Agenda 02-20-24; 8-a - Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

Browse Search

19 1 PUBLIC COMMENTS: 2 Sandra Clinton said she has lived in Hillsborough for the past 25 years and has been a 3 homeowner at Crescent Magnolia Townhomes by Habitat for Humanity. She said she is grateful 4 for her home and is thankful for Habitat for Humanity. She said she currently serves on the Habitat 5 Advisory Committee and Homeowner Committee. She asked for funding for Habitat for Humanity. 6 Joseph Schwenker with Community Housing Partners and representing the Trinity Court 7 redevelopment. He said he could answer questions from the Board if they would like. 8 Commissioner Richards said the project seems like it is underway, and the county portion 9 is only 5% of the total. She asked how the county portion is helping move the project forward. 10 Joseph Schwenker said they have everything except what they are requesting from the 11 county. He said costs were much lower when the project was started, and this gap funding is 12 needed to make the project work now. 13 Commissioner Richards asked where they would get the money if not funded by the 14 county. 15 Joseph Schwenker said there are not a lot of other options left. He said they cannot cover 16 a million-dollar shortfall. 17 Chair Bedford said she was concerned about the disrepair of the property. She asked if 18 there are policies in place to ensure the project does not fall into disrepair again in the future. 19 Joseph Schwenker said yes. He said they are part of the rental demonstration program. 20 He said they are subject to NCHFA inspections and approvals, and they have equity investors 21 who buy tax credits, and they are invested for 15 years. He said there ae a lot of checks and 22 balances now. He said the project was poorly constructed in the mid-70's but this is a way to 23 remedy that and actually increase the number of affordable housing units. 24 Vice-Chair Greene said the backstory is the federal government has decided to disinvest 25 in public housing. She said that RAD is one of the latest devices that are really public-private 26 partnerships. 27 Anna Wu said she is the current board chair for the Orange County Habitat for Humanity. 28 She thanked the Board for their investment in affordable housing. She also thanked Bonnie 29 Hammersley and county housing staff for their hard work and leadership throughout this process. 30 She said they see how home ownership is slipping further out of reach for so many. She said that 31 many people who work here cannot afford to live here. She said the barriers are even higher for 32 people of color and those that make lower wages. She said that the East Village community in 33 Hillsborough is a key piece to assist homeownership in Hillsborough. She said that the project will 34 essentially double affordable housing units in Hillsborough, including fully ADA accessible units. 35 She said that the homes will be near public transit and even be walkable to the sportsplex. She 36 said that this type of large-scale development opportunities outside of Chapel Hill have been rare 37 due to the cost of infrastructure. She said that these projects and Habitat's $3.7 million request is 38 a request to supply affordable housing in previously underserved areas. 39 Delores Bailey, executive director of EmPOWERment, said that the Peach Apartments 40 are beginning to be built. She said that they will have 10 fully funded multi-family units by the end 41 of 2024. She thanked the Board for their previous support. She said the greatest need is for 42 families earning at or below 30% AMI. She said EmPOWERment recognizes that NOAH is one 43 of the best ways to meet this need. She said they have two projects and 18 families. She said 44 that NOAH projects scored lower because they are not new projects, but that does not minimize 45 the impact for the families who live there. She said when there is no affordable land, there can be 46 no new projects. She said they asked for 3 projects, combination of these rental properties would 47 help 18 families. 48 49 Bonnie Hammersley said she will be doing a debriefing with AHAB members and 50 applicants. She said she will provide the information to the Board at a work session and hear their 51 feedback to ensure the county is ready for the next RFP. She said they will draft the