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37 <br /> Agenda Item 3 — Roundtable Discussion with Affordable Housing Partners, Chambers of <br /> Commerce, and Homebuilders Association <br /> The following organizations attended the Retreat and participated in the discussion: Kimberly <br /> Sanchez for Community Home Trust (CHT); Valencia Thompson and Delores Bailey for <br /> EMPOWERment; Ansel Pritchard for Habitat for Humanity; Ian Scott for the Homebuilders <br /> Association of Durham, Orange, and Chatham Counties and the Chamber for a Greater Chapel <br /> Hill-Carrboro; Blake Rosser for the Orange County Housing Department; and Lynn Nilsson for the <br /> Orange County Affordable Housing Advisory Board. <br /> • What do developers suggest for building more housing? <br /> • Types of housing? <br /> • Chamber for a Greater Chapel Hill-Carrboro "big bold ideas" summary: <br /> http://www.bigboldideas.org/ <br /> • What may be different for non-profit developers? <br /> • How can Orange County work collaboratively to better serve the need for attainable <br /> housing? <br /> Chair Hamilton opened by asking participants to describe barriers to affordable and <br /> workforce housing from their perspectives. <br /> Ansel Pritchard explained that Habitat for Humanity is shifting toward larger communities <br /> of scale and higher density for practical reasons to build more homes annually. He said their <br /> biggest barriers are cost and utility access -finding developable land with water and sewer access <br /> while competing with other developers. He said for the homeowners they serve, which are <br /> traditionally 30-80 percent AMI, reaching below 40 percent AMI has become increasingly difficult <br /> due to building costs and property taxes. <br /> Kimberly Sanchez noted that Community Home Trust (CHT) gets most housing inventory <br /> through Chapel Hill's inclusionary zoning requirement,which will bring them over 300 homes this <br /> year. She said while other jurisdictions show developer appetite for negotiating affordable <br /> housing inclusion, barriers include lack of strong policy or political will. She emphasized that <br /> public investment is critical since market supply alone won't provide necessary subsidies for <br /> homeowners earning 65 percent AMI like teachers and nurses. She said moderate income <br /> homeowners face barriers including conventional mortgage requirements and high closing costs <br /> despite down payment assistance. <br /> Valencia Thompson explained EMPOWERment focuses on affordable rentals, with <br /> inventory being their biggest barrier. She said they receive daily calls from people seeking rentals, <br /> but inventory is insufficient. She said finding funding for acquisitions and rehabilitation to keep <br /> units affordable is challenging, especially given increasing rents. She said renters also lack <br /> assistance for security deposits and other rental requirements, and housing vouchers remain <br /> unavailable. <br /> Lynn Nilsson from the Affordable Housing Advisory Board identified increasing property <br /> taxes and tax burden shifting to local residents as major concerns, particularly with state-level <br />