Over 150 people gathered at Trident Technical College’s Complex for Economic Development yesterday for the fourth annual Tri-County Housing Summit.

The day began with a speech from Mayor Tecklenburg. The Mayor addressed population growth and “Manhattan pricing” in the city,  stressing the need for affordable housing options in the region. He also the noted the need for advocacy and funding at the State level for affordable housing as well as zoning incentives.

The mayor’s speech was followed by a panel discussion on “The Fierce Urgency of Now” exploring “questions that our region must answer today.” The panel was moderated by Geona Shaw Johnson from the City of Charleston Department of Housing and Community Development and was comprised of representatives from Charleston Trident Association of Realtors, Charleston Regional Development Alliance, Coastal Conservation League, and South Carolina Community Loan Fund. A partial live stream of the panel discussion can be viewed here:

Joe Minicozzi, principal of Urban3, LLC and the summit’s keynote, took the stage next. Minicozzi spoke at the the 2015 Tri-County Housing Summit and returned this year to present a 3D analysis created by his team for the tri-county region. You can download the presentation slides which include powerful graphics and stats on the economics of place in the tri-county region. You can also view the live stream of Minicozzi’s full presentation here:

The inaugural Innovators in Housing Awards were presented by South Carolina Community Loan Fund and the Charleston Home Builders’ Association to three organizations who were “each ahead of their time in recognizing the critical role that housing affordable to the local workforce would play in the long term economic prosperity of the region.” The awards were given in three categories: Private Sector, Public Sector, and Change Agent. Recipients included the Realtors Housing Opportunities Fund (Private Sector), City of Charleston’s Homeownership Initiative Commission (Public Sector), and the Charleston Housing Trust Founding Board of Directors (Change Agent).

The final panel, “Our Region: Where do we go from here,” was moderated by Vince Graham of I’on Group and was comprised of representatives from Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce, City of Charleston, Thomas and Hutton, and Lowcountry Local First. View the live stream of the full panel discussion along with the summit closing remarks delivered by Phillip Ford from Charleston Home Builders Association:

Check out more discussion from the 2016 summit on Twitter at #HousingMattersSC. You can also sign up to receive more information on efforts to address the need for affordable housing in the tri-county at housingmatterssc.com.