Dare commissioners pass resolution promising not to use state budget provision for housing efforts; Housing Task Force to be formed

From Wobx.com

The Dare County Board of Commissioners approved a resolution Tuesday promising to not utilize a provision in the state budget that would circumvent town governments restricting county-led workforce housing developments in Duck, Southern Shores, Kitty Hawk, Kill Devil Hills, Nags Head and Manteo.

“This board has never shied away from major issues that face our community, we’ve always done what we humanly could possibly do in the best interest of our citizens,” said Chairman Bob Woodard prior to the passage of the resolution.

“We certainly understand the position of our counterparts in the municipalities on potential sites that we have looked at,” Woodard set. “And we certainly respect their position and what they’ve done.”

HB 259, which was passed by the General Assembly last fall, included $35 million to help pay for affordable housing in Dare County.

But the provision would also prevent zoning regulations in the six towns from blocking a development.

Affordable housing for workers has been one of the main issues employers along the Outer Banks in all sectors, public and private, have been asking to be addressed for the last several years.

The most significant effort to date was private builder and manager Woda Cooper’s proposal for a 4.7-acre, 54-unit workforce housing project at the intersection of South Croatan Highway and East Holloway Street, across from Jockey’s Ridge State Park, was turned back in 2021 by Nags Head commissioners.

Another proposal was made by Woda Cooper for land the county owns off Bowsertown Road on Roanoke Island, but it was denied by Manteo leaders, and the company has since said they are abandoning any further efforts in the near future.

There has also been talk of using property in the Baum Tract adjacent to the First Flight schools in Kill Devil Hills, which has been a non-starter due to vocal opposition.

Dare County has partnered with another company, Coastal Affordable Housing LLC, but they have not announced any proposals. The $35 million

North Carolina Public Radio WUNC reported in October a draft of the amendment came from Rep. Keith Kidwell (R-Beaufort) who represents part of Dare County in the state House.

Other legislators and county officials have repeatedly denied they requested the allocation and stipulations. Kidwell has not commented.

The budget provision does not specifically name any companies, but Coastal Affordable Housing LLC has pledged to work with the county on workforce housing, and is believed to be the group that would access the $35 million. No proposals have come from that company as of yet.

The six towns filed a lawsuit in October attempting to block any efforts to overrule their authority.

Discussions between leaders on both sides have openly continued to resolve the dispute, and lead to the creation of the resolution passed Tuesday.

While noting a “lack of cooperation” from the towns, the resolution states “the long-term success of workforce housing in Dare County the local governments and the stakeholders of Dare County must come together to reach consensus on housing solutions,”

The resolution says what’s needed to address the housing issue “exceeds the number of housing units that can be constructed using the funds appropriated by the General Assembly and the need for workforce housing will continue after those funds are expended”.

Spurred by the controversy over HB 259, Woodard announced a task force would be created with members of county and town governments, along with business and community representatives.

“(T)o help further the discussions of the Dare County Workforce Housing Task Force, 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 to find long term solutions to the workforce housing problem, 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 to exempt any workforce housing solutions from the local government zoning authority as part of any proposed solutions.”

“We continue to look for places to do this in the county, we’re not giving up,” Woodard said, adding that the beginning date for the task force will be announced soon.

“We can hopefully come to some consensus to make this happen,” Woodard said.