Reports & Publications

Mount Joy Borough, Pennsylvania: Affordable Housing Incentives

The affordable housing problems experienced in Mount Joy, a bedroom community of Harrisburg, are very similar to those experienced by many other suburban communities. Zoning restrictions and building specifications prompted a dramatic rise in land and home prices, prohibiting builders from making profits on affordable housing. Recognizing the problem in 2004, municipal officers held a public workshop bringing residents and the development community to the table. The workshop was very successful and participants developed a consensus on a comprehensive development plan for Mount Joy permitting greater density on the available sites.

The first fruits of the plan led to a new mixed-use development called Florin Hills. Both Governor Edward Rendell and the Housing Alliance of Pennsylvania recognized Mount Joy’s achievement as a model for meeting the affordable housing needs in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Specific Actions Taken:

• Hosted a two-night public workshop that brought together all parties resulting in a comprehensive plan offering incentives to both developers and the Borough of Mount Joy. Due to the inclusive nature of this workshop, the resulting plan had no opposition upon its implementation.

• The Borough amended, waived, or otherwise revised 52 development and zoning regulations that were barriers to the development of affordable housing units.

• Mount Joy provided a Workforce Housing Density Bonus that created a powerful incentive for builders to build one additional home per acre if at least 10 percent of new homes are affordable.

• Borough planners approved Florin Hills, a new mixed-use development characterized by affordable and market rate housing, access to public transit, and high-density housing. Changes in density requirements and zoning laws allowed this to go from a 57-unit development to one with more than 450 units.
  

Mount Joy Borough, Pennsylvania is a 2006 recipient of the Robert L. Woodson Award.

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