At a public hearing on Monday, the Chapel Hill Town Council received public comment on a new affordable housing plan that’s been five years in the making. 

Roger Walden, a consultant who helped draft Chapel Hill’s proposed inclusionary zoning ordinance, told the Town Council that the new plan will make it easier for developers to provide affordable housing.

For the past ten years, developers have been expected to make 15 percent of all new housing available to those making less than the area median income of approximately $50,000 a year. The new rule would formalize this process and provide economic incentives to builders to help defray the cost of the affordable units.

Speaking on behalf of the Habitat for Humanity Board of Directors, Lee Rafalow said he supports the ordinance, but worries that its impact will be limited.

The inclusionary zoning ordinance, which was drafted by a task force of elected officials, housing advocates and developers, was widely praised, but council members and citizens agreed that more work is necessary to meet the full range of housing needs. Mayor Mark Kleinschmidt acknowledged that the proposed ordinance is just the beginning.

In addition to supporting the inclusionary zoning, council members called for the creation of an affordable housing advisory board to review developer proposals and conduct a survey of housing demand within the community. The proposal will come back to the council later this spring for consideration.