The state selected three coastal communities out of the 13 total to receive grants that support housing, infrastructure, and community improvement projects benefiting low- and moderate-income residents.

Gov. Josh Stein’s office and the North Carolina Department of Commerce announced Friday the 13 projects receiving a total of $13.7 million, with individual awards ranging from $693,773 to $2.5 million.

The projects reflect a variety of local priorities, including housing rehabilitation and reconstruction, infrastructure improvements, public facilities enhancements, and community development initiatives. 

The town of Windsor and Beaufort and Craven counties are receiving $950,000 apiece for their projects.

“North Carolinians need safe housing, reliable infrastructure, and places to enjoy,” Stein said in a statement. “These grants will help local governments address these critical needs, strengthen neighborhoods and local economies, and improve quality of life for North Carolinians across our state.”

The grants were awarded through the Department of Commerce’s Community Development Block Grant – Neighborhood Revitalization program, under the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development program administered in part by N.C. Commerce’s Rural Economic Development Division. The program requires at least 70% of CDBG grant funds be used for activities and projects that serve households of low and moderate income. 

“CDBG-NR funding provides local leaders with the resources they need to invest in housing, infrastructure, and public facilities that support long-term prosperity,” Commerce Secretary Lee Lilley said in a release. “These investments will help communities address local priorities, strengthen neighborhoods, and create new opportunities for economic growth.”

The only shelter in Dare County for unhoused persons announced Monday its board of directors for the coming year.

John Head will serve as chairman of the 2025-26 season for OBX Room in The Inn, or RITI. Head is director of sales for Resort Realty.

The mission of the nonprofit, faith-based organization is to provide food, shelter, and assistance during the winter months to unhoused and displaced adults living in Dare County. The shelter is to run from Nov. 1 to April 30, 2026.

Chair-elect for the board is Chris Kelley Cimko, president of Cimko Strategies, LLC. Serving as vice chair and treasurer is Scout Shillings, who is in communications and education for the Outer Banks Association of Realtors. Randy Jones with eXp Realty is in the role of secretary.

“Our Board is a partnership of caring neighbors who come from many walks of life here on the Outer Banks,” Head said in a release. “They are accomplished individuals who bring with them experience, perspective and a keen understanding of the important role RITI plays in our community. Together, they create a strong and committed Board.”

During the 2024-25 season, the inn provided 1,643 room nights and 4,935 meals to guests with the support of 20 churches and 143 volunteers.

“We couldn’t shelter up to 20 people each night without the support and kindness of our local churches. Each week they generously provide meals for our residents,” Shari Fiveash, President of RITI said in a statement. “In fact, we recently met with many of the Church Coordinators and were deeply impressed by their strong commitment. We are so thankful for the churches that participate in the RITI program. The fact that RITI has been in existence since 2009, and started in OBX churches, is a strong example of the caring and commitment from our churches and the broader local community.”

From a submitted story by Tatum Clements

Roanoke Island Presbyterian Church was recently awarded the Outer Banks Community Foundation’s inaugural Focus Grant to help the church build 12 workforce housing units on their 2-acre property in Manteo.

“We have spent the last nine months working with the Ormond Center at Duke Divinity School to determine how the church can use our resources to best serve our community,” said Roanoke Island Presbyterian Church Pastor Rev. Dr. Michelle Lewis in a news release. “The more we talked about it, we said ‘housing is the biggest need in our community’. Our schools need teachers, and our community needs public service employees, and these people need places to live. Working with the Ormond Center at Duke Divinity School has given us a realistic understanding of what it will take to make workforce housing happen in this community. We want to use the church to fulfill our mission.”

The nonprofit foundation, which fosters philanthropy and supports community causes through its charitable funds and grant programs, said that of the applicants, the Roanoke Island Presbyterian Church’s plan to develop housing for essential workers on church property stood out among the applications received.

“What intrigued us about the application was the church’s interest in creating a new model that inspires churches and nonprofit organizations to undertake additional projects,” said Foundation President and CEO Chris Sawin in a news release. “It’s pretty clear that the government can’t just wave a magic wand and solve the housing problem – the way our community must address it is through lots of little projects that together, make a big impact.”

The foundation cited the Dare Community Housing Task Force’s 2024 report illustrating the problem. According to the report, in 2024, the average home price in Dare County was $622,000, with long-term rental rates between $1,800 and $2,000 per month for a two-bedroom home.

The report also notes that the average median two-person household income for Dare County residents is $58,750.

“Average annual salaries have stagnated while home prices have continued to rise in Dare County, making it increasingly difficult for residents to find housing,” according to the news release.

The foundation also cited North Carolina Housing Coalition statistics showing that 52% of renters and 25% of homeowners in Dare County have difficulty affording their homes.

“Housing insecurity has created a ripple effect across the Outer Banks, deeply affecting businesses, essential personnel, and individuals in the community,” the foundation said. “While many people have been actively trying to solve the workforce housing crisis in Dare County, no one has cracked the code.”

The foundation said its new Focus Grants are part of its effort to tackle some of the region’s most pressing challenges, including healthcare access, affordable housing, and child care.

“The Focus Grant provides funding up to $50,000 and was designed to support innovative, large-scale projects that address critical needs within the Outer Banks community, with a potential for multi-year awards,” stated Grants Committee Chair Frank Hester.

The church was already working on the housing project idea. The grant will enable the church to begin work on a feasibility study, the initial architectural plans and the site design.

“The grant takes us from an idea to a plan of action,” stated Lewis. “We are now moving forward in a meaningful way. Once we have the logistics in place for the project, we will be able to begin fundraising to build.”

The housing is intended for teachers, EMTs, and other public service employees. Teacher housing is available on Hatteras Island and in Kill Devil Hills, but not on Roanoke Island, making their needs a priority.

“We were truly inspired by RIPC’s creative and forward-thinking approach,” said Foundation Chief Operating Officer Nandy Stuart. “What may seem like a relatively small project has the potential to spark a much larger movement—one where churches and nonprofits across the Outer Banks reimagine how their properties can serve the community’s most pressing needs. That’s exactly what our grants program is about: empowering bold, replicable solutions that address both urgent challenges and promising opportunities.”

The Community Foundation said another factor in its decision was that the church’s idea could be replicated elsewhere.

“One of the things that is important to us is finding ways to use our church in non-church ways,” said RIPC housing committee member Dr. Blythe Hayes. “We want to serve the community in a way that the community most needs. We hope the model we develop with this project will be a model that other churches and nonprofit organizations in our community will be able to use as they continue the work of creating housing on the Outer Banks.”

The Outer Banks Community Foundation’s next grant application deadline is Friday, Oct. 31, for Impact Grants, which are open to all types of projects with no restrictions on scope or focus and have funding requests exceeding $10,000. Visit the Community Foundation’s website for detailed guidelines, eligibility criteria and the application portal. Early submissions are encouraged to allow time for review and feedback.

For more information or assistance contact the staff at 252-423-3003.

The Outer Banks Association of Realtors recognized National Fair Housing Month in April with a course on recognizing implicit bias in real estate and requesting that Dare County and towns adopt proclamations supporting fair housing.

The Fair Housing Act passed in April 1968 prohibits discrimination by direct providers of housing, such as landlords and real estate companies, municipalities, banks or other lending institutions, and homeowners insurance companies whose discriminatory practices make housing unavailable to persons because of race or color, religion, sex, national origin, familial status or disability, according to justice.gov.

At the request of the association, Dare County, Duck, Southern Shores, Kitty Hawk, Kill Devil Hills, Nags Head and Manteo adopted official proclamations affirming their support of fair housing opportunities.

“Everyone deserves a fair chance at finding a home,” OBAR President Christi Bryant said in a release. “By partnering with local leaders and investing in member education, we’re working to make that vision a reality here in the Outer Banks.”

The association secured a $3,000 housing opportunity grant from the National Association of Realtors to aid the work of the Dare County Housing Taskforce, chaired by the association’s government affairs director, Donna Creef.

This is the first time the Outer Banks group of Realtors has received grant funding from the national association. The grant is to help advance the task force’s priorities include fostering community awareness and empathy, reducing barriers, and providing practical tools to support the development of affordable and accessible housing throughout Dare County.

The Outer Banks association hosted “Bias Override: Overcoming Barriers to Fair Housing” in April with Tikola McCree, 2024 chair of the NC Realtors Diversity Committee and current vice chair of the National Association of Realtors Fair Housing Policy Committee. The program was supported by a second grant from the national association, allowing the course to be offered at a reduced cost to members.

BOLIVIA — Brunswick County residents interested in the Habitat for Humanity Homeownership Program can learn more at a free information session set for Tuesday, Dec. 3, in Bolivia.

The Brunswick County Public Housing Agency is hosting the session from 5 to 6:30 p.m. in the commissioners chambers at the Brunswick County Government Center, 30 Government Center Drive, Bolivia.

Those who attend can ask Habitat and agency staff about the program and other affordable housing opportunities for Brunswick County residents.

Brunswick County Habitat for Humanity is accepting applications for its homeownership program. To qualify for the program, families must meet income limits, have the ability to pay a modest mortgage, and be willing to partner in the building of their home.

The Habitat for Humanity Homeownership Program offers decent and affordable housing solutions to individuals and families of low to moderate income who live, work, or worship in Brunswick County. Many Habitat homeowners are single parents, young families with small children, and those with disabilities.

Brunswick County Habitat for Humanity was founded in 1993 as an affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International, which calls safe and decent shelter a fundamental human right.

Habitat builds homes using volunteer labor, tax-deductible donations, and proceeds from their ReStore retail locations. Habitat homebuyers help build their own homes alongside volunteers and pay an affordable, below-market interest mortgage.

If you have questions about the information session, call the Brunswick County Public Housing Agency at 910-253-2222.

For questions about the program, contact Brunswick County Habitat for Humanity Family Services Coordinator Holly Williams at 910-454-0007, ext. 2.

The state office that helps homeowners and local governments with disaster recovery and resiliency is accepting public comments on proposed new mitigation funding use to help owners of properties at risk of flooding by elevating structures.

The North Carolina Office of Recovery and Resiliency will accept comments until 5 p.m. Dec. 14 on a proposed amendment to how it administers Housing and Urban Development Community Development Block Grant-Mitigation funds.

Changes being considered include allocations to the Affordable Housing Development Fund, the Public Housing Restoration Fund, the Infrastructure Recovery Program and Strategic Buyout Program, among other updates.

A draft of the new Substantial Action Plan Amendment 6 for mitigation funding is available for review online.

“The proposed action plan amendment is intended to address homeowner mitigation needs, including establishing the Residential Property Elevation Fund, which will be used to rehabilitate, reconstruct or replace properties located in a floodplain or at risk of future flooding,” according to the state. “The new fund will help protect properties against future flood damage through structural elevations and related activities.”

This fund is separate from the Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery-funded ReBuild NC Homeowner Recovery Program, which mostly serves properties that do not need home elevation.

Submit comments to either ncorr.publiccomments@ncdps.gov or to NCORR Public Comments, P.O. Box 110465, Durham, NC 27709.

In addition to mitigation initiatives, the office administers programs that include long-term disaster recovery, resiliency, community development, affordable housing, strategic buyout and local infrastructure.

OBX Room in The Inn, Dare County’s only homeless shelter, reopened Friday for its 16th season.

Also known as RITI, the shelter first opened in 2009 to those in need of immediate or short-term shelter.

“We at OBX Room In the Inn are incredibly proud of the role we play in Dare County serving members of our community who – for a number of reasons – find themselves without housing,” RITI President and CEO Shari Fiveash said. “Our guests may need us for one or two nights, or they may need to avail themselves of social services and stay with us for a while. No matter the need, we work hard to help our guests and keep them safe and well. I’m happy to say that each season the majority of our guests reach the point where they are able to secure work, but sadly no housing.”

Fiveash said the shelter is unable to remain open year-round because it occupies a rented space that is in use during summer.

She said that homelessness never takes a day off.

RITI guests are provided access to available community resources and assistance. They receive three meals daily, clothing, “and the fellowship of those who truly care for their health and wellbeing.”

Donations are always welcome via RITI’s donation site.

The state has reopened a program launched in 2022 to provide funding for eligible first-time and first-generation homebuyers in federally designated storm-impacted counties.

The North Carolina Office of Recovery and Resiliency’s Community Development Office set aside $4.4 million to administer through its homeownership assistance program. The long-term mitigation funding is from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, or HUD.

The program was put on pause last year to make sure that the available federal funding would cover applications already in process

There is $2.2 million remaining for eligible homebuyers in Bladen, Brunswick, Carteret, Columbus, Craven, Cumberland, Duplin, Edgecombe, Jones, New Hanover, Onslow, Pamlico, Pender, Robeson, Scotland and Wayne counties, officials announced Monday.

HUD designated these 16 counties as “most impacted and distressed” by hurricanes Matthew in 2016 and Florence in 2018.

Selected applicants can receive up to $30,000 in down payment assistance and up to 5% of the home sale price toward closing costs to qualifying homebuyers. They must complete the education and counseling offered at no cost through the program before closing on a home.

Visit the homeownership assistance webpage to read the program requirements and learn how to apply.

This story is part of a reporting partnership with The Outer Banks Voice.

With Dare County mandated to return $35 million in housing funds to the state, a suit filed last year by its six towns contesting the conditions attached to that money has been withdrawn.

Last October, the six municipalities filed the litigation after a special housing provision inserted into the state budget would have restricted their ability to regulate affordable housing projects funded by the $35 million in state money. Town officials vocally criticized the measure for eroding and encroaching on local authority over development and zoning, the Outer Banks Voice reported.

Related: Dare won’t use state budget provision on workforce housing

Ben Gallop, an attorney for one of the plaintiffs, the town of Manteo, told the Voice that on Friday, June 7, the municipalities filed a voluntarily dismissal of that suit, “in recognition that the General Assembly’s recent repeal of the legislation provided the towns with the result sought by the lawsuit.”

The filing of the suit harkens back to one of the most divisive controversies that emerged during efforts to build more workforce housing in the county. It came only weeks after local officials expressed anger and surprise upon learning that the provision restricting town control over the housing regulation had been inserted into the state budget. The $35 million was intended to be used by Coastal Affordable Housing LLC, which was, at the time, one of the county’s two private housing development partners.

Coastal Affordable Housing LLC was formed in 2021 with Jordan Hennessy, an aide to former Sen. Bill Cook, a principal. Hennessey is also one of the newest members of the state Coastal Resources Commission and an officer in the company Dare County contracted to address shoaling in county waterways.

From the outset, Dare County officials insisted they had no knowledge of and no role in inserting that provision and Rep. Keith Kidwell, R-Beaufort, whose district covers part of Dare County, was subsequently identified as involved in inserting that provision. The Dare County commissioners also passed a resolution indicating they would not abide by the provision removing local control over affordable housing regulation.

In April, the Dare Board of Commissioners voted to end the county’s partnership with Coastal Affordable Housing and to seek to return the $35 million in housing money to state coffers.

The county’s Affordable Housing Task Force was hopeful the commissioners could delay returning that money. But a little over a month ago, the legislature passed a measure that removed the provision and also required the return of the $35 million to the state, in effect bringing this chapter of the county’s housing initiative to an end.

Related: CRC member Hennessy threatens to sue Dare candidate

From an Outer Banks Voice report.

The Dare County Board of Commissioners passed a resolution Monday stating the county will not use a controversial and contentious provision that was inserted into the state budget to try and build affordable housing projects.

Dare County Chairman Bob Woodard subsequently announced that the first meeting of the affordable housing task force will be 9 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 18, in Room 168 of the Dare County Administration Building in Manteo.

The public is invited, although seating is limited. According to Woodard, there are about 20 members of the task force.

Municipal officials were infuriated and surprised by the provision that would have restricted towns from regulating housing developments funded with $35 million in state funds earmarked for affordable housing. On Oct. 6, the six Dare County municipalities filed a lawsuit against the state challenging that provision. No one has claimed responsibility for inserting that item into the budget, but news outlets have identified Rep. Keith Kidwell, who represents part of Dare County, as one of those involved.

Woodard, who drafted the resolution with County Manager Bobby Outten, told the Outer Banks Voice that the document formalizes what county officials had already been telling municipal officials.

“All along, we weren’t happy with the language that the state had put in there,” Woodard said. “We had no intention of overriding the town ordinances.”

“People will probably wonder why it did take so long,” to pass a resolution, Woodard added, stating that he wanted to make sure town officials got the county’s verbal assurances first.

In an email to the Voice, Nags Head Mayor Ben Cahoon said “I took Chairman Woodard at his word but appreciate the County committing this to writing. Hopefully, we can all begin working together to find a solution.”

The resolution passed Monday states that “the Dare County Board of Commissioners confirms their earlier verbal statements of their intention to solve the workforce housing problem in Dare County by working together with local governments, citizens and stake holders and not to use HB 259 (the provision in question) to exempt any workforce housing solutions from the local government zoning authority as part of any proposed solutions.”

Stating that the county never requested the provision, the resolution declared that it’s “been adamantly opposed by the towns located in Dare County to the extent they have filed legal action to set it aside.”

Another passage stated that the resolution was designed to “reduce the acrimony between the towns and Dare County and to help in the process of reaching consensus among the local governments, citizens and stakeholders.”

As for the failure to make progress on building housing, which includes proposed projects that were rejected in Manteo, Nags Head and Kill Devil Hills, the resolution flatly declared that “for many years Dare County has been working to provide workforce housing and has been unsuccessful in those efforts.”

And at this point, there is no public evidence of progress on the issue. The Woda Cooper Co., which ran into major community opposition in Nags Head and Manteo, recently announced it was abandoning its efforts to build housing in Dare County. The county’s second housing partner, Coastal Affordable Housing LLC, the group with access to that $35 million pile of state funds, has not publicly discussed any plan or proposal in the works.

In an attempt to build a broader consensus for generating that housing and take a new approach to the problem, the Dare County Commissioners in October approved the creation of an affordable housing task force. In his interview with the Voice, Woodard says the group will have its first meeting within the next few weeks.

This story is provided courtesy of the Outer Banks Voice, a digital newspaper covering the Outer Banks. Coastal Review is partnering with the Voice to provide readers with more environmental and lifestyle stories of interest about our coast.

Reprinted from The Outer Banks Voice.

Less than three weeks after being surprised by the now infamous Dare County affordable housing provision inserted into the state budget, all six Dare County municipalities have signed on to a lawsuit filed against the State of North Carolina challenging that provision.

The housing measure, for which no one has yet acknowledged responsibility, would have restricted the towns’ ability to regulate affordable housing projects funded by $35 million in state money awarded to the county for that purpose. Various town officials have vocally criticized the measure for eroding and encroaching on local authority over development and zoning.

According to Andy Garman, town manager for Nags Head, the complaint, which was filed in Wake County Superior Court Friday, Oct. 6, seeks a temporary restraining order, a preliminary injunction, a permanent injunction and declaratory relief. Four different groups of lawyers, including those employed as town attorneys, are on the complaint on behalf of the six plaintiffs.

A joint statement released by the six towns on Oct. 6 noted that the effect of the budget provision “is to require Plaintiffs to allow these Dare County Affordable Housing Projects to be constructed within a town or area of a private party’s choosing and to be completely exempt from certain zoning and regulatory controls that otherwise apply to all other development of property within Plaintiffs’ jurisdictions…despite the fact that citizens throughout Dare County have expressed strenuous objection to the placement of these Dare County Projects in certain zoning districts and other parts of some of Plaintiffs’ jurisdiction.”

“In this action, Plaintiffs seek a declaration that the Dare County Local Act is a constitutionally prohibited local or special enactment and otherwise violates certain provisions of the Constitution of North Carolina and also deprives Plaintiffs of their property for a purpose other than a constitutionally permitted purpose,” the statement added.

In explaining the process that led to the towns agreeing to be plaintiffs in the suit, Garman said that “Basically, (the town managers) all found out about it on the nineteenth (of September) and we started talking about it among ourselves.” After that, the managers alerted the town boards and municipal councils and boards and brought in the town attorneys.

At the municipal level, the outcry against the mysterious provision was loud and instant, with local officials in all six towns writing letters of protests and/or passing resolutions calling for the removal of the budget item and for Dare County not to enforce it.

Passions on the matter flamed up at an Oct. 2 Dare County Board of Commissioners meeting during a contentious public comment session and a response by Board Chairman Bob Woodard. At the meeting, the county commissioners did move to establish an affordable housing task force that would include representatives from each of the municipalities.

At the same time, the county has consistently stated that it had no knowledge of, nor any role in the insertion of that affordable housing budget provision. At that Oct. 2 meeting, County Manager Bobby Outten told the towns that the county had no intention of “bulldozing” them with large unwanted housing developments — although it’s not clear how much that statement allayed the towns’ concerns.

When asked for a response to the litigation filed by the towns, Outten told the Voice that he was not aware of it.  For his part, Woodard declined to make a statement on the subject.

This story is provided courtesy of The Outer Banks Voice, a digital newspaper covering the Outer Banks. Coastal Review is partnering with the Voice to provide readers with more environmental and lifestyle stories of interest about our coast.

The Wilmington Housing Authority is one of four public housing agencies in eastern North Carolina to be awarded a portion of $14.5 million to help meet critical public housing needs.

Through the Office of Recovery and Resiliency Public Housing Restoration Fund, the awards are to increase the availability of safe, affordable public housing units in areas of the state that were heavily impacted by hurricanes Matthew and Florence.

In addition to the Wilmington Housing Authority’s award of $2.03 million, the Fayetteville Metropolitan Housing Authority was awarded $636,454, the Housing Authority of the City of Lumberton was awarded $5 million, and the Princeville Housing Authority was awarded $6.9 million.

These recipients are to use the funds to repair or replace damaged rental units or build new ones in safer locations with a lower risk of flooding.

Public housing projects from the 16 North Carolina counties federally identified as “most impacted and distressed” due to damage from hurricanes Matthew and Florence were eligible to apply for funds during the application period May 31 to Aug. 1.

Projects with unoccupied units and/or residents displaced due to storm damage were prioritized.

This latest round of awards is in addition to $9.6 million the office committed to Wilson and Lumberton projects. A total of more than $24 million in public housing funding has been awarded to date.

The Public Housing Restoration Fund Program is funded through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, or HUD. The funding is appropriated to the state’s Community Development Block Grant program as disaster recovery grants for hurricanes Matthew and Florence.

The North Carolina Office of Recovery and Resiliency this week committed to funding more than 1,000 new, affordable housing units in regions of state hit hard by hurricanes Matthew and Florence, including coastal North Carolina.

About $53.5 million of the state’s share of federal Housing and Urban Development Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery funds are to be used in a deal with the North Carolina Housing Finance Agency, public housing authorities in the cities of Lumberton and Wilson, and Cumberland County government to increase safe, affordable housing opportunities for low- to moderate-income households, the state announced Tuesday.

“New affordable housing units are planned for communities throughout eastern North Carolina including coastal communities, pending satisfactory environmental review and HUD approval of the projects,” Laura Hogshead, director of the N.C. Office of Recovery and Resiliency told Coastal Review. “Building resilience in eastern North Carolina is a critical goal for ReBuild NC programs, and includes increasing the availability of affordable housing through the construction of new housing outside of vulnerable floodplains. NCORR is currently partnering with three subrecipients of HUD CDBG-DR funds: N.C. Housing Finance Agency, public housing authorities in the cities of Wilson and Lumberton, and Cumberland County.”

Pending environmental review and approval, construction of the new housing is expected to be completed before 2026. The units are to be offered as rentals for eligible households. More information on the projects will be made available on NCORR’s ReBuild NC website.

“Safe, affordable housing is key to long-term recovery and resiliency in areas impacted by Matthew, Florence and other natural disasters,” said Gov. Roy Cooper in a statement. “This funding commitment underscores our efforts to rebuild smarter and stronger for North Carolina families.”

As of Tuesday, NCORR plans to fund the following individual projects pending environmental review and approval:

N.C. Housing Finance Agency projects

• New Bern – 60-unit development.
• Wilmington – 72-unit development and 84-unit development.
• Shallotte – 72-unit development.
• Jacksonville – 72-unit development.
• Goldsboro – 48-unit development.
• Fayetteville – two, 80-unit developments and a 72-unit development.
• Rocky Mount – 64-unit development and 50-unit development.
• Whiteville – 60-unit development
• Lumberton – 66-unit development and 72-unit development

Other projects

• Cumberland County project in Fayetteville – 12-unit development
• Housing Authority of the City of Lumberton project – 72-unit development
• Wilson Housing Authority project in Wilson County – 32-unit development

Cooper established the agency after Hurricane Florence to streamline disaster recovery programs statewide and help communities rebuild smarter and stronger.

Through its recovery and resiliency programs, NCORR has committed $285.2 million to homeowners for repairs and reconstructions, small businesses for recovery, local governments for infrastructure, and N.C. Housing Finance Agency for the construction of new affordable housing in areas impacted by Hurricanes Matthew and Florence, according to the state. Learn more about NCORR’s programs at ReBuild.NC.gov.

Dare County business owners and employers are being asked to complete a survey regarding their employees’ housing needs and to identify the most significant challenges associated with the shortage of housing options within the county

Dare County and the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill have partnered to develop the 14-question housing survey that asks employers to provide information on a range of employee housing issues.

To access the Dare County Housing Needs survey and submit responses, visit darenc.com/EmployerHousingSurvey.

Participants’ responses are confidential and will be used to inform Dare County officials of the type and scale of housing that is needed in order to better support the local Outer Banks economy.

Questions include the following:

• length of an employee’s one-way commute from their residence to their place of employment.
• whether employers have difficulty attracting and/or retaining employees due to a lack of housing.
• which types of employees are most often in need of housing.
• whether employers have offered employment to prospective employees only to have them decline the offer due to difficulty finding housing.
• whether business owners have had to adjust their hours as a result of a limited workforce.
• what business owners believe to be the biggest obstacles to potential employees securing housing within Dare County.

Dare County and the Development Finance Initiative, or DFI, a program at the UNC Chapel Hill’s School of Government formed a partnership to develop the survey. DFI works with local governments to to attract private investment for real estate development projects and then recruits highly qualified private developers to bring the project from conception to completion.

Dare County’s partnership with the DFI aims to assess the demand for additional housing options in the county and to identify opportunities for new real estate developments that will better serve the community, according to the county.

Reprinted from Outer Banks Voice

MANTEO — Without fanfare, and with only one resident speaking during public comment, the Dare County Board of Commissioners approved four zoning amendments as part of a continuing effort to generate what is now called “essential housing” in the county.

About 11 months after first approving a series of zoning amendments to encourage more affordable housing in a market where the high costs discourage workers from taking jobs here, the commissioners tried again by unanimous voice vote at their Sept. 16 meeting.

The new amendments, which apply to unincorporated parts of the county, allow cluster home developments in eight new zoning districts not included in last year’s amendments. They include an educational housing option, associated with county educational institutions, that would be available in 25 zoning districts. The conditional use subdivisions amendment entails reducing the minimum lot size to 12,500 square feet with a dwelling size limitation of 1,200 square feet. Another change allows housing in conjunction with a commercial use in 17 commercial zoning districts.

In brief remarks, several commissioners at the Sept. 16 meeting lauded the amendments as an important step toward dealing with a very persistent problem.

Commissioner Ervin Bateman recounted one comment he had heard to the effect of “People have been talking about this for a long time, and nobody’s doing anything about it.”

“This is a big step,” he added.

Commissioner Danny Couch said, “We have been a long time in the making of this,” while acknowledging that “it’s not perfect.”

It was in June 2018 when the Outer Banks Chamber of Commerce made a presentation to  Dare commissioners asking them to consider zoning changes, including allowing accessory dwelling units and more multi-family structures and increasing dwelling densities per acre. Last October, they approved those amendments.

during the Aug. 19 commissioners’ meeting, the county publicly tried some new terminology to describe the goal as building “essential housing.” The term “affordable housing” had long been discarded and other variations, such as simply “housing” or “year-round housing” or “workforce housing,” failed to gain much traction.

For the record, the one person speaking at the public hearing on Sept. 16 politely opposed the measure.

This story is provided courtesy of the Outer Banks Voice, a digital newspaper covering the Outer Banks. Coastal Review Online is partnering with the Voice to provide readers with more environmental and lifestyle stories of interest about our coast.

MANTEO — The Dare County Board of Commissioners says it’s making an effort to “increase year-round, essential housing in the unincorporated areas of the county where the board oversees planning and zoning initiatives,” the county announced Monday.

As part of the effort, the board is holding a public hearing 5:30 p.m. Sept. 16 to hear feedback on four proposed zoning amendments. The hearing is in the commissioners meeting room in the Dare County Administration Building.

Planning Director Donna Creef presented the proposed alternatives Monday during the board meeting.

The alternatives would increase the number of zoning districts that allow cluster home developments and add three new zoning sections, including educational housing alternatives, conditional use subdivisions and workforce housing units. Cluster home developments consist of more than one residential dwelling on one parcel of land that are occupied on a long-term basis. The current cluster home development regulations limit structures to 1,200 square feet of heated space, according to the ordinance.

“We are listening to our constituents and understand the hardships a lack of essential housing has created for our community. Our Board is committed to finding ways to expand opportunities for essential housing in districts throughout unincorporated Dare County. These proposed amendments would accomplish that in portions of Hatteras Island, the mainland, Roanoke Island and Colington Island. We appreciate the willingness of the Planning Board to help meet the need for year-round housing and we challenge the towns to work with us to create more opportunities throughout Dare County,” said Chairman Bob Woodard in a statement.

Comments during the public hearing can be made from Hatteras Island via video link at the Fessenden Center Annex, 47017 Buxton Back Road, Buxton. Written comments may be mailed to the Dare County Board of Commissioners, P.O. Box 1000, Manteo, NC, 27954.

Review a complete draft of the changes to zoning ordinances and view the public hearing notice online and for additional information, contact Creef at 252-475-5873

RALEIGH – The Federal Emergency Management Agency said Thursday that at the state’s request it will provide temporary housing units to households displaced by Hurricane Florence in three additional counties: Bladen, Lenoir and Pamlico.

FEMA said it is already providing Direct Temporary Housing Assistance in 10 counties: Brunswick, Carteret, Columbus, Craven, Duplin, Jones, New Hanover, Onslow, Pender and Robeson. The agency offers two forms of direct housing assistance: travel trailers as an interim solution for most households with a high degree of confidence that repairs to their home can be completed in less than a year and manufactured housing units that provide a longer-term solution for survivors whose repairs will take longer to complete due to greater degree of damage.

Direct housing is temporary, FEMA said. These units are not permanent dwellings. They are provided only when rental resources are not available in an affected area.

The units are part of a comprehensive set of temporary housing programs for people displaced by the disaster, allowing survivors to remain close to their jobs and communities as they rebuild.

Survivors who are displaced from their home because of Hurricane Florence must first apply for federal disaster assistance to be considered for FEMA programs such as rental assistance, grants for repairs to make their homes safe, sanitary and functional, and other forms of assistance.

Survivors can apply online at DisasterAssistance.gov, by using the FEMA app, by visiting a disaster recovery center, or by calling the disaster assistance helpline at 800-621-3362 or 800-462-7585. In-person American Sign Language  interpreters are available by calling or texting 202-655-8824. Go online to watch a video on how to request an American Sign Language interpreter.

The state and FEMA are coordinating with municipalities and counties regarding local ordinances, permitting, zoning, transportation requirements, setbacks, utility connections and inspections. When installation is complete and the unit passes an occupancy inspection, it is ready for use. At that point, the applicant will sign a license-in agreement to occupy the unit.

After survivors register for federal disaster assistance, FEMA contacts households that may qualify for a travel trailer or manufactured housing units to conduct a pre-placement interview to determine whether the applicant needs direct housing and, if so, what type of housing. This determination is based on the size and needs of the household, including any people with disabilities or other access or functional needs.

For eligible applicants, FEMA may be able to place a unit on their property. FEMA must ensure the site is compliant with applicable building codes, environmental laws and floodplain regulations. If that is not possible, FEMA may lease pads in commercial parks.

Learn More

• Visit ncdps.gov/Florence and FEMA.gov/Disaster/4393