing $500,000 an acre. So, one of the things Hinton talks to legislators about is better public transportation options.
On green building, Hinton says, “Sustainable housing is always a good idea.” That is, structures should be sound and energy-efficient, but very low-income families usually can’t afford the latest, greatest innovations in green technology, so balances must be struck.