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Focus Area 3. Housing <br />GOAL I,, Ensure Availability of Affordable, <br />Quality Housing <br />Backiround /Rationale <br />Local housing affordability and quality, and housing policies that can help all citizens obtain <br />these necessities, are crucial to Orange County's quality of life and to its economy. Housing <br />affordability and the ability of families to own a quality home, and thereby build an asset base, <br />are critical issues. In our society, where the income gap has been steadily increasing, expanding <br />the ability of residents to buy, rather than rent, a home is a fundamental and important step to <br />narrowing this gap by enabling those with low incomes to build assets. <br />Orange County's supply of affordable housing is dictated by a variety of factors, the most <br />significant being project profitability, and availability of land and infrastructure. Affordable <br />housing in Chapel Hill and Carrboro is also significantly affected by the presence of the <br />University. The pressure UNC students put on the affordable housing market is immense. <br />Additionally, because of land use policies that discourage urban services outside of municipal <br />areas, and stringent development regulations, traditional affordable housing (apartments, single <br />family homes) is limited to areas within or adjacent to municipalities. Within rural Orange <br />County, mobile homes constitute the greatest source of affordable housing. But these homes, <br />though more affordable up- front, depreciate rather than appreciate in value over time, and being <br />subject only to federal standards rather than the more stringent state standards, are less well - <br />designed in terms of insulation and fire safety. <br />Nearly 10% of the county's housing supply is considered to be substandard. Substandard <br />housing is commonly characterized by excessive cost burden, overcrowding, and structural <br />problems such as inadequate heating, plumbing, etc. <br />A wide mix of housing types and options is needed for the county, and provision of safe, durable, <br />affordable housing to meet the needs of all people should be a top, countywide priority. <br />67 <br />