Minutes 03-21-2026-Retreat - Laserfiche WebLink

Browse Search

39 Commissioner Carter asked Ian Scott about the Chamber's initiative on workforce housing and opportunities for public private partnerships to address that need. Ian Scott said the Chamber launched a strategic campaign two years ago with three top initiatives based on member priorities: housing supply diversity meeting price points across the income spectrum, workforce development connecting young people to local career pathways, and expanding underrepresented business ownership to address persistent income gaps by race in Orange County. He said the Chamber has been working primarily with Chapel Hill, which has set and met numeric goals for housing units. He noted confidence in recommending policy changes when diverse development community stakeholders agree on barriers and solutions. He emphasized both for-profit and non-profit developers face the same constraints: land cost, labor cost, construction materials cost, and legal costs. He sees partnership between sectors spanning the housing need continuum, though they're still falling short despite progress. Delores Bailey said EMPOWERment has program for assisting minority business owners with sustainability. She said housing challenges got worse after the pandemic. She said the local government housing staff are doing what they can with the resources they have. She said they are opening Peach apartments in April which are directed to those who earn 30%AMI. Commissioner Greene asked Ian Scott to share any success stories regarding the position the county helped fund for minority economic work Ian Scott said he did not have that information today, but it could be provided. He said the three initiatives established by the Chamber are interconnected, but housing is number one. He said Chapel Hill has set and met numerical goals for total housing unites and affordable housing units. He said most of the barriers are just math: land cost, labor cost, and the cost of construction materials. He said the not-for-profit builder faces the same constraints as private developers. He said there's been significant progress in Chapel Hill and Carrboro intends to make strides in affordable housing as well. Chair Hamilton said that the county faces water and sewer issues that are different from municipalities. She said they have challenges in knowing what we can and cannot do to make sure the county is protecting the environment and the headwaters which tend to be in the unincorporated parts of the county. She said because the county works in partnership with the with the municipalities, they will have to lean on the towns to provide more of that denser housing. She said the high cost of building is one of the drivers that the Board cannot control, as well as the demand for housing from people moving from out of the county. Vice-Chair Fowler said regarding changing the comprehensive land use plan, during the discussion of barriers, she heard about decreased lot sizes and parking minimums. She asked what things the county could do in the land use plan to improve access to affordable housing. Kimberly Sanchez said the county could figure out where higher density is appropriate and connecting it to transportation. She said allowing various housing types including multifamily apartments would also help, and providing opportunities for naturally occurring affordable housing acquisition and rehabilitation.She said quick capital access would help nonprofits acquire aging inventory before investors. Ansel Pritchard agreed about preserving naturally occurring affordable housing and emphasized support for critical repairs on non-Habitat homes for seniors who are looking to age in place. He said that Habitat liked the idea of a conservation subdivision. He said access to capital for infrastructure and utilities would help as they build large developments.