$800,000 Homes Won’t Solve Woodstock’s Housing Crisis

See the coverage from the Cherokee Tribune here.

On August 25, the Woodstock City Council voted unanimously to approve 34 new homes in the Summit at Towne Lake neighborhood. The developer estimates those homes will sell for $650,000 to $800,000 apiece.

That price tag puts them far outside the reach of most teachers, firefighters, nurses, and service workers. Young families just starting out cannot afford them. Many long-time Woodstock residents cannot afford them either.

According to this article, Mayor Michael Caldwell and Councilmember Colin Ake praised the annexation and rezoning as a model of smooth cooperation with Cherokee County. Government should work together instead of fighting turf wars, but cooperation is not enough if the end result is more luxury subdivisions that push working families out of town.

Woodstock’s own Comprehensive Plan recognizes the need for a mix of housing types and price points, and it specifically calls for affordable housing options. Yet time after time, we see high-end developments approved while the real housing crisis goes unanswered.

This is part of a bigger trend in politics. MAGA Republicans hand out tax breaks to big developers and billionaires, while ordinary people struggle to keep a roof over their heads. The system has been tilted toward the wealthiest households, and too often our local leaders quietly go along. Silence in the face of that system is complicity.

Woodstock deserves better. We need leaders willing to say out loud that $800,000 homes are not the answer. We need zoning and incentives that actually deliver attainable housing. We need to plan for growth that strengthens our community instead of hollowing it out.

I am running for mayor because I believe Woodstock’s future should be built on freedom, fairness, and community, not on endless luxury sprawl. If you agree it is time to turn up the volume on democracy and demand real solutions, join me.