(Editor’s note: Opinion pieces are published for discussion purposes only.)
azdailysun.com
The photo was classic Flagstaff: A happy family posing in front of a field of yellow sunflowers with the San Francisco Peaks in the background.
But the subsequent story revealed just how ephemeral those views have become: Part of the field at the corner of Fort Valley and Schultz Pass roads is on track to be developed for 15 to 20 units of low-income housing.
We say “on track” because there are several more procedural and financial hoops for the city to jump through before the first spade of dirt is turned.
But for now, there is a 5-2 Council majority for a project that all agree is badly needed – the disagreement is, as usual, over the location. There are already 800 subsidized rental units for low-income households scattered around Flagstaff, yet the waiting list has hundreds of qualified applicants. The council might have held out for a project that targeted households with slightly higher incomes who are all but priced out of the single-family home market and don’t qualify for subsidies. But with incomes no more than $37,680 for a family of four, this still qualifies as workforce housing and is not just reserved for the elderly or the disabled. (Remember, more than a fifth of all children in Flagstaff come from households living below the poverty line.)
