Home Affordability??

This week I want to discuss the matter of "Home & Transportation Affordability". Fun stuff right? I know, I know, you can put away the confetti now, It's time to talk business now. In plain terms home affordability is how much you can afford to pay for a home. Here comes a little humor to lighten your spirits for the day:

First we state that homes require time and money
Homes= Time x Money
As we all know "Time is Money."
Time= Money
Therefore:
Homes= Money x Money = (Money)ˆ2
And because "money is the root of all evil":
Money=√evil
Therefore:
Houses= (√evil)ˆ2
And we are forced to conclude:
Houses= evil
Hope that brightened your day because it surely made mine.

As a homebuyer, it is important that you determine your affordability based on the inherent economics of your home purchase and not on your ability to qualify for a mortgage.

As a homebuyer, it’s important to determine affordability based on your pocketbook. Can you make the mortgage payments without compromising on your quality of life? Can you balance your checkbook? Do you believe your home will appreciate over a 3, 5 year period? Can you ride out a decline in home prices ? The hype from the realtor aside, how much would you ‘really’ pay for this house?

The bottom line: Affordability calculators are useful, but use them only as a guideline. Start with your net income (gross income less taxes, social security, Medicare, retirement and other deductions), back out your mortgage payments, other debt payments and expenditures and stare at the balance. Are you comfortable with it? Are you saving enough to meet the needs of your family? If so, go ahead and buy.

Have a great day all,

Sincerely,

Dana Washington

TPAC is on a roll!

Tuesday we had our second TPAC, Transportation Plan Advisory Committee, meeting for the Long Range Transportation Plan. We had a great turn out of members who knew the problem areas and were anxious to express their ideas since the previous meeting.

It seems that the concensus of the (LRTP) questionnaire was that we needed to work on connectivity, bike and pedestrian friendly streets, and trying to make things more appealing to the eye. The combination of these ideas will make getting from point"A" to point "B" less stressful, maybe even enjoyable!

The previously mentioned round-a-bout for five/six points will not work because of the the large footprint that would be required. Another alternative may be to make one of the intersecting streets inbound only. Then there are those that say "if it ain't broke, don't fix it"! What do you think?

All agreed that the East Palmetto corridor coming from the airport to the hospital is a definite eyesore and needs to be cleaned up. This is one of the gateways to our City and requires much attention.

South Irby Street is highly traveled and begs for help. Safety is the biggest issue whether it is for motorist, pedestrians, or bicyclist. They all use Irby Street (maybe in fear). Proper turn lanes, controlling curb cuts, plantable medians, and pedestrian elements were some of the suggestions that need to be incorporated.

TPAC thinks it's all about raising the level of service and the more bang for your buck!

What do you think?

Great Feedback for the Land Use Element!

The most important thing Florence County Staff has needed, asked, and advertised for over the last eleven months while updating the existing Land Use Element and Land Use Map, has been public input, public input, public input.

The Home Builders Association of the Greater Pee Dee has gone above and beyond in helping our department to get the word out. Florence County Staff met with their members last week at the beautiful new Pee Dee Realtor's Association building on Celebration Drive. There were more than 34 interested members present with all sorts of good questions and comments.

• When did the State Statute begin on the Comprehensive Plan? (1994)
• What is the Comprehensive Plan's role for unzoned parcels? (None)
• What is the process and how long is the procedure to make a change to the comprehensive plan change? (Very detailed answer, look for this information to be included soon in the Land Use Element DRAFT on the county website.
• Would like to see all residential uses combined into one land use designation.
• Would like to see all commercial uses combined into one land use deisgnation.
• When will the (FHD) Flood Hazard District change on the map? (Will reflect FEMA FIRM maps updates)
• Several good recommendations for additional information in the Land Use document. (To present to Planning Commission on July 28th public meeting.

Hope to see all you other interested individuals and groups at the Land Use Night School tonight at 6:30PM in room 803 of the City/County Complex. If you can't make this meeting, save the date on your calendar for the next Planning Commission public hearing on July 28th at the same time and location as noted above. Your input is needed too!

Attention All Paddlers!

Anyone out there familiar with The Scenic Rivers Program, established by the SC Scenic Rivers Act 1989? I wasn't until I was fortunate enough to be asked to join the Lynches Scenic River Advisory Committee. The upper section of the Lynches River was designated a State Scenic River on March 24, 1994, while the lower section was designated on June 11, 2008.

Thanks to the efforts of SC Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism and SC Department of Natural Resources a grant was received from the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration and a Lynches Scenic River Water Trail Guide has been created. The guidebook contains information on the portion which flows roughly 111 miles from U.S. Highway 15 Bridge in Lee County to its confluence with the Great Pee Dee River, which by the way, is another SC State Scenic River.

The guidebook is waterproof, however there are specific instructions on how to dry the sheets if the book gets wet. These instructions can be found on the DNR website under Managed Lands and Secenic Rivers. A pdf of the guidebook is also available at this site.

You can pick up a copy of the booklet (FREE!) at any of these locations:
- Florence DNR office;
- Florence County Planning Department;
- Drs. Bruce and Lee Foundation Library;
(carded copies will also be available here and at each of the Florence County libraries)
- Naturally Outdoors;
- Two outfitters on the Lynches River (River Ratz & Swamp Fox);
- Lynches River County Park;
- Woods Bay State Park;
- Lee State Park; and
- The Cotton Museum in Bishopville.

Poster size signs with specific information will be placed at the following landings:
- Highway 15, Lee County;
- Highway 76, Sumter County;
- Highway 401, outside of Olanta;
- Half Moon Landing, above Johnsonville;
- Highway 41/51, Odell Venters Landing;
- Lynches River County Park @ canoe landing and @ Highway 52 landing.

Small blue "South Carolina Scenic River" tree signs will be posted visible by water or land at other landings available to the public. No signs will be posted on private landings.

The date, time and location of the Dedication has yet to be determined. I'll keep you posted.

I can't begin to elaborate on all of the great information this guidebook contains. So, run out and pick one up soon (limited supply of FREE books) and take it with you on your next outting on the Lynches River. I've got mine and my outting is in the works. See you on the river!

The Census: Right Around the Corner :)

Hello, I'm Tamra Marshall, a summer intern at the Florence County Planning Department. I've decided to contribute my two cents or more about the 2010 Census peaking right around your corner in our nation. This will be taking effect sometime in April of next year. It is highly important that EVERYONE takes advantage to be accounted for in part of not only as an American but also a South Carolinian. I will discuss what the Census is and how very important it is to everyone. Here goes ...

According to the website, 2010.census.gov, the Census is a count of every person in the United States that is held every 10 years. This is mandated by the US Constitution and is required by law that everyone to provide accurate information. The information each individual provides is protected by the federal law.

The US Census Bureau serves to collect data about the people and the economy provided that the people of this nation provide accurate and relevant information asked.
I write to you all that the Census is highly important to fill out due to how it affects everyone's way of life. From a further page from the first website, census.gov/aboutus, the Census data affects how funding is allocated to communities for: neighborhood improvements, public health, education, transportation and much more.

If the info I provided here wasn't enough for you please visit the three websites I placed at the bottom of this discussion. Thanks

TSM

http://www.census.gov/

http://2010.census.gov/2010census/

http://www.census.gov/aboutus/

4th Week

Its my 4th week and I'm back stronger than ever. I hope everyone enjoyed their break from work on Friday and also Independence Day. I'm really working on the transportation element of the Comprehensive plan and I'm having some good days and some bad days with it. But honestly, who wouldn't? I'm adding a criminal justice point of view (see picture :) ) so we'll see how many toes I miss and step on with that. I'm looking to show where the most highway traffic stops occur and where traffic is the busiest in Florence County. Hope everyone has a productive week. Until next time.

Florence County Foreclosures Decline to 2006 Levels

Over the past few months, the Florence County Planning Department has been tracking foreclosures back to 2006. With the help of the County Clerk of Courts and its Special Referree, we have compiled all the available information on those homes that have completed the foreclosure process.

Beginning around May 2007, it was not uncommon to see between 35 and 40 foreclosures a month. Those numbers have decreased starting in September 2008 when the highest values were between 25 and 30 a month.

For the month of June, the number of foreclosed property continued its downward trend with nine, roughly equal to the average of the first two months of 2006, which is the start of records we could find.

Annual municipalities' foreclosures in 2009 may meet or beat 2006 values if these trends continue.

So, what does this mean for Florence County? It may translate to decreased time a home for sale remains on the market. It may also signal a better market for builders seeing less competition with foreclosed properties.

As the Florence Economic Development Partnership continues to attract new an expanding businesses to Florence, we may be seeing some warming from this icy housing season.

The next question we must ask ourselves is how we want to grow to weather the next economic catastrophe. That answer may lie in considering the combined costs of housing and transportation (reflecting the new coordination between HUD and US DOT) while minimizing the tax burden. Instead of housing following new schools, how about schools locating near the housing... you'll see lower costs in maintaining our transportation network! Imagine a pedestrian and bicycle friendly neighborhood that includes that school, grocer, coffee shop, clothing store and other amenities.

Can it happen in Florence?