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Attachment 2 <br /> 1 <br /> 1 DRAFT MINUTES <br /> 2 ORANGE COUNTY <br /> 3 BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br /> 4 MINI-RETREAT <br /> 5 March 21, 2026 <br /> 6 1:00 P.M. <br /> 7 <br /> 8 The Orange County Board of Commissioners met for a retreat on Saturday, March 21, 2026 at <br /> 9 1:00 p.m. at Whitted Human Services Center in Hillsborough, NC. <br /> 10 <br /> 11 COUNTY COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Chair Jean Hamilton, Vice-Chair Amy Fowler, and <br /> 12 Commissioners Jamezetta Bedford, Marilyn Carter, Sally Greene, Earl McKee (arrived at 1:20 <br /> 13 p.m.), and Phyllis Portie-Ascott <br /> 14 COUNTY COMMISSIONERS ABSENT: None. <br /> 15 COUNTY ATTORNEYS PRESENT: None. <br /> 16 COUNTY STAFF PRESENT: County Manager Travis Myren, Deputy County Manager Caitlin <br /> 17 Fenhagen, and Clerk to the Board Laura Jensen. (All other staff members will be identified <br /> 18 appropriately below) <br /> 19 <br /> 20 Chair Hamilton called the meeting to order at 1:00 p.m. All commissioners were in <br /> 21 attendance, except for Commissioner McKee. The commissioners introduced themselves. <br /> 22 <br /> 23 Cy Stober, Planning and Inspections Director, introduced the topics for the retreat. <br /> 24 <br /> 25 The Board received presentations and engaged in a roundtable discussion on housing markets <br /> 26 and pricing as response to the Board's request for additional background information for the Land <br /> 27 Use Plan 2050 process. <br /> 28 <br /> 29 BACKGROUND: At its April 8, 2025, work session, the Board reviewed a tentative schedule for <br /> 30 receiving presentations from County staff and in some cases, guest presenters, to provide <br /> 31 additional background information for better informing its direction on the Land Use Plan 2050 <br /> 32 process. The Board's preference was for staff to schedule work session and retreat agenda items <br /> 33 to receive the information. <br /> 34 <br /> 35 Attachment A is Part A of the BOCC request for additional information grouped into six (6) topic <br /> 36 areas by subject. To cover all topic areas, presentations to the Board were scheduled for work <br /> 37 sessions on September 9, October 14, and November 11, 2025; half-day retreats were scheduled <br /> 38 for November 14 and November 21, 2025, and March 21, 2026. The half-day retreats were <br /> 39 needed to cover Part B (Attachment B) of the Board's request for information, which includes <br /> 40 several guest presenters. <br /> 41 <br /> 42 Agenda Item 1— Housing Availability and Affordability <br /> 43 Yonah Freemark, a principal research associate in the Housing and Communities Division at the <br /> 44 Urban Institute, presented to the Board. Sections of the presentation included: <br />