Minutes 11-20-2017 - Laserfiche WebLink

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19 Chair Dorosin said developers have no incentive to build affordable housing in mobile home parks, as the land is so valuable. He said the surveys contain important information, especially regarding residents desire to stay in their mobile homes. He said he likes the short- term and long-term recommendations, but one piece is missing: if one of these parks is sold, it will happen very quickly, and there needs to be some type of emergency re-location plan. Commissioner Jacobs asked if Sherrill Hampton came across the survey that was done in the early 2000s of mobile home parks. Craig Benedict said there was an inventory done about 15 years ago, which was included in this current survey process. Sherrill Hampton said recommendation #1 would allow mobile home park owners to apply for funding to fix issues such as wells and septic tanks. Commissioner Jacobs asked if staff can they track what has changed in 15 years. He said Orange County is one of the most liberal counties in the state in that it allows manufactured housing in most zoning areas. Commissioner Jacobs said if the County is going to loan money to a community operator, then the County should specify their standards, which the community will be expected to meet. He said if the County is going to invest funding, the park owner cannot pass any costs along to the tenants, as the owner has not incurred the cost. Sherrill Hampton said that would be in the agreements, and this can be brought back to the Board of County Commissioners for review. Commissioner Price said she would like there to be a requirement for park owners to pay money back, if they fail to live up to the required standards. Commissioner Jacobs said they have been working on this for years, and they know there will be a crisis at some point, and having a rapid response is a great addition to the plan. He said the Commissioners tried to create retrofitted standards in the late 1980s, which failed. He said if more parks are not being created, he does not want standards to be cost prohibitive deterrents. Commissioner Rich asked if Chapel Hill or Carrboro have funds that help out with parks. Sherrill Hampton said this question has been asked, but no response has been received. Susan Levy, Habitat for Humanity, thanked the Board of County Commissioners and staff for bringing this work group's recommendations forward. Mobile Home Park Work Group Recommendations: 1. Mobile Home Park Improvement and Expansion Program (Short Term) Orange County establishes a loan program for mobile home park owners to improve and/or expand their existing park. This strategy would be part of an overall Rental Rehabilitation Initiative for Investor-Owners with 25 or less properties. In addition, it is also recommended that up to $500,000 from the $2M Affordable Housing/Land Bank Set- aside in the approved Capital Investment Plan be used to initially fund this Initiative. Currently, the remaining balance in the Affordable Housing/Land Bank Set-aside is $1,706,600. 2. Repair and/or Replacement Program Component (Short Term) Orange County establishes, with local funds, a repair and/or replacement program component for residents living in a mobile home, whether rental or owner-occupied. This strategy would be part of the County's existing Single-Family Housing Rehabilitation and Urgent Repair Programs. Presently, assistance for mobile home repair is only available under the County's Urgent Repair Program and applicants must own the land, as well as the