HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda - 01-18-2001-7aORANGE COUNTY
BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT
Meeting Date: January 18, 2001
Action Agenda
Item No. 7-a
SUBJECT: Orange County Housing Rehabilitation CDBG Program _ _
DEPARTMENT: Housing/Comm. Development PUBLIC HEARING: (Y/N) Yes
ATTACHMENT(S): INFORMATION CONTACT:
Tara L. Fikes, ext 2490
TELEPHONE NUMBERS:
Hillsborough 732-8181
Chapel Hill 968-4501
Durham 688-7331
Mebane 336-227-2031
PURPOSE: To receive comments from the public concerning the FY 2001 Housing
Rehabilitation Program for Orange County.
BACKGROUND: The County was recently notified by the N.C. Department of Commerce -
Division of Community Assistance of the award of $400,000 in Scattered Site Housing
Rehabilitation funds under the FY 2001 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG)
Program. This is the first year for the implementation of a change in funding for the Scattered
Site Housing Rehabilitation Program. These grants are no longer competitive, and each
interested county in North Carolina is scheduled to receive an allocation every three years to
provide housing rehabilitation funds for the county and the municipalities within the county.
Orange County has been selected to receive funding in the inaugural year for this new program.
These grant funds must be to repair substandard housing occupied by low-income families in
the Towns of Carrboro and Hillsborough as well as the unincorporated areas of Orange County.
These funds may not be used in the Town of Chapel Hill since they receive Community
Development Block Grant funding directly from HUD.
Families with incomes at or below 50% of area median income that own and occupy
deteriorated housing are eligible to participate in the program. For the purpose of this program,
deteriorated housing are dwelling units that that have existing housing code violations including
houses that lack indoor plumbing.
In order to receive this funding, the County must conduct two public hearings. The first hearing
provides an opportunity to obtain citizen comments prior to developing an application for these
funds and another hearing after the application is completed but prior to submission to the N.C.
Department of Commerce.
After initial public comment is received, an application document will be prepared with input
from the Carrboro and Hillsborough members of the HOME Program Review Committee. A
second public hearing will be planned for February 20, 2001 for additional citizen comment and
the BOCC will be asked to approve submission of the application before February 28, 2001.
FINANCIAL IMPACT: Application for these funds represent an additional $400,000 available
for affordable housing initiatives in the County.
RECOMMENDATION(S): The Manager recommends that the Board receive the comments as
information and authorize the staff to proceed with application development.