Orange County NC Website
Approved 8/3/2016 <br />7 <br /> 324 <br />Lisa Stuckey- And that’s true. When I went to NC State only freshmen were guaranteed student housing on campus. 325 <br />With everyone else it was a lottery and maybe 10 percent got in. So the local community had to absorb the rest of 326 <br />them. 327 <br /> 328 <br />Tony Blake: But the students definitely skew the statistics and I would recommend that you at least put a statement in 329 <br />there about students because when I read it… 330 <br /> 331 <br />Kim Piracci- There are empty dorms? 332 <br /> 333 <br />Audrey Spencer-Horsley- There are empty dorms. 334 <br /> 335 <br />Tony Blake: There are a lot of empty dorms that UNC has said are too expensive to refurbish. The big one is down 336 <br />near the Friday Center, it’s huge. 337 <br /> 338 <br />Lisa Stuckey: I know there was a policy because I was on the Carolina North Committee and there was a lot of 339 <br />pressure on the University from the community, a bed for every head, and that if they were going to grow they were 340 <br />going to build dorms. And they built them. 341 <br /> 342 <br />Audrey Spencer-Horsley- And I can tell you that I’ve talked to the faculty, I’ve talked to students that actually attended 343 <br />the University and the dorms are not being utilized. 344 <br /> 345 <br />Lisa Stuckey: I think that’s a conversation that needs to take place because the University has said they’ve been very 346 <br />supportive of having the kids live there. 347 <br /> 348 <br />Audrey Spencer-Horsley- And the policy is the first year they have to live on campus. The students want the 349 <br />amenities… And if a group of students live together they can live cheaper than on campus. 350 <br /> 351 <br />Craig Benedict: What’s being discussed is supply and demand and the potential of upward mobility and mobility to 352 <br />take that equity with you and do more. What’s happening with the students is there’s such a demand that the housing 353 <br />prices go up and that diminishes the housing availability right there. And so it’s an uphill battle for that affordable 354 <br />housing element, whether it’s workforce or lower, the market’s going to control that and it’s going to make it more and 355 <br />more difficult. 356 <br /> 357 <br />Tony Blake: I’m all for paying taxes to have a pluralistic society and a diverse community and all of that. On the other 358 <br />hand, I object to my taxes going to support the student whose parents are well off and able to afford dorm rooms. 359 <br /> 360 <br />Lydia Wegman: So I don’t understand the strategic plan. What is it, what role does it play? It seems to be identifying 361 <br />land use as the key problem… The first 2 things are the overgrowth and exclusionary zoning practices. Those are the 362 <br />2 things where you say yes, they’re impediments. But, from everything I’m hearing they’re far greater impediments 363 <br />than the opportunity to build way out in the County where there’s no transportation, people can’t get to work easily 364 <br />and the density issue doesn’t strike me as the main… So I’m expressing concerns of the strategic plans and how it 365 <br />fits in with all the other things… 366 <br /> 367 <br />Audrey Spencer-Horsley- Those observations came out of the analysis of impediment. So, that’s looking at 368 <br />something slightly different than affordable housing. That’s looking at fair housing. That’s looking at where land use 369 <br />practices can discourage inclusive communities and so that’s where it’s coming from. The part about the rural buffer 370 <br />doesn’t mean that the rural buffer isn’t a good thing because that’s a local decision. But it’s like anything; it has pros 371 <br />and cons. If you’re going to have the rural buffer it’s just like Patricia was talking about the market. If you’re taking 372 <br />certain land off the table.. what’s left you drive the price up on. So once again, it’s a supply and demand. So that’s 373 <br />really what it’s speaking to. 374 <br /> 375 <br />----- Just to throw this out, one of the problems that’s been discussed a whole lot in the town of Chapel Hill is the cost 376 <br />of maintaining affordable housing. That’s been a really expensive, unexpected concern over the years. They bought 377