Transylvania County commissioners avoided a vote on whether to fund an affordable housing project in Brevard after the city revoked their ask for $1 million.
The Fairhaven Meadows affordable housing project plans to provide 42 affordable housing units in Brevard, an area that lacks developable land. City officials initially asked county commission members to help the developer with a loan to meet their budget for construction – something the Board of Commission shied away from when hearing it for the first time publicly in February.
The project was approved - and is mostly funded by – Low-Income Housing tax credits. This gives the developer, Commonwealth Community Developers, credits for the acquisition, rehabilitation or new construction of rental housing targeted to lower-income households.
Commission members had different reasons for opposing the funding when they heard the request formally at their Feb.10 meeting, but most worried about the legality of giving a private developer public funds.
According to County Manager Jaime Laughter, funding private entities for public needs is not allowed if it provides a direct benefit to the private entity, like a developer.
Hearing this, commissioners delayed a vote until March 10.
Brevard’s City Attorney Mack McKeller disagreed with Laughter's intepretation, citing a state Supreme Court case.
“ I almost consider it an obligation to provide and work for affordable housing as a municipality and as a local government,” McKeller said at a Feb. 17 meeting.
READ MORE: Housing in Brevard is 'broken' – here is what city officials are doing to fix it
During the Feb. 17 meeting, the city – trying to meet funding deadlines to keep the project alive – issued a $1.1 million loan to the developer to fund the project.
“We got extremely worried that we would not get a decision [from the county] in time and the project would fail,” Brevard Mayor Maureen Copeloff said.
Copeloff said the two boards had multiple meetings starting in December about the need for gap financing for the project.
During Monday’s meeting, County Commission Member Larry Chapman lamented the negative public comments he had received regarding not funding the project.
“ I don't know why they withdrew it. Either they didn't need the money to begin with, or something significant changed…I don’t remember being told there was any time limit,” he said. “At least I don't remember that in our discussion.”
When asked by BPR if she made the March funding deadline clear to county commissioners, Copeloff said:
“ We not only sent a letter, but we met with them and discussed it in person with them. I think they were well aware of the timeframe.”
Copeloff said she is still hopeful to work together on future projects with the county.
The Fairhaven Meadows project plans to start construction in about a month. It will be located at 1505 Asheville Highway in Brevard.
