The past week has been an exciting one for those of us who have been working to create more affordable housing in Greenville. Below are some of the highlights:
— The Greenville City Planning Commission approved an affordable housing project near Haywood Mall. The project on Webb Road is called “Gateway at the Green” and anticipates 100% of the proposed units to fall within the 60% area median income target as it focuses on bringing affordable housing. The project was approved with comments such as all signage must obtain a permit and an affidavit of substantial compliance must be provided before receiving a certificate of occupancy. Read more in the Upstate Business Journal.
— Greenville County Council passed a new policy that allows the county to provide tax abatements to developers who include affordable housing units in their developments. It is meant to act as a guide for decision-making by officials. Tina Belge, our advocacy and community engagement manager, said this was a game-changer for the community. Read more in the Greenville News. The new policy incentivizes developers to include affordable housing units for residents who earn between 40% and 80% of Greenville County’s average median household income, which was $62,422 in 2020 according to the Census Bureau. For a housing unit to be considered affordable under the policy, its cost must not exceed 30% of a person’s annual income.
We want to thank everyone who voted for these measures as well as those who helped push them through.
