CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Charlotte-area apartment complex managers, owners, and developers are looking to assert more political power this election year.
The Rental Housing Alliance political action committee, or PAC, is the advocacy arm of Greater Charlotte Apartment Association.
"What we're advocating for is keeping construction and regulatory costs down," Lisa Taylor, Rental Housing Alliance PAC Board Chair, said.
Taylor said building code requirements and regulations account for nearly a third of the costs covered in someone's monthly rent. Right now in Mecklenburg County, only 1% of apartments are priced under one-thousand dollars.
"With each one of the those regulatory requirements for new construction, it just add costs to build, which, in essence, is gonna increase that rental check as well," Taylor said.
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WCNC Charlotte is part of seven major media companies and other local institutions producing I Can’t Afford to Live Here, a collaborative reporting project focused on solutions to the affordable housing crisis in Charlotte. It is a project of the Charlotte Journalism Collaborative, which is supported by the Local Media Project, an initiative launched by the Solutions Journalism Network with support from the Knight Foundation to strengthen and reinvigorate local media ecosystems. See all of our reporting at charlottejournalism.org.