RE: Orange County Tax Exemption Denial (Perry Place)
Nancy Freeman
Good afternoon Chairwoman Bedford & fellow Commissioners,
I wanted to update you on the decision made at this afternoon's Board of Equalization and Review meeting as related to the appeal of the denial of application for exemption under NCGS 105-278.6(e) for property known as PIN 9778932136 in the name of Merritt Mill Apartments LLC. CASA is a non-profit organization that is 100% managing member of this property.
The Board of Equalization and Review voted to approve the application for exemption under NCGS 105-278.6(e).
Additionally, based on information recently provided by the appellant, during the hearing the Tax Office notified the Board members that we no longer contested the approval of the application for exemption.
I am available if you have questions.
Best,
Nancy Freeman, Director
Orange County Tax Administration
228 S. Churton St, PO Box 8181, Hillsborough, NC 27278 | office: (919) 245-2735 | nfre...@orangecountync.gov
CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: All email messages, including any attachments, generated from or received by this account are the property of Orange County Government and as such are considered public domain and are subject to the North Carolina Public Records Law. Certain confidential information may be transmitted and any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply email and destroy all copies of the original message.
From: Rachel Eberhard <rebe...@casanc.org>
Sent: Thursday, September 14, 2023 9:44 AM
To: ALL_BOCC_MANAGER_CLERK <OCB...@orangecountync.gov>
Cc: Bonnie Hammersley <bhamm...@orangecountync.gov>; Sharron M Hinton <shi...@orangecountync.gov>; Chad Archer <c...@blancolaw.com>;
Everett McElveen <emce...@casanc.org>
Subject: [EXTERNAL MAIL!] Orange County Tax Exemption Denial (Perry Place)
Importance: High
Greetings Chairwoman Bedford & fellow Commissioners,
I’m writing to inform you that CASA will be appearing before the Orange County Board of Equalization and Review today at 2:45PM to appeal the reversal of our tax exemption status for Perry Place that took place on August 8th, 2023. It is our understanding that the County is taking issue with the project’s ownership structure and whether the real property is “owned by . . . [a] nonprofit organization providing housing for individuals or families with low or moderate incomes” within the meaning of Section 105-278.6(a)(8). The ownership structure for Perry Place is a common structure for low-income housing tax credit projects, including that of DHIC’s Greenfield Place in Chapel Hill, and is addressed in a landmark appellate decision made between Blue Ridge Housing of Bakersville, LLC and Mitchell County, NC in 2013.
Should our appeal be denied, there will be a fundamental shift in the financial viability of Perry Place that will have a detrimental impact on CASA’s ability to maintain and operate the community. The project’s tax exemption status is a key part of what allows CASA and other non-profit owners & developers of tax credit projects to serve populations earning the lowest of incomes. The outcome of our appeal also has the possibility to negatively impact future affordable development within Orange County, including the recently awarded Tanyard Branch Trace with Community Home Trust and CASA’s future tax credit project in Hillsborough.
The County has been an integral partner in the work we’ve accomplished at Perry Place, and I will keep the Board informed of our next steps.
We appreciate your time & continued support,
Rachel Eberhard
Real Estate Developer
624 W Jones Street, Raleigh NC 27603
Mobile: 703.582.2645
Office: 919.307.3454
Please send invoices to cas...@avidbill.com
Find us on Facebook | Follow us on Instagram | www.casanc.org