[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6429125,"mediaKeyId","5905376-6ea8efd96cf97329137ecb53b17ecd62","parentId",5905376,"title","City staff recommend nearly $20 million for eight affordable housing projects; council scheduled vote for Oct. 27","audioSeconds",3038,"startMs",5916000,"endMs",8954000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5905376-6ea8efd96cf97329137ecb53b17ecd62&start=5916&end=8954","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5905376-6ea8efd96cf97329137ecb53b17ecd62/thumbnail_5916000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6429125/Charlotte/Mecklenburg-County/North-Carolina/City-staff-recommend-nearly-20-million-for-eight-affordable-housing-projects-council-scheduled-vote-for-Oct-27","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6429125-17d4f5c0b151b4075ba629c872bf31ca/orig.mp4?Expires=1770432947&Signature=AX5FwSxJtNnqK8b75xtUXK7aMsaSQSzFz~3f2XO~fPT~1N21Fu6T4h8E~lhHyqDQtujz3WLPY40TbFf20odQi47dDXY3n8Sh0QUMIPfzuIv2IbjZFjrqUZaREg-~LrkWMuTMxvVGkEn686ggxJv7v-VH8toMz550DjAIfpdD0WOqdfl8tOCSU2rMGwZRHiYFsypEWnK8CwHwnc4ivwvQ3dfepjOygpLai34Wv5kYVQPScOFHjMIgMVvweieLUkFigXfhe2SfN-g7sB6hzsz84LyF601sOzssErghqDzjhqEyXXjQOzqt5bklN7-64mdrN9f4XujXA0bqxeHKJQHnIA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Charlotte","date","2025-10-07T05:06:19Z","article","City staff presented Charlotte City Council with recommendations to award housing trust fund dollars to eight proposals that responded to the city\u000027s most recent Housing Trust Fund request for proposals, and staff asked the council to consider those recommendations at a business meeting scheduled for Oct. 27.

Rebecca Heffner, director of Housing and Neighborhood Services, said the round produced eight proposals seeking almost $20 million in total: three rental housing production proposals requesting about $9.86 million; three homeownership proposals requesting about $3.8 million; and two supportive-housing or shelter proposals requesting about $6.25 million. Heffner said staff are recommending that council approve all eight proposals and summarized each project, the proposed affordability levels and key partnerships.

Selected project highlights from staff\u000027s presentation:
- Kendall Crossing (Paces Foundation): senior 4% tax-credit development near Moores Chapel Road and I-485 seeking a reduced City ask of just under $5 million with units capped at 70% of area median income (AMI); Roof Above would provide resident services and a portion of units for seniors on fixed incomes.
- River District Apartments (Laurel Street Residential): previously funded project returning for an additional $900,000 gap request so the developer can close financing in November; council staff noted the developer agreed to extend affordability to 99 years.
- Weddington Road Apartments (DreamKey): originally approved in 2016 and delayed by litigation, DreamKey returned with a reduced ask of about $4 million; staff said the site is in District 7 and that the project includes family-sized (three-bedroom) units and a 30-year affordability period.
- Abilene at Newell Townhomes (DreamKey): previously funded homeownership project asking for an additional $702,000 to address new stormwater and sidewalk requirements discovered during full planning review so the original 54-unit design can be preserved.
- Ellington Townhomes (DreamKey/Crossroads CDC): 35 for-sale townhomes planned for Greer Heights, capped at 70% AMI, on county-owned land; staff noted strong site attributes and concerns about displacement pressure in the neighborhood.
- Unity Oaks (Habitat for Humanity with Maranques Foundation and True Homes): mixed-income, 71-unit townhome development in Newell; Habitat asked for City funding for 31 affordable units and proposed 99-year affordability and a shared-appreciation resale mechanism.
- Dream Center campus (Charlotte Mecklenburg Dream Center/True Homes): transitional housing campus for priority populations that would include Phase 1 with eight homes (48 rooms) and extensive on-site services and workforce partners; proposal seeks funding for Phase 1.
- Mecklenburg County hotel conversion: county-identified hotel site with 62 rooms requested $4.25 million from the City (half of an $8.5 million capital estimate) to convert to non-congregate shelter; county would own property and private fundraising was described as planned to underwrite the first several years of operations.

Heffner provided budget context: after earlier rounds, roughly $68.6 million of the $100 million housing bond remained available; if the eight recommendations are approved, the Housing Trust Fund balance would be about $48.6 million. She said staff had included leverage, affordability periods and amenity/service commitments in their analysis and that some projects had previously been awarded and now seek additional gap support.

Council discussion at the meeting focused heavily on cost per unit, long-term affordability for residents on fixed incomes (especially seniors), and the tradeoffs between deeper affordability on fewer units versus spreading funds across more projects. Several councilmembers said the per-unit costs on some proposals were high for the amount of new affordable housing delivered and urged staff and developers to find more leverage or lower costs where feasible.

On the shelter proposals, council members pressed county and nonprofit partners for detail on operations funding, private-sector commitments and whether shelters would accommodate families together. On the Mecklenburg County hotel conversion, staff and county representatives said the county has negotiated a purchase-and-sale agreement, that the capital cost estimate is about $8.5 million (about $5.5 million acquisition and $3 million renovation) and that the city contribution request was $4.25 million (half of capital cost). Staff said private fundraising for three years of operations was being pursued but that formal commitments had not yet been finalized.

The Housing and Neighborhood Services director and committee members requested the council take further time to review the materials and the committee expressed a mix of support and caution. In committee, at least one motion was taken to excuse a council member from participating in the discussion and vote due to a potential conflict of interest; the council called for that recusal and approved it on a voice vote.

Staff noted the council vote on the recommended awards is scheduled for Oct. 27; staff also said that the next funding round (the winter round, which typically includes state tax-credit cycle projects) will be released in late 2025 and awards would be heard in April 2026. Heffner said projects typically require additional time after council approval for design, financing closings and permitting before construction begins.

Why it matters: The recommended awards would move forward new rental units, homeownership opportunities and additional shelter capacity. Council members flagged the need to balance per-unit costs with the city\u000027s goal of producing and preserving housing across neighborhoods while protecting long-term affordability for the most vulnerable residents.

Sources: Housing & Neighborhood Services presentation to council; Rebecca Heffner, Director, Housing & Neighborhood Services; Warren Wootton, Assistant Director for Affordable Housing; project summaries in the Housing Trust Fund request-for-proposals booklet.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","City Council Committee Discussions - October 6, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","City staff presented Charlotte City Council with recommendations to award housing trust fund dollars to eight proposals and asked council to consider the package at a business meeting scheduled for Oct. 27.","taxTitle","Charlotte, Mecklenburg County, North Carolina","taxId",4848,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6429127,"Charlotte council work group outlines rules for Metropolitan Public Transportation Authority appointments; council defers final process",3152,712000,3864000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5905376-6ea8efd96cf97329137ecb53b17ecd62&start=712&end=3864","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5905376-6ea8efd96cf97329137ecb53b17ecd62/thumbnail_712000.jpg","/articles/6429127/Charlotte/Mecklenburg-County/North-Carolina/Charlotte-council-work-group-outlines-rules-for-Metropolitan-Public-Transportation-Authority-appointments-council-defers-final-process","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6429127-22d8c5693c53e050694bfcaec3a69576/orig.mp4?Expires=1770432947&Signature=KH7O6kljwDM7WtuGHltdUBVg0V1xVoKhhyXO-8dmtC1J8x8E89uPJwTikiJgRhYjLWfEuT3DUs6LRLQZTuUelqaS80stJ6LY3zFWqOICkiXhY3xvfs3j2svXRfDr6NUDargxu69kEsoillN1ka3ObXQhSWvC0fut9bcXhs3M8cOZEjceSCSqgxPw5I3ZXAaRRlMWEEYOqZR7MhQ-e4ZqXGdPNO8c472l1~B6NBcLb73QdjCGcjjRxz-Bx~p2-wy-7nN669Cu3W50i1-EtoWuYTZ1zUVkyCXS7OPplqwPwSrtX1UGZnpbie4M6udCrzQXePEzVhGUpJQv91Adqj7LDw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Charlotte City Council members spent a large portion of their Monday meeting reviewing the process for filling the city\u000027s 12 appointments to the proposed Metropolitan Public Transportation Authority (MPTA) board and agreed to delay formalizing the final selection process until the following week.

Interim City Attorney Anthony Fox walked the council through the state PAVE Act\u000027s requirements, including statutory limits and eligibility rules, and said the city must follow the act\u000027s detailed guidance on composition and qualifications. \"Any applicant must be a resident of Mecklenburg County,\" Fox said, and he noted the statute bars current elected officials and lobbyists from serving and requires trustees to have demonstrated experience in enumerated fields such as law, finance, engineering, public transportation, urban planning, logistics, government, architecture or economic development. He also described a statutory definition of \"public transportation\" that includes buses, rail, high-occupancy vehicles and certain microtransit programs.

The volunteer work group that the council appointed to screen applicants recommended a schedule of interviews and scoring. The group proposed 25-minute interview slots (20 minutes Q&A, five minutes evaluation), reserving October 20\u000020\u00002D\u00002010/30 for interviews with virtual viewing available and two evening sessions per week. The work group said applications must come from city residents; partners such as the Charlotte Regional Business Alliance and Foundation for the Carolinas will run their own appointment processes but will share nominee names with the city in advance so the council can avoid duplicative selections.

Staff and the work group told council that the application window is open and closes on October 13, and that the city aims to make nominations on November 10 with a final council vote by November 24, 2025. Fox and the clerk said appointees are likely to be sworn in only after state-level steps and that the overall trustee board would not be sworn in until later in the year should the referendum creating the authority pass.

Council members raised repeated questions about transparency, how many applicants would receive interviews and whether the work group should provide a short vetted slate or simply provide objective facts and category buckets for the full council to decide. Several members asked that the screening emphasize district representation, riders\u000027 lived experience and a mix of technical skills needed to stand up a regional authority. One council member noted the council\u000027s authority to remove appointees and asked whether that removal power applies to seats delegated by other appointing bodies. Fox replied the PAVE Act permits removal by the appointing authority and that reappointment would be handled by the original appointing entity.

Because members disagreed about whether the work group should return a ranked recommendation or provide only objective, category-based information (for example, \"meets finance,\" \"meets public-transportation experience\"), the council considered motions on process. After discussion and substitute motions, the council withdrew an earlier motion and then voted to defer finalizing and approving the appointment process until the council's next meeting to allow the work group time to incorporate the council\u000027s request for objective criteria and for members to review applications and attend interviews if they wish. The motion to defer passed by voice vote; no roll-call tally was taken during the meeting record.

The work group said it had reviewed more than 70 applications so far and expected that number to rise by the Monday after the application deadline. Staff said a public list of applicants would be posted daily at 4 p.m. to the city clerk\u000027s website, and that interview schedules and recordings would be made available so any council member could participate or view interviews virtually.

What happens next: The work group will refine the rubric and return to council with a clarified process for vetting and categorizing applicants. Council members asked for clear, objective categories (for example, most qualified/qualified/least qualified and which statutory qualification each candidate meets) instead of preselected ranked slates. The council\u000027s timeline still calls for nominations on November 10 and a final vote by November 24, 2025, subject to applicants meeting the statute\u000027s residency and qualification rules.

Why it matters: If the regional transit referendum passes, the MPTA board will control a large regional transit system and the city\u000027s appointments will shape the authority\u000027s first year of operations. The council\u000027s process for vetting and appointing trustees affects representation, operational expertise and how quickly the new authority can be stood up.

Sources: Presentation and staff memo to council; interim City Attorney Anthony Fox; city clerk\u000027s application portal and work-group presentation to the Transportation Planning and Development committee.","Council members reviewed statutory eligibility rules and a work group\u000027s interview schedule for 12 city appointments to the proposed Metropolitan Public Transportation Authority board. Council voted to defer adopting the final appointment process to allow more time to set objective criteria and accommodate full-council participation.","actionData","errors"]

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City staff recommend nearly $20 million for eight affordable housing projects; council scheduled vote for Oct. 27

Charlotte council work group outlines rules for Metropolitan Public Transportation Authority appointments; council defers final process