A New Roadmap for Workforce Housing in DeKalb County With Assistance From July 2010 About the Livable Communities Coalition The Livable Communities Coalition of Metro Atlanta works to improve the quality of life in metropolitan Atlanta by sharing and promoting smart growth principles, advocating public policy that promotes smart growth, and supporting projects that accelerate smart growth. Formed in 2005, the Livable Communities Coalition unites over 50 organizations working to change the way metro Atlanta grows by focusing on land use, transportation, housing, and conservation of open green space and natural resources. Member organizations include regional leaders in the areas of aging, building and development, business, urban and landscape design, government, housing, planning, sustainable development, the environment, and transit and transportation alternatives. For more information: David Allman Livable Communities Coalition of Metro Atlanta Chair - Board of Trustees 10 Peachtree Place, Suite 610 Atlanta, Georgia 30309 Raymond Christman Executive Director 404 - 214 - 0081 (t) Jaimye Bartak 404 - 214 - 0085 (f) Program Manager www.livablecommunitiescoalition.org Acknowledgments The Livable Communities Coalition would like to thank the organizations that have made this work possible through their financial support: The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, H.J. Russell & Company, Zeist Foundation Inc., and an anonymous donor. The Coalition would also like to thank those individuals and organizations that served as resources for information, knowledge, and data: Bleakley Advisory Group, RCLCo., Bruce Gunter of Progressive Redevelopment Inc., John O’Callaghan and Susan Adams of ANDP, David Ellis and Chris Burke of Atlanta Homebuilders Assoc., and the Atlanta Regional Commission. In addition to the chapter on zoning and regulatory issues, Perkins + Will provided essential contributions in the form of GIS and graphic design for this report. The Coalition extends its gratitude to the Perkins + Will team of David Green, Jeff Williams, Cassie Branum, and Kevin Bacon for their help and expertise. Finally, the Coalition would like to thank CEO Burrell Ellis, Commissioner Larry Johnson (District 3), the members of the DeKalb County Board of Commissioners, and the key County staff members whose support and committment to housing issues both created the opportunity for this study and make its implementation possible. Table of Contents Executive Summary...............................................................................................................................................................1 Introduction.........................................................................................................................................................................10 Purpose of Study................................................................................................................................................11 Why the need for this study now?......................................................................................................................11 What is workforce housing?...............................................................................................................................12 Scope of Study...................................................................................................................................................13 Methodology.......................................................................................................................................................14 Description of Work Team..................................................................................................................................15 Other Relevant Studies and Reports..................................................................................................................15 Making the Case for Workforce Housing............................................................................................................................16 Existing Conditions.............................................................................................................................................................20 Overview.............................................................................................................................................................21 Socio-Economic Conditions...............................................................................................................................24 Housing Stock Analysis......................................................................................................................................26 Rent and Mortgage Costs..................................................................................................................................30 Housing Structures.............................................................................................................................................31 Foreclosures.......................................................................................................................................................33 Locations of Workforce Housing........................................................................................................................34 Locations of Jobs...............................................................................................................................................35 Existing Housing Programs and Funding..........................................................................................................42 Housing Demand...............................................................................................................................................46 Staff Interviews and Public Feedback................................................................................................................50 Zoning and Land Use Regulation.......................................................................................................................................52 Housing Assistance Strategies...........................................................................................................................................64 Housing Trust Fund............................................................................................................................................66 Housing Preservation.........................................................................................................................................68 Foreclosure Prevention and Mitigation..............................................................................................................70 Recycling Housing Assistance Funds................................................................................................................73 Community Land Trusts.....................................................................................................................................75 Lease-Purchase..................................................................................................................................................76 Employer-Assisted Housing................................................................................................................................77 Multi-Family Housing Development....................................................................................................................77 Rental Assistance...............................................................................................................................................78 Connecting Housing to Jobs and Transportation...............................................................................................................80 Building Organizational and Administrative Capacity.........................................................................................................86 Land Acquisition and Land Banking...................................................................................................................87 Code Enforcement.............................................................................................................................................90 Neighborhood Information System....................................................................................................................92 Unified Development Function...........................................................................................................................93 Recommendations and Implementation Strategy............................................................................................................94 Appendix: Best Practices.................................................................................................................................................100 6 | Executive Summary >> EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1 DeKalb County The “New Roadmap for Workforce Housing” provides and the recommended actions and initiatives, organized within Livable Communities Coalition a strategic framework, that will allow DeKalb County to better address the housing needs of its working, middle- class families – people working as teachers, health care professionals, first responders, retail workers, government employees, and in other professions essential to the day- to-day life of any community. Workforce households earn between $33,000 and $66,000