Habitat for Humanity Orange County
Rusch Hollow
In its request for a Special Use Permit, Habitat for Humanity of Orange County voluntarily agrees to include 100% of the housing units in Rusch Hollow as long-term affordable housing. Twelve of the units will be sold to households earning at or below 50% of the area median income. These homes will remain affordable for at least ninety-nine years, through the use of deed restrictions in accordance with the provisions of Orange County’s Affordable Housing Bond Program. These deed restrictions require that the homes be sold only to households that earn 80% or less than the area median income. The five rental units will also be affordable for households at or below 50% of area median income, and will have similar deed restrictions that will ensure that they remain affordable over a 99 year period, also in accordance with the provisions of Orange County’s Affordable Housing Bond Program.
FINDING #1
“That the use or development is located, designed, and proposed to be operated so as to maintain or promote the public health, safety, and general welfare”
This subdivision will provide homes for 12 families who could not otherwise afford to own a home in Chapel Hill, and 5 rental apartments for low-income elderly or disabled citizens of Orange County. The project will consist of 3.03 acres and will include a public street extension off of Rogers Road and Rusch Road. Rogers Road forms the boundary between Carrboro and Chapel Hill. Many subdivisions have been built along Rogers Road in recent years. Recently, a public waterline was constructed along Rogers Road. Sanitary sewer is being extended in this area as well as new subdivisions are developed.
This subdivision will make sanitary sewer available to other parcels in the Rogers Road area including residences on Purefoy Road and the area within the Greene Tract that is to be reserved for affordable housing development. Low and moderate-income residents on Purefoy Road have previously requested assistance from the Town of Chapel Hill for the extension of sanitary sewer to their homes. The extension of sanitary sewer proposed in this project will both serve current low-income residents of the community and result in many more opportunities for quality, affordable housing in Chapel Hill.
This project is located in a very desirable area of Chapel Hill. Seawell Elementary School, Smith Middle School and Chapel Hill High School are all located less than one mile from this development. The site enjoys easy access to many areas of Chapel Hill and Carrboro including major employment centers such as the university. The thoroughfares close to this project experience less traffic than some of the other thoroughfares in Town. Habitat for Humanity has a waiting list of applicants who work in Chapel Hill and would like to live close to their employment. This project will provide those future homeowners with a safe, decent, well-built home of their own that is also convenient to their place of work. The rental units in the proposed project will serve the elderly and disabled, with priority given to current residents of the Rogers Road community. Residents of the Rogers Road community have encouraged Habitat for Humanity to provide housing options for elderly residents in the neighborhood who currently live in unsafe housing.
Habitat for Humanity of Orange County has a reputation for building quality affordable homes. Habitat has built and sold more than 100 homes in Orange County since the first one was completed in 1987. Habitat for Humanity serves households with incomes below fifty percent of the area median who live and/or work in Orange County and who currently live in substandard housing. Many of the clients that Habitat for Humanity serves are tenants of Chapel Hill Public Housing, or have Section 8 housing vouchers. By serving these households, Habitat for Humanity offers a way for tenants receiving public subsidy to move into homeownership, and also allows more of those waiting for public housing or section 8 vouchers to be served.
“That the use or development complies with all required regulations and standards of this Chapter, including all applicable provisions of Articles 3 and 5, the applicable specific standards contained in the Supplemental Use Regulations (Article 6), and with all other applicable regulations”
The proposed subdivision will comply with the required regulations and standards of this Chapter, including all applicable provisions of Articles 3 and 5 and the applicable specific standards contained in the Supplemental Use Regulations (Article 6), and with all other applicable regulations.
The applicant is making a rezoning request to achieve the desired density for this development. The proposed zoning classification is R-SS-C, which is designed to promote the development of affordable housing, and will allow the specific project elements including but not limited to lot size and building setbacks. Under R-SS-C zoning, the maximum allowable floor area for this project is 56,000 square feet. HHOC will not exceed a floor area of 25,000 square feet, well below the requirements of the zoning district. HHOC is also proposing to provide recreation space and equipment for that space in excess of what is required under the R-SS-C zoning district.
“That the use or development is located, designed, and proposed to be operated so as to maintain or enhance the value of contiguous property, or that the use or development is a public necessity”.
This development will have a positive impact on contiguous properties and on the surrounding neighborhood. The single family, detached homes that Habitat for Humanity will build on the site will be attractive and will blend in well with the surrounding residences. A home that Habitat for Humanity built on Rusch Road is one of the contiguous properties, and it is an attractive addition to the homes of Rusch Road. In fact, the new home replaced a rundown trailer that was unsafe and in poor repair. To further enhance the values of contiguous properties, Habitat for Humanity staff and volunteers are updating existing housing designs with the intent of improving their street appeal and compatibility in a more dense urban setting.
The project has already had a positive impact on the neighborhood. Habitat for Humanity bought an abandoned single family home on Rogers Road to create an access to the development from Rogers Road. This house had been abandoned for many years and had become uninhabitable. The Chapel Hill Fire Department burned the house as a training exercise.
This project will require the extension of a public sanitary sewer line from Jubilee Drive to the south of this project. This public sanitary sewer line will follow the route selected by the Greene Tract Committee and Orange County as the preferred route for a sewer main to service the future Green Tract affordable housing component. The Rusch Road neighborhood will fund the extension of more than one-half the expense of this public sewer main and leave the public sewer merely 200 feet from Purefoy Drive. This significant infrastructure improvement will benefit not only the proposed Greene Tract project but also make available public sewer service to many Rogers Road area homes.
The process by which Habitat for Humanity homes are built naturally creates the foundation for solid relationships and community spirit. Prospective Habitat homeowners must first help build other Habitat homes before they can own their own home. They are involved with the construction of their own home, which creates pride in the home and commitment to their neighborhood. By participating in the construction of their homes and attending classes in home maintenance and repair, and training in running an effective homeowners’ association, Habitat homeowners are also better prepared to maintain their homes and their neighborhoods over the long term. New Homestead Place, an eleven-home subdivision constructed on Rogers Road by Habitat a few years ago is a quality neighborhood that Chapel Hill and this community can be proud of. Residents of that new subdivision are active in their Homeowners’ Association and with the Rogers Road Neighborhood Association. This latest Habitat for Humanity project will have a similar positive impact on contiguous properties and on the neighborhood.
“That the use or development conforms with the general plans for the physical development of the Town as embodied in this chapter and in the Comprehensive Plan”.
The Goal of the Comprehensive Plan on Housing is to “increase the availability of well-designed, affordable, safe, and sanitary housing for all citizens of Chapel Hill”. The Objectives of this section of the Comprehensive Plan include ‘Housing Availability’, ‘Housing Quality’, and ‘Housing Variety’. This project will clearly further the overall goal as well as the objectives as outline below:
Housing Availability: Increase the availability of quality housing affordable to all citizens who live and work in Chapel Hill.
· This project will add 12 single-family homes and 5 rental units for disabled and/or elderly citizens. All of the units will be affordable for 99 years to households earning at or below 50% of the area median income. All will be built to Habitat’s high standards of quality and energy efficiency
· This project will further extend sanitary sewer in the Rogers Road community and make sewer easily accessible to the portion of the Greene Tract (approximately 18 acres) that has been designated for affordable housing. The extension of the sewer is a key aspect of developing a significant number of affordable homes on the Greene Tract. While no specific plans have been developed for the affordable homes on the Greene Tract, it is reasonable to assume that the homes will provide a range of housing options for the many citizens who live and/or work in Chapel Hill and Orange County, and who need assistance in securing safe, decent, affordable housing.
Housing Quality: Require all housing developments to meet applicable local, state and federal standards and guidelines, including design quality, safety, health, and energy efficiency.
· HHOC will comply with all applicable local, state and federal standards and guidelines in the construction of its homes.
· The twelve single-family that HHOC will construct in the proposed project will exceed NC Housing Finance Agency Energy Criteria. The homes will be included in the Star Home/Systems Vision Program that HHOC currently participates in through the N.C. Community Development Initiative, Inc. and Advance Energy. Under this program, HHOC constructs its homes according to the System Vision requirements for energy efficiency. HHOC construction staff and its HVAC and insulating subcontractors have all attended required trainings on the specifications, standards and techniques required by the Program. Advance Energy staff conducts a final inspection of the homes and provides certification that the homes comply with the Star Home Program/Systems Vision requirements. Once certification is obtained, the heating and cooling costs for the homebuyer are guaranteed at a rate determined by the program.
· HHOC incorporates universal design features in all of its homes, including the option of a step less entryway for all of our homes. We will build fully accessible homes adapted for the particular needs of any household with special needs. HHOC received an award for excellence from the NC Employment Network of the NC Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Services for our collaborative effort with the Center for Universal Design whom we worked with on a joint project to adopt elements of Universal Design in all our homes.
· A new feature of HHOC homes are overhead sprinkler systems that have been installed free of charge by the Chapel Hill Fire Department as a community service project. This added level of safety in HHOC’s homes is a feature that is rarely offered in much more expensive market rate homes
· Input from HHOC’s homeowners over the years has resulted in ongoing revisions to house designs to produce low cost homes that nevertheless maximize functionality and minimize maintenance costs. HHOC Board and staff are in the process of researching ways to enhance the appearance of our homes. Changes to the exterior design will include varying rooflines and trim details, as well as improvements in landscaping.
Housing Variety: Establish policies, regulations, incentives and programs to promote the availability of a full range of housing types, densities, costs and tenancy options in Chapel Hill, both within new developments and existing neighborhoods.
· The project will contribute to a mix of housing in the Rogers Road community, which is already a fairly diverse community. The Rogers Road community is comprised of a mix of mobile homes, twelve recently constructed HHOC single-family homes, a number of modest older single-family homes, and a range of more expensive single-family homes that are part of newer subdivisions that have been built off of Rogers Road. Incomes in the community range from very low (below 25%) to upper income, and HHOC homebuyers will be somewhere in the middle, at the 30-50% range. The rental units will serve those in the 25-50% range who do not qualify for homeownership or who do not have the capacity to maintain a home on their own.
· This project will contribute to the revitalization of the Rogers Road community by providing attractive in-fill housing at a slightly higher density than the rest of the community. Care will be given to the siting of the homes on lots and to the exterior appearance of the homes to ensure compatibility with surrounding homes. The project will make use of the R-SS-C zoning district that was created to provide an incentive for the production of affordable homes in Chapel Hill. The special zoning district for affordable housing has only been used once before when Orange Community Housing and Land Trust built a successful development of affordable town homes on Legion Road.
· In outlining strategies and actions to increase the supply of affordable housing in Chapel Hill Section 7A of the Comprehensive Plan States: “the provision of housing at a cost affordable to all of Chapel Hill’s residents is a major priority for the Town.”
Strategy 7A-1 states that:
“the Town will need to work with public agencies, private enterprises, and non-profit organizations to create housing opportunities for households of all income levels.”
This project has already received approval from the Town of Chapel Hill and Orange County to receive Community Development Block Grant funds, Chapel Hill Housing Trust Fund monies, HOME funding, and Orange County Affordable Housing Bond (1997 and 2000 bonds) funding to help cover the costs of purchasing the land, designing the project, and building the infrastructure. Clearly, the Town is already a partner with Habitat for Humanity in the development of this site for affordable housing. The rezoning of the parcel to allow for higher density will maximize the use of public funds and contribute to the generation of more housing for the hardest to serve households, those with incomes below 50% of the area median.
Strategy 7A-1 also states that:
“affordable housing initiatives should address the need to assist residents of publicly assisted housing in making the permanent housing and self-sufficiency.”“
HHOC has actively recruited public housing residents as applicants, and has successfully worked with public housing residents to overcome the barriers to homeownership. HHOC will continue its efforts to move families out of public housing and into homes of their own in this proposed new affordable housing development.
Strategy 7A-2 calls for providing:
“incentives for housing providers to develop affordable housing.”
One such incentive is the R-SS-C Zoning district employed in this application.
Strategy 7A-2 further states:
“Innovative techniques should be explored and encouraged.”
These techniques include:
“clustering, zero lot line development small single-family or “cottage” housing and modular construction.”