Durham County Commissioners approved a $27 million affordable housing partnership with the City of Durham on January 2, marking the most significant action of the regular meeting. The joint investment targets about 600 new units for residents earning 80 percent or below area median income, with city-funded units required to remain affordable for at least 30 years. Commissioner Wendy Jacobs raised concerns about what happens after those 30-year periods expire, pointing to past losses like Carver Creek that shifted to the private market. Jacobs requested mechanisms ensuring the county retains a right of first refusal when affordability agreements end.
The commissioners also established a Housing Security Task Force that developed three recommendations: expand the Durham Affordable Housing Loan Fund, evaluate county support services after the pandemic, and create affordable housing scorecard metrics. The task force proposed a revolving loan model where the county invests one dollar matched by developers and banks to generate twenty dollars in total project funding. Jacobs suggested contributing to an existing city loan fund instead of creating a separate county program for efficiency.
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