Affordability in Tallahassee is fundamentally a housing and transportation issue. As housing costs rise faster than wages, too many residents are being pushed farther from jobs, schools, and essential services. The solution is not to simply subsidize low-quality developments or allow unchecked sprawl, but to increase the supply of well-planned, mixed-income housing in areas where people can live, work, and move around without needing to drive long distances. I support policies that encourage higher-density, mixed-use development near the urban core, along major transit corridors, and close to employment centers, so that growth lowers costs instead of spreading them out.

To achieve this, I support modern affordable housing models that integrate lower-cost units into market-rate developments, rather than isolating them in separate complexes. Cities like Montgomery County, Maryland have shown that housing authorities and nonprofit development partners can use tools like bond financing, land banking, and public-private partnerships to ensure affordability while maintaining high construction standards. Tallahassee should pursue similar approaches—requiring affordability commitments in exchange for zoning flexibility, density bonuses, or expedited permitting—so private development helps solve the affordability crisis instead of worsening it.

Affordability also means reducing everyday costs, especially transportation. When neighborhoods are designed around long commutes, households pay more in gas, car maintenance, and time. By prioritizing walkable neighborhoods, safer bike infrastructure, and reliable public transit, we can give residents real alternatives to car dependency. This approach not only lowers household expenses, but improves safety, reduces traffic fatalities, and creates stronger, more connected communities. Addressing affordability requires coordinated planning—not piecemeal decisions—and I am committed to bringing that long-term, comprehensive vision to City Hall.