Ferndale Discusses Affordable Housing Priorities
(Crystal A. Proxmire, March 11, 2020)
Ferndale, MI- Armed with sheets of green, red, yellow, and blue dots, about 30 Ferndale residents approached a wall full of ideas and topics related to affordable housing issues.
Their task was to sticker the ones most important to them with green.  Lower priority items were given yellow dots.  Red dots meant no, and blue dots were for items that people wanted more information about.
The exercise was part of a Feb. 26 workshop moderated by Lisa Sturtevant and Ryan Price of LSA & Associates, the consulting firm hired by the City to evaluate current housing, and come up with plans for tracking and improving access to appropriately priced housing options.
A common misconception, Price said, is that “affordable housing” only refers to low-income.  And while low-income residents are an important part of the discussion, affordable housing actually refers to what percentage of one’s income is being spent on housing.  This applies to people at all income levels.  “If you’re spending 30% or more of your income on housing, it’s considered ‘cost-burdened.’”  It also applies to both rental properties and those that are owner occupied.
For example, if someone makes $10 an hour for 40 hours per week, to be “affordable” their rent or mortgage should be $480 or less.
The challenge is Ferndale, Price said, is “there is a widening gap between wages and housing costs.”
There are more cost-burdened residents, and people who want to move here, or remain in the community when their living situation changes, are finding the costs to be too high.
The discussion centered around eight focus areas:
~Seniors
~Economically Vulnerable
~Homelessness
~Environmental Sustainability
~Diversity of Housing Stock
~Workforce Housing
~Home Ownership
~Renters
“Provide seniors in Ferndale options to remain in the community as they age,”  “Reduce the gap in the home-ownership rate by race in Ferndale by promoting home-ownership among African American, Hispanic, Asian and other minority households,” and “Create permanent supportive housing for extremely low-income (30% of AMI) and very low-income (50% of AMI) residents in Ferndale” were among the topics that received multiple green dots.
Topics marked blue tended to relate to specific program ideas, like “Establish a City-sponsored program for home repairs/modifications that is available to seniors in Ferndale to make existing homes accessible and facilitate aging in place, ” “Promote collaboration between the City and the Alliance for Housing to identify opportunity areas in which the Ferndale community can help reduce homelessness in Oakland County,” Set up an eviction diversion program,” and “Increase participation in the home energy audit programs offered by DTE Energy and Consumers Gas to lower utility costs for Ferndale households.”  Those are areas where more education may be needed. Residents also were unsure what “accessory apartments” meant, which includes new construction of living space on an existing home, such as adding on an apartment over a garage, or a tiny house in a backyard.
Only a few red dots were used, with “Facilitate mixed use developments that include housing units affordable to local workers in the City’s commercial and retail corridors,” and “Facilitate financial training and education opportunities for Ferndale renters” being the biggest points of disinterest.
Following the stickering exercise, attendees gathered in small groups to weigh in on specific topics, and table captains shared discussion points with the larger group.
Some discussions centered on home prices and rental prices.
Brian Stawowy, who ran unsuccessfully for Mayor last year with a campaign critical of development as well changes to the public housing program, said  “I think the affordability problem is there are more renters coming in. We can incentivize landlords to sell rentals and have more home ownership.”
He also shared suggestions from his table for addressing the needs of those who rent, which included “rent control,” “more public involvement” [in the planning process], and “true integration of income levels.”
Ferndale Councilperson Raylon Leaks May has been an advocate for affordable housing since before her time on city council.  She served on the school board when the decision was made to sell Jefferson Oaks School to a housing nonprofit for the creation of affordable housing for low income residents in Oak Park.
She and those at the table with her talked about potential “production” mechanisms for adding more housing, including:
~Revolving Trust
~Use Industrial Areas
~Land Trust
~Tiny Homes
~Work with Developers to Incentivize Housing Development
“Production” ideas would require both funding and a plan.
“We’re talking about affordable housing, but is the city really ready to invest in this goal?” Leaks May said to the larger group.  She is optimistic, given the efforts put forth in research and the extent of public involvement.  “We are listening,” she said.
The sticker tallies and the feedback shared are part of a larger look at affordable housing.  In addition to the workshop, LSA has been researching the market, and taking part in a monthly task force meeting with a panel of residents.  They also conducted a survey which had 219 responses. LSA will take all the info and present the research and their suggestions to Ferndale City Council, most likely in late March or April.