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