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14 <br /> Slide#12 <br /> Housing Availability in Orange County <br /> January 2026 Survey of County & Municipal Planning Departments: <br /> • 11,365 new residential units approved on plans in Orange County <br /> • Does NOT include residences that have been approved and finalized in recent years <br /> • 3,850 Units Under Construction, mostly in Chapel Hill and Hillsborough <br /> • 3,189 Multifamily Units <br /> • 413 Townhomes <br /> • 248 Single-Family Homes <br /> • 7,515 Approved but Unbuilt Residential Units <br /> • 4,995 Multifamily Units <br /> • 1,213 Townhomes <br /> 1,307 Single-Family Homes <br /> k • 137 units (11%) are restricted as "affordable" <br /> Cy Stober said staff were asked to review three different assessments of housing needs <br /> in Orange County by three different interest groups and three different studies using three different <br /> sets of methodologies. He said they were asked to get an idea of where the county is in meeting <br /> housing needs. He said he surveyed the county's municipal planning departments. He said there <br /> can be paper approvals that don't result in financing, but that doesn't happen that often in Orange <br /> County. <br /> Commissioner McKee asked what the definition is for"affordable." <br /> Cy Stober said it varies between approvals. He said some approvals were for 80% AMI, <br /> and some were for 50% AMI. He said they were not talking about HUD or federal definitions for <br /> affordability. <br /> Commissioner McKee said he would like a better understanding and conversation on what <br /> is affordable in Orange County. <br /> Commissioner Greene said it is specific to the development and what is negotiated. She <br /> said the important word to her is "restricted," which means that the units are kept affordable for <br /> longer than HUD requires. <br /> Commissioner McKee said he'd like to see the Board define affordable housing for Orange <br /> County. <br />