It’s only been a few days since the Carroll County Housing Assessment was released on Monday, and after review, Manning City Manager, Dawn Rohe, said there were and were not surprising results in the document.
Rohe explained, these numbers show a lot of people living in housing that is valued at below what is typical for their income level, possibly a result of the shortages of housing reflected in those mid to upper ranges. A big motivator, Rohe said, is that the population should grow by over 200 people in the next 10 years, if housing is not a problem. The housing assessment is not something new to Manning. The community has relied on this type of research to direct other housing initiatives in a community that does not see a lot of vacancies. A study done in 2009 directly resulted in grant money awarded for the building of 202 Housing for seniors, which Rohe says has been a huge success. The new Char Mac Assisted Living facility came about because the 2009 study solidified the need and it has also been used to drive some alternative types of housing.
Manning is not wasting any time in putting the assessment to work and has already formed a task force, made up of a developer, a realtor, the mayor, the city manager, a utilities representative and a builder. They are holding their first meeting today (Friday) with the goal of determining how to push this along and to identify what pieces they think will be taken on a private level and which need a public push. They will also discuss ways public and private entities can partner to make this happen.
