P-0291 - Housing - Orange County Housing Bond Policy

Browse Search

Project Review and Selection: A County Committee will evaluate project proposals and make funding recommendations to the County Manager. The Project Review and Selection (PRS) Committee will be composed of up to two members of the Board of County Commissioners, up to three members of the Affordable Housing Advisory Board (AHAB), three Orange County employees (from among the Orange County Assistant County Manager for Human Services, Planning Director, Finance Director, and County Engineer) and one employee from each of the Chapel Hill, Carrboro, and Hillsborough planning departments. The Orange County Director of Housing and Community Development will also serve as a member of the PRS Committee. The Board of County Commissioners will appoint the members of the PRS Committee. AHAB appointments will be for the period of each phase of funding and appointees are not to have been affiliated with eligible applicants within the last 12 months. "Affiliation" includes involvement as a volunteer, member of the staff, board, or board committee, or of a funding agency. After the PRS Committee has completed application review, the applicant will have the opportunity to discuss the application with PRS Committee and before the Committee makes funding recommendations to the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC). The Board of County Commissioners must approve all housing bond projects. Project proposals recommended for funding by the PRS committee, with the concurrence of the County Manager, will be placed on a regular Board of County Commissioners meeting agenda for their consideration. Eligible Proiects: Both Existing Housing and New Construction projects are eligible activities for funding, as are mixed-tenure projects, i.e. homeownership and rental, homeownership and special needs rental, etc. The property on which the project is located must be within the boundary of Orange County. For the Land Banking category, eligible properties are parcels of land within the boundary of Orange County. Production ofnon-traditional housing types -- such as duplexes, single room occupancy (SROs), group homes, and transitional housing - is also encouraged. Eligible projects are described in Attachment 1. If a prospective applicant is considering a project that is not included in the list of eligible projects, then the applicant should request apre-application conference with the Director of Housing and Community Development and the Chair of the PRS Committee to determine how the project will be evaluated by the current criteria. Minimum Score: All projects that score above 60 points under the Evaluation Criteria are eligible to receive funding. The PRS Committee will review and score the application. The score of 60 must be derived from points earned in each evaluation category Project Completion: All Existing Housing Program activities should be completed within three years of funding award. All New Construction program activities should begin within three years of funding award. Project initiation for new construction and land banking is defined as the acquisition of a building permit. All land banking projects should be initiated within five years of funding, with a progress report to the Commissioners within three years of the funding award and annually thereafter. If the project is not initiated in a timely manner, the land will revert to