90 Virginian Lane: 221-home plan shelved, site to run as RV park through 2028

A staff report from Housing Director April Norton recommends releasing an RFP/RFQ for RV park management services and running 90 Virginian Lane as a managed RV park through the 2027 and 2028 summer seasons, with some spaces prioritized for government employees, rather than restarting construction toward the previously planned 221 deed-restricted homes staff report. Staff also want to hire a strategic-planning consultant to update the Housing Action Plan and commission a new $150,000-to-$200,000 Regional Housing Needs Assessment before committing to a long-term development approach, and to hold off hiring a permanent Housing Director until that approach is set.

The record shows the joint bodies already tried and failed to salvage the project: on May 11, 2026, a motion to move forward based on staff's Pennrose-based recommendation failed 1-4 in both the Town Council and County Commission joint meeting minutes. On August 3, 2026, the County Commission voted 3-2 and the Town Council voted 3-2 to terminate negotiations with Pennrose LLC altogether joint meeting minutes. The Housing Authority bought the 5.15-acre site for $28 million in 2023; since 2022 the county has built 480 deed-restricted homes against a target of 2,000 by 2027, leaving the resident workforce share around 57%, short of the program's 65% goal staff report.

Staff's own report flags that housing mitigation fees, the program's other funding leg alongside SPET, face ongoing challenges at the state legislature.