Minutes - 20070626 - Laserfiche WebLink

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VOTE: UNANIMOUS d. Orange County Housing Bond Program Policy Amendment The Board considered a proposed amendment to the Orange County Housing Bond Policy from the Orange Community Housing and Land Trust organization. Housing and Community Development Director Tara Fikes said that the Board received a letter from Executive Director of Orange Community Housing and Land Trust Robert Dowling asking that the County consider modifying its bond program policy provision that requires that all program participants live or work in Orange County for one year prior to receiving public subsidy for first-time home purchases. She said that Orange Community Housing and Land Trust might have a lot of difficulty reselling some of the existing properties. The Orange County Affordable Housing Advisory Board has reviewed and discussed this request fully and talked with Robert Dowling. The AHAB has drafted a recommended amendment to the bond policy for the Board's consideration. The policy has three tiers: 1. For the first 120 days, buyers must have lived or worked in Orange County for one (1}year. 2. After 120 days on the market unsold, properties may be sold to buyers that have lived ar worked in Orange County for six months. 3. If the property remains on the market for an additional 120-day period, then consider utilizing available public funding to provide subsidy at a level that will allow buyers at lower income levels that have lived or worked in Orange County far six months to qualify to purchase the home. Commissioner Foushee said that the AHAB was more interested in ensuring that persons who benefited from this program were persons who lived in Orange County. She said that the 120-day period was advised because on the AHAB there are realtors who indicated that this is not uncommon in the present housing market. Commissioner Gordon said that she is also concerned that the people live in Orange County. She said that the idea is to provide affordable housing for the people who live and work here who might not be able to afford it, but it is not working out that way according to Robert Dowling. She said that 120 days is not a long time. She said she is troubled by this. She would like to give subsidies to people who have lived here for at least a year. Tara Fikes said that, to the extent as there is housing bond money available, these funds might be available for those subsidies. Commissioner Gordon said that if there are houses that are undesirable, then the whole picture should be considered. Commissioner Foushee said that the ARAB did talk about this issue. She thinks that this speaks to the re-sales and the problems relate directly to those houses that need to be resold, and same of them are not in desirable locations. She said that the request from the Land Trust comes so that those properties in particular would have other avenues for selling them. Chair Carey suggested approving the AHAB recommendation and evaluating after a year. A motion was made by Commissioner Gordon, seconded by Commissioner Jacobs to approve the Orange County Housing Bond Policy Amendment proposed by the Affordable Housing Advisory Board in response to the Orange Community Housing and Land Trust request, with an evaluation after one year. VOTE: UNANIMOUS e. Draft Comments -Proposed Jordan Lake Nutrient Management Rules