Title
Incorporated County of Los Alamos Ordinance No.02-360, An Ordinance of the Incorporated County of Los Alamos Amending Article VII of Chapter 14, Affordable Housing
Recommended Action
I introduce, without prejudice, Incorporated County of Los Alamos Ordinance No. 02-360; Amending Chapter 14, Affordable Housing, and ask staff to assure that it is published as provided in the County Charter.
County Manager's Recommendation
The County Manager recommends that Council introduce this Ordinance.
Body
The County, region, and nation are experiencing an acute shortage of housing. This lack of housing affects the quality of life for people who live and work in the county and creates a problem for the local economy, which depends on a diverse labor force that supports not only knowledge based and skilled workers but also small businesses, services, trade, retail, and other lower-paying local jobs.
The State of New Mexico enacted amendments to the New Mexico Affordable Housing Act in 2007 (“Act”). The Act requires the local governing body to adopt an Affordable Housing Plan (“Plan”) and Ordinance if it wishes to provide donations or support towards affordable housing projects.
Affordable housing projects are residential housing primarily for persons or households of low- to moderate-income. Through the MFA, the Act permits State and local governments latitude to provide, or pay all or a portion of the costs of acquisition, development, construction, financing, operating or owning affordable housing projects.
This specifically includes, “the land upon which affordable housing will be constructed; buildings that will be renovated, converted or demolished and reconstructed as affordable housing; the costs for acquisition, development, construction, financing, and operating or owning affordable housing; or the costs of financing or infrastructure necessary to support affordable housing”.
The purpose of the Plan and Ordinance are to establish continued compliance with t...
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