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42 <br /> <br />buffer. He said OW ASA should be included, and he does not want the County to delay at all <br />with this. He said public information sessions should begin. <br />Commissioner Marcoplos agreed with Commissioner Jacobs. He said this does not <br />preclude anything that Mayor Hemminger wanted to do. <br />Commissioner Price agreed that moving forward is the best course of action. She said <br />the abstract mentioned the word temporary, and asked if this will in fact be a permanent site <br />Craig Benedict said the Board of County Commissioners will determine how temporary <br />or permanent it is. He said the conditional zoning is not a temporary zoning district, so it can <br />last as long the Commissioners like. <br />Commissioner asked if the people and the housing would only be there temporarily. <br />Craig Benedict said the BOCC will set parameters on how people move into the park, <br />leases, etc. <br />Commissioner Price said the County should move forward, but it should confront Chapel <br />Hill as this responsibility is shared. <br />Chair Dorosin said perhaps this space could be used for rapid relocation, with displaced <br />peoples. He said there should be a broader strategy on relocation. <br /> <br />PUBLIC COMMENT: <br />Delores Bailey, EmPOWERment Inc. Director, said she is attending Chapel Hill’s Town <br />Council meeting tomorrow with residents from the mobile home park that are being displaced; <br />to talk with the Town about where they will go in two years, when the developer buys this <br />property. She said this proposed property that Orange County is considering is the perfect <br />place for these residents. <br />Bonnie Hammersley said staff has been working with Chapel Hill, and Orange County’s <br />housing director will be identifying roles and responsibilities’ going forward with the Town’s <br />housing director. <br />Pam Hemminger, Chapel Hill Mayor, shared the following comments earlier in the <br />evening (7:34 p.m.), and had to leave due to illness: <br /> <br />On behalf of the Town of Chapel Hill I am writing with regards to your consideration of possible <br />Zoning Atlas amendments to the Millhouse Road Park Site as a possible solution for Mobile <br />Home Park displacement. (Item 6C on tonight’s agenda). <br /> <br />The Chapel Hill Town Council is very passionate about working together with the county to help <br />our mobile home residents remain in affordable housing. <br />We applaud the BOCC for wanting to take immediate steps to help with this situation. <br /> <br />With imminent redevelopment pressure threatening to relocate 90 families living in three mobile <br />home parks*, we share your sense of urgency and have been reaching out to these residents to <br />learn more about the challenges. <br /> <br />Unfortunately, most of the trailer units in these parks are over four years old and are valued <br />very low (some under $1,000). Most of the units cannot survive being moved even if a new site <br />were found. Furthermore, recent studies have identified other issues associated with mobile <br />home ownership – including the fact that, because mobile home units are depreciating assets <br />and have low energy efficiency – they often leave their owners in worse financial shape than <br />had they rented. <br /> <br />These studies also identified the reasons that residents choose to live in mobile homes – <br />including their interest in single-family living and desire to be part of a community.