Chapel Hill's Manufactured Housing Work Featured in International Blog

An international blog has published a story about the Town of Chapel Hill’s efforts to use data-driven and community engagement solutions to address the redevelopment threat to manufactured home communities in Chapel Hill.

Esri, an international supplier of geographic information system (GIS) software, posted the Feb. 5 story at https://www.esri.com/about/newsroom/blog/maps-aid-affordable-housing-push-in-chapel-hill-north-carolina/  It offers a detailed picture of how the Town came together to use partnerships, engagement, and the ArcGIS mapping software to prioritize Town-owned land for new affordable housing development.

The use of immersive 3D maps helped staff visualize properties and possibilities to implement a Manufactured Home Strategy. One key component of the strategy is to identify Town-owned sites that could be used to develop new affordable housing and potential relocation options for manufactured home residents, if needed. An excerpt from the story: 

“In 2017, the residents and families living in a 33-unit mobile home park in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, received news from the property owner that within a year they would have to relocate so the property could be redeveloped. After the tight-knit community made an impassioned plea for help, the Chapel Hill Town Council mobilized a small team of Town employees to explore affordable housing options.”

Chapel Hill Affordable Housing Development Named a Winner

Nonprofit community developer DHIC, Inc. has been named a winner for the Greenfield Place affordable housing development completed in a unique partnership with the Town of Chapel Hill.

Nonprofit community developer DHIC, Inc. has been named a winner for the Greenfield Place affordable housing development completed in a unique partnership with the Town of Chapel Hill.

The 80-unit affordable apartment community is among the developments honored by the Triangle Business Journal (TBJ) for the Triangle market’s top developments in the 2019 Space Awards. According to TBJ, about 100 nominations were submitted for this year’s awards in a number of categories.

“Greenfield Place is the outcome of years of planning and partnership-building,” said Mayor Pam Hemminger. “It is truly representative of the Town’s commitment to expanding quality affordable choices for families, working parents, seniors and people with disabilities who live in Chapel Hill.”

Completed in late 2017, apartments at Greenfield Place are reserved for households who earn less than 60 percent of area median income, or $48,360 for a family of four in Orange County. Rents range from $271 to $870 depending on the number of bedrooms and household income. Occupations of current residents include child care workers, health care aides, food service workers and retail employees. 

 Affordable Rental Housing Strategy

The price and availability of developable land in this desirable university town have been escalating barriers to affordable housing development. Recognizing the need to solve this problem, the Town of Chapel Hill in 2013 adopted a community-informed affordable rental housing strategy and forged a path forward.

 A Unique Partnership

Among its strategies, the Town reviewed some of the vacant land that it owned to determine whether these underutilized properties could be developed into affordable housing.  This effort led to a unique partnership with non-profit DHIC, Inc. to pursue two Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) developments on Town-owned land on Legion Road, near public transit, schools, jobs and amenities.

The Town donated the land, facilitated entitlements, waived impact fees, expedited the permitting process, and provided $145,500 in grant funds from the Town’s affordable housing fund.

DHIC assembled the development team and secured $12.6 million in project financing, including $8.2 million in LIHTC equity; a $2.8 million loan from the SECU Foundation; a $1 million loan from the NC Housing Finance Agency, $154,500 from Orange County, and its own capital resources. DHIC committed to own and operate Greenfield Place for a minimum of 30-years per Town guidelines, but fully anticipates preserving affordability well beyond the required period.

 Coming Next

The second phase of this development partnership, Greenfield Commons, is currently under construction and will offer 69 apartments restricted to limited-income seniors. The Town provided an additional $700,000 from the Affordable Housing Development Reserve to support the second phase of this development.

 More Information

Since 1974, DHIC www.dhic.org has demonstrated the importance of connecting people with safe, affordable, and desirable homes in the Triangle region of North Carolina.

Find out more about the Town of Chapel Hill’s efforts increase access to housing for individuals across a range of incomes at https://www.chapelhillaffordablehousing.org/

THE TOWN OF CHAPEL HILL IS ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR THE 2019-2020 COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT PROGRAM

Applications are due by 5:00PM Tuesday, January 22, 2019

The primary objective of the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program is the “…development of viable urban communities, including decent housing and a suitable living environment and expanding economic opportunity, principally for persons of low and moderate-income”.

The Town of Chapel Hill must certify that its overall program carries out this primary objective.  In addition, each Community Development Block Grant activity must:

1.   Benefit low- or moderate-income persons (80% of median income and below);

2.   Aid in the prevention or elimination of slums and blight; or

3.   Treat urgent needs posing an immediate threat to public health and welfare.

Eligible activities for Community Development Block Grant funding include:

·        Acquisition of property

·        Disposition of property

·        Public facilities and improvements

·        Clearance, demolition and removal of buildings

·        Site improvements

·        Some public services (subject to a cap)

·        Relocation

·        Housing rehabilitation, preservation and code enforcement

·        Economic development activities

·        Planning and administrative costs (subject to a cap)

Activities that are generally not eligible include:

·        Buildings used for the general conduct of government

·        New housing construction (allowed in special circumstances)

·        General government expense

·        Political activities

·        Purchase of equipment and personal property

·        Operating and maintenance expenses

Awards will be made from the Town’s allocation of Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds from the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD). The total funds anticipated for the 2019-2020 program year are ~$418,000. HUD limits the amount of available funds allocated to public service activities to 15% of the overall grant (est. $62,700).

• Applicants are invited to attend a Q&A session (one-on-one) 9-11 a.m. Tuesday, January 8, 2019, at the Chapel Hill Public Library in Meeting Room A and are invited to participate in a pre-application meeting, which is a 1-hour one-on-one session, during which applicants can discuss their funding proposal with Town staff (contact Town Staff below to schedule).

An Application Review Committee will evaluate applications and present a funding recommendation to the Town Council for final approval in March/April 2019.

Applications are due by 5:00PM Tuesday, January 22, 2019. Applications and additional information is available at http://www.tinyurl.com/TOCHcdbg.

For assistance and information, contact Renee Moye at 919-968-2877 or cdbg@townofchapelhill.org.

Chapel Hill Voters Approve Affordable Housing Bond

Chapel Hill voters expressed their overwhelming approval of an Affordable Housing Bond Referendum on Tuesday, November 6th.  The Bond was approved by 72% of voters. 

“We are grateful for our community’s support of this important effort to create a place for everyone in Chapel Hill,” said Mayor Pam Hemminger. 

The referendum approves $10 million in general obligation bonds to help the Town achieve its strategic plan for developing 400 new affordable housing units and preserve 300 existing affordable units over the next five years. The Town anticipates using the bond funding to support several large-scale affordable housing projects including public housing redevelopment and development on Town-owned parcels.

Requests for Proposals will also be issued in order to fund projects developed by regional affordable housing partners. The priorities established in the Town’s Affordable Housing Plan will guide the selection of the bond-supported projects. The Chapel Hill Town Council will have final approval of all projects.

The Chapel Hill Town Council approved three eligible activities for use of Affordable Housing Bond Funds:

• Acquisition

• Home Repairs

• New Construction

 The Council also approved the following priorities for use of funds:

• Rental housing serving households less than 60 percent of the area median income (about $48,300 for a household of 4)

• Rental housing serving vulnerable populations

• Housing that achieves long-term affordability

• Housing located near transit services

• Projects that leverage other financial resources

More information about the Affordable Housing Bond Referendum and next steps for the Chapel Hill Affordable Housing Bond can be found here.

WHAT’S NEXT FOR THE BONDS AND AFFORDABLE HOUSING?

The Town has seven years from the date of the election to issue the bonds. The Town and the Council will follow a process established by the Local Government Commission prior to accessing affordable housing bond funds. The first step will be Council discussion and approval of a resolution certifying and approving the referendum results (January 2019),

Projects will be evaluated and approved by the Town Council.

Call for Applications to Create Affordable Housing Opportunities

The Town of Chapel Hill is accepting applications to create affordable housing opportunities in the community through noon Friday, December 21, 2018! 

Applications are due by noon Friday, December 21st.

The Town of Chapel Hill is accepting applications to create affordable housing opportunities in the community through Friday, December 21.

Awards will be made from the Town’s Affordable Housing Development Reserve (AHDR), established by the Town Council in March 2015. The total funds currently available in the reserve are ~$454,000.

The Town’s total budget available for affordable housing projects for FY19 is $1.43 million. The Affordable Housing Development Reserve is $754,121 of that FY19 total. It is made up of $688,395 in new FY19 funding and $65,726 that was not allocated in FY18.  The Town already committed $150,000 from the AHDR in FY19 to Self Help for the Northside Neighborhood Initiative and $150,000 for future development planning on Town-owned properties.

The Town of Chapel Hill will accept applications for the following priority project areas:

1. land bank and land acquisition
2. rental subsidy and development
3. homeownership development and assistance
4. future development planning

The Housing Advisory Board will evaluate applications and present a funding recommendation to the Town Council for final approval in February 2019. There may be up to two additional funding cycles this fiscal year (July 1, 2018 – June 30, 2019).

Applications and additional information is available at http://www.townofchapelhill.org/town-hall/departments-services/housing-and-community/funding/affordable-housing-development-reserve.

For assistance and information, contact Sarah Vinas at 919-969-5079 or svinas@townofchapelhill.org.

Town of Chapel Hill Releases Affordable Housing Annual Report

The Town has released its Affordable Housing Annual Report. In an effort to reach our goal of increasing access to housing for residents across a range of incomes, and to constantly strive for more equitable outcomes and opportunities for historically under-served populations, the Town has made it a priority to strategically address the affordable housing crisis. This strategic approach is implemented through the Town’s affordable housing plan. The release of our Annual Report is to communicate to the community our progress in implementing this plan and reaching our affordable housing targets. Find the full report here.

2018 Key Results

 The Town exceeded our development target, supporting the development of 99 affordable units this fiscal year.

 The Town supported 23 affordable housing preservation projects in FY18.

 99% of funding available for affordable housing projects was allocated this fiscal year.

 In collaboration with our partners, the Town supported the development of the first permanently affordable tiny home duplex, as well as the first Low Income Housing Tax Credit affordable housing development, Greenfield Place, in over a decade.

 Supported the Northside Neighborhood Initiative (NNI), a collaboration between UNC, Self Help, the Jackson Center and affordable housing providers. In FY18, eight properties were acquired and eight properties were sold by the NNI Land Bank to be preserved as permanently affordable housing.

Creating a Place for Everyone

Chapel Hill and the surrounding area's need for affordable housing is increasing, and the Town is expanding its efforts to address this need.

(Music: http://Audionautix.com )

New Affordable Housing Has Come to Chapel Hill: Greenfield Place

On Saturday, June 23rd, the Chapel Hill community came together to celebrate the creation of 80 new affordable housing units that have opened in Chapel Hill.  "Greenfield Place is the outcome of years of planning and partnership-building." said Chapel Hill Mayor, Pam Hemminger.  "It is truly representative of the Town’s commitment to expanding quality affordable choices for families, working parents, seniors and people with disabilities who live in Chapel Hill.  We want Chapel Hill to be a place for everyone, and having quality affordable housing projects, like this one help us make progress towards that goal."

Greenfield Place was a collaborative effort between the Town of Chapel Hill, DHIC, Orange County, the N.C. Housing Finance Agency and partners in the private sector. In addition to financial contributions from the partners, the Town donated the land to DHIC to build the community.

Greenfield Place has one, two and three-bedroom apartments that range in size from 691 to 1,196 square feet. The units have walk-in closets, full-size washer and dryer connections and open floor plans. This location was chosen due to its close proximity to transit and shopping.  “This location is incredible. It's on two different bus lines. It's in walking distance of shopping and job and other services people need,” Natalie Britt, vice president of DHIC said.

Greenfield Place is the first of two phases for this development.  The second phase, Greenfield Commons, will provide affordable housing for low-income residents 55 years old and older and is scheduled to be completed in early 2019.