Last night Danville City Council passed two amendments to address the housing shortage in the city. The first amendment is an amendment to the city’s tax code regarding mixed use, multifamily commercial developments. The amendment will encourage more adaptive reuse of historic buildings in the city and will include programs for renters and buyers to fix up homes.

The council also approved three programs that will provide residential incentives to support homeownership and rental occupancy. The programs will include a down payment assistance program and a rental deposit assistance grant. The programs will be aimed at assisting lower to middle class families according to City Manager Ken Larking.

“This is enhancing what’s already existing for lower to moderate income families,” said Larking, “what’s missing in our market is demand for middle class families and availability of product for middle class families, so this meets what Ken Danter had identified in his housing report as a need for the community.”

The council also unanimously approved the budget for the upcoming fiscal year. One of the highlights of the new budget is the starting pay of all city employees will be 100 percent of the market for the first time in city history.