Saturday, September 5, 2026
By Mark Jurkowitz | Outer Banks Voice on July 7, 2026
The daunting and persistent challenge of generating more affordable housing in Dare County took center stage at the July 7 Dare County Board of Commissioners meeting with presentations by officials of the Dare Housing Foundation (DHF) and the Dare Education Foundation (DEF).
The housing initiatives outlined by the two organizations are in significantly different phases. DHF Chair Donna Creef provided an update on its first months of work as a nonprofit that is in the process of shaping a plan to generate some of that housing. The Outer Banks Voice – ‘It’s not going to happen overnight’
DEF Executive Director Ben Sproul came to the Commissioners with a “shovel ready” plan to add 12 housing units for the county’s teachers at the Run Hill Ridge development, which now has 24 units. After his presentation, the Board approved committing $1.15 million dollars for the 12 new units at the site. Asked about a timeline for that project to be completed, Sproul put it at about 15 months.
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In her remarks to the Commissioners, Creef outlined the operation and goals of the DHF per request of the Board, which has allocated $200,000 a year to the Foundation for two years. Creef also told the Board that several Dare County towns have allocated money for the DHF in their recently passed budgets, but acknowledged she has not yet received official notice of that.
Creef indicated that to date, the DHF has spent a little more than $17,000 on a variety of expenses from office equipment to insurance and rent. The DHF board, which consists of volunteers, meets once a month and the group received its 501c3 tax exempt charitable status from the IRS in February 2026.
Addressing the Foundation goals, she cited a previous county estimate that about 3,000 new housing units were needed to remedy the problem. But “we realize at the Housing Foundation that that may be unrealistic for us because we have no dedicated funding source,” she added.
The plan, Creef said, it to “operate and hopefully build units on a much smaller scale,” citing a concept plan that calls for a mixture of single-family homes and “four-units-under-one structure” projects that will forego the large developments that were proposed, unsuccessfully, by Dare County’s former housing partners, Woda Cooper and Coastal Affordable Housing.
In the presentation, Creef explained that the DHF is focused on a community land trust housing model in which a homeowner can purchase the building from the trust that owns the land and sets the price of the home. It also allows the homeowner to sell the home back to the trust, which could then be resold and still remain affordable. She explained that under the model, homeowners would be required, among other things, to live and work in Dare County.
To illustrate that affordability, Creef displayed a chart that shows a median home price in Colington and Roanoke Island of about $500,000, which would require a household income of about $150,000. The community land trust model, she said, could build a home for $300,000, which would result in smaller monthly payments and require a $91,000 household income—a number very close to the average in Dare County.
“We think $300,000 is the sweet spot, if you will,” Creef stated.
During her remarks, Commissioners Rob Ross and Carson Creef raised questions about the numbers in the presentation, leading Donna Creef to note that the community land trust concept is “not the perfect answer, but it’s a good solution.” Board Chair Bob Woodard lent his support following the presentation, stating that “we’re on the right path.”
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In his July 7 presentation to the Commissioners, Sproul reviewed the history of the DEF’s teacher housing initiative in Dare County. The 24 units at the Run Hill Ridge location were built in 2008 and 12 more were constructed in Buxton in 2011. Currently, a teacher tenant can live in that housing for no more than four years.
The new project originally called for adding 8 units in the 1,100 sq. foot to 1,200 sq. foot range to the Run Hill Ridge development. But the DEF ended up proposing 12 new units at a cost of $4.7 million that includes very favorable financing terms from TowneBank and $1.15 million from the county. While he acknowledged that “we haven’t nailed it down yet,” Sproul estimated that rent for the units would be in the neighborhood of $1,500 a month.
A presentation slide stressed the need for below-market teacher housing, stating that “the expansion provides immediate relief to educators who are currently commuting long distances or struggling with market-rate housing costs that can exceed 50% of their income.”
Pointing to the demand for affordable teacher housing in Dare County, Sproul stressed that the additional units would be important to “our own efforts to recruit and retain the best and brightest teachers.” Dare County Schools Superintendent Steve Basnight told the Commissioners that currently, there are 19 people on the waiting list for Run Hill Ridge.
Following the presentation and a question-and-answer period, the Commissioners unanimously voted to support the larger 12-unit project, drawing applause from those in room.
Comments
Tyrrell Johnson
Come on, stop the nonsense. We all know you don’t want to risk my people from moving into your perfect slice of Earth by daring to provide real affordable housing solutions.
Jay
Hire teachers and offer them reduced rate apartment in a teachers compound. In 3-5 years when they what to join the community and can’t afford to buy here what happens? Will they move on?
I think I would rather see mortgage assistance given out with the understanding if a savvy teacher flips the property the taxpayers get reimbursed.
HelpMe
Who is deemed worthy to qualify for affordable housing? I want affordable housing. I work 2 jobs so I can live here. My mortgage takes most of my paycheck. It has been some rough years for me and my family. Can I qualify for a refund on a percentage of my mortgage payments because it is too steep of a payment? Silly Rabbit, life isn’t that way.
What happened to the businesses that would buy houses to House their workers? Why should I subsidize housing for a business? Do I get a share of their profits? NO.
Name ONE TOURIST DESTINATION that has affordable housing. When you find them, go to them and look at their Affordable Housing Plan. Go Ahead. I will wait!
Part Time OBX
There is plenty of land and space on the Mainland for your government assisted housing. Just because someone renames government funding as grant money to a ‘Foundation’ to hide the fact, or soften the public view, is still government funded housing. At that has no place on the beach side. Don’t fall for the bait and switch! That pandora’s box is not worth opening.
Common Sense
That may be right?
13% of the U.S. population perpetuate 85% of all crime.
PThe County has no business getting involved with this. They shouldn’t have to be landlords over what is an oxymoron. Affordable housing on the beach?
It’s a waste of time. Tax payers money should not be used for housing.
How about starting a high school program that teaches and offers job offers . Maybe business incentives to college students when they are off in the summer? Provide host families that are willing to take in these students for the summer? The Swinging Mullets have host families for players?
Thats how it used to be on the OBX.
What has changed?
Mark Jurkowitz | Outer Banks Voice
Not sure what crime has to do with this.
libby
How about instead of spending all this money to fund affordable housing for teachers, just increase the salaries of teachers and EMS. Everyone knows the shortest distance between 2 points is a straight line!
Two Non-Profits
A Tale of Two Non-Profits.
The Dare County Board of Education and the non-profit Dare Education Foundation have had a very successful subsidized housing program for teachers and other local government employees for 20 years. They received some some funds from the county but 90% of the funds come from the rents paid by the teachers, that are used to pay down the mortgage. The first of 36 units were built in 2006 and this year they will pay off the mortgage. They are now planning to build 12 more units, again with some support from the county but mostly funded by a mortgage from a local bank. This has been a very successful well managed housing program that has broad support from local residents and taxpayers. It also sets a good example for other local employers of how a responsible employer can provide housing for their employees.
The new non-profit Dare Housing Foundation (DHF) was spawned from the Dare County Housing Task Force with the support of $400,000 from the county. The task force and now the DHF were created by the county commissioners in response to pressure from the chamber of commerce to provide taxpayer subsidized housing, not for local government employees but for the employees of the businesses that run the chamber of commerce and the other local associations, realtors, builders. restaurants, motels/hotels, etc. It is against NC state law for a county to spend taxpayer funds to directly build and operate subsidized housing. As “Part Time OBX” says, the non-profit DHF is just a legal loophole for the county to spend taxpayer funds to provide subsidized housing. Thus far the subsidized housing efforts orchestrated by the county have been a consistent pattern of wasted funds and crony deals, that accomplished nothing. Their new DHF efforts to use taxpayer funds and free county property to provide subsidized housing to the general public will continue to have very low support from local residents and taxpayers.
The county commissions are still sitting on about $10 million of taxpayer funds left over from the Woda-Cooper debacle, which they intend to waste on their DHF efforts. Instead of wasting this money, the best use for those county housing funds would be to give the money to the Board of Education and the Dare Education Foundation so they can build more housing for teachers and other local government employees. This would have broad support from the local residents and taxpayers.
Travis
It’s a solution aimed at the public sector jobs initially but you have to start somewhere:
How about build your housing complexes that are just for county or town employees (including teachers). They rent there for a reasonable rate based on whatever their salary is. As part of the deal, the town or county puts aside x percentage of their salary, with matching funds, in a savings account, similar to a 401K. Money the employee cannot use or access. That money is designated for use down the road to buy property in Dare County to establish a permanent residency.
There would have to be some kind of consequence for quitting the government job or buying property outside of Dare…the employee gets their invested money back but the matching part is refunded to the county/town, for example.
Property costs are not coming down, so giving people a head start in buying the home could be a solution. And if it works for the government workers, then find a way to expand this to the private sector.
Wilson
Living by the ocean is a privilege, not a right. There are plenty of affordable places to live inland.
VRBO baby
The problem is still with Air B&B’s. There would be plenty of housing and rental units if we didn’t have those. There are hundreds of homes/apartments that could be long term rented or bought.
We have plenty of home here, they are just used as a source of online income.
Common sense
In no way should Dare County tax payers spend a dime on an oxymoron!
Affordable housing on the OBX!
This County Government need not be landlords for this.
How about incentives for high schoolers, maybe get them to WORK?
As for college students, all you who believe in affordable housing?
Maybe host college students during the summer? The Swinging Mullets players have host families?
Politically Correct
I’m not “homeless”..
I’m ” un housed”..
What a crock! There is no affordable housing here in OBX. Everything has turned into a Task Force, a Foundation, a non- profit Grant and so on..
BeachGirl
All the Dr.s and most medical specialist’s have left the Outer Banks either due to housing or Hospital takeover.
Hopefully,Teachers, Police, Firefighters, etc..can afford to stay.
The rest of us are hanging on.
mike
We need more nurses and medical staff here on the southern part of the OBX, teachers can’t go to school if they’re sick. There’s a relatively new facility here in Hatteras Village that sits empty and is constantly being maintained by the county. Why is it empty, ‘affordable housing’
Derek G
Where is all this land in mainland dare county. Most of it is marsh or swamp owned by the federal government. Dare county does own the landfill. The communities there have very little available land for sale.
Steven
2010 Hatteras Island
Paid $80K property, $80K to build 1’000 sq.ft. house, $40K down, $630 monthly, plus insurance.
Thankful..
Common sense
C’mon, those who think that the mainland cannot be built on?
Those who just landed here most likely do not know of the Pirates Cove story. The property that you see on the other side of the road from Pirates cove is what it was built on.
Ideally somewhere off of 64/264. Gateway would be a good location and I believe that the county owns that?
But the county should not be landlords and county taxpayers money should not be used.