TITLE: Title
Discussion and Adoption of a Strategy to use Town-Owned Land for Affordable Housing
PURPOSE: The purpose of this item is for the Town Council to discuss and consider adopting a strategy to use Town-owned land to create affordable housing.
body
DEPARTMENT: Housing and Community Services
CONTACT INFORMATION: Anne-Marie Vanaman, Management Specialist, amvanaman@carrboronc.gov <mailto:amvanaman@carrboronc.gov>; Rebecca Buzzard, Housing and Community Director, rbuzzard@carrboronc.gov <mailto:rbuzzard@carrboronc.gov>
INFORMATION: The proposed strategy document (Attachment E) for using town-owned land to develop affordable housing provides a process for town-owned land use that is centered in previous Town Council official action, the current affordable housing goals and strategies document, the draft comprehensive plan, and the Town’s priorities of racial equity and climate action. It is also based on staff experience developing the Hill Street parcel, as well as the best practices of other municipalities who utilize public land to create affordable housing (Attachment D).
On June 19, 2018 <https://carrboro.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=3508037&GUID=A87A3FE4-CEF1-4F97-820E-15272F88CE07&Options=&Search=> the Town Council received a staff update on the potential use of town-owned land for developing affordable housing, which included an assessment of Town parcels to determine which ones would be suitable for development. Based on this assessment, the Town Council supported the use of three parcels that were identified as suitable for development to be used for affordable housing: Hill Street, Crest Street and Pathway Drive. Information about these parcels can be found in the background information document (Attachment B).
On November 17, 2021, the Affordable Housing Advisory Commission (AHAC) reviewed the draft strategy document and provided feedback. The AHAC noted the overall significance of proactively building affordable housing and that building on Town-owned land provides the opportunity for a community-driven development process, rooted in the Town’s vision that there is a home for everyone in Carrboro.
The AHAC recommended prioritizing housing for extremely low-income (30% AMI) households and elevating racial equity in affordable housing decisions, adding that Black households have been not only excluded from the private market, but are the most housing cost burdened. They also recommended extending RFP submission eligibility to private developers, rather than non-profit developers exclusively, if private developers can retain the desired affordability structure.
On January 19, 2022, the AHAC reviewed the revised draft, and supported moving forward with presenting the draft strategy document to Town Council in February 2022.
The Town’s legal authority to undertake this work was confirmed on February 15, 2018, when the Town Council received a memo, Options for Developing Town Property for Affordable Housing, from the Town attorneys that concluded that the Town has the authority to use municipal-owned property to provide affordable housing in the community (Attachment C).
FISCAL & STAFF IMPACT: While anticipating the adoption of this strategy, the current Housing and Community Services budget has $5,000 set aside for pre-development costs for town-owned property. Pending approval of the draft strategy, staff will request the estimated additional pre-development costs in the FY23 budget.
RECOMMENDATION:r Staff recommends the Town Council receive the presentation, provide comments, and consider adopting the strategy (Attachment A) and implementation in spring FY22.