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Council holds over Main Street downtown anchor application after debate over 'attainable' vs deeply affordable housing
Summary
Council debated R26-54, a proposed Main Street downtown anchor grant application for 81 Court Street that targets 'attainable' units at ~90% AMI; members split on whether to pursue the state grant absent deeper affordable unit set-asides and voted to hold the application over to the next meeting.
Council discussed a proposed Main Street downtown anchor application for rehabilitation of a historic building at 81 Court Street that would create ground-floor commercial space and 6–9 upper-story 'attainable' apartments proposed at roughly 90% of area median income (AMI). Councilmember Rathmell argued the city has a 3,000-unit deficit in deeply affordable housing and said the application should prefer deeply affordable units; other members noted the state program does not require that prioritization and that turning away the grant would leave the building vacant.
After extended debate about inclusionary measures, project pipelines and whether the city should require affordable set-asides in applications, councilmembers moved to hold the item over to the next business meeting to allow additional consultation and possible modification of the application. No final vote on the grant application was taken.
