Affordable Housing

South Carolina State Housing Finance and Development Authority (SC State Housing) has been there to aid many low income families, disabled persons and older adults for almost four decades. Their vision is to provide all SC citizens the opportunity to live in safe, decent and affordable housing.

The economy has certainly placed many citizens in a situation that they never thought they would be in. With unemployment resulting in foreclosure, many are faced with the problem of "no where to go".

Affordable Housing may still be a challenge for low income renters. Two questions are asked each year by the National Low Income Housing Coalition.

1. Could a full time job at minimum wage today support the affordability of a modest rental unit in the community?

2. How much would a family have to earn to to assure them of quickly finding an affordable rental unit? A unit is considered affordable if it costs no more than 30% of the renter's income.

Fair Market Value(FMV) in South Carolina for a two-bedroom apartment is $675. In order to afford this amount of rent and the utilities without paying more than 30% of income on housing, a household must earn $2,249 monthly or $26,992 annually. This income level translates into a housing wage of $12.98. This is based on a 40-hour work week, 52 weeks a year.

The following programs provide assistance for affordable housing and can be found in detail by contacting the South Carolina State Housing Finance and Development Authority at http://www.schousing.com/:

1. Mortgage Revenue Bond(MRB)Program
2. South Carolina Housing Trust Fund (HTF)Program
3. HOME Investment Partnerships (HOME)Program
4. Multifamily Tax Exempt Bond Program
5. Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC)Program
6. Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program
7. Contract Administration (CA)Program
8. Neighborhood Stabilization (NSP)Program

Definitions:
Cost-burdened: A household is considered cost-burdened when it spends more than 30% of monthly household income on either housing costs or rental costs.

Cost-burdened, Severe: A household is considered severely cost-burdened when it spends more than 50% of monthly household income on either housing costs or rental costs.

Fair Market Rent: A dollar amount set by HUD to determine the costs of renting a modest housing unit in a given market area (state, county, metropolitan statistical area).

Housing Wage: The hourly wage one would need to earn working 40 hours a week, 52 weeks a year in order to afford the HUD estimated Fair Market Rent for a given area while spending no more than 30% of monthly income on housing costs or rental costs.

HUD: The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Low Income: A household is considered of low income when its income is between 51% and 80% of area median income.

Low Income, Very: A household is considered of very low income when its income is between 31% and 50% of area median income.

Low Income, Extremely: A household is considered of extremely low income when its income is 30% of or below area median income.

For more information, please contact the Housing Authority of Florence at 843.669.4163 or their website at www.hafsc.org. The Lake City Housing Authority can be contacted at 843.374.3541.

Sustainability, Smart Growth, Livability - WHAT? WHY?

"Sustainable Communities", "Smart Growth", and now "Livability". Phrases we're hearing more and more and will continue to. I don't know exactly how long we've been hearing them, but in doing some research, I found as early as 1998 with the Clinton-Gore Livability Agenda: Building Livable Communities For The 21st Century. If I did an intensive research, I'll bet I'd find these initiatives have been around much longer than that by a different way of communicating them, but the same meaning.

But why are they so important, and what do they mean? Their meanings are similar when it comes to transportation planning. Transportation is a critical link in creating more livable communities. It plays an important role in connecting affordable housing, good jobs, a safe and healthy environment, and strong schools, just to mention a few.

The US Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), look favorably on these initiatives regarding funds allocated for transportation planning. DOT's vision is "transportation policies that focus on people and communities who use the transportation system".

In June, 2009, the Partnership for Sustainable Communities was formed by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), and the U.S. Environmental Protections Agency (EPA). These three agencies have pledged to ensure that housing and transportation goals are met while simultaneously protecting the environment, promoting equitable development, and helping to address the challenges of climate change.

Listed below are basic explanations of each along with websites containing more detailed information on each:

• Sustainable communities identify a more compact and mixed-use, with a range of transportation options, less sprawl and more compact, walkable communities. (The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Sustainability webpage; The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Livable and Sustainable Communities webpage)
• Smart growth is more town-centered, is transit and pedestrian oriented, and has a greater mix of housing, commercial and retail uses. It also preserves open space and many other environmental amenities. (EPA Smart Growth Guide; Smart Growth America website.
• Livability is tying the quality and location of transportation facilities to broader opportunities such as access to good jobs, affordable housing, quality schools, and safe streets. This includes addressing safety and capacity issues on all roads through better planning and design. (The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) DOT Livability website;The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Livability initiative website)

The Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (Public Law 109-59; SAFETEA-LU) is a funding and authorization bill that governs federal surface transportation spending. It was signed into law on August 10, 2005 and will expire the end of 2010. Congress is expected to begin working on a replacement bill for the next six-year period soon.

In a press release in April of this year, The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) stated that DOT has indicated that livability is among the Administration's top priorities for future transportation funding. Soon it will be up to Congress to determine how "livability" will fit into the next multiyear transportation authorization legislation.

So you see, these phrases are here to stay and the initiatives behind them more than likely will become regulations for transportation funding. That's a good thing though. Just one more option on how to Florence County even better!

Hold on, Florence!

New population numbers for July 1, 2009 are out from the Census for incorporated places and minor civil divisions, released June 22, 2010: (link: http://www.census.gov/popest/estimates.html)

We compiled the Florence County numbers here; and, well, there is little surprise that our area continues to slowly grow regardless of economic outlook - boom or bust. (Click this link: http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Ht2Y20lOsjbyjI-kL7TzoQ?feat=directlink, to see a larger version of the graphic below)

The 0.63% population increase for the County from 2008-2009 reflects the trend over the ten years that averaged 0.7% increase every year.

This environment makes for easier planning. What would happen if a huge influx of people began calling Florence home (Beaufort saw 400% increases)? A look at the County Comprehensive Plan will show what's possible.

As the Planning Services staff near the home stretch for updates to the Comprehensive Plan, I am confident that the County has tremendous room to grow - even within our current municipal boundaries. These locations are best suited for redevelopment and increased density simply because services like public transit, water, sewer, police and fire protection, parks, museums and schools are already provided.

Even with the modest population growth in Florence, we still have our growth challenges; but the smartest way to grow and live may also mean the most reasonably priced in the short term and long run. When considering your next move, think of closing the gap to amenities you treasure and utilize most. Then once you move, support those amenities so they may better serve you and your neighbor. We just may be the start of bigger moves to Florence County.

Health Costs and Transportation

A new publication, The Hidden Health Costs of Transportation, addresses how our transportation system contributes to our rising health costs and improving public health.

U.S. traffic fatalities and injuries are high on the list. One projection showed that in 2009 there were roughly 33,963 people that died in traffic crashes. That's only 1,783 more than the population of the City of Florence in 2009! The American Automobile Association stated that the costs of traffic crashes is $164.2 billion each year which is about $1,051 per person annually. Some hidden costs of transportation are physical inactivity, rising asthma and obesity rates, and poor air quality.

The design of transportation within the communities could be improved to introduce walking, bicycling and transit which contibute to physical activity. The American Public Health Association supports access to safe sidewalks, streets and playgrounds, health services and jobs.

The Hidden Costs of Transportation publication will be a recommending source for future transportation policy and investment.

Good, Bad and Ugly

First the good:
As I am reviewing the latest and greatest of FLATS long range transportation plan, I am constantly reminded of the great job our consultants have done with the analysis of urban Florence traffic. There is great detail (for a vision document) on how to think of a 'complete street' (Chapter 5, starting on page 5-69 ), financial constraints (we only have so many funds for FLATS, Chapter 10 page 10-6), and the initial approach to improve existing streets (Chapter 5 page 5-41) with medians, curbs and interconnections between businesses over the traditional - widen until you can widen any more! I also wanted to mention the fantastic public work ethic - we had a whole slew of residents and stakeholders whom met at public meetings as well as for advisory committees. Thank you, team!

the bad?
Yes, there is plenty of that in the document as well. Where are our sidewalks? How can we connect our rail trail to other parts of the urban area? When will Hoffmeyer Road be striped for bicycles? Can we get the traffic light timing on Irby Street correct? ...and don't even mention Five (six) Points and the location of the new downtown intermodal facility (one location where cars and bikes can park, buses are routed and trains stop)! There is a lot of work to do, and we are going to have fun doing it!

the Ugly.
Um, yeah - we have the ugly here in Florence. On more than one account by residents in public forums or blogs, the 76 corridor approaching downtown Florence from the airport is ugly. Other uglies also include a list of the worst crash rate intersections (above, from the County Comp Plan)

So, there's your brief rap up of one of the big projects we all have been working on - a good project that's a great direction to clean up the bad and ugly of Florence. Review the implementation plan; it's a quick read and lists what we could be proposing in the near future and many years down the road.

EPA's Clean Water Enforcement

The U.S. Environmental Protections Agency (EPA) is getting more and more serious about improving water quality and taking the steps necessary to keep Americans informed about the safety of their local waters. Before I give you the details on the EPA's most recent press release, here's a little background on The Clean Water Act (CWA):

The CWA was enacted in 1948 and was called the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, but the Act was significantly reorganized and expanded in 1972. Major amendments were enacted in the Clean Water Act of 1977and the Water Quality Act of 1987.

The CWA is the cornerstone of surface water quality protection in the United States. (The Act does not deal directly with ground water nor with water quantity issues.) The statute employs a variety of regulatory and nonregulatory tools to reduce direct pollutant discharges into waterways, finance municipal wastewater treatment facilities, and manage polluted runoff.

Now about the press release! EPA recently launched new web tools to inform the public about Clean Water Enforcement. The interactive web tools allow the public to check water violations in their communites. The purpose of this set of web tools, data, and interactive maps is to inform the public about serious Clean Water Act violations in their communities. These web tools are part of EPA's Clean Water Act Action Plan to work with states in ensuring that facilities comply with standards that keep our water clean.

The new web page provides interactive information from EPA's 2008 Annual Noncompliance Report, which pertains to about 40,000 permitted Clean Water Act discharges across the country. It also makes it easy to compare states by compliance rates and enforcement actions taken and provides access to updated State Review Framework (SRF) reports.

We all know that clean water is vital to our health, to our environment, and to our economy. Failing to protect our lakes, rivers and streams leads to the loss of irreplaceable natural resources, destroys ecosystems and endangers species. When I have spare time, which seems to be less and less these days, I enjoy reading speeches by EPA's Administrator, Lisa P. Jackson. Check this site out when you get a chance.

Don't forget to take a look at the three links regarding EPA's press release. Lots of information and a little overwhelming, but makes you think..... what little things can I do on a daily basis to help?

Rebates are still Available!

Hybrid rebates are available through June 30, 2010. This fiscal year we have only had one applicant compared to eight last year. The fund balance is $19,500. This rebate may or may not be approved again by County Council.

Our hopes are that the rebate will continue and all of the funding will be used thus increasing the population of hybrid vehicles in Florence County. It is no doubt that the economy has played a big role in the purchase of any vehicle but we hope that those of you who are in the market for a new car will consider a hybrid.

The main purpose of the rebate is to help reduce emissions in Florence County. Air Quality will definitely continue to be a topic for conversation due to new EPA ozone regulations. That will be another BLOG!

Please contact us or visit our websit www.florenceco.org for an application or information regarding the rebate.

We look forward to hearing from you!