CRISIS IN. AFFORDABLE HOUSING:Miami + Mesa AZ > 2 Different Mayors + 2 Very Different
BLOGGER NOTE: Critics of the opportunity zone program argue that it ends up benefiting a small group of wealthy investors. That's exactly what is happening here in Mesa. Readers of this blog know that
August 25, 2020 - 07:52 PM EDT
Miami mayor:
Need for affordable housing is 'another pandemic'
By James Bikales
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The Republican mayors of Miami and Mesa, Ariz., on Tuesday stressed the importance of government intervention to support affordable housing, especially during the coronavirus pandemic. “Our cities are exploding in terms of growth, which means that it’s becoming more and more difficult for the market to provide the kind of affordable housing that is needed,” Miami Mayor said at The Hill’s “Affordable Housing” event, on the sidelines of the Republican National Convention. Mesa Mayor John Giles said at Tuesday's event, which was sponsored by Enterprise, said affordable housing is an important issue for Republicans, not just Democrats..
.@CityofMiami’s @MiamiMayor: “our cities are exploding in terms of growth, which means that it’s becoming more and more difficult for the market to provide the kind of affordable housing that is needed”
— The Hill Events (@TheHillEvents) August 25, 2020
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Suarez praised the “opportunity zones” program created by the 2017 GOP tax law and federal support for public-private partnerships, both of which he said are key to his city’s goal of having 12,000 affordable housing units by 2024. Under the opportunity zones program, governors can nominate low-income and undercapitalized census tracts where, if approved by the Treasury Department, developers can access tax credits for building affordable housing and making other investments in those areas. On Monday, Senator Tim Scott (R-S.C.), who helped craft the legislation behind the law, cited the program in his speech at the Republican convention, calling it the “first new, major effort to tackle poverty in a generation.”
