Opinion: Affordable housing issues negatively impacts WNC; here are 4 ways to help

It seems like everyone wants to live in Western North Carolina, evidenced by Asheville recently being named one of the top 20 “Best Places to Live in the U.S.” by U.S. News World & Report.

Popularity comes at a price, though. Demand for housing continues to drive prices higher, making it impossible for many citizens to live near Asheville’s and Hendersonville’s urban centers.

This lack of affordable housing issue negatively impacts our region in so many ways.

Many Western North Carolina residents drive long distances to and from their jobs, cutting into their family time and reducing options for getting involved in their communities. And our cities can become less diverse, because it is becoming hard for many younger and middle-income people to afford a house in our urban areas.

There are things we can do that will help this problem, though. And we need to do everything we can to ensure that Western North Carolina is a place for all people.

With this in mind, here are four things we can do to help address this issue:

Encourage zoning laws that allow structures that fill the “missing middle.”

Western North Carolina is woefully short of “missing middle” housing — types of housing like duplexes and accessory dwelling units that fall between a single-family residence and an apartment complex.

Zoning laws often don’t allow residents to build separate rental residences on their properties. Allowing such units could help residents stay in their homes despite higher property taxes, while addressing the housing shortage. Also, this would create more smaller and mid-sized units — dwellings that more people could afford.To support creative ways to address these issues, let city and county officials know where you stand by making comments at a meeting or sending emails.

Support housing nonprofits that are making a difference.

Organizations like BeLoved Asheville, Mountain Housing Opportunities, the Housing Assistance Corp. in Hendersonville and the Community Housing Coalition of Madison County are just four of the nonprofits helping residents find housing they can afford.

Make a donation, volunteer, and ask friends and neighbors to get involved. Know that these nonprofits make contributions count: They find ways to build housing affordably, and they are experts in gaining access to property where they can figure out how to develop housing that a wide range of people can afford. It’s also good to remember that another way to support them is to shop at their stores.

Encourage more students to train for jobs in skilled trades.

One of the biggest challenges for builders is the lack of skilled workers. Nationally, there is a shortage of approximately 400,000 construction workers.

Encourage students or people looking to switch careers to consider jobs in the building and construction trades. People in skilled jobs in such fields as construction, plumbing and electrical can make a quality wage while having less student debt.

To support Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College, the Builders Association of the Blue Ridge Mountains administers programs for the WNC Construction Education Foundation, which raffled off a one-room “Shedquarters” built by A-B Tech Green School students a few months ago. (Check out the “Shedquarters” at Habitat for Humanity’s Restore Asheville store near Biltmore Village.)

Work with builders and developers to encourage responsible growth.

Many developers and builders around Western North Carolina are being proactive in practicing responsible development and construction, whether it’s involving the surrounding community in their planning, or taking inventive approaches to reducing the impact on the surrounding environment.

For neighbors of new developments, we suggest creating an open dialogue with developers and builders as they plan projects. Support responsible practices and engage with them to come to solutions that work best for everyone involved.

Growth in Asheville is going to continue — we all know that. That said, there are things we can all do to help make this growth a positive for our communities.

Encourage quality, well thought out projects. Talk to students or people switching careers about working in building and construction.  Let’s work together to create more housing that our residents can afford. By focusing on these strategies, we can truly make a positive impact for our communities.

More: Hendersonville to contract with UNC Chapel Hill SOG to find affordable housing sites

More: City of Hendersonville hosting Affordable Housing Summit

Megan Carroll is Executive Officer of the Builders Association of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Opinion: Affordable housing issues negatively impacts WNC; here are 4 ways to help