Mixed-income housing should be encouraged around the 300

Mixed-income housing should be encouraged around the 300 transit stations in metropolitan New York as part of a strategy to moderate the region’s exceptionally high housing prices, says a new report from the Citizens Housing and Planning Council and the Regional Plan Association. The report, “Balanced Housing for a Smart Region,” also calls on local governments to encourage two-family houses and accessory units, thus adding to the stock of affordable housing without radically changing neighborhood character. High home prices have become a problem for many young people, singles, immigrants, and lower-income families, and are a challenge to the region’s economic future, according to the report, assembled under the leadership of Frank Braconi, now chief economist for the New York City comptroller’s office. The report says states and municipalities should move away from their reliance on property tax revenue to finance public schools, since this has led many municipalities to exclude certain kinds of lower-cost housing, such as apartments, and lower-income families, who do not pay as much in property taxes as they consume in school costs. The report is posted at www.rpa.org.