HomeMy WebLinkAboutAffordable Housing Board - Minutes - 10/01/2020
AFFORDABLE HOUSING BOARD
REGULAR MEETING
October 1, 2020, 4:00-6:00pm
Remote/Online via Zoom due to COVID-19
10/1/2020 – MINUTES Page 1
1. CALL TO ORDER: 4:00
2. ROLL CALL
• Board Members Present: Jen Bray, Catherine Costlow, Bob Pawlikowski, Kristin Fritz, Tatiana
Zentner, Diane Cohn, Daphne Bear
• Board Members Absent: None
• Staff Members Present: Meaghan Overton, Yaz Haldeman, Lindsay Ex, Sue Beck-Ferkiss,
Brittany Depew
• Panelists: Kelly Evans, Kristin Candella, Stefka Fanchi, Steve Kuehneman, Kristin Fritz
• Guests:, Codi Farrar, Ella Fahrlander, Maggie Bolden, Marilyn Heller, Michael Lengen, Trish
Warner, Arthur McDermott
3. AGENDA REVIEW – Changed order of presentations
4. CITIZEN PARTICIPATION – Maggie Bolden, lives in Denver but follows Fort Collins’ housing progress
and has worked on many Housing Authority projects
5. APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Bob moved to approve September minutes as amended. Tatiana seconded.
Approved 5-0 with 2 abstaining due to absence.
6. NEW BUSINESS
A. Welcome New Board Member – Daphne Bear
Interest in this board due to 30+ years in the mortgage industry, currently works at Fannie Mae
and focuses on affordable housing. Working on community land trust policy.
B. Housing Strategic Plan – Panel of Affordable Housing Providers/Developers, facilitated by
Sue
a. Panelists:
i. Kelly Evans, Neighbor to Neighbor – Executive Director, housing provider,
educational and support services, rental assistance
ii. Kristin Candella, Habitat for Humanity – working on affordable home ownership
iii. Kristin Fritz, Housing Catalyst – Development Director
iv. Stefka Fanchi, Elevations Community Land Trust – newest partner
v. Steve Kuehneman, CARE Housing – Executive Director
• How do our partners use the City’s strategic plans?
o Referred back to in grant applications for City funding
o Look at it for data, market trends, analyses, and City priorities
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11/18/2020
11/18/2020
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o City plan is in alignment with partner plans, but doesn’t necessarily inform them
o Board recruitment, board education, to understand community needs and how to
align work with those needs
o Important with funding applications
o Elevations Land Trust working statewide and getting the chance to see strategic
plans and their usage in multiple communities
• What’s missing in the City’s strategic plans?
o Alignment with traffic studies and strategies for how housing relates to traffic and
transit
CARE Housing hasn’t done specific studies into this, but has anecdotal
understanding of needs drawn from community conversation
Households in lower income levels tend to have lower personal vehicle
ownership rates
• What could we do to improve implementation to make a greater impact?
o U+2 remains and is a conservative policy
o Increased home sharing programs could help reduce costs of rent and
homeownership
o Create policy and implement it, knowing it’s not always possible to get full
community approval and change hearts and minds
• Future opportunities for using plan/potential changes to plan
o How to make sure housing providers are leveraging best possible resources for
our community
o More regular updates may be helpful
o Format doesn’t lend itself to easy measurement
Linear spreadsheet for goals would help track progress
o Looking at the full housing spectrum to address AMIs above 80% is a good step
o Focus on equity, not just now but into the future
o How can we learn from and not repeat housing discrimination?
o Sees some disconnect between housing goals and City policy
Is there true support from larger organization in policy change that will
really move?
Existing conditions documents says we want all residents to be in stable,
healthy housing they can afford (by 2040), but affordable housing goals
wouldn’t get us there
How do we create the incentives that actually move the needle on our
housing goals?
• What’s one change you’d like to see the City make?
o Increase density
o Fee waivers that are consistent for anyone building anything under 80% AMI
o Potential preferred program for local developers and housing providers
Shared goals, know one another, benefits of this collaboration
o Measurables in relation to a balanced housing market – housing availability in
alignment with housing need
• How do panelists see being able to incentivize developers enough to make 30% work?
Not just building, but also providing continued support and maintenance?
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o Wouldn’t be possible for Housing Catalyst without rental subsidy that comes with
unit or tenant
o Neighbor to Neighbor’s 30% units are subsidized, but their 40-50% units are not
and they’re remaining affordable
• Assuming 10% affordable is the right goal, how do you factor in that this number changes
drastically as population grows?
o Speaks to why we need to be looking at whole spectrum and ensuring people can
stay in their homes
b. Existing Conditions & Plan Progress
• Intentionally doing a 7-8 month planning process
• Will host community summit in the spring
• Got great feedback from panelists today on vision, “Everyone has stable, healthy
housing they can afford” and whether this truly includes everyone. If it doesn’t, how
can it?
• Affordable Housing Executive Team meeting bimonthly to help maintain momentum
• Engagement begins within the next week to share biggest challenges and remaining
questions
o Working on creative ways to summarize, including videos
• Will send invite for Ad Hoc Housing Committee meeting to Affordable Housing Board
• One side effect of COVID is people moving out of town because they can work
remotely from somewhere with lower housing costs
o Might also see influx of people moving here with jobs elsewhere
• CSU, as largest employer, is also feeling pinched on housing
o Starting to partner on housing that will be discounted for employees
• Appreciate intention to establish guiding principles
c. Board Discussion on 2021 Work Plan
• Clear interest in staying involved with Housing Strategic Plan
• Will send out shared editable version that allows simultaneous editing
7. OTHER BUSINESS—NOT DISCUSSED
a) City Council Six-Month Planning Calendar
b) Council Comments
c) Review 2020 Work Plan
d) Open Board Discussion
e) Update on Affordable Housing Projects
f) Future AHB Meetings Agenda
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8. BOARD MEMBER REPORTS—not discussed
a) Liaison Reports
b) Board Meeting Logistics
10. ADJOURNMENT: 6:10
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