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13 <br /> • While finding housing for students is important, there are strong worries that any <br /> affordable housing in the county will immediately be leased by student renters who do <br /> not themselves have an income but who have parents who are willing, able, and have the <br /> right credit mix for an expedited renting process. Making sure that there is affordable <br /> housing not just for UNC students but also for community members who are <br /> experiencing housing insecurity and do not have as much of a social safety net is <br /> especially important. <br /> • One affordable housing idea is to reinvigorate the Mobile Home Task Force to support <br /> the protection of naturally occurring affordable housing (NOAH) and look for ways to <br /> support these households to stay in their homes. <br /> • Chatham County is now working with the Community Home Trust through its Housing <br /> Department. This presents a potential opportunity for regional affordable housing <br /> partnerships. <br /> Grow Transit Service <br /> • Regional transit to major employment centers where residents work and to employment <br /> centers in Orange County where workers living outside travel to is limited. Improved and <br /> new services could alleviate traffic congestion and reduce VMTs. <br /> • Lack of/inadequate/slow public transit disproportionately affects lower income <br /> individuals who find it difficult to afford personal vehicles. This is especially poignant <br /> with school buses, where parents who have the ability are dropping their children off at <br /> school while those children whose parents cannot have hour-long (or longer) one-way <br /> commutes, and even get to school late. This is partially due to transportation <br /> infrastructure but is also a symptom of a labor shortage for school bus drivers. <br /> • Hillsborough is planning to start construction on a train station in 2027. This station will <br /> connect into the Amtrak's Piedmont rail network and is slated to be the anchor for a <br /> Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) in Hillsborough, which will likely create a sharp <br /> increase in service and utility demand due to the increased population. <br /> • Development in Chatham County has sparked discussion about bus rapid transit <br /> between Chatham Park and Chapel Hill, partially to reduce congestion along 15-501. <br /> There is much interest on the part of both communities to support this service. <br /> • Bicycling is very popular in Orange County and quite unsafe in the rural areas due to the <br /> lack of dedicated bike infrastructure. No dedicated bike lane/easement exists between <br /> Hillsborough and Chapel Hill/Carrboro, which requires individuals to share the road with <br /> vehicles often going over 50 miles per hour. <br /> • Similarly, pedestrian infrastructure between the two urban cores is nonexistent, forcing <br /> individuals to walk on the shoulder of the road, which is often muddy or narrow. <br /> Orange County, North Carolina - Land Use Plan 2050 1 Stakeholder Interviews Summary 10 <br />