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- Green and Blue Sheets, regarding Item 4 <br /> - PowerPoint -Agricultural Support Enterprises in the rural buffer <br /> Mayor Kleinschmidt thanked Lauren Easthom and Gene Pease, who are retiring from <br /> his council. <br /> Alderman Gist said that Alderman Haven-O'Donnell would not be able attend, due to <br /> illness. <br /> 1. Affordable Housing Updates (Tara Fikes and Towns) <br /> Tara Fikes said affordable housing is still a pressing issue for the Towns and the <br /> County. <br /> She noted that there are several attachments included in the abstract to assist in <br /> providing an update. She referred to the list of County initiatives and highlighted the following <br /> item, from page 2 of the abstract: <br /> • Together, the Advisory Board and the Center for Homeownership and Economic <br /> Development Corporation continue to refine a proposal to create an Affordable Housing <br /> Clearinghouse to be known as the Orange County Clearinghouse Network. This network would <br /> create a housing referral network countywide for individuals seeking affordable housing <br /> information and opportunity. Attachment I provides a brief overview of the proposed <br /> Clearinghouse. <br /> Tara Fikes said this network will provide information to the public regarding available <br /> housing for both rental and ownership. She said the clearinghouse will also provide <br /> information about local affordable housing programs throughout the County, as well as federal <br /> and state housing programs. She said additional resources will be provided; including <br /> homebuyer education; financial literacy and money management; foreclosure prevention <br /> counseling; and homeless resources. <br /> She said this network is slated to operate from the Center for Home Ownership and <br /> Economic Development in Hillsborough. She said the goal is to have a dedicated phone line <br /> for information, and to implement these ideas by July 2014. <br /> Michelle Johnson arrived at 7:12 pm. <br /> Lauren Clark, Assistant Planning Director for Chapel Hill, said the Town has three key <br /> strategies. She reviewed the following information on these strategies, from page 2 of the <br /> abstract: <br /> Affordable Housing Strategy <br /> On June 13, 2011, the Town approved an Affordable Housing Strategy that provides a <br /> framework for consideration of affordable housing issues in Chapel Hill. A copy of the <br /> Strategy is attached as Attachment 11. <br /> Lauren Clark said the above strategy was developed through significant partnership <br /> and outreach. She said staff met with over 400 members of the community who represent <br /> different affordable housing interests. She said the actual strategy was developed with an <br /> advisory board appointed by the Mayor, and efforts are now being made to develop <br /> performance measures to determine success. <br />