Dear Neighbor,

As residents of Waterloo Street who live in close proximity to the site for Hero’s Bridge Village, we are reaching out to you today to ask that you consider joining us in supporting this meaningful initiative.

We believe strongly in providing affordable housing in our community and a project aimed at housing senior veterans is the perfect place to start. Those familiar with the current housing market will understand why this is such an important objective. Supporting this proposal is an opportunity for us to honor the contributions made by our veterans while creating an inclusive and dynamic community.

Hero's Bridge is a non-profit organization whose mission is to serve elderly veterans within our community. Their proposal to construct affordable housing on property owned by the Warrenton United Methodist Church is exactly the sort of creative solution to the housing crisis that communities need to be seeking and providing for their most vulnerable members.

Unfortunately, this proposal has been met with some opposition. Everyone wants to claim that they support veterans when it’s time to post a Veterans Day meme online, but when it’s time to provide real world solutions, there are a lot of people crying “not in my backyard”. A world full of NIMBYs leaves very few places for projects like this to actually exist. While there are understandably infrastructure issues to address, much of the criticism of this proposal is based on unverified assumptions.
 
Some have voiced concerns regarding traffic. The proposed location is on the perimeter of the residential neighborhood. This means the traffic impact to the existing neighborhood will be minimal, especially when considering the greater good it will serve.

There has been a repeated complaint that the church will be leasing the land and therefore profiting from the arrangement. This is a win-win, as a long term land lease is the key to keeping the units affordable for years to come.

One of the biggest concerns appears to be property values, although no evidence has been presented that the proposed development will negatively impact property values. It is our position that a community should prioritize housing for all over worrying about where our volatile, cyclical, and often wildly inflated housing market might go next.

Please take a moment to sign this petition and spread the word among your friends, family, and neighbors. Your support matters, and together we can make a meaningful difference in the lives of our veterans and our community.

Thank you for considering this important request.

Graham and Prudence Sheffield

Click here for more information on Hero's Bridge Village