Hagerstown Council delays action on Section 8 plan

September 24, 2003|by SCOTT BUTKI

The Hagerstown City Council on Tuesday tabled action on a company's request that the city support the use of tax-exempt bonds to buy and fix up Section 8 housing.

The matter was tabled to give a company representative time to get the answers to questions posed by the council.

Preservation of Affordable Housing Inc. of Boston is acquiring Washington Gardens Apartments, a 100-unit multifamily property on Security Road in Hagerstown, according to a summary the company provided.

At a council work session earlier this month, Councilman Lewis Metzner questioned the project and said that, in general, he'd rather see a mix of tenants in a neighborhood than a "Section 8 ghetto."

At Tuesday's meeting, Metzner said the company has not demonstrated there is a need for affordable housing in the city that is not being met.

The city owes it to its residents to provide affordable housing if there is not enough available, "but we don't owe it to the city to be an affordable housing haven," Metzner said.

In order to get Maryland Community Development Administration tax-exempt bonds to fund part of a $1.5 million rehabilitation of the property, Preservation needs support from the local government, City Administrator Bruce Zimmerman has said.

Roger Brown, a representative of Preservation, made a verbal appeal to the council Tuesday. He said there is a waiting list of people who want to move into the development.

Metzner asked for the ZIP codes of those on the waiting list. Brown said he would have to provide that information and answer other questions later.

The suggestion was made to postpone a vote on the company's request while Brown gets that information.

Councilman Kristin B. Aleshire and Councilwoman Penny May Nigh voted against tabling the request.

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