Agenda - 05-10-2016 - 1 - Discussion of the Proposed Orange County FY 2016 - 2020 Affordable Housing Strategic Plan

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15 Excerpt from April 5'2016 BOCC meeting Commissioner Rich referred to goals 30 and 31 and asked if conversations with municipal partners have started and how the partnerships are taking shape. Audrey Spencer Horsley said one-on-one conversations have been occurring. She gave the example of doing outreach with non-profits. She said four non-profits responded to their questionnaire, which provided an overview of the strategic plans of these non-profits, and can in turn allow all to be more effective partners. Audrey Spencer Horsley said meetings with Chapel Hill Housing staff have also occurred. Commissioner Rich said this should be a countywide effort including the municipalities and not everyone acting in silos. Commissioner Jacobs said determining mobile home ownership versus renters is important information in order to be able to better plan going forward with the affordable housing plan. Audrey Spencer Horsley said gathering this information will require a more intensive study which she hopes to accomplish at a later date. Bonnie Hammersley said mobile homes are being reviewed through the tax office and she hopes to have these figures for the May 10 work session. Commissioner Jacobs referred to the fifth bullet point, on page 13 of document, and asked if the term "white" could be clarified, as the statistic seems to be inaccurate. Audrey Spencer Horsley said the households that were identified as white represent the largest percentage of ownership in that group. Commissioner Jacobs asked if this information could be provided for all ethnicities. Commissioner Jacobs said Mebane is building much more housing than Orange County, and it would be worth reviewing what kind of housing stock is in the Extraterritorial Jurisdiction (ETJ) of Mebane. Commissioner Price asked if in planning for these 1000 units, is it being considered that some people living in mobile homes may want to move out into a stick built home. Audrey Spencer Horsley said it is important to know what the property owner's intent is. Commissioner Price said to include these types of people in the calculations. PUBLIC COMMENT: Robert Dowling thanked the Board of Commissioners for their long-standing commitment to affordable housing. He commended Audrey Spencer Horsley for this strategic plan. He said the plan would benefit from better focus, perhaps reducing it to 6-8 priorities. He said affordable housing is a priority for all the other local municipalities, and they have provided funding for their own strategic plans. He said all assets should be leveraged together for maximized impact. He said this effort is working against the tide and a group effort is essential. Robert Dowling said the plan should recognize projects that are already in place or forthcoming. Chair McKee said this plan is a beginning point and it is being reviewed and defined. He said the Board committed to being on the same page as other governmental entities. Dan Levine said he is active with the Orange County Affordable Housing Coalition. He said he and others are here to thank the Board of County Commissioners for their commitment to affordable housing in Orange County and the funding through a bond. He also commended Audrey Spencer Horsley for this draft plan. He said they are here as a resource for Orange County. Doris Bailey thanked Audrey Spencer Horsley and the Board of County Commissioners for realizing the need for affordable housing, especially for rental units. Commissioner Price said there are a lot of community meetings upcoming, but none of them are north of Highway 70. She asked if it would be possible to add a meeting in Cedar Grove.