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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAFFORDABLE HOUSING BOARD - MINUTES - 04/04/2024AFFORDABLE HOUSING BOARD REGULAR MEETING 4 /4 /2024 – M I N U TE S Page 1 April 4, 2024, 4:00-6:00pm Colorado River Room, 222 Laporte Ave CALL TO ORDER At 4:03 PM the meeting was called to order by John Singleton. 1. ROLL CALL • Board Members Present:  John Singleton, Chair  Jennifer Bray  Stefanie Berganini  Claire Bouchard  Josh Beard • Board Members Recusing:  Bob Pawlikowski, Vice Chair  Kristin Fritz, Ex Officio • 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 • Guests Present: • Carly Johansson • Lisa Cunningham • Liz Young Winne • Marilyn Heller • Preston Nakayama 2. AGENDA REVIEW – No changes. 3. CITIZEN PARTICIPATION Marilyn Heller from the League of Women’s Voters shared that the League of Women’s Voters will be hosting a panel titled “Skyrocketing Housing Prices! Why?”. The event will take place on April 11th from 6:30pm-8:30pm at the Fort Collins Senior Center and can also be viewed online via Zoom. The presentation will be recorded and available to view on the League of Women’s Voters website after the event. Liz Young Winne, who will be joining the Affordable Housing Board as a member in July, introduced herself to the Board. AFFORDABLE HOUSING BOARD REGULAR MEETING 4 /4 /2024 – M I N U TE S Page 2 4. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Jennifer Bray motioned to approve the March 7 Regular Meeting Minutes. Stefanie Berganini seconded. Claire Bouchard and Josh Beard abstained since they were not members in March. Approved 3-0. 5. NEW BUSINESS A. Introduction of New Board Members • Sue Beck-Ferkiss explained that due to quorum issues, the City Clerk’s office appointed Claire Bouchard and Josh Beard to the Affordable Housing Board early on April 1 (their terms would have otherwise begun in July). The other two new board members will begin on July 1. Claire, Josh, and the existing Board members introduced themselves to one another. B. Ranking of Housing Applications for the Competitive Process • 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 reminded board members that although they engage in ranking the housing applications, they do not make funding recommendations. Several board members followed up with clarifying questions for Beth. • Board members engaged in discussion and agreed on the following: • All applications are for great projects that deserve funding support. This was a very difficult round understanding that all applications were for worthy projects and that the amount of funding available was not sufficient to fund all applications. • Some board members prioritized projects that provided more units and/or were able to serve a greater number of residents. • Some projects were prioritized based on their readiness to proceed while others were ranked lower due to being in the earlier stages of the development process and not being as time sensitive as new construction projects. • The board expressed their appreciation for the variety of projects submitted this year. Noting that non-traditional projects (such as the Homeowner Tree Removal Assistance Program, L’Arche Homes at Heartside Hill, and the Larimer Home Improvement 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 continue receiving more project proposals like this in future years. • Applications ranked in order of priority: • Housing Catalyst – Village on Eastbrook • Loveland Housing Authority – Larimer Home Improvement Program • L’Arche Fort Collins – L’Arche Homes at Heartside Hill AFFORDABLE HOUSING BOARD REGULAR MEETING 4 /4 /2024 – M I N U TE S Page 3 • CARE Housing – Greenbriar-Windtrail Rehab • Housing Catalyst – Remington Parking Lot • Habitat for Humanity – Harmony Cottages • City of Fort Collins Forestry Division – Homeowner Hazard Tree Removal Assistance Program • The Szanton Company – 302 Conifer Stefanie Berganini 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. Claire Bouchard seconded. Jennifer Bray abstained. Approved 4-0. 6. BOARD MEMBER REPORTS a. Meeting Logistics • The Board will continue to have hybrid meetings for the remainder of 2024. b. Liaison Reports • None. 7. OTHER BUSINESS None. 8. ADJOURNMENT Meeting adjourned at 6:27 PM.