Orange County NC Website
Browse       Search
24 <br /> Commissioner Jacobs said the Collins Ridge development is an opportunity for the <br /> Board to be proactive about its priorities. They are offering affordable units for veterans, but he <br /> does not know how specific their proposal is. Hillsborough's policy basically is that anything built <br /> in Hillsborough will be affordable. The County has some funds for affordable housing, and the <br /> developer was receptive to talking with our Planning Director about traffic issues. Maybe they <br /> will be receptive to talking with them about affordable housing too. <br /> Commissioner Jacobs said for them to make sure affordability is built into the <br /> development before it even gets off the ground. <br /> Bonnie Hammersley said the County's communications plan for affordable housing is <br /> one way to do this. They will be reaching out to developers, to encourage them to apply for <br /> County affordable housing funds. By reaching out they will show that they are serious about <br /> being willing to help them. They can add this as part of the affordable housing priority as well as <br /> in the communication plan. <br /> In reply to a question from Commissioner Jacobs, Bonnie Hammersley said the County <br /> is working with affordable housing providers to get at energy efficiency in manufactured <br /> housing. This has not fallen off their radar and is an important part of their affordable housing <br /> plan. She said Susan Levy, Habitat for Humanity's Executive Director, has done a really good <br /> at pulling the County and the Towns together. Bonnie Hammersley said she has been bringing <br /> in experts, including a Mr. Will Clark for the next meeting, who is an expert on manufactured <br /> homes. The mobile home strategy and the land banking strategies are pending items. This is an <br /> example of behind the scenes progress. <br /> Commissioner Rich said that the Community Home Trust Board had asked its Executive <br /> Director, Robert Dowling, to talk with Hillsborough and the developer of Collins Ridge. <br /> Hillsborough does not think it needs to have these kinds of conversations because, as <br /> Commissioner Jacobs said, it thinks anything it builds will be affordable. They need to switch <br /> that mindset, because it will be a missed opportunity for Community Home Trust if it persists. <br /> Commissioner Jacobs said that the BOCC can tell Hillsborough during an upcoming joint <br /> meeting that they would love to work with them on this without intruding on their prerogatives, <br /> and that they have directed their staff to talk with theirs. The voters of Orange County have said <br /> they want to advance affordable housing, and that includes the voters of Hillsborough. <br /> Hopefully, they can present this in a way that is less threatening to them than if they just read it <br /> in the paper. <br /> Craig Benedict reported that at a recent public hearing on Collins Ridge he learned that <br /> CASA will be a partner in the development of 88 units, although there were not many specifics. <br /> Hillsborough is interested in integrating affordable homes with the market rate single family <br /> units. They were a little bit at odds at how to achieve that. <br /> Commissioner Jacobs said that this was encouraging. <br /> Commissioner Price said she would have like to have seen more progress on solutions <br /> for people who are in crisis: people living in their cars or who had been living in substandard <br /> housing and forced to move to Alamance or Durham. This could be pursued in parallel to longer <br /> term affordable housing solutions; people have immediate needs that we are not responding to. <br /> It's hard to talk with people in immediate need about waiting until a bond passes and then <br /> waiting another year before funds become available. <br /> Commissioner Jacobs said the Board could have a conversation about Section 8 <br /> housing. It is another topic for which the change in the federal government is going to be a <br /> driver, but maybe there is something they can do to shorten waiting lists. It is similar to what <br /> they do from to time with child care. Maybe they need to put more money into the urgent home <br /> repair program, which is one of those holes they did fill but which keeps getting bigger. <br /> Chair Dorosin noted that there are things on the Manager's list (update on Goals) that <br /> are objective—they either accomplished something or they did not—and other things that are <br /> more subjective. "Develop a mobile home strategy" is an example of the subjective. Wouldn't it <br />