Cost Of Living

[got any ideas]

The cost of living in LA is so expensive. The minimum income needed to purchase the most basic home is over $130k. Rents on apartments have almost doubled in the last 5 years. And of course, incomes have not doubled. The question is, where are people with average incomes going to live in the future?

Some people support the idea of rent control. I don't think that this is a good idea because it discourages building owners from improving their buildings. And as we all know, Azusa has a lot of buildings that need to be upgraded or redeveloped. The thought of slowing down this process is not one that I'm for. I think that we need to find more creative solutions than rent control. Building owners should be able to improve their buildings and be able to be paid for the improvements through increased rents.

So many areas of this city still need to be improved. What do you think should be done to make sure that there is housing for people with average incomes?

The only thing that I can think of would be to redevelop property close to the freeway and build up with a combination of apartments and condos. They can allow low income and moderate income housing but must also require that these new buildings be taken care of properly, which with an association is an easier thing to do. And the new properties must have sufficient parking so that people will not park on the street.

Do you have any ideas? Do you support rent control? This is important because the city is going to have to decide what to do about this and they need to hear your input.

[saturday]

I also do not feel that the city should make any decisions that would discourage building owners from improving or redeveloping properties that need to be improved. It seems like there is always something that slows down the improvement of the city and this is one more obstacle. Residents should emphasize the need to improve/redevelop current properties.

[question]

I also do not feel that rent control is the direction to go for the city. Is there some kind of government funding to help pay for subsidized housing for moderate incomes to make it more affordable?

[rain]

Please, no rent control. They end up being the worst areas in the city. The city should come up with more creative options.

[article]

There is an article about the rents in Pasadena going up. One coucilman has an idea that might work for Azusa as well:

"co-op" housing.

Under Gordo's plan, the city would help set up corporations to purchase apartment complexes. The corporation would offer shares to its tenants that would entitle them to live in one of the apartments.

One share in a 40-unit complex, Gordo figures, would cost about $144,000. The family would finance the cost through a mortgage, with monthly payments less than $1,000.

"You're talking about getting a family into a two-bedroom, two-bath apartment, for $144,000, with no city subsidy," Gordo said. "That's affordable."

When the price of the complex increases, the shares would appreciate in value, and the tenants would reap the benefits.

The plan would use existing housing stock, and so would not offend neighborhood groups, Gordo said. It also requires no subsidy from developers. In other words, it has no natural opposition - except, perhaps, from affordable-housing developers who rely on city subsidies.

I don't know if it would work but it should be looked into. Turning renters into home owners is usually good all around.

I also like the idea of creating Neighborhood Associations throughout the city. It would be a good step in the right direction to make all of Azusa look nice.

www.pasadenastarnews.com/news/ci_3525290