Commissioners accept $526,000 fee in lieu and waive Vickers Village affordable‑housing requirements

Planning staff presented background on Vickers Village, a compact community in northeast Chatham that originally included 10 affordable units as part of a 2021 agreement. Staff reported that rising costs mean the county would now have to provide roughly $155,000 per unit — about $1.7–$2.0 million total — to deliver the originally intended units. The developer’s contract included the option for a fee in lieu; that amount was increased from $47,000 to $52,600 per unit to reflect inflation, producing a $526,000 payment that would be accepted in exchange for waiving the affordable housing element.

Commissioners debated whether accepting the fee honored the compact community ordinance’s intent or whether the county should keep the original agreement and find extra county funds to deliver on 10 units. Commissioner Delaney said the county should be cautious about setting a precedent and that she would vote against accepting the fee, while others argued that the fee could be used more effectively across a larger number of households and that the county could invest the funds in revolving loans, partnerships with Habitat for Humanity, or low‑income housing tax credit projects. After discussion and a motion, the board approved the proposed amendment accepting the $526,000 fee in lieu and dissolving the affordable housing element for Vickers Village. The motion carried; the board asked staff to return with options for investing the fee to maximize affordability outcomes.