Old motels — including those on Route 66 — are being eyed as a solution for a growing housing shortage in parts of the United States.
An article in Bisnow.com cites The Sundowner Motel and the Luna Lodge — both on Route 66 in Albuquerque — as examples of once-seedy properties recently converted by New Life Homes into safe, affordable housing options that have won praise and awards.
Facts from the article that put the problem and the possible solution in perspective:
— The U.S. last year saw a shortage of 7.4 million affordable and available rental homes for extreme-low-income renter households. Such households have income at or below the national poverty guidelines or 30 percent of the area’s median family income.
— With land and construction labor costs rising, it’s become more difficult to build affordable-housing units from scratch.
— From 1964 to 2012, the number of operating motels nationwide fell from 61,000 to 16,000 and continues to decline. Old motels along Route 66 have been on the endangered-species list for years.
Converting old motels into affordable housing can solve both problems at once. Indeed, the Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program long has advocated for adaptive reuse of such historic properties to keep them around.
The article goes on to cite other regions such as Orange County, California, and Salt Lake City where old motels were converted into affordable housing. Orange County in particular has become so expensive, a household of four that makes $80,000 a year still would qualify as low-income.
Along Route 66, high-rent cities such as Flagstaff, Santa Fe and Los Angeles could use old motels along the Mother Road to help ease the housing problem. Even a small town such as Santa Rosa, New Mexico, which also suffers from a lack of housing, ought to take a look at the idea.
Such initiatives encounter several hurdles — financing, zoning, neighborhood opposition and owners reluctant to part with their motels.
John Bloomfield, CEO of New Life Homes, acknowledged that converting old motels isn’t for the faint or heart, but it’s worth it in the long run.
Bloomfield said he makes it a point to hold as many community events and outreach sessions so residents understand the project.
“We need to dispel the myth that affordable housing is a blight and reduces property values or brings in crime,” Bloomfield said. “Affordable housing is good for the neighborhood. These are quality developments.”
(Image of the Luna Lodge Motel sign in Albuquerque by Seclusive Nature via Flickr; the motel now is an affordable-housing site)