The Dare County Board of Commissioners voted Wednesday to approve a contract with a developer for approximately 100 essential and workforce housing units at sites on Roanoke Island and in Nags Head.
“This has been an exhausting process,” said board chairman Bob Woodard, noting commissioners, county staff and others have been working to find solutions to the Outer Banks’ worker housing crunch for several years.
“We have turned every single rock over that we could possibly turn over,” Woodard said. “It’s one small step in the right direction.”
According to a news release, once Dare County’s contract with Woda Cooper has been finalized, the developer will be able to move forward with its application for Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) funding.
The LIHTC funding subsidizes the acquisition and construction of housing for low-income and moderate-income households.
Woda Cooper — which specializes in the design, construction and management of affordable housing communities throughout the Midwest, Mid-Atlantic and Southeast — plans to develop between 40 and 60 housing units at the Bowsertown Road site just outside the Manteo town limits.
The remainder of the approximately 100 total units will be constructed at a site in Nags Head that is currently under contract by Woda Cooper, although the company has not yet disclosed its location.
Dare County will contribute a maximum of $9 million in county funds toward the projects, and any additional funding that is required to construct the housing developments will be the responsibility of Woda Cooper.
In addition to the two essential and workforce housing projects that are being planned in partnership with Woda Cooper, Dare County has also partnered with Coastal Affordable Housing, a North Carolina-based consortium that plans to construct 350-400 affordable housing units in Dare County.
The county is currently in the process of working with the state to ensure that the $35 million in funding that has been allocated to Dare County for the purpose of constructing affordable housing units is in compliance with federal regulations. Once that process is complete, Dare County will be able to move forward with its contract with Coastal Affordable Housing for the construction of the additional housing units using this funding.
For more information — and to sign up to receive updates about essential and workforce housing projects in Dare County visit DareNC.com/Housing.
Watch the June 15, 2022 Dare County Board of Commissioners special meeting:
