EASTON, Pa. — An Easton City Councilman is looking to expand workforce housing options in the city with a novel new initiative.
Frank Pintabone on Wednesday announced his Workforce Rental Housing Initiative, which would require some new housing projects in the city to set aside at least 10% of their units for “the missing middle.”
Pintabone’s proposal seeks to create workforce rental unit options in tenant-occupied projects that get public subsidies and assistance to make room for tenants making 80% to 120% of area median income.
Developers would be required to dedicate 10% of their total units for 20 years to individuals and families who fit the demographic, with those units being comparable in type, size and amenities to other market-rate locations.
Those who do not wish to carve out those units for workforce housing could pay a one-time fee of $10,000 per unit that would be set aside for the city’s Housing Trust.
The Housing Trust would be able to tap those fees to further facilitate workforce housing or other affordable housing projects in the city.
Rates for the apartments would not exceed 30% of the residents’ incomes, Pintabone said.
That means a one-person household at 80% of the AMI would need about $56,000 per year, paying about $1,400 a month in rent and utilities.
'Developers reaching out every day'
Being that Easton’s median income falls around $10,000 below the state’s median income, Pintabone said, this program could be vital to securing housing for those who make too much to qualify for assistance programs but not enough to afford market rate rentals.
Apartments currently under development or already completed would not be subject to the program.
Pintabone said that he evaluated about a decade and a half of data to see what kind of impact such as program could have had for city residents in the past.
“If they all gave 10% we would have provided 96 workforce housing units. And if they all would have opted out, we would have received $960,000 to put towards workforce housing if we started in 2010,” Pintabone said.
The councilman said he had some discussions with developers including Peron, VM and City Center concerning the subject.
While he could not confirm their stance on the proposed ordinance, he did state that Easton had become a hotbed of development in the Lehigh Valley, and if business continued, it could easily help address workforce housing issues.
“Developers are reaching out every day to [the Redevelopment Authority]. They're reaching out to the Community and Economic Development [Director John] Kingsley, they're reaching out to the mayor,” Pintabone said.
“There's still people that want to develop. You know, there's talks every day from developers who want to do this one, do that, bigger projects, well over 10 units.”
Projects in the works
The Workforce Rental Housing Initiative would add to the RDA’s continuing mission to provide accessible housing for all.
RDA Deputy Director Michael Brett said there are 22 workforce/affordable housing units in varying stages of development throughout the city.
“We have two owner-occupied units that are finishing up and closing at the end of this month, the end of August," Brett said.
"The four units for the church conversion project are completing now, so we should have occupancy in there in August as well.
“We finished three units downtown on the Bushkill Street project, which are occupied. At this point, we have three out of six units on another Bushkill Street property downtown that are occupied and we’re renovating another three.”
Ten other projects are in the planning stages, Brett said.
Pintabone said he will offer a presentation on the Workforce Rental Housing Initiative at the July 9 council meeting for discussion, and hopefully have it up for a vote this month.
