Orange County NC Website
24 <br /> CR-35 - Other Actions 91.220(j)-(k); 91.320(i)-(j) <br /> Actions taken to remove or ameliorate the negative effects of public policies that serve as <br /> barriers to affordable housing such as land use controls, tax policies affecting land, zoning <br /> ordinances, building codes, fees and charges, growth limitations, and policies affecting the <br /> return on residential investment. 91.220 (j); 91.320 (i) <br /> The Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing in Orange County, completed in April 2020, recommends a <br /> combination of strategies to address barriers to fair housing, including amending land use policies that <br /> create barriers to affordable housing.The following strategies are discussed in the Al report: <br /> • Seek additional funding for subsidized housing. <br /> • Encourage the development of some subsidized housing outside of Chapel Hill and Carrboro. <br /> • Educate landlords, property managers, and other housing providers about fair housing law and <br /> reasonable accommodation, especially as they pertain to persons with disabilities. <br /> • Offer educational courses on mortgage lending and building credit scores that are geared <br /> toward African American and Hispanic borrowers. <br /> • Encourage cooperation and coordination between the affordable housing advisory boards in the <br /> county. <br /> • Explore funding options for a best-practices Rapid Rehousing program to serve homeless <br /> individuals and families in Orange County. <br /> • Identify ways to protect residents of mobile home parks who may be under threat of <br /> displacement. <br /> • Consider areas to strategically up-zone to promote the development of affordable housing. <br /> Much of the county is zoned for low-density residential,which can be more expensive to build upon and <br /> thus inhibits the construction of affordable housing units.The Towns of Chapel Hill and Carrboro have <br /> enacted Inclusionary Zoning Ordinances to encourage developers to set-aside 15%of new units in <br /> residential developments that have more than five (5) units for people with low-and-moderate incomes. <br /> The Town of Chapel Hill's Inclusionary Zoning Ordinance also incentivizes affordable housing by <br /> providing development bonuses including density bonuses and floor area bonuses and waiving certain <br /> development-related fees for the affordable units. In recent years,voters in Orange County and the <br /> Town of Chapel Hill have approved affordable housing bonds to fund the development of new <br /> affordable units. Orange County passed a $5 million bond in 2016 and the Town of Chapel Hill passed a <br /> $10 million bond in 2018.These measures to increase affordable housing could be coupled with <br /> additional strategies to up-zone land and promote more housing development, particularly in areas with <br /> low transportation costs and access to services. <br /> Actions taken to address obstacles to meeting underserved needs. 91.220(k); 91.320(j) <br /> Despite County and service provider efforts,there remain significant obstacles to meeting underserved <br /> needs.The following are obstacles to meeting these needs in Orange County: <br /> 23 <br />