Affordable housing, inclusionary zoning, and a look at Spartanburg's downtown housing landscape

A recent bill in the state General Assembly sponsored by Sen. Marlon Kimpson of Charleston that would allow cities to require a percentage of apartment units of any new development to be priced as affordable housing, with below market rate rents specifically targeting residents with incomes below 80 percent of the local median (around $42,000 per year for a family of four in Spartanburg). The bill is a response to the rapidly developing downtowns of South Carolina cities like Charleston and Greenville and their corresponding rapid growth in rental rates, and a recent article in the Spartanburg Herald-Journal brought the issue local attention. So, is inclusionary zoning something Spartanburg should consider? Is our downtown far enough along to worry that spiraling rents will threaten the socioeconomic diversity of our city's most important neighborhood? What does the overall housing landscape in Spartanburg look like in 2017 and what steps are we in the City taking to address housing issues? Today on the podcast, we're taking a deep dive on those questions with Assistant City Manager Chris Story and Neighborhood Services Director Martin Livingston.