Charlotte Committee Designates $1 Million For Affordable ‘Teacher Village’ Proposal

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A step forward for an affordable housing plan that could help local teachers in a big way. Charlotte’s housing committee voted to move ahead with the next part of a “teacher village” proposal.

A “teacher’s village” would be new to Charlotte, but cities like Chicago, Atlanta, Newark, and Hartford already have them. Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools wants to build a “teacher village” on it’s own property, and has asked for $1 million dollars from the City to help cover design.

CMS got an answer at Monday’s Housing, Safety and Community Committee meeting. New and old teachers attended and listened closely as City Council members voted unanimously to designate $1 million to draw up designs for the Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools’ affordable housing project.

The proposed “teacher village” would be built on CMS owned land. For now only 100 units have been proposed. School leaders say they would prioritize teachers looking for a home, and allow them to rent based on income.

Beth Wells was at that meeting. She worked in a Charlotte school, and her daughter followed in her foot steps. Wells knows just how tough it can be to make ends meet as an educator.

“She lived with me for a year so she could raise the money and buy a house,” Wells said while explaining her daughter’s path to education.

That was 20 years ago. Now the median home price in Charlotte is more than $400,000 according to realtor.com. CMS thinks an affordable housing village that prioritizes teachers looking to rent could help.

The Charlotte Committee voted unanimously only to designate those funds for now. CMS Board Chair, Stephanie Sneed, sees the vote as a step in the right direction.

“It is a promising start to earmark interest earnings from ARPA to use them in a unique way that literally can change lives generationally,” Sneed said.

One council member questioned how this village helps the thousands of city workers with their housing struggles, and explained there are thousands of City employees also struggling to find affordable homes.

CMS said it hears those concerns and sees this project as only the beginning. The district believes that once the first 100 units are funded and built, planning for affordable housing for other government workers can then begin.