As a result of their efforts, opposition has been much less fierce this round, with organizers allaying residents fears of crime increases, property value declines, and community financial burden. Snow Hill resident Mary Merritt opposed the housing project in 1995, and says that this time residents were outmaneuvered by affordable housing developers. Merritt says that residents are not opposed to constructing affordable housing, renovating older homes, or enabling poor families to purchase homes, but adds that she believes these kind of apartment projects don t work. Anne Taylor, a board member of Snow Hill Citizens for Decent Housing, noted the importance and necessity of affordable housing communities in Snow Hill. She cited a housing survey showing that 42 percent of Snow Hill citizens would qualify to live in Greenbriar Court.
Local officials say they are reluctant to enforce zoning rules for fear of displacing poor families.
With expanding rental options, officials hope to better regulate housing codes and see families living in improved residences. Reverend Lehman R. Tomlin, pastor of Ebenezer United Methodist Church, said that 5 percent of Snow Hill s residents, most of them black, live in substandard housing. He also said that race relations are poor in Snow Hill. He hopes that with the establishment of the housing development, elected leaders can look to the future and create a new vision for Snow Hill.