Orange County NC Website
We believe these changes to the ground lease will enable our homes to remain <br />affordable and well maintained far into the future. However these measures alone <br />will not be sufficient to keep our existing inventory of homes affordable and well <br />maintained without additional funding. Based on our analysis and our <br />projections, we will need $3.1 million over the next 25 years to keep all 125 <br />homes affordable and well maintained. <br />About one -half of the $3.1 million results from the accrual of deferred <br />maintenance across the current inventory. Until those homes resell into the new <br />model, that accrual will continue, without funds being set aside for maintenance. <br />The other half results from some homes becoming unaffordable (such as the 2BR <br />units at the Greenway Condominiums in Meadowmont) and the need for subsidy <br />to allow for the monthly maintenance fee. <br />We recognize that $3.1 million is a lot of money and we don't expect a solution <br />will reveal itself in the short term. If the local governments approve, we can <br />obtain funding to meet our short-term needs through the CDBG and HOME <br />programs as well as from County bond funds. We expect to meed approximately <br />$235,000 to address affordability issues in 2007. This amount is due mostly to <br />the 2BR Greenway units. Our projection for 2008 is only $78,000. <br />As the executive director, who has served since prior to the organization's <br />conversion to the community land trust model, I would like to offer my sincere <br />regret that this model is not working as well as we had planned. The original <br />steering committee and board of directors, and I, recognized that maintenance <br />would be problematic, but we were unable to devise a workable solution. We <br />simply didn't understand the model well enough. Today, thanks to the efforts of <br />the Asset Management Committee, we understand the model far better. In fact, <br />we believe we can now see the future, and if we do not alter the model, then Land <br />Trust homes will deteriorate over time and some will become unaffordable. <br />Unfortunately, revising the model will not be enough. Funding will be necessary <br />if we want the model to be successful at providing decent, well - maintained homes <br />that will be affordable to future generations of low- income individuals and <br />families. With adequate funding, I believe our Land Trust will be in a position to <br />establish a new national standard for affordable housing sustainability. <br />Thank you for your support and your commitment to integrating affordable <br />housing units into new residential developments. <br />2 <br />