Consolidated Plan for the City of Charlottesville and the Thomas Jefferson HOME Consortium

HOME Action Plan Available for Public Comment

The City of Charlottesville and the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission (TJPDC) invite all interested citizens to comment on the draft 2010 - 2011 Action Plan of the Consolidated Plan for the City of Charlottesville and the Thomas Jefferson Planning District. The Action Plan guides the use of federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds in the City of Charlottesville and federal HOME funds in the Thomas Jefferson Planning District (City of Charlottesville and counties of Albemarle, Fluvanna, Greene, Louisa, and Nelson). Funding levels for the coming year are not yet known. A public hearing will be held on Thursday, April 1 at the TJPDC office at 7:00 p.m. in the Conference Room, 401 E. Water Street. Comments will be accepted until April 26. To submit a comment or request more information, contact Melissa Celii, City of Charlottesville, at (434) 970-3093 or Billie Campbell, TJPDC, at (434) 979-7310 ext. 230.

HOME Action Plan Approved

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has approved the 2009 - 2010 Action Plan of the Consolidated Plan for the City of Charlottesville and the Thomas Jefferson Planning District, submitted in mid-May. The Action Plan guides the use of $532,278 in federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds in the City of Charlottesville and $1,013,989 in federal HOME funds in the Thomas Jefferson Planning District (City of Charlottesville and counties of Albemarle, Fluvanna, Greene, Louisa, and Nelson). At least 15% of HOME funds are set-aside for a Community Housing Development Organization (CHDO). The 2009-2010 CHDO project will consist of 4 to 6 units of affordable rental housing in Greene County. The Action Plan and additional information is available on TJPDC's Consolidated Plan Page. For questions or more information, contact Melissa Celii, City of Charlottesville, at (434) 970-3093 or Billie Campbell, TJPDC, at (434) 979-7310 ext. 230.

Executive Summary

Introduction. The Consolidated Plan sets forth an overall plan to support community development needs, including housing needs, in the Thomas Jefferson Planning District and in the City of Charlottesville. The Planning District encompasses the Counties of Albemarle, Fluvanna, Greene, Louisa and Nelson, and the City of Charlottesville. The Consolidated Plan is a required document, submitted to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which specifically addresses the use of federal funds, including HOME Investment Partnership (HOME) funds received annually by the region through a 1993 Cooperation Agreement, which was renewed in 1996 and 2001, 2004 and 2007, and Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds received annually by the City of Charlottesville.

The member governments of the Thomas Jefferson Planning District agreed on an equal share basis of HOME funds available to each participating government (with towns included with their respective counties) with the exception of 15% of the total HOME funds, which are reserved for the Community Housing Development Organization (CHDO) set aside. The CHDO funds are rotated among the participating localities. The City of Charlottesville has been designated the lead agency for the HOME Consortium and the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission the designated Program Manager for the Consortium.

The Consolidated Plan is divided into two main sections: the Strategic Plan and the Action Plan. With the 2008 Consolidated Plan, the specific goals for the use of HOME funds in the region and CDBG funds in the City of Charlottesville are stated, as are the more general community development needs for each locality. Needs and goals for the Homeless, Special Needs Populations, Housing and Community Development are stated in the Strategic Plan section and objectives are stated in the Action Plan. Included in this Executive Summary are tables summarizing local and regional goals and a cooperative housing statement reflecting the regional needs and cooperation to be achieved through this Consolidated Plan. These are intended to show the key elements of the Plan in a simple format.

Priority Housing Needs: Priority needs were indicated by each locality and for the region as outlined in tables. Each locality has similar housing needs including rehabilitation of substandard housing, affordable rental housing, affordable housing for homeownership, and homeownership. Each has provided one year measurable goals and five year broad goals for aiding their respective community in addressing housing needs. The regional goals support the housing needs indicated by the localities. The charts containing local goals provide details on each locality and the regions goals for housing. Tables of five year goals and one year objectives are available here.

Market Analysis. The Regional Housing Directors Council commissioned a market analysis by the Center for Housing Research, which was completed in October 2006. The data compilation and analysis uses data from the 2000 Census as well as more current data from a number of sources. The findings were combined with a summary of the report, a description of current housing programs, and recommendations to form the State of Housing Report of the Thomas Jefferson Planning District, issued in January 2007. The report found that residents face continued difficulties securing and maintaining affordable housing, and there is a continued demand for affordable housing:

• There is a severe deficit of rental housing for low-income renter households. Most units that are affordable (rent at or below 30% of income) by extremely low income households (less than 30% area median family income) are occupied by households with higher incomes. This forces low-income renters to spend large portions of their income on housing. Recently, several apartment complexes have been converted to condominiums, further reducing the supply.
• Homeless, people with disabilities and the elderly typically have low incomes. With a scarcity of affordable housing in the urban core, many people with special needs live in rural counties, restricting access to services. The January 2006 point-in-time survey found 173 people in shelters, transitional housing, or unsheltered. Factors leading to homelessness include unemployment, lack of affordable housing, medical problems and disability. Overall, 16.4% of the total population has a disability. Age is a factor, with 37% of those over 65 having a disability.
• Housing production has been keeping pace with job creation, but new housing has largely been at the high end of the market. Jobs created typically have incomes that require much less expensive housing. Much of the workforce faces housing affordability challenges, particularly for home ownership. Two jobs are often necessary to buy a home. Household income (HH) was projected from individual income (I) based on ratios derived from Census data. The housing market in the region is extremely tight, with an owner vacancy rate in 2000 of only 1/5%. The impact of scarce housing is most severe for those seeking lower-cost owner housing.
• The median house value for the Charlottesville MSA was $225,500 in 2005, ranking 2nd in the state amongst all MSAs. Considering the median house value, approximately 1,100 housing units for sale in the TJPDC were affordable to someone making less than $62,286, the median family income for the MSA. When looking at median monthly owner costs for owners with a mortgage, it costs as much to live in this MSA as the Washington DC Metro area MSA. In 2005, the median percent of income paid to a mortgage is 24.1 compared to the national average of 20%.
• In 2000, there were 77,443 households in the planning district: 49,950 owners and 27,473 renters. From 2000 – 2010 an increase of 11,159 (14.4%) households is projected, followed by an increase of 9,713 (11.0%) from 2010 – 2020, compared with an increase of 16,577 households from 1990 – 2000. Owner demand is projected to increase by nearly 8,000 households between 2000 and 2010 and by another 6,700 households from 2010 to 2020.Renter demand will also increase but at a slower pace, with an increase of 3,300 households between 2000 and 2010 and 3,000 between 2010 and 2020. The low-Income Housing Segment: There were 15,362 low-income owner households in 2000, projected to increase to 20,453 by 2020. This equates to a need for an additional 5,091 affordable owner units. There were 17,910 low-income renters in 2000, increasing to 21,860 by 2010. This equates to a need for an additional 3,950 affordable rental units.
• Manufactured homes are an affordable solution to housing needs, particularly in rural areas. In the PDC, manufactured homes (trailers) made up 5% of housing units in the Charlottesville MSA in 2000. Of these, 40% were built prior to 1976 and are substandard by definition. Of these pre-1976 units, 40% were renter occupied in 2000, compared to 25% renter occupancy of all mobile homes. As older mobile homes continue to decay, current renters will be displaced and will need other affordable housing options. The City of Charlottesville prohibits the placement of new residential mobile homes.

A summary of local and regional goals can be viewed by clicking the link at the upper right of this page. Contact Billie Campbell at bcampbell@tjpdc.org for more information about the Consolidated Plan.