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State-mandated affordable housing plan sent to Lewiston council By
Sarah Buttars
LEWISTON -- The Planning and Zoning Commission voted Wednesday night to send its plan for affordable housing to the City Council. The Affordable Housing Plan aims to make sure people are not excluded from living in the city because they can't afford it. The state has mandated cities to come up with plans for affordable housing, according to Thom Smith, a member of the Planning and Zoning Commission. The need is real. "The booming economy is great if you own your home," said JoLynne Lyon, drafter of the plan. The plan allows homes of any size to be built next to each other, and permits multifamily dwellings if they are not placed together. The plan allows for what it calls a "reasonable amount of growth." According to the city's master plan a reasonable amount of growth is 2 percent to 3 percent per year. In Lewiston this translates to 12 to 15 homes annually. "There's only so much the city can do. They can write the plan but it's not going to help us," said Recorder Clerk Justin Lawson. It's not a direct way of accomplishing affordable housing. Complying with this mandate could mean funding from the state for housing, but money probably won't come to Lewiston. The available resources primarily will go to build large complexes that would house upward of 20 families, according to Smith. A building of this capacity is not practical for Lewiston because of the population of the city. The commission also discussed the controversial top soil mining issue. Members are working on an ordinance that would make it necessary to obtain a $25 temporary permit to mine top soil. Mining could not surpass 10 percent of the existing top soil. "How far do we go operating in good faith?" asked Chairman Bruce Karren "What is going to stop people from mining 10 percent this year and then 10 percent the next?" The commission is concerned about top soil issue because it is key to the integrity of the farm land. Excessive top soil mining makes the land unproductive.
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