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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda - 10-23-2007-4hORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT Meeting Date: October 23,.2007 Action Agenda Item No. ~-~' {') SUBJECT: First Baptist and Manley Estates Senior Housing Funding Request DEPARTMENT: Housing/Comm. Development PUBLIC HEARING: (Y/N) No ATTACHMENT(S): INFORMATION CONTACT: Letter Tara L. Fikes, 245-2490 PURPOSE: To consider approving funding for the expansion of the parking lot serving the First Baptist and Manley Estates Senior Apartment Complex in Chapel Hill.with staff recommended requirements. BACKGROUND: On August 6, 2007, the County Manager received a request from the President of the Board of Directors of the First Baptist and Manley Estates Apartment Complex for a grant in the amount of $85,000 for the expansion of the existing parking lot. This 41-unit apartment complex was built in 2001 under the HUD Section 202 Housing Program for the Elderly that serves low-income elderly and disabled individuals, with additional assistance from the County and the Town of Chapel Hill. Specifically, the sources of funds for the project were the following. HUD Section 202 Housing Program $3,261,300 Town of Chapel Hill (Pre-development Costs) $ 35,000 Orange County (Pre-development Costs) $ 10,000 Orange County (Impact Fee Reimbursement) $ 123,000 Total $ 3,429,300 According. to the non-profit board, the parking problems are longstanding. There are a total of 21 parking spaces currently at the site that over time have proven to be inadequate for the large number of agency staff members that provide support services to the elderly residents, property management personnel, and residents themselves. The Board of Directors.of First Baptist and Manley Estates has secured an initial estimate of $85,000 to add 10 to 11 additional spaces by expanding the existing parking lot. Additionally, the initial site approval for the complex by the Town of Chapel Hill allows the additional parking spaces with the approval of the Town Manager. County staff has reviewed this request and recommends that the County consider providing funding for this purpose with the following requirements: (Staff is not aware of any requests made to other governmental entities.) 2 1. Written confirmation from the Town of Chapel Hill that the proposed parking lot expansion is acceptable under the original site development plan approval. 2. The parking lot expansion should be designed to meet Town Standards by a civil engineer that can also provide project management and project inspection. 3. The First Baptist and Manley Estates Board of Directors should be required to receive at least three competitive bids for the construction work. It should be noted that the County Affordable Housing Advisory Board did not review this request since traditionally it has not made funding recommendations to the Board of County Commissioners. FINANCIAL IMPACT: The County currently has approximately $122,946 in program income from old Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) project loan repayments. The receipt of these funds has come from loan repayments from the Whiffed Forest Apartments in Hillsborough and the sale or refinancing of houses repaired under the Housing Rehabilitation Program. The only requirement for expenditure of these funds is that they be used for CDBG eligible purposes, and parking lot expansion to facilitate the provision of affordable housing is an eligible expense. There have been no efforts to program these funds in past years because of the focus on current funding availability .under the CDBG, HOME, and Affordable Housing Bond Programs. The allocation of $85,000 for this project will leave a balance of $37,946. RECOMMENDATION(S): The Manager recommends that the Board approve up to $85,000 in Community Development Program Income fund for the expansion of the parking lot serving the First Baptist and Manley Estates Senior Apartment Complex in Chapel Hill with the staff recommended requirements. ter: RECD auG o s z~o~ FIRST BAPTIST & MANI.,EY ESTA'T'ES 'I O6 N. RC)BERStJN STREET CHAPEL HI1~L, NC 275'I S REV. DR. J.R. MANLEY, PRESIDENT BOARD OF" DIRECTORS July 30, 2007 Ms. Laura Blackmon, Manager Orange County P.O. Box 8181 Hillsborough, NC 27278 Re: First Baptist and Manley Estates Senior Housing Dear Ms. Blackmon: This is to request the support of tl~e County in improving the safety and the capacity of the parking Iot at First Baptist and Manley Estates (FBME} for residents, visitors and senior service providers. As you may know, FBME is a prof ect that was initiated by First Baptist Church of Chapel Hill and assisted by the County and Towns in obtaining a HUD 202 Project grant to construct 40 apartments for senior citizens in this area. The project is more than five years old and has been fully occupied since its development. The Board of Directors of First Baptist and Manley Estates recognized over two years ago that the capacity of the parking lot was too small in spite of the bus stop near the property. While we have encouraged residents and visitors to use public transportation as often as possible, the parking lot capacity and use continues to be a risk to the safety of all groups, especially the elderly residents of the facility. Therefore, we are asking the County to assist FBME by making a grant to us in the amount of $85,000 to expand and make the parking lot safe for usexs and residents. FBME currently houses 41 senior residents and is managed via contract by Pendergraph Management LLC, a company experienced in managing senior residential facilities in several states. There are a total of 21 parking spaces provided at FBME. the facility offers a number of programs and services for the residents of FBME, including case management and social services by Orange County through an annual contract for services. This support staff is in need of parking spaces. The support staff includes the Site Manager, maintenance person, cleaning person, Service Coordinator, 3 Home Health Aides, and mailman. Consequently a variety of service providers frequents the facility via vehicle and has difficulty finding an acceptable parking spot. In addition, visitors of residents present a regular problem due to the small number of marked spaces. While few FBME residents own or use cars, vehicles are the mast frequent option used by resident visitors. The compactness and size of the lot has contributed to several near miss accidents in the lot over the last few years. Additionally, there are currently eight members of the board of directors, which meets bi-monthly. They. as well as the Pendergraph Management representative almost always have difficulty finding a parking spot when attending meetings at the facility. ,~ 4 Ms. Laura Blackmon July 30, 2007 Page 2 Our investigations have informed us that the current parking lot can be expanded to add 10 or 11 spaces while making the lot safer for all concerned. Estimates obtained have indicated that the cost will be approximately $85,000 if we act soon to complete the project. The project will include moving the dumpsters and pads from their current lacation to a new location at the end of the expanded lot and paving the expanded lot to accommodate more vehicles. We sincerely appreciate the continuing support of the County for services and housing for seniors and your support of FBME. Thanks in advance fox your consideration of this request. Please let me know if you have any questions or need further information to act on this request. Sincerely, ~1 . Rev. r. J.R. Man~'ey Board President Jane A. Garrett Board Secretary xc; '~I`ara Fikes, Orange County Housing & Conununity Development Director Moses Carey, Orange County Board of Commissioners Chair