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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAffordable Housing Board - Minutes - 04/06/2023AFFORDABLE HOUSING BOARD REGULAR MEETING 04/06/2023 – M I N U TES Page 1 April 6, 2023, 4:00-6:00pm Online via Zoom CALL TO ORDER At 4:01 PM the meeting was called to order by John Singleton. 1. ROLL CALL • Board Members Present: John Singleton, Ed Hermsen, Jennifer Bray, Stefanie Berganini, and Sheila Seaver-Davis (joined in progress). Bob Pawlikowski and Kristin Fritz recused themselves from discussion. • Staff Members Present: • Sue Beck-Ferkiss, Staff Liaison – City of Fort Collins • Beth Rosen, Social Sustainability – City of Fort Collins • Tamra Leavenworth, Minutes – City of Fort Collins • Council Liaison Present: Susan Gutowsky • Guests Present: • Anais Campbell • Dustin Barrington • Lisa Cunningham • Marilyn Heller • Tammy Breeding 2. AGENDA REVIEW – No changes. 3. CITIZEN PARTICIPATION • Marilyn Heller – Member of the League of Women’s Voters announced the League of Women’s Voters Affordable Housing Team Presentations that will be held on Zoom Thursday, April 20 from 7pm-9pm. The presentation will also be recorded and uploaded to the League of Women’s Voters website. • Anais Campbell – Adult Advocate at the Arc of Larimer County – an organization that supports individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Anais works with individuals struggling to find and obtain affordable housing. Anais attended the meeting to include The Arc of Larimer County in the conversation around affordable housing, and to learn more about what is currently happening with affordable housing in the City of Fort Collins. AFFORDABLE HOUSING BOARD REGULAR MEETING 04/06/2023 – M I N U TES Page 2 4. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Stefanie Berganini motioned to approve the March 29 Joint Work Session with the Human Services and Housing Funding Board. Jennifer Bray seconded. Approved 4-0. Bob Pawlikowski and Kristin Fritz did not vote due to their recusal from the work session. Ed Hermsen abstained due to absence at the March 29 joint work session. Bob Pawlikowski motioned to approve the March 2 Regular Meeting Minutes. Kristin Fritz seconded. Approved 7-0. 5. NEW BUSINESS A. Board Discussion on Community Engagement • The Board discussed the importance of focusing on increasing community engagement in 2023, which includes increasing awareness about projects the Board is working on and policies related to affordable housing in Fort Collins. The Board also discussed ways in which they can gather more community feedback so that these perspectives can be integrated into the Board’s decisions. • Several ideas were discussed, including but not limited to community education, partnering with organizations involved in affordable housing projects, making the Board’s activities more easily accessible to the public, publishing affordable housing pieces in local publications, creating QR codes to be posted in public spaces, and creating an online form where community members can share their thoughts and opinions with the Board. • John Singleton suggested that the Affordable Housing Board attend the Land Use Code Event that will be held at the Lincoln Center on May 6 so they can be available to answer community questions. B. 2023 Spring Competitive Process – Ranking of Affordable Housing Applications • Beth Rosen, Grants Compliance & Policy Manager at the City of Fort Collins, joined the Affordable Housing Board members for a presentation regarding the City’s housing goals and the evaluation of housing proposals entering the competitive grant process’s alignment with those goals. The presentation offered insight into the different components of a project proposal, including but not limited to the income of the populations being served, funding history, debt service ratio, and total City subsidy per unit. Beth Rosen reminded the Board that although the Board engages in ranking the Affordable Housing Applications, they do not make funding recommendations. Several board members followed up with clarifying questions for Beth Rosen. • Board members engaged in discussion and agreed on the following: • All applications are for great projects that deserve funding support. • Some board members prioritized projects that provided more units and/or were able to serve a greater number of residents. AFFORDABLE HOUSING BOARD REGULAR MEETING 04/06/2023 – M I N U TES Page 3 • The board expressed their appreciation for the variety of projects submitted this year. Noting that non-traditional projects (such as L’Arche Homes at Heartside Hill and the Homeowner Tree Removal Assistance Program) provided a more holistic view of housing needs and supports, and broadened the scope of what it means to provide equitable housing. The Board hopes to receive more project proposals like this in future years. • Applications ranked in order of priority: • CARE Housing – Heartside Hill • Elevation Community Land Trust – Kechter Townhomes • Villages Ltd – 2155 West Plum • Habitat for Humanity – Harmony Cottages • L’Arche Fort Collins – L’Arche Homes at Heartside Hill • City of Fort Collins Forestry Division – Homeowner Tree Removal Assistance Program Jennifer Bray motioned to recommend the current rankings and for the Board Chair to send the rankings and comments to the Human Services and Housing Funding Board. Stefanie Berganini seconded. Approved 5-0. Bob Pawlikowski and Kristin Fritz abstained. 6. BOARD MEMBER REPORTS None. 7. OTHER BUSINESS None. 8. ADJOURNMENT Meeting adjourned at 6:11 P.M. Minutes were finalized and approved by the Affordable Housing Board on May 4, 2023.