Agenda - 12-07-2015 - 6-a - Minutes

Browse Search

15 1 Commissioner Dorosin said it is important to speak with the residents of the mobile 2 home parks, not just the owners. He said many residents live in unsafe conditions and desire 3 to get out of these parks, if possible. 4 Commissioner Burroughs said Justice United is doing some of that already, and there is 5 an opportunity for collaboration. 6 Commissioner Burroughs said if the County is making investments, it should be kept in 7 mind that stick built homes are safer, especially for emergency situations. 8 Commissioner Price said people should be encouraged to live in stick built homes, but 9 many prefer a manufactured home. 10 Commissioner Pelissier referenced the pieces of property that were excluded due to 11 lack of water and sewer and asked if some of these properties could still be used for things like 12 tiny homes. She suggested that these parcels of land should not automatically be excluded. 13 Commissioner Jacobs said he would like to know how the tax office assesses mobile 14 homes, as they are often considered to decline in value. He said all options should be 15 considered before deciding which direction to go in. 16 Commissioner Jacobs said he appreciated the idea of a neutral third party reaching out 17 to renters and owners of mobile homes. He said the mobile home renters and owners may 18 perceive such a person as a threat and possible resistance should be anticipated. He said it 19 might be relevant to look at what other counties are doing, such as Wake County. 20 Commissioner Dorosin said he was not suggesting for Orange County to buy or own 21 units. 22 Chair McKee said if the County considers purchasing land in the future, the underused 23 mobile home parks should be identified, as they may be possibilities for other housing options. 24 Bonnie Hammersley said the third party consultant could keep land-banking options in 25 mind while assessing the mobile home parks. 26 Chair McKee said this is a wise option. 27 Commissioner Rich referred to the property at 1801 Ephesus Church Road in Chapel 28 Hill and asked if the Town of Chapel Hill has been approached about a possible partnership on 29 this property. 30 Jeff Thompson said he has not visited this site, but there are discussions taking place 31 with the Town of Chapel Hill about this site as well as other sites. He said Chapel Hill is 32 completing the same exercise as the County in identifying property for their affordable housing 33 inventory. 34 Commissioner Jacobs said Orange Water and Sewer Association (OWASA) also has 35 parcels they do not know what to do with, and suggested that staff contact them to see if there 36 are any parcels that could be conveyed for affordable housing purposes. 37 Bonnie Hammersley said this was a coordinated effort tonight, and she apologized that 38 she did not get these documents to the BOCC earlier. She said this error will not happen again. 39 40 Bonnie Hammersley requested that Item #5 be moved up prior to Item #4, since Chapel 41 Hill Mayor Elect Pam Hemminger was in attendance and may wish to speak on the item. 42 Chair McKee agreed. 43 44 5. Upper Neuse River Basin Association Update 45 David Stancil, Department of Environment, Agriculture, Parks and Recreation (DEAPR) 46 Director, said there is an attempt to have a "water issues" conversation each year. 47 Tom Davis, Water Resources Coordinator, introduced Pam Hemminger who is the 48 Upper Neuse River Basin Association (UNRBA) Chair, and Mayor Elect of the Town of Chapel 49 Hill.