Letters to the Editor

Letter to the Editor | Multifamily tax exemption claims are misleading

Roger Henderson’s letter regarding the property tax exemptions to developers is a bit misleading.

He states “Many of the very people who serve us at our local restaurants, grocery stores, shops or working in our city government fall into the 50% to 100% range of the area median income. These are the faces of folks who need affordable housing.”

However, 50%-100% of AMI is between $52,000 to $104,000 per year (or $64,000-$127,000 per year based on US Census). People who make $52,000 per year earn $25 per hour. People who make $104,000 per year earn $50 per hour. I don’t think you are going to find very many people who work in grocery stores, shops, or restaurants who earn this kind of money.

So this support for the developers as written is still not going to provide affordable housing for the people who serve our community. And do you really believe that developers are going to provide housing for $1,300 per month as this is the maximum they can charge for those on the 50% of AMI spectrum?

The concept is nice, but the math does not add up.

Rose Micheli

Gig Harbor