Orange County NC Website
8 <br /> 1 ❑ How can the County, working collaboratively, facilitate the enhancement of <br /> 2 permanent supportive housing? <br /> 3 <br /> 4 Sherrill Hampton opened her presentation by greeting the group and offering her support <br /> 5 for a "One Orange" vision. She said her department had gone through a lot of restructuring and <br /> 6 planning over the last few years, and had worked with two firms to generate the data in her <br /> 7 presentation. <br /> 8 Sherrill Hampton said 64% of total households making less than $50,000/year were <br /> 9 "cost burdened" by housing (when a household spends more than 30% of their annual income <br /> 10 on housing). <br /> 11 Sherrill Hampton said the median rent for a 3-bedroom was $1470, and the discrepancy <br /> 12 between Hillsborough and Chapel Hill for mean and median rent on 3-bedroom rentals. She <br /> 13 said seniors were the most cost-burdened age-group in Orange County, with a widening gap <br /> 14 every year. <br /> 15 Commissioner Dorosin asked if"permanently affordable" could be defined. <br /> 16 Sherrill Hampton said this included government subsidized housing, land trust owned <br /> 17 land, and some others. She said the definition was derived by HUD and did not include the <br /> 18 private market. <br /> 19 Commissioner Greene said HUD's definition meant the properties would be affordable <br /> 20 for only 30 years and asked about deed-restricted housing. <br /> 21 Sherrill Hampton said those did not count in the overall numbers. <br /> 22 Chair Rich asked about land that may be unsuitable for development in the county <br /> 23 because of water/sewer access. <br /> 24 Sherrill Hampton said this land referenced land where there were not existing county <br /> 25 services, especially water and sewer, and the significant costs development entailed. The group <br /> 26 noted that the rural buffer was most of what was referenced here. <br /> 27 Commissioner Marcoplos said the Green Tract was a priority before the rural buffer. <br /> 28 Sherrill Hampton turned the conversation to the consolidated plan, which is to be <br /> 29 updated in 2020, led by the local government collaborative. She said, of the 9 County-owned <br /> 30 sites, maybe 2 of them would be suitable for affordable housing development due to <br /> 31 topographical challenges. She reviewed information about both homelessness and existing <br /> 32 programs and services. <br /> 33 Sherrill Hampton described the toolbox the County had at its disposal for working <br /> 34 through the challenge of affordable housing. She said the key areas to look at are: affordability, <br /> 35 availability, and accessibility. She said affordability is created by land cost regulations and <br /> 36 supply; and accessibility asks the question of whether or not housing is actually accessible to <br /> 37 people. <br /> 38 Sherrill Hampton said development, preservation, and supportive services make up the <br /> 39 toolbox. She then turned the attention towards goals, namely: expanding supply, improving <br /> 40 quality, increasing choices, and fostering diverse and livable neighborhoods. She said the <br /> 41 Fairview neighborhood and Tinted Woods community as examples, as well as some <br /> 42 neighborhoods out on 54. She reviewed efforts to enhance these communities. <br /> 43 Sherrill Hampton said there are several funding sources: the bond, the home program, <br /> 44 the land-banking fund, and the home park program, as well as preservation and supportive <br /> 45 housing programs. She said the team was looking at how to better utilize the bond for affordable <br /> 46 housing to take advantage of Naturally Occurring Affordable Housing Units. She said 90% of <br /> 47 these occurred in urban-poor areas, which she sees this as an opportunity for collaboration with <br /> 48 the towns. <br /> 49 <br />