Orange County NC Website
Browse       Search
has $20 million available nationally to fund at least 10 projects. <br /> He said staff from various agencies in Orange County have also been in discussion <br /> with the non-profit, The Enterprise Community Partnership, about becoming involved in this <br /> process. <br /> David Bonk said there is a need for the NC Housing Finance Agency to adapt some of <br /> their rules regarding low income housing assistance to better reflect the benefits of being <br /> located within access to public transit and light rail station area. He said TTA and the Triangle <br /> J Council of Governments did submit some comments regarding changes to these criteria, and <br /> they were partially successful in getting some criteria changed. He encouraged the local <br /> governments to weigh in with the housing authority to make more changes. <br /> Alderman Seils asked if the award to fund station area planning is referring to formal <br /> small area planning or something less than that. <br /> David Bonk said the work plan submitted does include a provision for small area plans <br /> around those stations, where it is necessary. He said Durham has already initiated an <br /> extensive process of identifying infrastructure improvements in most of their urban <br /> neighborhoods. He said some infrastructure will be identified in the greenfield sites. <br /> Alderman Seils said the stations in Chapel Hill will involve UNC, and he asked if UNC <br /> will be part of the conversations with TTA and Durham. <br /> David Bonk said UNC has been part of these discussions, and staff has reached out to <br /> let the university know about the grant application. <br /> Alderman Seils asked for more information on other local jurisdictions giving input <br /> regarding potential revisions to the criteria for affordable housing. <br /> David Bonk said he can provide this. <br /> Commissioner McKee said a short section of this line lies in Orange County, and this <br /> section is directly adjacent to Chapel Hill. He asked if there are any thoughts on how to work <br /> out the issue of these escalating land prices and how that affects the possibility of affordable <br /> housing. <br /> David Bonk said that is the purpose of getting started early and getting assistance from <br /> the federal government to do the planning. He said it is early enough in the curve that the <br /> escalation of land prices has not occurred yet. He said even if the grant is not approved, the <br /> process of going through the application allowed staff to really flesh out a work program that <br /> identifies the key issues moving forward. <br /> Commissioner McKee said his concern is that once this project gets to a certain point, <br /> market forces will take effect with a vengeance, and businesses and high end apartments will <br /> be drawn to this line. He sees a market influence that will impact the cost of this land, and he <br /> does not feel there are any legal means in place for holding the land prices. <br /> David Bonk said this will be a good topic for the upcoming meeting with the non-profit <br /> organization. <br /> Commissioner Gordon said it is important to consider transportation when talking about <br /> affordability. She said the federal grant process includes a requirement of a certain <br /> percentage of affordable housing around station sites. She said early planning should allow <br /> for this. <br />