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Mayor Stevens said there are two affordable housing projects underway in the Town of <br /> Hillsborough, as described in the Memorandum included as Attachment VI. <br /> He said one of these projects is a 233 unit development that will provide, for the first <br /> time, payment in lieu of developing affordable housing. He said the other project is a planned <br /> affordable townhome development in the Waterstone Community. <br /> Mayor Chilton arrived at 7:19pm. <br /> Alderman Lavelle asked Tara Fikes if it was possible to identify the projects in the <br /> clearinghouse network that accept section 8 vouchers. <br /> Council Member Harrison said one of the mid-range strategies identified by the <br /> affordable housing committee was land banking for future affordable housing units. He said <br /> one struggle is that land is expensive in the southern part of the County. He said he was at a <br /> recent meeting of the planning committee for the North Carolina League of Municipalities <br /> (NCLM), regarding land banking, where it was pointed out that counties have a key role in <br /> identifying foreclosed properties. He said his understanding is that the Town is developing a <br /> good working relationship with the County appraiser. He said more help is always better in the <br /> effort at land banking. <br /> Alderman Gist said she wanted to make sure the other boards were aware of a <br /> negative experience the Town of Carrboro had with using the low income tax credit for <br /> affordable housing. She said the Town approved a developer using these credits instead of <br /> the Home Trust, and it has now come back to bite them. She said the HOA fees are going up <br /> beyond what the owners can afford, and there is no backup organization like there would be <br /> with the Home Trust. She said there are also issues with the maintenance of the properties, <br /> since the residents own them. <br /> Council Member Ward asked if anything was already in place to institutionalize <br /> quarterly or regular meetings of the various municipal and county efforts. He said is important <br /> to make sure efforts are not being done in individual silos, and that opportunities are taken to <br /> identify successful ways to work together. <br /> Tara Fikes said there is currently no structure for that type of collaboration; however it <br /> is obvious that there is a need for this. She said there is a need to develop a coordinated <br /> affordable housing plan in 2014, and said staff recognizes that there is an opportunity for <br /> sharing. <br /> Commissioner Dorosin said that much of the current process is about creating new <br /> affordable housing. He does not feel that enough attention is paid to the support of existing <br /> affordable housing owners in the community. He referred to the earlier suggestion regarding <br /> foreclosed properties, and said he is wary of preying on people who are going through <br /> foreclosures. <br /> He would like to see efforts aimed at supporting existing homeowners, whether through <br /> property tax subsidy, credit, or some other type of support. He feels that more direct subsidy <br /> programs should be considered. He suggested the creation of a section 8 program that could <br /> combine vouchers or incentive programs. He said this is not to take away from the emphasis <br /> on creating new affordable housing, but the issue needs to be looked at from both ends. <br /> Council Member Harrison said one of Jackson Center's major goals is the protection of <br /> existing, long time home owners. <br /> Commissioner Pelissier said everyone has an interest in affordable housing. She <br /> suggested the pursuit of something modeled after the Partnership to End Homelessness <br /> group. She said this could include the municipalities, the County, and people from the non- <br /> profit sector. She said it seems that every one is creating a board to address affordable <br />