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ORANGE COUNTY <br />BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br />ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT <br />Meeting Date: March 18, 2008 <br />Action Agenda <br />Item No. (p - q <br />SUBJECT: Housing Bond Program <br />DEPARTMENT: Housing/Community Dev. PUBLIC HEARING: (Y/N) No <br />ATTACHMENT(S): <br />Site Map <br />INFORMATION CONTACT: <br />Tara L. Fikes, 245-2490 <br />PURPOSE: To consider awarding housing bond funds in the amount of $632,300 to <br />Gommunity Alternatives for Supportive Abodes (CASA) to purchase five (5) duplexes in Chapel <br />Hill and authorize the Manager in consultation with the County Attorney to enter into a <br />Development Agreement detailing the conditions of award. <br />BACKGROUND: An application for Housing Bond funds was received from Community <br />Alternatives for Supportive Abodes (CASA) requesting $675,000 for the purchase of five <br />duplexes on Pritchard Avenue Extension in Chapel Hill. The duplexes are referred to as the <br />Pritchard Avenue Apartments and the five duplexes containing 10 one-bedroom units. CASA <br />plans to renovate these duplexes and then lease them to low-income individuals who are <br />formerly homeless and/or have a disability. The properties will be managed by CASA through <br />its in-house property management division. A location map is attached to this abstract. <br />CASA is anon-profit housing developer incorporated in 1992 dedicated to serving the housing <br />needs of low wealth individuals, especially those with disabilities. The organization is based in <br />Raleigh and has developed and currently owns a total of 158 housing units throughout Wake <br />County. It has extensive experience in working with federal, state, and local funding sources. <br />The Pritchard Avenue Apartments will be the first project for CASA in Orange County. <br />As required by the Orange County Housing Bond Policy, the Project Review and Selection <br />(PRS) Committee held apre-application conference with staff from Habitat to discuss .the <br />proposed application, reviewed the submitted application, and then met with the organization to <br />discuss the committee's funding recommendation. Members of the Project Review and <br />Selection Committee include: County Staff Members: Willie Best, Paul Thames, Craig Benedict, <br />Perdita Holtz, arid Tara Fikes; Commissioners Valerie Foushee and Barry Jacobs; and <br />Affordable Housing Advisory Board Members Barbara Mull, Jabrina Robinson, and Gary Gaddy. <br />The Committee also includes representatives from the Towns of Carrboro, Chapel Hill, and <br />Hillsborough in the persons of James Harris, ~oryn Barnes, and Margaret Hauth respectively. <br />After review of the application as well as supplemental material submitted by CASA including a <br />reduction in the amount of the request after property appraisals were received, the Committee <br />