(Amended and Updated 2026)
The City of Morganton, with all of Burke County, is currently experiencing a housing shortage. Recent studies, as well as the 2018 Downtown Masterplan, the 2023 Burke County Housing Needs Assessment, and statistics compiled by WPCOG, indicate there
is a need for housing of all types in Morganton. During the period 2019-2021, building permits were issued in Morganton for only 266 multi-family dwelling units and 70 single family units. For the years from 2022 to 2025, building permits were issued in
Morganton for 184 multi-family dwelling units and 78 single family units. The Downtown Masterplan indicated that Morganton could support 1,100 housing units within a ten minute walk of downtown. Throughout the City and the County, the need for housing is recognized as a top priority, and is critical to economic development also. A 2023 Burke County Housing Needs Assessment report estimated that the County had an overall housing gap of 4,822 units for rental and for-sale products. In that study, it was projected that Burke County had a five-year rental housing gap of 1,499 units and a for sale housing gap of 3,323 units (2023 Housing Needs Assessment, Burke County, North Carolina, Bowen National Research, page 11-16).
There are a variety of programs administered by the State through the North Carolina Housing Finance Agency (NCHFA) that support and promote affordable housing development. The City has worked with and continues to work with developers to place these types of projects in Morganton. Over the years, the City has incentivized housing development through low interest loans. These loan programs have yielded four second-floor housing units in downtown Morganton and 12 single-family townhome units on underutilized land in downtown. More recently, this housing stimulus program has facilitated a townhome development on Beacon Avenue off of Fletcher Street which currently has 7 units constructed, and which has infrastructure in place for the construction of additional townhome units, and a 7 lot subdivision for single family homes on Carriage Park Lane off of Shore Drive in Morganton, known as Rockyford Street Subdivision.
In 1993-1994 the City was experiencing a lack of new subdivisions being created that led to a shortage of single-family lots for purchase and development. At that time, the City staff introduced, and the Council approved and funded an infrastructure assistance program to support new subdivision development. The program was funded for several fiscal years and ultimately yielded five new subdivisions with 107 single-family lots. The assistance provided funding for water and sewer infrastructure necessary to develop and serve newly created subdivisions.
The City staff believes that today's housing crisis warrants public assistance to encourage the development of single-family units, both detached and attached, in Morganton. In order to continue growing our economy, people must be able to invest in housing in our community. The quality-of-life features in a community are supported by dollars spent outside of the workplace. Additionally, a workforce that lives in the community is more apt to take pride in, use, and promote all that is offered. By
resolution adopted September 6, 2021, City Council approved this housing stimulus incentive program. The guidelines and policies for this program are amended and updated as of April, 2026.