Photo by Jason Benavides
April 18. By Dave Vieser. With rising rents impacting senior citizens, the Cornelius Town Board approved a one-time rental assistance program with Commissioner Dave Gilroy casting the lone vote in opposition.
The cost to the town will be $50,000, utilizing money from the general fund.
Deputy Town Manager Wayne Herron said the Cornelius Community Development Corp. (CDC) will administer the one-time senior rental assistance program. It will be limited to seniors living in the Town of Cornelius, and the maximum allowance will be half of any proposed rent increase, up to $200/month per rental unit, he explained.
Herron said the program will run through June 2024.
4-1 vote
Dave Gilroy
The vote went 4-1, with Commissioner Dave Gilroy opposed.
“It’s a nice social services mission but in my view it’s not part of the town’s core mission as a municipality so I cannot support this,” Gilroy said as he cast his no vote.
Seniors will be required to submit applications which show they have experienced a rent increase of at least 15 percent. Applicants must also show proof of total earnings of 70 percent of Area Median Income (AMI) or below. The AMI is calculated every year by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
The CDC will be distributing information throughout the town so that eligible seniors will be aware of the process by which they can enroll for the rental assistance program.
Applicants for senior rent relief must be single or married households of persons 55+ on fixed income not employed.
In other business
At Monday’s meeting the commissioners also received public comment on a request from GGW Flex Holdings, based in Charlotte, which seeks to rezone approximately 36 acres on the north side of Bailey Road across from Bailey Road Park. Their proposed project is comprised of five flex office buildings totaling 203,040 square feet.
The property is currently zoned for rural preservation. Public comments were mixed, though most raised concerns about traffic related issues in the area.
Mayor Woody Washam noted that the rezoning was in its earliest review period, and that future public hearings on the project, to be known as the Cornelius Commerce Center, will be held by the Town Planning Board, as well as the full Town Board before any final decision on the zoning is made.
