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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCommunity Development Block Grant Commission - Minutes - 10/17/2013COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT COMMISSION FUNDING DELIBERATIONS MEETING APPROVED Minutes 215 N. MASON STREET, FORT COLLINS OCTOBER 17, 2013, 6:00 P.M. COMMISSION MEMBERS PRESENT STAFF PRESENT Kay Rios, Chair Catherine Costlow Jennifer Harvey Anita Basham Jamaal Curry Heidi Phelps Robert Browning Margaret Long Beth Rosen Gordon Coombes Kristin Stephens Sharon Thomas OTHERS PRESENT: Representatives from the Fort Collins Housing Authority; John McGee, former Executive Director, Crossroads Safehouse; Kate Jeracki, Note Taker The meeting was called to order by Chair Kay Rios at 6:00 p.m. The purpose of the meeting was to make recommendations for funding allocations during the 2013 Fall Cycle of the Competitive Process. The Commission deliberated on seven Housing requests and two Public Facility requests. HO‐1 City of Fort Collins Homebuyers Assistance program ‐‐ $100,000 (Affordable Housing Fund) requested Bob Browning moved the Commission fully fund HO‐1. Jamaal Curry seconded. Browning said this is a good project that serves a serious need in the community. Curry agreed. Motion passed unanimously. Full funding approved. HO‐2 City of Fort Collins Homebuyers Assistance program – $100,000 (HOME funds) requested Bob Browning moved that the Commission fully fund HO‐2. Jamaal Curry seconded. Browning said this program is worthy of support for the same reasons as HO‐1. Curry agreed. Motion passed unanimously. Full funding approved. 2 HO‐3 CARE Housing Provincetowne Phase II ‐‐ $375,000 requested Bob Browning moved the Commission approve zero funding for HO‐3. Jamaal Curry seconded. Browning said this was a good project, but there were financial considerations that could tie up the funds for some time. He believed the funds from this cycle could be better used elsewhere. He also pointed out that the applicant could bring the project forward again in another cycle. Sharon Thomas confirmed that the project could come back to the Commission in the future. Curry agreed with Browning, adding that it wasn’t “shovel‐ready” yet. Motion passed unanimously. Zero funding approved. HO‐4 Housing Authority of Loveland Larimer Home Improvement Program ‐‐ $30,000 requested Bob Browning moved the Commission fully fund HO‐5. Kristin Stephens seconded. Browning said it was important to help low‐income residents stay in the homes they already own by providing assistance with emergency repairs. Stephens agreed. Motion passed unanimously. Full funding approved. HO‐5 Housing Catalyst Cunningham Corner Rehab ‐‐ $887,842 requested Kay Rios moved that the Commission fully fund HO‐4. Motion failed for lack of a second. Bob Browning moved that the Commission fund HO‐4 in the reduced amount of $849,651. Margaret Long seconded. Browning said this is a good project and he would like to see it get going. His proposed amount is all the money the Commission may be able to fund for this project at this time, given competing funding recommendations for other priorities. Long agreed. Motion passed unanimously. Partial funding of $849,651 approved. 3 HO‐6 JAG Properties Acquisition of Six‐Plex ‐‐ $250,000 requested Margaret Long moved the Commission approve zero funding for HO‐6. Kay Rios seconded. Long said she made this motion regretfully, because the population to be served needs this type of housing. However, she questioned the amount requested versus the number of units for the project. She also questioned the regulatory constraints around current residents (cannot be forced to move)‐‐and the actual number of units that will actually be available as a result‐‐for this project’s population. She said it was a good project, but couldn’t see the Commission funding it. Rios said she also had several questions on financing and other issues that were not adequately answered by the applicant. Jamaal Curry said that since there were no hard deadlines for the current occupants to move out, that could delay new tenants moving in. Beth Rosen confirmed that due to Uniform Relocation Act (URA) requirements, such was the case. Gordon Coombs added that the mission of the project is good, but it is lacking in execution. Motion passed unanimously. Zero funding approved. HO‐7 Coachlight Plaza ‐‐ $34,515 requested Margaret Long moved the Commission approve full funding for HO‐7. Bob Browning seconded. Long said that this proposal addresses housing in need of rehabilitation and upgrade that serves a very low income population, and improvements will result in energy cost savings for the tenants. Browning agreed. Motion passed unanimously. Full funding approved. PF‐1 Crossroads Safehouse Roof Project ‐‐ $50,000 requested Margaret Long moved the Commission fully fund PF‐1. There was no second; the motion failed. Bob Browning moved that the Commission approve zero funding for PF‐1. Gordon Coombs seconded. 4 Browning said the timing of this request was questionable, since the organization had just lost its executive director. He also questioned the request for a 30‐year roof, and believed a longer‐life product may have also been a viable option. Kristin Stephens said she could not support not funding the project in some amount. Crossroads does provide short‐term housing that needs to be affordable and safe. Browning pointed out that the organization has a building reserve fund of $113,359. The cost of the new roof is estimated at $75,100, and he believed the agency should use its own money in entirety for the project. Margaret Long said she understood Browning’s point, but she has worked with fairly old buildings such as this one, and that there are usually more problems that need attention than just a roof. She added that although this is a Public Facilities request, Crossroads provides emergency shelter to a vulnerable population in need, and short‐term housing for that demographic when rentals are not available. Motion passed 4‐2, with Jamaal Curry and Kay Rios abstaining. Zero funding approved. PF‐2 Respite Care Basement Lift System ‐‐ $50,000 requested Anita Basham moved that the Commission fully fund PF‐2. Gordon Coombs seconded. Basham said that the organization is remodeling the basement, partially funded with City monies from a previous cycle. The lift system is the safest way to accommodate children in wheelchairs. Coombs agreed. Bob Browning said that this is not a housing project, so he would not be supporting it. Kristin Stephens said she felt the same way. She stated that it is not one of the main funding priorities for the Commission to support. Motion failed 5‐2, with Jamaal Curry abstaining. Bob Browning moved the Commission approve zero funding for PF‐2. Jamaal Curry seconded. Browning said that this project would take funds away from other programs that do provide housing. Curry added that although it is a great project which the Commission would like to fund, the money is not available for this lower priority, non‐housing project. Kristin Stephens agreed that everyone on the Commission likes the project. However, the space can still be used‐‐in spite of it being inconvenient to access. 5 Heidi Phelps clarified that currently there is wheelchair access to the basement through an outside path and door. The issue with that is taking children outside in inclement weather. Motion passed 5‐2, with Margaret Long abstaining. Zero funding approved. Staff updated the draft Funding Matrix to reflect the CDBG Commission’s decisions. Sharon Thomas explained that the final amounts in each HOME, AHF and CDBG subaccount would be redistributed by staff to balance the final numbers. Bob Browning moved that the Commission approve the final Funding Matrix as presented. Kristen Stephens seconded. Motion passed unanimously. Sharon Thomas thanked the Commission. She said the funding recommendations will be presented to City Council on November 19th. The next regular meeting of the CDBG Commission is November 14, 2013, 6:00 p.m., 215 N. Mason Street, Community Room. Meeting adjourned at 6:25 p.m.