“In
an ideal world, everybody should be able to live here. None
of us want this to be a place where the average person cannot
afford to live,” said Cave Creek Councilwoman Grace Meeth.
“None of us like how it is going.”
Mayor
Vincent Francia said establishing affordable housing in
Cave Creek is a challenge, when new condominiums sell for
$600,000 each.
“Cave
Creek is still eclectic,” Francia said. “It’s still strong
arts, it still has cowboys, hippies and bikers. What’s changed
is they have more money.”
The
median value of a Cave Creek home is expected to jump from
$317,000 this year to $454,250 in 2007, according to the
Maricopa County Assessor’s Office.
In
Carefree, the median house value is expected to spike–from
$393,500 this year to $571,000 in 2007, the assessor’s office
reported.
“Affordable
housing is being priced out of the market in areas like
Cave Creek and Carefree,” said Dan Dooley, board member
of Habitat for Humanity‑Desert Foothills. “Carefree
is a little more resistant to affordable housing than Cave
Creek – it’s an issue of land,” he added.
Many
communities interested in affordable housing transition,
by zoning or special use permit, from commercial to middle‑income
housing to single‑family dwellings, Dooley said.
Carefree,
however, does not have a large commercial sector, and Vice
Mayor Wayne Fulcher said the town has no formal program
for affordable housing.
“We
have private groups such as Habitat for Humanity interested
in supporting affordable housing–these groups and market
forces will determine how affordable housing progresses
in our town,” Fulcher said.
According
to Carefree planning director Gary Neiss, the town has planned
from its inception to have apartments and condominiums.
Anthem,
a master‑planned community, has not yet addressed
affordable housing, Dooley said.
Maricopa
County deputy planning director Darren Gerard said he is
not aware of any affordable housing effort in the Anthem
area.
Pulte
Homes/Del Webb Corp., developer of Anthem, did not return
calls by press time seeking comment.
In
Cave Creek, town leaders have expressed an interest in affordable
housing for the area, acknowledging concerns that those
who provide public services cannot afford to live in close
proximity to where they work.
Vice
Mayor Dick Esser said it is important for firefighters,
police, school teachers and others who work in the community
to be able to live in the area.
“(This)
is important because it fosters a sense of community,” Esser
explained. “People feel like they belong if they live, shop
and send their kids to school in the area where they work–it
gives them a vested interest.”
Esser
said he wants to set aside a portion of yet‑to‑be‑annexed
land west of town for affordable housing. That housing would
not be subsidized by the town, he said, but would be funded
by private‑sector lenders who have indicated an interest.
Esser added that he plans to get a group of people together
to work on the issue.
According
to Mayor Francia, the town needs to “get in on the ground
floor” and talk to developers about setting aside land for
affordable housing.
Habitat
for Humanity‑Desert Foothills is currently planning
construction on Blue Ridge Parkway in Cave Creek.
The
next area for consideration is the Carefree Highway corridor
west of Cave Creek Road, where land is more reasonably priced,
Dooley said.
