AGENDA #4e

 

 

MEMORANDUM

 

TO:                  Mayor and Town Council

 

FROM:            W. Calvin Horton, Town Manager

 

SUBJECT:       Response to Petition from Orange Community Housing and Land Trust

 

DATE:             November 10, 2003

 

 

The purpose of this memorandum is to respond to a petition from Orange Community Housing and Land Trust presented to the Town Council on October 8, 2003, requesting the Council’s endorsement of the organization’s tenets in order to establish shared expectations.  The Land Trust has also asked Orange County, Carrboro and Hillsborough Boards to approve the tenets. 

 

The attached resolution would endorse the mission statement, guiding principles and organizational goals adopted by the Board of Directors of Orange Community Housing and Land Trust. 

 

BACKGROUND

 

Since 1990, the Town, along with Orange County, Carrboro and Hillsborough has provided administrative funds to Orange Community Housing and Land Trust to support the organizations goal of increasing homeownership opportunities in Orange County.  Each year, the Town enters into a Performance Agreement with the agency that includes the Land Trust’s annual work plan. In the current year, the Council allocated $100,000 to the Land Trust, and a Performance Agreement has been executed. 

 

DISCUSSION

 

In a letter dated September 15, 2003, (see Attachment 1), the Land Trust stated it examined three key questions, and proposes to:

 

  1. Develop housing so it may continue to serve as an independent, non profit developer to meet affordable housing needs not addressed by the private sector and continue to market affordable homes developed by the private sector.

 

Staff Comment:  We agree that the Land Trust should focus on developing new housing and should continue to market homes developed by the private sector.  To date, the Land Trust has been working with several developers to include affordable housing in their existing developments.

 

  1. Partner with agencies to produce rental housing and special needs housing.  The agency is also interested in participating in a tax credit rental development.

 

Staff Comment:  We recognize the need for new affordable rental housing in the County.  We also support the Land Trust’s desire to participate in a tax credit rental development.

 

  1. Focus on developing new properties rather than renovating older homes.

 

Staff Comment: Though we agree that the Land Trust should focus on the development of new properties, the Town will continue to ask the Land Trust for its assistance with the resale of Tandler and Culbreth Park houses and other renovation projects involved in Town’s Community Development program.

 

The Land Trust then requested that that the Council endorse its organizational tenets including the mission statement, guiding principles, and organizational goals developed by the organization’s Board of Directors and staff.  We have reviewed these against the Town’s Consolidated Plan for Housing and Community Development Programs and the Comprehensive Plan.

 

Consistency with the Consolidated Plan

 

On May 15, 2000, the Town and Orange County submitted to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development a five-year Consolidated Plan covering fiscal years 2000–2001 through 2004–2005.  The purpose of the Plan is to identify and prioritize the housing and community development needs for Chapel Hill and Orange County.  The Plan also suggests how the Town and the County will address the needs over a five-year period. 

 

The organizational goals adopted by the Land Trust Board are consistent with the Housing priorities established in the 2000-2005 Consolidated Plan.  The following priorities would be met by these goals.

 

·        Facilitate the construction of new or substantially rehabilitated housing units that are affordable to families below 60% of the area median income; and

·        Facilitate the construction of up to 50 new units of rental housing affordable to very low and low-income families; and

·        Facilitate the purchase of new and existing housing units by first-time homebuyers with incomes 80% and below of the area median income.

 

Please see Attachment 2 for the priorities established in the Consolidated Plan.

 

Consistency with the Comprehensive Plan

 

The goals adopted by the Land Trust are also consistent with the objectives established by the Town’s Comprehensive Plan adopted by the Council on May 8, 2000.  The Comprehensive Plan establishes that the objective for housing affordability is to increase the availability of quality housing affordable to all citizens who live and work in Chapel Hill.  The Comprehensive Plan also identifies “working with housing providers to aggressively develop affordable housing in Chapel Hill” as a strategy for achieving this objective.   

 

Relationship to Annual Performance Agreement

 

We suggest that the Council may wish to consider suggesting annual goals as part of the Town’s budget process for allocating funds to this organization each year, for subsequent incorporation into the Annual Performance Agreement. 

 

RECOMMENDATION

 

That the Council endorse the mission statement, organizational goals, and guiding principles adopted by the Board of Directors of Orange Community Housing and Land Trust. 

 

ATTACHMENTS

 

  1. September 15, 2003 Memorandum from Wayne Kuncl, Board President of Orange Community Housing and Land Trust (p. 5).
  2. Summary of Housing Priorities Identified in the 2000-2005 Consolidated Plan (p. 7).

 

 

A RESOLUTION ENDORSING THE MISSION STATEMENT, GUIDING PRINCIPLES AND ORGANIZATIONAL GOALS ADOPTED BY THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF ORANGE COMMUNITY HOUSING AND LAND TRUST (2003-11-10/R-5)

 

WHEREAS, the Town has made commitments to the promotion of low- and moderate-income housing opportunities, in the form of statements in its Consolidated Plan and Comprehensive Plan; and

 

WHEREAS, the Council annually provides funding assistance to Orange Community Housing and Land Trust to carry out the Town’s commitment to promote low- and moderate-income housing opportunities; and

 

WHEREAS, on October 8, 2003, Orange Community Housing and Land Trust requested that the Council endorse the organization’s mission statement, guiding principles and organizational goals.

 

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Council of the Town of Chapel Hill that the Council endorses the mission statement, guiding principles and organizational goals adopted by the Board of Directors of Orange Community Housing and Land Trust dated June 11, 2003.

 

This the 10th day of November, 2003.