Navigating The Housing Maze: Lesson's from Burlington for Cherokee County - with Dan Thrailkill

In this home-grown edition of the podcast, I do the unthinkable: Talk about politics! Now before you get excited, know that we won't be talking about partisan politics or D.C. powerbrokers. Instead, I sit down with Woodstock entrepreneur and community-builder Dan Thrailkill to talk about a topic that’s hitting home for a lot of us: why housing feels so out of reach—and what we can actually do about it right here in Cherokee County. We look at Burlington’s community land trust experiment and how well it really worked before digging into our own county’s proposed “land bank.” Dan helps me break down the trade-offs, like how these programs affect nearby property values and whether they truly help first-time buyers. Listen in as we discuss the five L’s of affordability (land, labor, lumber, laws, lending) and why density doesn’t have to be a dirty word. We get into micro-units, zoning rules that quietly drive up costs, and the choices that help younger families and retirees alike. Most importantly, we talk about what retirees can do to influence the direction of their community: show up, ask better questions, and advocate for smart policies rather than “do something” shortcuts. If you care about housing, your neighborhood, your kids’ future here—or just want to understand how these decisions actually get made—this conversation will give you something to think about.