BY STACIE LETT CAIN
The Mooresville Town Board of Commissioners voted Monday night to designate itself as a housing authority but with limited powers.
The Mooresville Planning and Community Development Department asked the board to adopt a resolution to authorize the town board to exercise the powers, duties and responsibilities of a housing authority. Statutory authority grants the local government the power to acquire property, construct affordable housing and convey property at market value.
Granting itself the power of a housing authority could also give it the power to operate housing projects, provide critical repairs, improvement or other alterations for housing projects, and acquire, dispose, lease or exchange property at or below market value for affordable housing projects. But some on the board wanted no part of that additional power.
“Something like this could get us in a lot of trouble,” Commissioner Gary West warned. “This gets us into doing evictions. It never ends up well if the government ends up in the landlord business. Limiting the power given to the authority still gives us everything we need without getting us into the business of being a landlord.”
“We don’t want to get to a place where we are running projects,” Mayor Chris Carney explained. “We don’t want to be landlords to these projects. But I do understand that the staff is recommending full authority to avoid tripping over any possible obstacles in the future.”
One of two findings of fact must be present for a town to elect to become a housing authority per statute. First, a finding of insanitary or unsafe inhabited dwelling accommodations exists within the town and said surrounding area; and/or second, there is a lack of safe or sanitary dwelling accommodations in the city and surrounding area available for inhabitants.
According to the HOME Consortium report, there is a lack of safe or sanitary dwelling accommodations in the Town of Mooresville. Therefore, staff recommended allowing the city full power as a housing authority. But that was more power than the majority of the town commissioners wanted, voting for the lesser authority option 4 to 2, with the possibility of revisiting the vote in 60 days with further information from the staff.
OTHER BUSINESS
The Board also voted to limit vehicle traffic to a section of East Moore Avenue, between the Charles Mack Community Center and 185 N. Main Street. According to David Cole of Planning and Community Development, the area will be used for pedestrian traffic as soon as this week.
“This would be a full, permanent closure to everyday traffic,” Cole explained. “This is in coordination with the Downtown Streetscape Master Plan.”
Standard barriers would be put up immediately, and within 10 days more decorative seasonal planters will be in place.
“I’m really excited about where this is going,” Mayor Carney said. “It’s a great thing to make our downtown area more walkable and have people down there enjoying the area.”
UPCOMING PUBLIC HEARINGS
The Board of Commissioners scheduled public hearings for the following:
♦ Brumley Farms, 1304 Oakridge Farm Highway, will be held December 2;
♦ Cascadia on Langtree Road will be held January 21; and
♦ Mooresville Village, 1814 Mecklenburg Highway, scheduled for December 16