Nick Frevold enters growing Huntsville District 4 race
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Nick Frevold is running for District 4. Photo: Courtesy of Nick Frevold
Nick Frevold is running for Huntsville City Council on a detailed plan to reshape transit, zoning and housing.
Why it matters: Voters are going to have plenty of choices to make this year, as at least four challengers have filed for three seats on the Aug. 25 ballot, and District 4 alone already has three candidates.
Zoom in: Frevold, a 30-year-old Rogersville native, lays out focus areas on his campaign website centered around safer streets, zoning and Huntsville Transit improvements.
- Within those three topics are specific policy proposals, like legalizing accessory dwelling units and implementing a 1% land value tax to fund bus rapid transit and a free bus service for densely populated areas.
What they're saying: "One of the easiest ways to keep housing costs low is to supply more housing," Frevold told Axios Huntsville Wednesday, adding that ADUs provide options for families to house an elderly family member or other person who needs to be close by.
- "We don't need 20-story apartment buildings; just adding ADUs doesn't drastically change the character of the neighborhood, but adds housing at the local scale."
He breaks down how the land value tax would work on his website: a 1% tax on non-residential properties, applicable only to the value of the land, not its improvements.
- He estimates it could raise between $7 million and $15 million annually.
- "The most valuable land is downtown and downtown is the best place for transit, so using this tax for transit benefits both things," Frevold said.
The big picture: "The main focus of my candidacy is to create safer streets ... improving Huntsville transit, and just generally making Huntsville a better and safer place to live and work," he said.
- Newer schools in Huntsville are essentially being built on highways, Frevold said, where it's not safe to walk or bike to school, something he wants to change.
Catch up quick: Frevold is up against fellow challenger Will Pylant and incumbent Bill Kling in District 4, covering downtown Huntsville and the area southwest of downtown to the border of Redstone Arsenal.
- Frevold moved to Madison 10 years ago and to Huntsville in 2018, and lives in the Westlawn neighborhood.
Go deeper: Candidates declare for Council Districts 2 and 3
More from Axios: Attorney Will Pylant declares for City Council