Orange County NC Website
Browse       Search
47 <br /> DURHAM,ORANGE&CHATHAM COUNTIES <br /> Holly Fraccaro <br /> President&CEO <br /> Home Builders Association of Durham, Orange&Chatham Counties <br /> 1821 Hillandale Road, Suite 1 B-138 <br /> Durham, NC - North Carolina 27705 <br /> August 26, 2025 <br /> Jamezetta Bedford <br /> Chair <br /> Orange County Board of Commissioners <br /> P.O. Box 8181 <br /> Hillsborough, NC 27278 <br /> RE: Land Use 2050 Plan Must Expand Housing Opportunity <br /> Dear Chair Bedford, <br /> On behalf of the Home Builders Association of Durham, Orange,and Chatham Counties(HBADOC), <br /> I write to express our appreciation for the thoughtful and inclusive process underway as part of the <br /> Orange County Land Use Plan 2050.We understand that members of the HBADOC will be invited to <br /> participate in a housing policy workshop with the County Commission later this fall. We are excited <br /> about the opportunity and look forward to sharing our members' expertise. <br /> As you and your fellow Commissioners continue to refine the draft plan,we urge you to consider a <br /> meaningful expansion of housing opportunities in Orange County—particularly through a <br /> reexamination of the nearly 40-year-old rural buffer. While the original intent of the buffer was <br /> laudable, the region's demographic and economic realities have changed significantly since its <br /> inception. It is time to revisit the rural buffer boundaries with a focus on areas proximate to interstate <br /> interchanges, along major transportation corridors, and adjacent to water and sewer infrastructure. <br /> Recent findings from independent researchers in the North Carolina Housing Supply Gap Analysis <br /> underscore the urgency of addressing Orange County's housing shortfall. The report projects a <br /> statewide housing inventory gap of over 764,000 units by 2029. Orange County's share of that gap is <br /> 13,689 rental and for-sale homes, more than 22%of our existing countywide housing stock.Without <br /> proactive steps—including strategic expansion of buildable areas—Orange County will exacerbate <br /> housing affordability challenges. <br />