In my last column I talked about the need for a comprehensive strategy to address the affordable housing issues of our community. Since that column appeared, a group of concerned citizens attended a forum about future growth and density in Chapel Hill. Several people expressed concern about affordable housing and the effectiveness of the Town's 15 percent inclusionary housing policy.

Specifically, there were concerns about (1) redevelopment of existing affordable housing with unaffordable condominiums, (2) providing housing that is large enough for families and (3) providing housing for families that earn more than 80 percent of the median income but less than what is needed to buy the average home.

These are all legitimate concerns, though none is easy to resolve. As the executive director of Orange Community Housing and Land Trust, the organization charged with implementing the inclusionary housing policies of the Town Council and the Board of Aldermen, I have some experience with these issues. Unfortunately, this column alone does not give me enough space to offer a detailed discussion of even one of these concerns. However, I believe we could address each issue, and others, if we take a step back and study the effectiveness of our current policies and determine how those policies could be strengthened to address unmet needs.

As stated by Professor Bill Rohe at the forum, Chapel Hill does a better job of providing affordable housing than most municipalities. In fact, the Town Council's policies have resulted in affordable housing in many new developments, including 32 townhomes in Meadowmont, 30 townhomes in Vineyard Square, 13 single-family homes in Larkspur, 16 condominiums in Meadowmont and 4 single-family homes on Milton Avenue. That's 95 housing units, where individuals and families live in nice neighborhoods and affordable homes. The vast majority of these homeowners earn less than 80 percent of the median income. Without the council's policies, none of those families would be living in those neighborhoods.

The inclusionary policies of both the council and the Board of Aldermen have been successful in generating affordable housing where none would have been built without such policies. The people who live in those homes are happy to have had those opportunities to live close to where they work. So, yes our policies could be improved. But we should recognize that inclusionary housing in Chapel Hill, which through the Land Trust produces permanently affordable homes, has been successful and serves as a model for many other communities nationwide.

(Robert Dowling is the executive director of the Orange Community Housing and Land Trust. Contact him at rdowling@ochlt.org, and tell us what you think of this column at editor@nando.com)