HomeMy WebLinkAboutAffordable Housing Board - Minutes - 06/04/2015MINUTES
CITY OF FORT COLLINS
AFFORDABLE HOUSING BOARD
Date: Monday, June 4, 2015
Location: Redtail Ponds, 5080 Fossil Boulevard, Fort Collins
Time: 4:00–6:00pm
For Reference
Troy Jones, Chair
Ray Martinez, Council Liaison
Sue Beck-Ferkiss, Staff Liaison 970-221-6753
Board Members Present Board Members Absent
Troy Jones, chair Eloise Emery
Jeffrey Johnson Terence Hoaglund
Diane Cohn
Tatiana Martin
Curt Lyons
Staff Present
Sue Beck-Ferkiss, Social Sustainability Specialist
Dianne Tjalkens, Administrative Clerk/Board Support
Councilmembers Present
Guests
Marilyn Heller, League of Women Voters
Dawn Sakes, The Arc of Larimer County
Chadrick Martinez, Fort Collins Housing Authority
Tour of Redtail Ponds
Additional Guests: League of Women Voters—Marilyn Heller, Betsy Gammill, Nancy McDuffie,
Judy Felusch, Joyce DeVancy
Tour Provided by: Fort Collins Housing Authority—Kristin Fritz, Michele Christensen, Chadrick
Martinez, Zach Penland
Redtail Ponds is permanent supportive housing and has 60 units, primarily one bedroom apartments.
All residents have been identified and move-in started March 11. Full occupancy will occur in a
staged progression through the upcoming months. McKinney Vento is providing a sustaining grant
for resident services. Residents are those with housing choice vouchers who are at or below 30%
AMI, veterans, and/or previously experiencing homelessness. Services available onsite are under
development, will be based on resident needs, and include mental health, substance abuse, and
medical services. The project was developed based on research of best practices and intended to be
replicable.
Call to order: Troy Jones called to order at 5:00pm.
Agenda Review: Tour was held before meeting.
Public Comment:
Marilyn Heller, League of Women Voters—Board is invited to join the League of Women Voters’
tour of Legacy Senior Apartments June 8 and Green Houses at Mirasol Senior Living Community
June 16. Contact Marilyn to join the tours.
Dawn Sakes, The Arc of Larimer County—The Arc is a civil rights organization for people with
intellectual and developmental disabilities. Dawn provides adult advocacy. There are emerging issues
around lack of affordable housing. She works closely with Foothills Gateway. People are becoming
eligible and getting vouchers, but still cannot find housing. People who have children with
disabilities are getting priced out of their rental units.
• Sue: One goal of the Affordable Housing Strategic Plan (AHSP) is addressing needs of
special populations.
Member Comments on Redtail Ponds Tour:
• Sue: What would you change in future similar developments?
o Chadrick: This project was done right. Reuse of existing building and/or new
construction is under consideration for a 2017 project and will analyze needs at that
time. Truly chronically homeless have different needs. This building needs to operate
for some time to learn what works well and what to change. Learning opportunity for
others; sharing lessons. Greeley project is using same architects and may use similar
design.
• Sue: How many of these developments do you need?
o Chadrick: 3-4. 15 people who were using Catholic Charities every night are now
housed here. Hidden homeless; hard to know numbers.
• Dawn: Community Needs Assessment done?
o Chadrick: Yes. Market study required. Set bar for quality of product. Surveyed
population. Now becoming a requirement.
• Jeffrey: Are these Fort Collins homeless, or are people coming from around the country?
o Chadrick: Misnomer that people are coming here for services. Data shows people
have ties to the community: family, school, or have lived here for some time.
Residents have been in community for years.
• Jeffrey: Had public pushback on this project. If do more, can expect more NIMBY. If keep
building, what is point where it really makes difference to the community?
o Chadrick: We can do that with chronic homeless.
o Jeffrey: Encourage you to spread the knowledge with other communities.
Chadrick: Some people are fearful of homeless. Important to be successful
with this project to change community perception.
o Sue: Our PIT showed about 300. Eugene, OR was 2000.
o Jeffrey: Will hear message that if you build it they will come.
Diane: Show data on how much money saved by housing people.
• Chadrick: Lots of data being collected and anecdotal evidence.
Freeing up space in the shelter. There will be those who seek services
and go to those areas, but that is a minority.
Review and Approval of Minutes
Diane moved to approve the May minutes as presented. Curt seconded.
Motion passed, 3-2-0. Tatiana and Jeffrey abstained as they did not attend the meeting.
AGENDA ITEM 2: Impact Fee Rebalancing Discussion
Conversation is to prepare Curt for Council public comment July 7. Will discuss rebalancing of fees
for infill/redevelopment. Should be encouraging infill and providing incentives. All the services and
infrastructure are there. May take more than 3 minutes, so will organize more than one member to
speak. “Progressive and dynamic” fee structure, to be more in tune with realities of infill versus
greenfield and smaller homes versus large homes.
Comments/Q&A
• Curt: Will talk about ADUs, and Troy can discuss impact fees.
• Jeffrey: Progressive is loaded word. Use “recalibrate” instead.
o Diane: Need to be very clear about terms when presenting.
• Troy: Define ADUs and what is prohibitive in code to building in Fort Collins.
o Curt: Not legal in almost 90% of city.
o Diane: Must define ADU. People don’t; know what it means.
o Sue: Also why can’t you have 2 kitchens without being a duplex. Can have sink and
frig, but can’t have stove. Would help seniors to cohabitate if could have more than
one kitchen and not have to change to a “duplex” with associated fees.
o Jeffrey: Is an ADU a carriage house?
Curt: Granny flat, carriage house, finished basement with full kitchen, etc.
Can be attached or detached. A miniscule percentage of Fort Collins can
legally have ADU. They are smart infill. Too limited.
• Sue: They can be support to ownership and a rental opportunity. Helps low income
homeowner and opens a unit.
o Jeff: Even if market rate rental, opens supply of one bedrooms.
• Troy: will organize more via email.
AGENDA ITEM 3: 2015-2019 Affordable Housing Strategic Plan
Sue provided AIS summary; will be available online this week. A rough draft of the plan will be
available as an attachment. Data is good. At Work Session staff will get input from Council. Between
Work Session and adoption will have continued public outreach including Board of Realtors, Human
Relations Commission, etc. Plan is developed, but strategies and policies need more work. Work
Session was moved up, so haven’t had as much time. “Pay for Success” is new financing model:
partner with other agencies to provide housing to save public funds. If programs are successful,
investors receive dividends based on government savings. Subcommittee will focus on strategies at
next meeting. Not recommending Inclusionary Housing Ordinance (IHO) or Commercial Linkage
Fee (CFL) at this time. Boulder just passed a CLF. Will re-examine these strategies in 5 years.
Commercial linkage is a fee on development based on use and the number of employees who would
need affordable housing. Economic Health office agrees with consultants that this strategy would
create a commercial disadvantage to the community at this time. Recommended policies are Land
Bank, incentives, and preservation. Many parties interested in Land Bank properties. Incentives are
not incentivizing right now; need to find ones that work. Asking Council for feedback on progressive
fee structure, phased improvement of existing housing, removing barriers to ADUs, and construction
defect litigation reform. Phased improvement relates to housing that needs improvements to come up
to code. Four communities are already addressing construction defect litigation. This is an insurance
driven issue, so not sure if local “fixes” are going to make a difference. It is a state law. WRAP
insurance on bigger projects is a market-driven solution, but expensive. Dan Weinheimer is lead on
Construction Defect Litigation legislation.
Comments/Q&A
• Chadrick: Denver has rolled out a pilot program for Pay for Success.
• Troy: The City pulled back on waivers at a time of financial restrictions. Maybe the climate
has changed?
o Sue: We need to come up with good incentives.
• Diane: Meeting with developers, have you determined any good options for incentives?
o Troy: Water fees
o Sue: Talking with water suppliers to discuss what can be done around water rights.
Our rates are lower than partners. Much of developable land is in ELCO water
district.
o Troy: What was water for Redtail?
Chadrick: Got commercial rate, rather than residential, which saved ~$1M.
Sue: Until 2013, south could choose Fort Collins or Loveland water district.
Lots of negotiation involved in water and it is a critical piece.
• Chadrick: Phased improvements issues at Villages on Plum. Had to work on site and design
standard limits before triggering site code issues. Public money is getting diluted. Much used
to go to infrastructure. Have had assumptions about how could use funds. We have to work
within federal guidelines, which have become less flexible. Need to be strategic about CDBG
and HOME funds, and then add City fees. Have many challenges in funding projects.
o Sue: Working with partners on how to best allocate funds. City dollars are most
flexible. Recognize limitations of other funding sources. Dynamic fees might be a
good way to help nonprofit partners.
• Diane: Should the board look at specifics of ADUs?
o Sue: Setting up Council for conversation in Work Session.
o Curt: Educate and define ADUs, and explain why we need them in public comment.
o Troy: Will talk about dynamic fee structure.
• Sue: WRAP feedback?
o Jeffrey: At end of day it is same cost-wise. Has to be a really large project to make a
real difference.
o Sue: Have heard that only attached-sale projects moving forward are using WRAP.
Must have every contractor on board. Has been successful though.
o Jeffrey: Too hard to see clear cost benefit, looks like cost-shifting.
o Sue: It is a disincentive to lawsuits. Only one pot of money. Cannot sue multiple
contractors and get attorneys’ fees on all of them. Not working for everyone, so still
very restricted on building attached-sale product.
• Diane: How much time at Work Session?
o Sue: Jackie and Beth Sowder introducing, plus others presenting. Have 25 minutes
total. Must stay high level/fast moving. Will be taped and available online. Can take
questions after presentation. Board members are encouraged to attend.
o Tatiana: Do not like that Mayor Troxell will not be in attendance.
• Sue: FCHA has gotten approval for disposition. As move equity out of current product will
move into new units. Our 30% AMI and lower inventory is very low. Price escalation based
on lack of inventory, in-migration, etc.
o Diane: Desirable place to live so willing to take less money to live here.
o Tatiana: Also bubble did not affect Fort Collins. Did not decline.
o Sue: All communities struggling to get more inventory online. Need more affordable
units.
• Curt: If you provide services, do you exacerbate the problem because more people come?
Can make same argument with housing and wages.
o Sue: Right now don’t have enough for the people who are already here. Population
growth is expected in all categories. Increase in seniors who desire lower market rate
or affordable units. Aging in place and moving here.
• Diane: Consider following up with a memo to Council with fleshed out descriptions.
o Sue: Good idea after Work Session.
• Sue: Subcommittee meets at noon on Monday. All members are welcome to attend.
AGENDA ITEM 5: Other Business
Liaison Reports
• Diane: Senior Advisory Board—encouraged them to get more focused and vocal and offered
assistance.
• Tatiana: Helped Littleton pass construction defect legislation. Will attend Government
Affairs Committee meeting.
Future Meeting Agendas
• July: Energy Policy
• August: No agenda items planned
• September: Downtown Plan
• October: Low Income Utility Rates
Review of City Council 6 Month Agenda Planning Calendar
• September 8: Water Development Fees Work Session
Meeting Adjourned: 6:19pm
Next Meeting: July 2, CIC Room, City Hall