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Home My WebLink AboutAffordable Housing Board - Minutes - 05/01/2003MEETING MINUTES CITY OF FORT COLLINS AFFORDABLE HOUSING BOARD 281 N. College Ave. MAY 1, 2003 Kay Rios, Chair Isabel Garity, Vice Chair Ken Waido, Staff Liaison, 970-221-6753 Marty Tharp, City Council Liaison, 970-484-5711 Board Members Present: Kay Rios, Isabel Garity, Jon Fairchild, Jane Phelan, Denise Rogers and Jeff Taylor Advance Planning Staff Present: Maurice Head Council Members Present: None Also Present: Mickey Willis, Paradigm Realty and Consulting; Grace Harris, League of Women Voters Isabel Garity as vice chair called the meeting to order at 4:07 p.m. A quorum was present by 4:18 P.M. New Business Minutes The minutes from April 3, 2003, were adopted as presented, on a motion from Isabel Garity seconded by Denise Rogers. Motion carried unanimously. Open Public Discussion Mickey Willis made an informational presentation about the proposed Plummer School Affordable Co -Housing Project at Vine Drive and Timberline Road, just outside the Mountain Vista Subarea. Plans call for 24 units, 10 percent targeted to homeowners making 60-80 percent AMI, to be built on 2.07 acres around the historic Plummer School building. The school would form the common house of the co -housing development; the county land would be annexed to the City, with the inclusion of affordable units allowing higher density. The housing units would be a combination of dwellings that could also house small businesses, and would be priced between $110,000 for a one -bedroom to $185,000 for a three -bedroom unit. Mr. Willis is exploring various funding options, including the Fort Collins Housing Authority Community Trust and the City's Private Activity Bond money, but does not want homeowners locked into a 20-year commitment. Isabel Garity spoke as a member of the public on behalf of Nickels and Dimes for Larimer County Child Care Assistance, and distributed a flyer describing How are Our Children?. The Nickels and Dimes campaign, which grew out of the book Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich, targets both awareness of the affects of federal, state and local budget cuts on low-income households and fundraising to support early child care centers. Debriefing on the Competitive Process Maurice Head reviewed the chart outlining the allocation of CDBG and HOME funds for public facilities and housing projects for this Competitive Process cycle. A total of $956,043 was not allocated, in anticipation of new and revised affordable housing projects coming forward in the fall. The entire $210,860 budgeted for public service projects -- 15 percent of available funds -- was allocated to programs with direct benefits to persons in need. Isabel Garity asked that more Board members participate in the project review during the fall cycle of the process. City Plan Update Kay Rios reported that the most recent CAC meeting was dedicated to Transportation issues, but she did not attend due to miscommunication about the date. She will be out of town for the next meeting on May 28, which is scheduled to deal with criteria for modifications to the City's Growth Management Area, and asked for a volunteer to attend. All those present had scheduling conflicts. The Policy Subcommittee will look over the materials for the next meeting when Kay receives them, and send comments to staff to be presented at the meeting. She also emphasized that it is critical for the Board to let City Council know the implications for affordable housing on any criteria developed. Kay also asked if staff could provide information on how many developable sites exist within the current GMA as part of the criteria discussion. Maurice Head said it would take research, but most undeveloped parcels will require some kind of mitigation for infill and that will drive up the cost of development. Old Business Sales Tax Revenue/Reduction of Affordable Housing Funding Maurice Head reported that the City's overall revenues are down 9.6 percent so far this year, and management and staff are exploring all options for cutting back on expenditures to balance the budget. In response to a question from Kay Rios, Maurice added that there are now three "lifestyle" retail centers proposed for Northern Colorado -- one in Windsor, one in Loveland, and one Fort Collins at I-25 and Harmony Road -- but most likely only one will come to fruition. The location will have an impact on future sales tax collection, and staff is working to facilitate the final site selection in Fort Collins. Land Bank Program Update Maurice Head thanked the Board for its support for the $400,000 funding received by the Land Bank Program from the Affordable Housing Fund during the latest Competitive Process. He showed Board members the location of current Land Bank sites: 17 acres south of the 850-unit Provincetown development that will eventually include 255 affordable units; 4.7 acres on Kechter Road near the new Zach Elementary School; 8 acres at Horsetooth Stables at Horsetooth Road and Dunbar St.; and a proposed 8-acre site for housing development at the Prospect interchange of I-25. Development of affordable housing at these sites will begin once infrastructure is in place for surrounding projects, anywhere from five to ten years, depending on the site. The City is realizing some income from rentals and grazing fees while the land remains undeveloped. Additional site studies are underway at the Horsetooth site, and Maurice confirmed that in their current state all the sites have some limited buildability issues that should be mitigated as surrounding sites are developed. The total number of units that could be developed on the parcels now in the Land Bank is between 300 and 360. Update/Reports on Subcommittee Efforts None Liaison Reports Kay Rios reported that the Senior Advisory Board had written a budget recommendation letter to City Council supporting the Affordable Housing Board's recommendations. The Volunteers of America has a project targeting households at 30 percent of AMI in the pipeline near Horsetooth Stables. Senior housing complexes throughout the City are full; the Northern Hotel is also full, although half of the units are occupied by non -seniors using Section 8 vouchers. She also reported that the Office on Aging funding for rural trips has been exhausted, so Dial -A -Ride is no longer offering that service, even for medical needs. Negotiations with the City for federal and nonprofit funding are continuing; although need is hard to document, anecdotally seniors are feeling the lack of service. Other Business Affordable Housing Program Developer Information Packet Maurice Head distributed the reference booklet and asked for comments from the Board. He explained it is sent out to developers requesting information about Fort Collins, and contains maps, descriptions of housing programs, a copy of the City's Structure Plan and lots of useful information. Kay Rios asked Mickey Willis for his opinion as a developer; he asked if it would be possible to summarize the impact -fee waiver ordinance, which is printed verbatim in the booklet. Maurice said in most cases, interested developers call for more information and clarification, and a brief summary of the housing programs is in the packet. Windsor Workforce Housing Plan Maurice Head referenced an article from the Coloradoan about Windsor's plan to develop workforce housing, saying that the City is a resource for the plan. He added that the most recent Multifamily Housing Survey showed that vacancy rates in Fort Collins are now near 13 percent. Kay Rios asked if it was possible to document where the former tenants had gone. Jeff Taylor said that while it probably doesn't account for the entire 13 percent, there has been a significant increase in first time homeownership, with many taking advantage of the Homebuyer's Assistance Program funded by CDBG. Absence Jon Fairchild announced that impending nuptials will keep him from meetings in June, July and perhaps August. The Board wishes him and his new bride all the very best. Next meeting June 5, 2003, 4 p.m., at 281 N. College. Meeting adjourned 5 p.m. Respectfully submitted by Kate Jeracki May 61 2nni -9�/ �63