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Council approves first reading of amended concept plan for 168-unit workforce housing on Sunday Avenue
Summary
On first reading the council approved an amended concept plan for a 16.21-acre planned residential site at Sunday Avenue NE and Jake Place proposing 168 workforce housing units; council asked staff to add income-band language and an exhibit describing AMI percentages before second reading.
The Aiken City Council gave first reading approval June 8 to an amended concept plan for 16.21 acres at Sunday Avenue Northeast and Jake Place, changing a previously approved 144-unit plan to a proposed 168-unit workforce housing project that would include seven buildings, a mix of one- to four-bedroom units, and 272 parking spaces.
City staff described the project’s unit mix and density increase (from 8.88 to 10.36 units per acre), noted roughly 6.5 acres of open space and listed planning-commission conditions including a traffic-impact study, tree-preservation and landscape compliance, installation of a high-visibility crosswalk at Sunday Avenue and Kershaw Street Northeast, and a requirement that the applicant sign an agreement listing conditions within 365 days.
Developer representatives and staff clarified that the project is proposed as workforce housing using Low-Income Housing Tax Credit structures (LITEC) with income bands; staff and the developer stated the project will not use PBRA vouchers. Council members sought clearer ordinance language to lock in affordability commitments; staff agreed to add a whereas paragraph and attach the unit/AMI table as an exhibit or reference the planning-commission memorandum so the income levels and unit mix would be explicit before second reading.
Council debated the value of labeling the project as mixed-income versus a single label and heard concerns from neighbors about perceived impacts; council emphasized the need to reflect the affordability commitments in ordinance text to prevent future ambiguity. Following that discussion the council approved the first reading and directed staff to draft an amendment referencing the AMI/unit-mix table and circulate it to council and the developer before second reading.
