Working for Affordable Housing

Last week, candidates received a questionnaire from the group Friends of Affordable Housing. Since the responses may not be widely reported or available, I am posting mine here:

1.       Please describe your commitment to creation of affordable housing initiatives in Carrboro.

I have worked hard on affordable housing initiatives for over a decade In 1996, I served with Mayor Chilton on the ad hoc affordable housing committee that led to the creation of the land trust. In 2001-2002, I served on Orange County’s Affordable Housing Task Force.

This past year, I worked with town staff to develop a payment-in-lieu procedure and an affordable housing trust fund for Carrboro. The Board of Aldermen recently approved the first payment-in-lieu to the trust fund. This will give the town the ability to make strategic investments in affordable housing.

I also serve on the HOME Consortium, working with other local governments in Orange County to allocate federal funds to best support our housing programs.

2.       What vision do you have for the types of affordable housing units that will be produced by Carrboro’s Inclusionary Housing requirements for new developments?

Earlier this month, when the Board of Aldermen discussed the affordable housing component for Roberson Square, I called for our follow up discussion to also look at housing in the $120,000 – $300,000 range, a segment that is currently addressed neither by market rate housing nor by our affordable housing program.

I have urged the board to resist the call for too much payment-in-lieu for downtown housing. We need affordable housing downtown in particular. I am committed to working with my colleagues and with the land trust to solve the affordability challenges posed by condominiums.

3.       Do you think “payment in lieu” of affordable housing construction should be accepted from developers?  If so, what guidelines should be used and how should these funds be used?

Our current payment-in-lieu process, which I developed along with town staff, allows payments for fractions of units under the affordable housing requirement. I believe this is a sound approach: we need some funds to support our affordable housing goals (for strategic land purchases, for example) but more importantly need to get housing built.

I believe the Board of Aldermen should have broad discretion in the use of these funds but, generally speaking, should not use them for purposes normally supported by other funding sources. The current ordinance identifies uses intended to help people purchase housing or to help agencies develop housing. I would like us to look at adding language that allows loans or grants to those at risk of losing their homes.

4.       What can be done to insure that affordable housing units are produced in downtown Carrboro if “payments in lieu” are accepted for many of the condominium units that are under development?

The Board of Aldermen recently received a presentation from a citizen for linking condo dues to the sale price of the unit, similar to the system in place for Greenbridge. I believe that this holds promise for accepting more condominium units downtown. The Board has asked staff to meet with the land trust to flesh this idea out. I am committed to pursue this idea to fruition.

5.       Many affordable homes are “aging” and will require significant maintenance.  Is it appropriate for public funds to be used for long-term maintenance? If so, what sources of funds should be used? 

It is important to build maintenance costs into the ongoing financial structure of affordable housing payments. This is beginning to be done with new projects.

As a member of the HOME Consortium, I am involved in directing federal funds to existing developments. This will continue to be a priority for HOME funds. Orange County still has a significant amount of voter-approved bond authority that has not been issued. That should be another piece of the solution.

Thank you, Sierra Club!

I was delighted this weekend to get the news that I have been endorsed by the North Carolina Sierra Club. Although I have been active in the Sierra Club in the past, I knew I could not take this endorsement for granted. Having been on the inside of their endorsement process, I am aware of the meticulous review and full discussion given to each candidate.

It is very encouraging for me personally to have my commitment to the environment and my environmental work over the years recognized in this manner.

Coincidentally,  I was talking with Fred Battle, president of the local NAACP branch. Fred reminded me of the years when I coordinated combined campaign forums for the NAACP, Sierra Club, and the Orange County Greens. At the time, these were the only truly integrated forums, precursors perhaps to the WCHL  – Empowerment – Chamber forum I will be attending this evening.

I ran into Fred at a campaign event for Chapel Hill Town Councilor Sally Greene. I got lots of encouragement from those assembled. Particularly sweet to me were the kind words of Mrs. Rebecca Clark, a grande dame of area politics and whose Chapel Hill home is a stone’s throw from Carrboro.

Campaign Contributions

On Monday, I sent a press release and a list of contributions to the local media. Perhaps, given that only Lydia Lavelle and I are disclosing our contributions in Carrboro, this will not make the news. From the release:

Carrboro Alderman Dan Coleman today released to the press the current list of contributors to his election campaign. Coleman, has received $2500 from 46 individuals in amounts ranging from 25 cents to $100.

“I am committed to grassroots campaigning,” Coleman said. “I have accepted no contributions greater than $100, have capped my spending at $3000, and have accepted only a few contributions from outside Carrboro.”

“I am grateful for the breadth of support, and for the words of appreciation and encouragement that came with each contribution,” Coleman said. “There are scores upon scores of Carrboro citizens whom I have met as alderman and it is heartening that so many are connecting to my campaign.”

Since he has pledged to raise and spend no more than $3000, Coleman is not required to file campaign finance reports with the Board of Elections. However, he is voluntarily releasing his contributor lists on the BOE’s schedule.

“I believe in transparency in campaigning,” Coleman said. “Knowing who is contributing to a campaign tells voters a lot about the values of the candidate. I hope that knowledge of my contributors will convey to the voters my commitment to a progressive Carrboro in all its dimensions.”

You can find my list of contributors here.

Additional contributions are still needed to meet my goal. Please click on the how to help tab above for information on contributing.

Getting Serious About Water Conservation

Last night, at the initiative of Alderman Haven-O’Donnell, the Board of Alderman passed a resolution calling for stronger conservation measures than those in OWASA’s Stage One Water Restrictions.

Randee took particular exception to the 1000 gallons/day limit. Jacquie Gist wondered how anyone can use that much water and suggested 500 gallons as a more reasonable restriction for a time of drought. I agreed and proposed a resolution calling for residents to adopt that limit and for:

-Mayor Chilton to contact Mayor Foy to encourage Chapel Hill to have a parallel conversation;

-Mayor Chilton to inform our OWASA reps, Braxton Foushee and William Stott, that Carrboro wants to see tighter restrictions in place;

-the board to take a fresh look at OWASA’s long term water supply chart. We looked at this last year and it seemed to provide an adequate supply to meet our growth needs but, in light of the current drought, we may see it differently.

We also talked about ways for the town to provide better information to residents including well-placed links to OWASA’s water conservation guide.