Regional housing studies and solutions to shortages have been a topic of conversation for many years, but City Manager, Mike Pogge-Weaver, gave a presentation to the Carroll City Council Monday on this topic and expanded on it during a live interview with Carroll Broadcasting. He says this is not an isolated problem. Housing availability continues to be a challenge across the state. When he moved to Carroll in 2016, there were about 60 houses on the market in Carroll, that was about 1.9 percent of owner-occupied housing. However, studies have suggested that a community should have five to seven percent vacancy for a healthy market. At this point in time, the number is down to 10 houses for sale, representing around .3 percent of available properties. This compounds another economic issue, low unemployment in the Carroll area.
Pogge-Weaver says the problem isn’t just at the high end or of single-family dwellings. Studying other communities has helped them understand the mix.
The bottom line is Carroll needs housing at every level. Pogge-Weaver says new home construction is lagging with contractors about two years out from even breaking ground. Historically, there were 20 to 40 houses built per decade. By comparison, there were seven single-family homes built in 2019 and in 2020 there was only one and four duplexes that are still under construction. The majority of work is focused on renovations, which is great because it is preserving our housing stock, but it is not bringing options to the market. He says the council has been tasked with determining ways the city can help out.
The other is tax abatement. The city does have an urban revitalization area where eligible projects could receive abatement of the first $75,000 of new value added for the first five years—about $5,000 total. There has only been one project that has taken advantage of it. The council may consider widening the scope to include new housing. They are also looking at other ideas such as cash incentives, covering spec home interest for up to six months if the home doesn’t sell in the first six months or partnering with local businesses to put together gift /welcome packages to those building a new home that provides thousands of dollars in value. They are also ready to hear from those who live or want to live in Carroll.
The entire interview with Pogge-Weaver can be found below.
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https://www.1380kcim.com/episode/kcim-interview-carroll-city-manager-mike-pogge-weaver/
