HomeMy WebLinkAboutAffordable Housing Board - Minutes - 02/05/2009CITY OF FORT COLLINS
AFFORDABLE HOUSING BOARD
MEETING MINUTES
281 N. College Ave.
Fort Collins, Colorado
February 5, 2009 �r
Denise Rogers, Chair 'r
Ken Waido, Staff Liaison, 970-221-6753
City Council Liaison: Lisa Poppaw
Board Members Present: Denise Rogers (late arrival), Ben Blonder, Dan Byers, Pete
Tippett, and George Bryan.
Board Members Absent: Marie Edwards and Ashley Monahan.
Advance Planning Department Staff Present: Ken Waido and Megan Woodman.
Council Members Present: None.
Board Vice -Chair Ben Blonder called meeting to order at 4:04 PM.
Open Public Discussion (Maximum of 10 minutes).
Cheryl Distaso, from the Village Earth organization, informed the Board that the .music
venue project adjacent to the Buckingham neighborhood was being pulled from further
consideration and believed this was due to concerns over noise levels. And, she indicated
that amendments to the 3-Unrelated Ordinance had been pulled :from last Tuesday's City
Council agenda. She asked why such an ordinance that affects low income residents was
not previously reviewed by the Board.
New Business.
Approval of Minutes: January 8, 2009 meeting.
George Bryan moved to approve minutes from January 8`h meeting and was seconded by
Ben Blonder. Vote was 4 — 0 in favor of the motion.
Pathways Past Poverty
Nicolle Gregg, Community Investment Associate & Pathways Past Poverty Coordinator,
from United Way of Larimer County, had a family emergency and was not able to attend
the meeting. The item will be rescheduled to the March Board meeting.
Board Involvement in the BFO Process
Staff reviewed the general process used duung the last Budgeting for Outcomes (BFO)
process in 2007 and indicated the Board will likely be selected as one of the City's
Boards and Commissions to provide input and review during the 2009 BFO process.
Details will be forthcoming regarding the Board's involvement.
Old Business.
Liaison Reports.
There were no liaison reports.
Other Business.
Board member George Bryan and Blue Hovatter presented information regarding a
proposal to utilize former slipping containers (the types used for trans -oceanic voyages)
as a "raw material" for affordable housing units. They showed examples of how the units
could look and provided the names of some communities where actual projects had been
developed. They would like to utilize this technique in Fort Collins to develop 120 units
near the Buckingham neighborhood. They were requesting that the Board "sponsor" this
project.
There was much discussion on the role of the .Board and how it could not be involved
with the project primarily in order to maintain their objectivity as a recommending body
to the City Council regarding the use of available City financial assistance through the
competitive process. Staff listed several agencies (e,g., the Fort Collins Housing
Corporation) that could be used as a lead agency for such a pioj ect.
Open Board Discussion.
Staff provided the Board with the following information:
Caribou Apartments: Marc Hend.ircks had called to inform staff that Phase I of the
Caribou Apartments project has been completed and that the 97 units were 100% leased.
He indicated at he has submitted an application to CHFA for Tax Credits for Phase II.
CHFA has received about 22 applications, totaling $20 million, for the $3.6 million
available, so competition is tough.
Affordable Housing Needs and Strategies Report: The State funding for the joint effort
between the City, Loveland, and Larimer County to provide needs analysis data hit a snag
when it was determined that State CDBG fiends could not be used because Fort Collins
and Loveland were entitlement recipients of their own CDBG funds. An option to utilize
State Energy Impact Funds is being investigated, but those funds require between a 25%
and 50% local match. Staff indicated the City can no longer wait and is starting on its
own to do the project for the City in order to fit into the BFO process and the need to
update the Consolidate Plan.
Meeting adjourned at 5:15 PM