Silver City Strategic Housing Plan - Pt. 1 & 2

Dolphin Apr 22 2025 at 7:51AM on page 29

It is hard to get renters downtown with it being so unsafe and obnoxiously loud at all hours, specifically from the Grateful Living store.

Dolphin Apr 22 2025 at 7:49AM on page 29

Hasn't this office been closed for many years?

JoanneDe Apr 14 2025 at 5:24PM on page 18

Suggestion

Consider separating rental homes in need of rehabilitation from privately owned homes.
Also, consider adding a category for tenants living in land-lease communities where the landowner/investor is responsible for neglected infrastructure. Inspections should be performed to ensure water, sewer, and utilities are provided and up to code. Over a hundred elders in a manufactured home community went 6 months without natural gas last year due to landowner neglect. In Silver City, sewer problems are not monitored or corrected.

JoanneDe Apr 14 2025 at 5:15PM on page 18

Suggestion

As long as rents continue to grow faster than incomes, ALL tenants, including land tenants, live in threatened housing.

JoanneDe Apr 14 2025 at 5:12PM on page 18

Suggestion

18% does not factor in elders with disabilities.

JoanneDe Apr 14 2025 at 5:06PM on page 28

Suggestion

Currently, land-lease communities do not provide for secure tenancy. Land tenants own their homes, often their largest investment and lifelong accumulation of wealth. The landowner can raise rents indiscriminately and change the land use, thereby causing tens of thousands of dollars of damages to homeowners or more and displacing whole communities. By supporting resident-owned communities, individual wealth accumulation is protected and allowed to grow while the land owner receives fair market value for the land sale when they decide to sell. A win-win that protects affordable housing and future individual wealth protection.

JoanneDe Apr 14 2025 at 4:57PM on page 28

Suggestion

• Fire-resistant roofing: Install fire-resistant roofing materials like metal, clay, or tile.
• Fire-resistant siding: Consider using fire-resistant siding materials like stucco, brick, or stone.
• Install heavy-duty windows: Use heavy-duty windows and screens to prevent embers from entering the home.
• Screen vents and under-eave areas: Use metal mesh screens over vents and under-eave areas to prevent ember entry.
• Ensure proper spacing: Keep siding a few inches off the ground.
• Replace combustible fencing and gates with fire-resistant materials.

JoanneDe Apr 14 2025 at 4:56PM on page 28

Suggestion

With temperatures rising, helping with insulation, window replacements, and air conditioning might be advisable. A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) found that since 1999, there have been over 21,500 heat-related deaths in the United States.

JoanneDe Apr 14 2025 at 4:49PM on page 27

Suggestion

Mary O'Hara, Executive Vice President ROC Movement, is available to consult and answer questions about the hundreds of resident-owned communities they have helped.
link

JoanneDe Apr 14 2025 at 4:46PM on page 27

Suggestion

The City of Albuquerque's ordinance was introduced in a meaningful form but amended to make it relatively ineffective. We would want to ensure that any ordinance would be meaningful. Carolyn Carter, with the National Consumer Law Center, is the National Expert on the subject and would be happy to advise. link
link

JoanneDe Apr 14 2025 at 4:38PM on page 26

Suggestion

Ensure that actions do not disrespect or cause hardships to residents. People and their homes must be treated with respect and dignity, regardless of their financial value or condition.

JoanneDe Apr 14 2025 at 4:23PM on page 25

Suggestion

Affordable housing often faces challenges in remaining affordable over time. All too often, government subsidies are used to build affordable housing with no restrictions that it stay affordable. Resident-own communities and Community Land Trusts provide for permanent affordable housing. Off-site New Mexico construction and many other options are available once the land is secured for affordable housing. Other options include on-site constructions, tiny homes, and permanently secured structures that will withstand environmental challenges.

JoanneDe Apr 14 2025 at 3:58PM on page 22

Question

This would likely be homes over 60 years if manufactured?

JoanneDe Apr 14 2025 at 1:27PM on page 5

Suggestion

Many people have homes in Silver City and elsewhere because of the low cost of manufactured homes. Many such homes in Silver City and Grant County were built before the "HUD Code" that ensures quality, safety, and energy efficiency. Programs to improve safety and energy efficiency would help some of SC's vulnerable population. This could apply to homes in land-lease communities AND homes situated on land owned by the homeowner.

in reply to shoelessjoe's comment

JoanneDe Apr 14 2025 at 1:04PM on page 18

Suggestion

Deferred maintenance is dangerous for all concerned, especially when emergency services are unavailable.

in reply to holly.noonan@gmail.com's comment

JoanneDe Apr 14 2025 at 1:00PM on page 21

Suggestion

I agree. Most of the people I know who are retired and living on Social Security live on less than $1,500 per month, and some less than $1,000. They are part of the invisible people who slip into homelessness unnoticed.

in reply to Martha Blacklock's comment

JoanneDe Apr 14 2025 at 12:57PM on page 15

Suggestion

Some states and municipalities are taking steps to protect vulnerable homeowners and preserve this vital source of affordable housing. Giving homeowners the opportunity to purchase the land under their homes with the help of ROC USA, state housing authorities, and/or nonprofits helps permanently preserve affordable housing and reduce the risk of people losing their "immobile" homes.

jcbrandon Apr 11 2025 at 12:48PM on page 26

Question

Does Silver City currently have an ordinance addressing vacant commercial properties in the downtown area?

jcbrandon Apr 11 2025 at 12:13PM on page 14

Question

Is this graphic merely decorative or is it supposed to convey something? If it is meant to say something, that something is not clear.

jcbrandon Apr 11 2025 at 11:50AM on page 8

Question

How many housing properties in Silver City are vacant because they need repairs? How much money would it take to repair enough of these housing units to make a meaningful difference in the rental housing supply? How many of these units will become unsavable, and how long will that take?
What is the source of this data?

jcbrandon Apr 11 2025 at 11:44AM on page 8

Question

Should this sentence read "Contributing to the low rental vacancy rate ..."?

holly.noonan@gmail.com Apr 10 2025 at 12:52PM on page 28

Suggestion

link

holly.noonan@gmail.com Apr 10 2025 at 12:51PM on page 28

Suggestion

Here's an example of a combination CLT and CDC. Community Land Trust that is also a Community Development Corporation that helps to educate homeowners and sell them homes at below market rate: link

holly.noonan@gmail.com Apr 10 2025 at 12:49PM on page 28

Suggestion

Let's focus on specific land use solutions for shared-infrastructure housing: like Manufactured housing communities and RV parks, where all homes shared a single district utility system, allowing for affordable utilities. Let's streamline new neighborhoods like this.

Let's combine the shared-infrastructure approach with a shared-equity land ownership (Community Land Trusts and Resident Owned Co-ops) for truly lasting affordability. Let's please write this in to the land use code.

holly.noonan@gmail.com Apr 10 2025 at 12:45PM on page 27

Suggestion

Please separate these two. They are both worthwhile, but quite different.
1) Community Land Trust
2) Community Development Trust

holly.noonan@gmail.com Apr 10 2025 at 12:42PM on page 26

Suggestion

link

holly.noonan@gmail.com Apr 10 2025 at 12:41PM on page 26

Suggestion

this link does not work.

holly.noonan@gmail.com Apr 10 2025 at 12:40PM on page 25

Suggestion

link

holly.noonan@gmail.com Apr 10 2025 at 12:26PM on page 25

Suggestion

Yes, but promote them on shared-equity land to avoid the tragedy that is happening all over the country. Set up a manufactured housing community on a Community Land Trust.

holly.noonan@gmail.com Apr 10 2025 at 12:23PM on page 22

Suggestion

There are a significant proportion of residents here who are environmentally sensitive (especially to mold and chemicals) and who would benefit from living in adobe structures. In order to be affordable, they must be small. The regulatory and financial infrastructure inhibits this kind of development and needs to be encouraged. (ie: R-value being prioritized over thermal mass) Adobe structures last much longer than manufactured housing, can be fireproof and have much less toxic indoor air. There is historical precedent and lots of older adobes that need repair. We need to make adobe workforce housing again.

holly.noonan@gmail.com Apr 10 2025 at 11:59AM on page 21

Suggestion

I know lots of people who are trying to make ends meet on $1200 a month or less. They would be thrilled to get to $25K annually. This chart does not reflect the people I know here. The lowest eschelon is still too high.

in reply to Martha Blacklock's comment

holly.noonan@gmail.com Apr 10 2025 at 11:50AM on page 15

Suggestion

I think the term they are looking for is "ROC-- Resident Owned Co-operatives." These are Manufactured Housing Communities who have banded together to purchase the land underneath the homes they already own. link

Due to the recent increase in predatory Private Equity firms targeting Manufactured Housing Communities, these communities need pro-active protection in the form of shared-equity land ownership. This trend is rendering low-income elders homeless all across the country and New Mexico is particularly vulnerable.

shoelessjoe Apr 10 2025 at 11:40AM on page 18

As a landlord of 31 years in Silver City, local contractors are overwhelmed with work request, some will not take on emergency work, very few on weekends. Landlords should have an idea what needs to be fixed before it becomes a crisis for the tenant.

holly.noonan@gmail.com Apr 10 2025 at 11:35AM on page 7

Suggestion

One of the express objectives of any Community Land Trust program is to turn renters into owners in the lower income demographic. Whether or not a town is mitigating the "AirBnb effect" (housing scaricity, driving up rents) or profiting by taxing Airbnbs, there is a feduciary duty to create alternatives to a predatory market economy for low-income, disabled and elderly residents. A Community Land Trust program would help municipalities meet that feduciary duty while creating lasting security and perpetually affordable home-ownership that costs less than rent.

shoelessjoe Apr 10 2025 at 11:30AM on page 18

Suggestion

Create rental standards for landlords with annual inspections from the city to grant or deny the ability to rent the unit. Landlord may proceed to rent unit once issues have been properly repaired. Landlord pays for annual inspections.

shoelessjoe Apr 10 2025 at 11:05AM on page 8

Question

How does Silver City's GRT from 2008-2023 compare with the State and/or other municipalities?

holly.noonan@gmail.com Apr 10 2025 at 10:56AM on page 6

Question

So how is the Median Family Income for Grant County $80,400?

holly.noonan@gmail.com Apr 10 2025 at 10:32AM on page 5

Suggestion

This means that some form of public transportation should be included in any plan for affordable housing development.

in reply to holly.noonan@gmail.com's comment

holly.noonan@gmail.com Apr 10 2025 at 10:30AM on page 5

Suggestion

Hmm, the link is breaking when I post it. Can you post it? And I can't post an image. But the Median Family Income for Grant County is $80,400, which seems high.

holly.noonan@gmail.com Apr 10 2025 at 10:25AM on page 5

Suggestion

Here is the dataset for Grant County:

link;INPUTNAME=NCNTY35017N35017*3501799999%2BGrant+County&statelist=&stname=New+Mexico&wherefrom=&statefp=35&year=2025&ne_flag=&selection_type=county&incpath=&data=2025&SubmitButton=View+County+Calculations

holly.noonan@gmail.com Apr 10 2025 at 10:22AM on page 5

Suggestion

Housing New Mexico has a 900 square foot minimum to be considered for financing. This needs to change. This is way too big and represents economic and disability discrimination.

holly.noonan@gmail.com Apr 10 2025 at 10:20AM on page 5

Suggestion

This statute could be used to establish a Land Bank for derelict properties-- to clean them up, wash the title and then deliver them to a Community Land Trust to develop into affordable housing or community gardens. link

holly.noonan@gmail.com Apr 10 2025 at 10:17AM on page 4

Suggestion

This sounds like a Community Land Trust. There are other free-market options, but none of them has the track record of perpetual affordability that Community Land Trusts have clearly demonstrated. There are 308 of them in the US alone.

Martha Blacklock Apr 9 2025 at 3:44PM on page 15

not sure what 'resident owned housing for mobile home communities' means. Residents usually do own their homes/housing; it's the land underneath it that is at issue.

Martha Blacklock Apr 9 2025 at 3:39PM on page 15

re: manufactured home communities -- big issue of investors buying the land under the homes. Protective legislation (giving homeowners in these communities opportunity to buy the land) didn't make it through the Legislature this year, but is necessary to keep this kind of desirable housing affordable, especially for seniors.

Martha Blacklock Apr 9 2025 at 3:24PM on page 7

Since 1976 the usage 'manufactured home' has supplanted 'mobile home'; I would have expected this report/plan to use the more current (and respectful?) term.

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Silver City Strategic Housing Plan - Pt. 1 & 2

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Silver City Strategic Housing Plan - Pt. 1 & 2

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