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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAHAB Community Meeting 10.14.2025 AHAB Community Meeting 10/14/2025 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- AHAB: Affordable Housing Advisory Board - Started in 2001 to raise issues related to housing and advise the Board of Commissioners - Assist in prioritizing housing needs, monitor progress, funding opportunities, build community awareness - AHAB Members Present (10): Tom Grastly, Todd Orr, Matthew Ferguson, Holly Meschko, Lynn Nilssen, Monica Palmeira, Anna Jefferson, Andrew Semmes, Mary Towell, Alicia Reid Presentation from Housing Staff- Aaron Cohen - Housing Manager 2 Goals for Orange County Housing Department (1) Improve affordability of existing housing in Orange County (2) Increase supply of housing through federal and state funding sources Programs Available (1) Long Time Homeowners Tax Assistance Program o Tax Reappraisal was huge this year. Also increase in rate. Burden for property taxes in community is significant o Orange County + Town of Carrboro + Town of Chapel Hill pooling money to help reduce tax burden ■ Confirm if Carrboro is postponing a year (their contribution) but Carrboro residents can still apply o As long as you've been living in County for 5 years and meet certain income requirements - 80% Average Median Income at $104,000, then you qualify ■ For different size homes there are at different valuations that are eligible o Encourage applications 0 2 forms of documentation - Proof of income and property tax bill o Applications close November 3. Checks out the door or reduction to bill by 1st week of December (2) Repair and Rehabilitation o Urgent Repairs - Things like a leaking roof, floor boards coming up, etc. ■ Specialist will come to your home to evaluate, connect to contractors, needs to be under$12,000 ■ There is a waitlist, but if there is immediate health and safety risks may be able to be prioritized. Encourage applications for at least the waiting list. o Full Scale Rehabilitation - Project up to $40,000, for next year up to $70,000 to get homes up to minimum housing code. ■ For homeowners that may have several significant issues (HVAC, electrical, roofs, etc) ■ Somewhat longer window than Urgent Repair, may take a few months. ■ No money out of pocket. Will forgive money every year as long as stay in home certain number of years. (3) HOME Federal Funding o Orange County receives $400,000 can be used for First Time Homebuyers, Tenant Based Rental Assistance, Repair and Rehab, Acquisition o The County used to take an approach to spread the money around to all these various priorities. Changed strategy to focus on certain buckets. o Based on community feedback, focusing on 2 priorities - (1) Repair and Rehab (help with waitlist); (2) Tenant Based Rental Assistance (targeting money for those that are most vulnerable) o Board of County Commissioners approved this prioritization. Will approve an annual action plan to move these priorities forward. (4) County department also supports the monitoring of Bond money ($5 million) which helps support more supply-side development efforts. (5) Questions o Public Comment: Changes to Homeowners Tax Program? While County is putting more money into the program, the need is great. ■ Everyone who qualifies receives something (between $200 to $1,000) ■ More people are applying, despite having more money to work with ■ Commissioners are concerned with this program more than other housing programs, should be a priority for Commissioners o Public Comment: Tax reassessment - Was done, in name, to take burden off of lower income people. Doesn't seem to be playing out that way. Need to continue improving. o Public Comment: Justice coalition regarding property tax has been established. Example of tax bill going from $3,000 to $9,000. ■ Commissioners are trying to make it more equitable ■ They have the power to suggest changes to tax office. ■ Inequities include lower income households have doubled and tripled. Newer bigger houses have not had changes. ■ Keep the pressure up. AHAB Work - Advisory role, no decision-making power - Capital Investment Plan Funding - $15 million Bond funding, dispersed in $5 million portions. - AHAB reviewed applications for the funding based on County staff's formula and priorities. Make recommendations on how to spend that money. - Realized we had gaps in our knowledge about what has been done in the past, therefore conducted an analysis of where money has gone. - Housing Inventory of what has been done with both Bond funds and HOME funds - HOME Funds - $18.5 million since 1995 Funding is distributed pretty evenly across new construction, homebuyer assistance, property acquisition, housing rehabilitation Funding that comes from HOME is not consistent every year. County and Towns cover approximately 25% of costs for these projects that HOME does not cover. HOME funding has gone down significantly since 2012. $400,000 on a good year doesn't go very far. - When projects receive HOME or Bond money, there are deed restrictions to keep affordable for a certain amount of time (federal 30 years, local 99 years). Have historically funded more projects for homeownership than for rental. - By location, some difficulty in tracking where money is actually landing. - Question: Are there challenges related to bringing in affordable housing after new, expensive development going in? - The voices of homeowners, sometimes in opposition, are loud. We need to be loud as well for affordable housing - Question: How are the locations of projects decided? - The applicants are bringing forward a place. For example, we have seen a lot of applications in the south part of the County, trying to prioritize other parts of the county. Balancing need to build in rural areas with requirements to be near amenities. - Public Comment: Challenges with lots of people moving in, people with higher incomes. - Public Comment: Heard every locality was supposed to spend 13% on housing but didn't always use the money and it would be returned. (This is money controlled by the Towns). Involves inclusionary zoning requirements. This is payment in lieu fees that were paid. Many developers would make payment in lieu instead of building the inclusionary units. - Town Council doesn't have ability to disapprove development over affordable housing concerns (General Assembly laws), but also under pressure to approve any housing to add supply. - Flat property tax rate laws also restrict opportunities for progressive tax structures. - Public Comment: Rules for citing affordable housing that require proximity to amenities, can't bring in amenities after the fact. Need to pre-exist prior to building. - County trying to at least coordinate housing and transportation planning and being more strategic. - Can add and move bus stops. Can't create new routes (funding issues). Key Findings: Less money, slight preference for homeowner projects. Projects have not been super specific on income targeting (meeting 80% requirement but not more specific than that). Recommending targeting more specifically and deeply. However, can only approve projects that are submitted. If developers aren't bringing projects to reach 30% AMI communities, we don't have anything to approve. Submitted report to Board of Commissioners. Meetings with Developer Partners - One of our AHAB members is an affordable housing builder - Invited agencies and nonprofits that develop housing in Orange County to understand challenges in building and applying for funding. - Challenges we heard: - Availability of land that is suitable for building is limited, land is more expensive. - Zoning - Hearing a lot of feedback to maintain rural character, limits ability to build more density and to build infill. Need to hear more support for these priorities to push back on so much opposition. - Question: Hard to hear from folks most impacted, people are busy. What is opposition to missing middle housing? - Missing middle would be something like duplex/triplex type housing. - Lots of push back for that particular development. - Some developers are doing smaller projects, with cost per unit being higher. Scale helps with cost (building more units). But trying to meet multiple needs. Example Pee Wee Homes, tiny homes for people transitioning from homelessness. Building a few units at a time. - Requested for more coordination between County and municipalities on coordination for where housing is going. Help figure out who is doing what, so there is less direct competition and more strategy. - Cost to develop and build. Keeps going up. Federal and state funding keeps going down. - Comment: Important to know who is holding office and know their priorities on housing. - Question: People with money are vocal about housing. Towns and Counties are listening. Can the Towns and County get together more? - We are bringing this feedback forward, both from developers and community residents. - Public Comment: Resident in downtown Chapel Hill near Camelot Village. Flooded. Getting more expensive, including property taxes and all expenses. Homeowners assistance helped last year, this is important. - Public Comment: Get on Planning Boards. Help to know what is coming. Voting is almost important. Don't vote just on affiliation. Lots of use of consultants. - Public Comment: Voting - they say they are going to do things but then they don't. What do we do about it? - Look up their voting record in the past. Keep pressure up in the meetings. - County staff do get calls after elected officials get pressured from the public. They can kick in to gear if they hear enough. Public Comment: Reassessment of taxes. 1968 house. More than $2,000 increase. Said it could be appealed. Feels like a false option because valuation. - Fellow Comment: Appeals have been working. Staff is working with us. Based on pictures of work that needs to be done, was able to get a reduction. - Clarifying that Housing Department does not do property taxes, specifically do the tax assistance program. Question: Any assistance related to cost of utilities? - Orange County utility assistance. Department of Social Services. - Public Comment: Planning Departments have a lot of control, Housing more on the receiving end. They should be here too because they are making front end decisions. - "Housing is dealing with a cake that is already baked." - Can consider joint community meetings with Planning (so they can see and hear the impact of their decisions that are being made). - WIII send these notes and comments to Planning Dept. Planning Director is an ally. - Zoning - Resistance to single family zoning changes or changes to rural buffer. Planning Commission is open to this, but it will take decisions of elected officials. - Rural Buffer is a challenging issue. Haven't discussed in 20-30 years. - Orange County Planning Commission - Come to the board meetings. Have very low attendance. First step is Planning Advisory Board. - 1 st Wednesday of the month. 7:00 pm. Land Use Plan - Initial Draft is available, taking comments right now. - Public Comment: Email all County Commissioners at once to hear concerns at once. Continued work for AHAB - Continue talking to housing developers - Continue to review how money is being spent - Another community meeting in north county (probably in Spring) - Coordinate with other Advisory Boards (Econ Development, Planning, Housing Authority) General Question - Appeal process for tax valuation closed in April, but had subsequent flooding in July that likely changed valuation. Is process still available for appeal? - Recommended to email all County Board of Commissioners and request an extension.