Housing availability for families in Redmond is approaching crisis levels for those who don't have the higher income tech or professional related jobs. This is especially true for our children seeking their first home or apartment and for Seniors over the age of 75. Believe it or not, the population of baby boomer's parents are the fastest growing demographic in Redmond, yet they (and their grandchildren) have the smallest disposable income! Unless we do something to create affordable family housing, many Redmond's young adults and seniors may have to move or abandon their plans to live with their families in Redmond.
Reasonable access to housing is perhaps even more severe for the blue collar worker, low tech worker or lower paid professionals like teachers and salesmen. Already many of these working families are commuting from Monroe, Kent, and other outlying cities to service Redmond residents. As the price of oil increases to $100/barrel will they be able to afford their commute? Growth in Redmond and services could slow and even suffer from lack of workers.
I remember ex-mayor Ives once envisioning Redmond evolving into "another Stamford, Connecticut" where most residents are affluent and and serviced by surrounding communities and extensive mass transit. Do we want our city to be like another Stamford -- lacking in economic diversity?
Last Tuesday, the Planning Commissioners, Council and Mayor tried to address some of these issues. Mayor Marchione stated that we can't solve the worker-commute problem just by building roads and mass transit. Mayor Marchione encouraged staff, council and planning commission to work with Arthur Sullivan, Program Manager of ARCH (our eastside housing department) to create affordable family housing inside Redmond. Adding affordable housing inside Redmond would also help to reduce the traffic congestion problem!
We are certainly not having a problem building $1 million homes AND those homes will need services! 800 million $ homes will soon be built at Redmond Ridge East. 3500 expensive new housing units are scheduled for Redmond Ridge and 3000 expensive units are scheduled in North Redmond over the next 5-10 years. We need to make sure ARCH gets the support it needs to facilitate modest housing for the service workers we need IN Redmond!
ARCH has already funded 737 housing units for Redmond from their multi-city ARCH Trust Fund. Over $6M in Trust Funds have been dedicated to Redmond families and residents in need of housing support. If you have friends or family looking for affordable condos and houses click here: http://www.archhousing.org/ownership/owner_ops_text.html.
Councilmembers Cole, McCormick, Vache and Allen were all pleased with how Redmond has led the Region through efforts of ARCH. Council will decide during their next meeting to approve by consent $65000 for the Trust Fund to build transitional housing for foster-children. How would you vote? Decent priced housing for decent people & workers is something we certainly need! Comments?
The ARCH website is http://www.archhousing.org/.
Reasonable access to housing is perhaps even more severe for the blue collar worker, low tech worker or lower paid professionals like teachers and salesmen. Already many of these working families are commuting from Monroe, Kent, and other outlying cities to service Redmond residents. As the price of oil increases to $100/barrel will they be able to afford their commute? Growth in Redmond and services could slow and even suffer from lack of workers.
I remember ex-mayor Ives once envisioning Redmond evolving into "another Stamford, Connecticut" where most residents are affluent and and serviced by surrounding communities and extensive mass transit. Do we want our city to be like another Stamford -- lacking in economic diversity?
Last Tuesday, the Planning Commissioners, Council and Mayor tried to address some of these issues. Mayor Marchione stated that we can't solve the worker-commute problem just by building roads and mass transit. Mayor Marchione encouraged staff, council and planning commission to work with Arthur Sullivan, Program Manager of ARCH (our eastside housing department) to create affordable family housing inside Redmond. Adding affordable housing inside Redmond would also help to reduce the traffic congestion problem!
We are certainly not having a problem building $1 million homes AND those homes will need services! 800 million $ homes will soon be built at Redmond Ridge East. 3500 expensive new housing units are scheduled for Redmond Ridge and 3000 expensive units are scheduled in North Redmond over the next 5-10 years. We need to make sure ARCH gets the support it needs to facilitate modest housing for the service workers we need IN Redmond!
ARCH has already funded 737 housing units for Redmond from their multi-city ARCH Trust Fund. Over $6M in Trust Funds have been dedicated to Redmond families and residents in need of housing support. If you have friends or family looking for affordable condos and houses click here: http://www.archhousing.org/ownership/owner_ops_text.html.
Councilmembers Cole, McCormick, Vache and Allen were all pleased with how Redmond has led the Region through efforts of ARCH. Council will decide during their next meeting to approve by consent $65000 for the Trust Fund to build transitional housing for foster-children. How would you vote? Decent priced housing for decent people & workers is something we certainly need! Comments?
The ARCH website is http://www.archhousing.org/.
You can take your affordable housing and send it down to Kent where the scum drug infested people come from. I have worked hard to live here in Redmond and don’t need the crime, drugs and scum that affordable housing will bring into Redmond. Sorry if you can’t afford to live here too bad, check out Everett or S. Seattle. You’re not welcome here.
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