Candidates for Bloomington mayor are split on issues of affordable housing and homelessness.
Democratic mayoral hopefuls Don Griffin, Susan Sandberg and Kerry Thomson discussed the topics Tuesday at a forum held by the Boys and Girls club in the Crestmont neighborhood.
All three candidates said they would support coordinated funding for programs to address homelessness but differed on approach.
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Griffin, who served under Mayor John Hamilton, said he wants to raise home ownership by promoting density. About 38% of city residents are homeowners, according to Griffin.
“People will say, ‘Well, we've got a bunch of students’ … No, it's the fact that no one else can afford to live within city limits, so they have to live outside of them,” Griffin said. “We’ve got to change that. Density is a key.”
Sandberg said she does not oppose density but doesn’t think of it as an end-all solution. She suggested changing the city’s land use regulations to incentivize housing for low-income residents.
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“I think we've all kind of bought into this somewhat of a trickledown theory – build it, and somehow the prices of other housing will come down,” Sandberg said. “We've not seen that. And that's largely because we live in a college town.”
Thomson, the former CEO of Monroe County Habitat for Humanity, said the city should make its zoning code more navigable and transparent.
“If we want affordable housing, we should ensure that builders and developers can see exactly what they need to do at the outset to make these units affordable.”
The candidates also discussed the idea of a community land trust. Griffin and Sandberg supported the idea, but Thomson questioned its potential for success.
