Orange County NC Website
Browse       Search
130 <br /> 1 Cy Stober suggested someone from NC State. He said that at the Home Builders <br /> 2 Association event in April or May they may have some data available for evaluation, but it would <br /> 3 be for Chatham, Orange, and Durham counties. <br /> 4 Commissioner Greene said the analysis would need to include all of Orange County. She <br /> 5 said the municipal housing information would be a start. <br /> 6 Cy Stober asked for clarity on what the Board was looking for. He said staff presented a <br /> 7 market analysis on activity nodes at a work session, as well as a housing market analysis <br /> 8 throughout the county. He wanted to know if the Board was looking for different information than <br /> 9 what was previously presented. <br /> 10 Chair Bedford said they did not want to know about that. She said the Board was <br /> 11 interested in the theory of if you just build more housing, you will get affordable housing, and how <br /> 12 it works. She said they wanted to know the price points and how you think about it in a university <br /> 13 town. She said they wanted to think about the issue of supply and demand, and limits on <br /> 14 resources. She said they wanted the real economist point of view on housing. <br /> 15 Cy Stober said the market analysis he presented included all but the affordability piece. <br /> 16 Chair Bedford said they presentation included how many units there are and the price <br /> 17 points and that's not what they are looking for. She said they wanted some forecasting. <br /> 18 Vice-Chair Hamilton said an economist would explain supply and demand models and the <br /> 19 theory of how more housing possibly leads to affordable housing in the county or anywhere else. <br /> 20 She said she thought the question was more about that rather than a market analysis, which <br /> 21 looked at Orange County trends. <br /> 22 Cy Stober confirmed that the interest is in an economic analysis of housing demand, <br /> 23 present and future, and within that, how would affordability be addressed. <br /> 24 Vice-Chair Hamilton said it must include supply and demand and understanding the <br /> 25 equilibrium conditions of that. <br /> 26 Commissioner McKee said he is struggling with how to apply the theoretical projections to <br /> 27 conditions on the ground. <br /> 28 Vice-Chair Hamilton said it depends on what kind of economist you get. She said the <br /> 29 Board would want someone who can translate the theory into what is seen in Orange County. <br /> 30 Commissioner McKee asked how the county was going to set parameters for affordable <br /> 31 housing and workforce housing, and how will the county adapt to unforeseen consequences. He <br /> 32 said he has concerns about committing taxpayer funds for subsidizing housing. <br /> 33 Kelly Guadalupe asked for clarification on Commissioner McKee's comment. <br /> 34 Commissioner McKee said he wanted to make sure he got information he could use. <br /> 35 Kelly Guadalupe confirmed that Commissioner McKee was interested in practical <br /> 36 information that is understandable and applicable. <br /> 37 Commissioner Fowler said she and Commissioner Carter attended the Triangle West MTP <br /> 38 2055 plan and they included data on growth in jobs in Orange and Durham counties as well as <br /> 39 population growth. She said it is important that housing is near transit and to put housing in <br /> 40 municipalities rather than what the Board is focusing on out in the county with a LIDO. She said <br /> 41 they should still support it via Habitat for Humanity and EMPOWERment. She said in terms of <br /> 42 trying to build more in the county, she wasn't sure that was the goal. She said the problem with <br /> 43 just saying the more supply we make means it's going to be cheaper is that the county is not in a <br /> 44 closed system. She said there is constant need all around the Triangle. <br /> 45 Kelly Guadalupe said that a speaker could discuss the entire system and not the county <br /> 46 in a vacuum. <br /> 47 Vice-Chair Hamilton said an economist will explain how that will fit. She said an analysis <br /> 48 will give you the outlines, but not an answer once you try to implement it. <br /> 49 Commissioner Greene agreed with Commissioner Fowler that housing needs to be near <br /> 50 transit. She reviewed the concept of location efficiency for housing that is near transit and is in a <br /> 51 15-minute walkable zone where people can have access to things they need. <br />