Lack of affordable housing a problem for Artesia

By ROB LARSON
Daily Press Staff Writer
For Mayor Phillip Burch, a lack of affordable housing to accommodate Artesia’s workforce has been a prevalent setback for at least six to eight years.
“It is a problem,” Burch said. “All you have to do is be out on 285 between seven and eight in the morning, and there will assuredly be a long line of cars heading to Artesia. Of course, those same cars are heading in the opposite direction in the evening.” … For the rest of the story, subscribe in print and on the web.
But while a housing shortage exists that could potentially hinder the growth of Artesia, the mayor pointed out that some progress has been made. Specifically, the mayor referred to sections of Runyan Avenue between 13th and 16th streets and Centre Avenue between 13th and 15th streets, which used to be only tracts of bare land a few years ago but have since been built up with homes.
“If you stand back and look at it from that standpoint, we’ve had a lot of houses being built,” Burch said. “It’s just not huge tracks of land being filled up with homes, one after another. And still, with all that going on, we haven’t caught up.”
Burch cited three housing developments, Yates Farm, Bowman Estates and West Acres, that haven’t built the homes the city had initially hoped to see.