Personally, I think this outcome was an absolute disaster and a stupid decision.
The usual concerns about parking and mixed-income housing prevailed yet again, but weirdly enough was that it was the affordable housing advocates that killed this project. They feel that these COVID funds should only go to potential (currently non-existent) affordable housing developments in other parts of the City, where I'm sure they would face even bigger opposition from home owner groups and businesses.
A huge missed opportunity to kill two birds with one stone - bring the largest vacant blighted building downtown back into commerce while addressing the housing affordability issue.
https://www.al.com/news/mobile/2022/...velopment.html
Quote:
Mobile City Council unanimously votes against allocating money to Gayfers affordable housing development
Published: Jun. 21, 2022, 2:56 p.m.
By Margaret Kates | mkates@al.com
At Tuesday’s meeting, the Mobile City Council voted unanimously against allocating $8 million from the federal American Rescue Plan Act to an affordable housing development in the old Gayfers department store building downtown.
The development faced opposition from affordable housing advocates and downtown residents, who said that the plan was not the right fit for the neighborhood and that there are areas in the city of greater need than downtown.
“Mobile is more than downtown,” Sylvia Reed, a Mobile resident, said during the meeting. “Mobile is very diverse, and we need to focus outside of downtown.”
Gulf Coast Housing Partnership, an affordable housing developer based in New Orleans, has proposed developing the department store building into 95 affordable housing units. In addition to the money it would have received from the city of Mobile, GCHP has lined up $24 million in funding for the project, primarily from affordable housing and historic preservation tax credits. The Mobile Housing Authority has committed a $1 million loan to the project.
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