Agenda - 04-01-1992 - Laserfiche WebLink

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COMPREHENSIVE HOUSING AFFORDABILITY STRATEGY FOR ORANGE COUNTY INTRODUCTION The affordable housing needs of Orange County have been studied from many points of view and reported in these documents: Orange County Low and Moderate Income Housing Task Force Report (September, 1987), Public Private Partnership Affordable Housing Task Force (May, 1989), Chapel Hill Comprehensive Plan (June, 1989), and Carrboro Housing Report (May, 1990). These reports were the basis for this Comprehensive Housing Affordability Strategy (CHAS). The important issues in Orange County have not changed. The high cost of homeownership has left many families out of the housing market or sent them to surrounding counties to buy homes and commute into Orange County. The rental market, inflated by the ability of UNC students to pay higher rents, is beyond the means of families with incomes below 60% of the area median. For families needing three or more bedrooms, very little stock exists. Clients at the homeless shelter continue to increase dramatically, and transition from the shelter into permanent housing in Orange County is nearly impossible. With this CHAS, staff from Orange County, Chapel Hill, Carrboro, Hillsborough, and the newly- formed Orange Community Housing Corporation have identified these specific needs and prioritized them based on severity of need and availability of resources to address the need. Section I, Community Profile, is a description of the housing need and market in Orange County. Section II is a five -year approach to addressing these needs. Section III is a one -year strategy, describing actions to be taken during the Federal fiscal year, October 1, 1991 through September 30, 1992. SUMMARY OF CHAS DEVELOPMENT AND CITIZEN PARTICIPATION PROCESS Development of this countywide CHAS was undertaken by a staff working group with a representative from each participating jurisdiction plus staff from Orange Community Housing Corporation, the county's non - profit housing development corporation. This working group developed a draft CHAS, which was then reviewed by other staff members and presented to the public in two major ways. The first draft of the CHAS was completed in early September, 1991, and copies were available to the public at the Chapel Hill Town Hall, Carrboro Town Hall, Orange County Department of Housing and Community Development, and Hillsborough Town Hall. An advertisement describing the CHAS in the Chal2el Hill Newsl2aper on September 15, 1991 began the public comment period. The public comment period ended when each local jurisdiction approved the submission of the CHAS as follows: Chapel Hill, November 25, 1991; Orange County, December 2, 1991; Hillsborough, December 9; Carrboro, December 10. During the public comment period, each jurisdiction advertised the CHAS public hearing and locations of the CHAS document. Several citizens called for copies of the CHAS.