Reno City Council members voted 6-1 to approve 264 townhouses in North Valleys 11/4/20.
Congratulations to our elected leaders who’ve made these workforce homes attainable for our neighbors.
They will be duet-style connected by a shared wall -- either 2 beds/1 bath or 3 beds/2 baths. The community will be open to all with public, not private streets.
Compared to single family developments with larger parcels than many of our neighbors need, there will only be modest amenities to keep common area expenses down for working families.
Unless we build more than 4,000 homes per year, rents and housing prices will continue their relentless increase. What other solutions can any reader suggest?
Paradiso -- the people creating this new community-- recently built Legacy Pointe, also right off Military Road. Homes start at $330,000 with total monthly costs (PITI) of $1,500. This is 32% below the $485,000 median price in the City of Reno for September 2020.
What do our neighbors need to earn to make this home attainable without being burdened by housing costs (defined as 30% of their household income)?
$60,000 annual income necessary for unburdened housing costs
$29 per hour for one income earner per household
$14 per hour for two income earners per household
Will workforce housing in the North Valleys put pressure on increasing sewer capacity and other infrastructure?
Absolutely.
That’s the point. It doesn’t make sense for taxpayers to pay to increase supply of sewer capacity, UNLESS the demand by new taxpayers buying or renting out new homes is unequivocally rising.
Must the disgusting impact of flooding in the North Valleys end?
Absolutely.
We all know if the Newlands neighborhood was flooded like the North Valleys, the problem would be solved very, very quickly.
Building workforce housing and the end to flooding is necessary for economic and environmental justice.
For some readers it’s difficult to understand why workforce housing of this type relieves pressure on rents and housing prices for all income levels, in all neighborhoods.
Regenerative thinking requires systems thinking. Western Nevada is an interconnected whole. We must move beyond silos of separation into parts. We can’t co-create solutions to problems one at a time.
Western Nevada is a living organism, not a machine.
If you’re interested in regenerative thinking, please take a look at our company, Regenesis Reno: