Town Begins Talks on Employer-Employee Housing

But this time, Foy wants the council to court another educational party -- the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools.

At Monday's council meeting, Foy said he hopes to start discussions with the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Board of Education and gain support for affordable housing.

Employer-employee housing, which is a type of affordable housing, would benefit employees working in the school system by allowing them to live in an area of direct contact with their district.

Council member Mark Kleinschmidt said he supports further discussion on the issue because of the large demand for cheaper houses expressed by local residents.

"It's something that we can't afford to drop the ball on," Kleinschmidt said. "I've been a strong supporter of employee housing for a long time."

Kleinschmidt said low-income housing would encourage teachers and education employees to move into the area and help diversify high-income housing in Chapel Hill.

Council member Jim Ward said he agrees that low-income housing is needed in Chapel Hill.

"I think that a number of people would benefit from this housing," Ward said. "It's one way to help our community become more vibrant through diversity."

This isn't the first time the council has explored opportunities for employer-employee housing.

Plans for creating employer-employee housing at the 440 W. Franklin St. building, advocated by former Mayor Rosemary Waldorf, were dropped in January.

Now, the UNC-owned property is slated to house the University's entire Administrative Information Services.

The 440 building, which would have housed University and town employees, would have been financed with state dollars. But council members hope to fend off the budgetary issue with preliminary planning.

Although both Carrboro and Chapel Hill are suffering from municipal budget shortfalls this year, Kleinschmidt said that planning for the housing can take place now.

"Let's start planning now so that when we get out of the recession we can just pull the housing project off of the shelf," Kleinschmidt said.

Ward said now is an awful time for future housing plans to come up but said he doesn't see anything wrong with discussing possible options and exploring the situation as a community.

The employee housing is still in an "embryonic" stage, Kleinschmidt said, noting that the planning is a productive approach to Foy's suggestion to start discussions on the issue.

Before the council makes a decision, the members will explore the school board's interest and discuss the feasibility of employee-employer housing.

No deadline has been set for discussions on the topic, and no date has been set for approaching school board members.

The council hopes to meet later this year, before anything is presented to he school board, to discuss what needs to be done to attract and provide housing for low-income employees like entry-level professionals and teachers.

Kleinschmidt said he hopes the housing project will help the district's low-income employees in the future.

"It's a shame that people who teach the children of the people who can afford to live here can't afford to do the same."

The City Editor can be reached at citydesk@unc.edu.