mmilliken@heraldsun.com; 419-6684
DURHAM -- About 70 Durham residents of different backgrounds spent time Saturday seeing about 20 different affordable housing projects in various stages of action.
There were houses that have been newly built, sometimes on the spot occupied by a shambling wreck, sometimes on a street full of derelict homes that had all been razed. There were houses that have been renovated. There were houses that were in the process of being built or renovated.
There were single-family homes, duplexes and apartment buildings. There were owner-occupied homes and rental houses. There were projects conducted by private developers, government agencies or a mix of the two.
Matt Drew, a candidate for City Council in Ward 2 and his incumbent opponent, Howard Clement, along with sitting council members Diane Catotti and Eugene Brown, took the 90-minute bus tour organized by the Durham Affordable Housing Coalition.
The tour buses passed Alston Heights senior apartments, Franklin Village, Andover Apartments (offering supportive services for disabled tenants), Southside (where a city-funded development plan is in the offing) and a Habitat for Humanity project.
Other riders included home owners, developers and housing advocates.
One of Saturday's key organizers was Lorisa Seibel, a former City Council member. "I think it went well," she said of the tour. "I heard from people that they really enjoyed it. It was a whirlwind, but they really enjoyed it."
After the event, several of the politicians who had boarded one of two DATA buses for the tour of several core city neighborhoods, listened to housing advocates discuss their plans and desires for 2010. The discussion was often overpowered by music being played next door at the Rock and Shop market at the Golden Belt's Cotton Room.
