MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Pa. (KYW Newsradio) — A plan to bring affordable housing to Upper Gwynedd continues to meet resistance from some residents, including those who accuse township leaders of bowing to pressure from Montgomery County democrats.
Upper Gwynedd’s board of supervisors voted unanimously to change zoning for about six acres to allow a 60-unit affordable housing apartment complex for people who make less than $67,000 per year.
The project still has a long way until final approval, but on Tuesday, township supervisors unanimously approved a zoning change to move the project forward.
Residents packed a township meeting speaking for and against the plan.
Montgomery County officials say affordable housing needs to happen at the municipal level. That doesn’t sit well with residents like Viraf Jacob.
“It is clear that this board has been fooled into assuming that it should serve to solve issues and problems that are not Upper Gwynedd’s to solve,” Jacob said.
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North Penn school board member Jonathan Kassa says he lives near the property in question and welcomes it.
“Affordable housing means that there are staff, students and classmates of our district, that we don't want to send a message in short, that ‘you're not wanted, fend for yourself.’ It's not who we are as a community, and far from it,” Kassa said.
Supporters like Deborah Stone say affordable housing is needed for teachers, municipal workers, police and nursing home employees.
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“It will also help area businesses that have struggled to find the entry-level or lower-wage people that they need for their companies to be a success,” Stone said.
The Walters Group would develop and manage the property, using federal Low Income Housing Tax Credits, which are sold to big banks to fund projects upfront, keeping rents low.
Developers must submit a land development proposal but say there’s no timeline for when that will be finished.
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