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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAffordable Housing Board - Minutes - 09/04/2003CITY( OF FORT COLLINS AFFORDABLE HOUSING BOARD MEETING MINUTES 281 N. College Ave. Fort Collins, Colorado September 4, 2003 4-6p.m. 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, Jon Fairchild, Isabel Garity, Joe Herbert, Jane Phelan, Adrienne Pic and Denise Rogers. Advance Planning Staff Present: Ken Waido, Maurice Head Council Members Present: none Also Present: Cathy Miller, CARE Housing Kay Rios called the meeting to order with a quorum present at 4:10 p.m. Cathy Miller announced she will be attending Board meetings regularly. New Business Minutes Page 3 of the August 7, 2003, minutes was corrected as follows: Action taken under Sales Tax Review now reads: Kay Rios asked that the Policy Committee meet to develop a plan to approach Council and that the item appear on next month's agenda. Under Liaison Reports, the first sentence now reads: Kay Rios reported that Dial -A -Ride rural service is going up for bid, and four groups are expected to submit proposals. Denise Rogers moved to accept the minutes as amended. Jane Phelan seconded, motion carried unanimously, 7-0. City Plan Update Ken Waido reported that the process is nearing completion. A Public Meeting on changes to City Plan was held on Sept. 3. During October and November, City Boards and Commissions including the Affordable Housing Board will have an opportunity to comment on relevant sections. Text from the original 1997 Housing section of City Plan, major changes in the draft of the Housing and Neighborhoods section of the Update, and the existing Action Plan (not yet updated by the Citizens Advisory Committee) were distributed for AHB review. Mr. Waido pointed out that about 70 percent of City Plan is not Fort Collins Affordable Housing Board Sept. 4, 2003 Minutes Page 2 of 5 changing, but certain items, including the Growth Management Area boundary and the balance of jobs and housing, still need debate and clarification. He described final adoption as a moving target, but the Update is currently scheduled to go before City Council on December 2, 2003. In response to a question from Isabel Garity, Mr. Waido said that while the City has grown outward for the past 40 years, Fort Collins is now in danger of bumping into surrounding communities, so more emphasis is being placed on infill and redevelopment within the current GMA boundaries. However, this creates the potential of conflict by changing the existing character of neighborhoods. City Plan coordinates with Neighborhood and Subarea Plans, and staff is working to identify areas where infill and/or redevelopment projects would be appropriate. City Plan policies will eventually be translated into provisions within the Land Use Code, which is what the Planning and Zoning Board uses to evaluate proposed projects. The ongoing revision of the Development Review process may also result on changes to land use and zoning policies. The evolution of neighborhoods and residents' priorities was illustrated by a discussion of the changing perception of alley houses. Kay Rios felt that there is support for affordable housing among members of the CAC, but a lack of knowledge or information keeps policies from going far enough. The Policy Committee will review all proposed changes to the City Plan Policies and Principles and draft recommendations for AHB review at the October meeting. The Committee will also present any items in the document that should be considered by the entire Board before recommendations can be made. In a related matter, the Board discussed figures from the Northern Front Range Metropolitan Planning Organization showing that 35 percent of the people who work in Fort Collins live outside the City. The available numbers, however, do not correlate income levels with residency. Kay Rios will e-mail the representatives of the NFRMPO for refined figures, if available, Council Budget Review Ken Waido reported that all funds for affordable housing have been frozen at current levels, which were the same as for 2002, which reflected a $472,474 cut. There are no scheduled increases for 2004-05, and funds are expected to remain stable at approximately $893,000. Staff has also been asked to begin charging the Community Development Block Grant for all time spent on CDBG projects. This will increase the amount of administrative costs from the current 11 percent to 15 percent, still 5 percent below the allowable percentage, but a reduction of 4 percent in Fort Collins Affordable Housing Board Sept. 4, 2003 Minutes Page 3 of 5 the funds available for funding projects. Maurice Head added that there are no new funds for the Land Bank program in the 2004-05 budget, leaving between $50,000 and $60,000 available. Cathy Miller of CARE Housing spoke to the need for Land Banking, reporting that her organization has lost out on a number of contracts over the last two months to developers with deeper pockets who can afford to hold undeveloped parcels. Kay Rios asked Mr. Waido to e-mail a copy of the letter sent by the Board to Council in April to new board members, and that the Policy Committee draft a new letter to Council reminding them of the importance of funding affordable housing projects, including the Land Bank, especially in light of City Plan policies limiting the growth of the GMA. This item should also remain on the agenda for next month. Old Business AHB Work Plan Ken Waido reported that City Council has adopted its two-year Policy Agenda that outlines staff priorities, and Board work plans outline how to make them happen. The Board agreed by consensus to discuss its Work Plan in October. Impact Fee Exemption Kay Rios reported that discussions concerning infill and redevelopment within the City Plan Update CAC indicate that some think such projects could be affordable housing, yet actually tend to be more expensive than greenfield development, given the more challenging nature of site preparation, design requirements, impact fees, etc. Cathy Miller reported that CARE Housing estimates a per -apartment cost of $104,000 for a typical no -frills development within the City. Ken Waido confirmed there is a great deal of concern over all City fees; for example, why should a seniors -only project be subject to school -impact fees if it has no impact on the schools? Similarly, policies should provide infill projects relief from some fees in return for providing affordable housing. Jon Fairchild reported that as a result of writing a letter to City Council and the City Manager, the "confusion" over the impact fees to be assessed on his Old Town scrape -off was cleared up. Felix Lee, the City's chief building official, responded that most impact fees will not apply to this project. Kay Rios asked that this item remain on the agenda. Update/Reports on Subcommittee Efforts Fort Collins Affordable Housing Board Sept. 4, 2003 Minutes Page 4 of 5 Isabel Garity reported that the Education Committee has not been very active, and suggested its mission be reviewed for the upcoming Work Plan. Liaison Reports Isabel Garity has been attending some Planning and Zoning Board work sessions. She also mentioned a 16-unit multifamily project at Cowen and Laurel Streets on the next P&Z agenda. Ms. Garity also reported that the minutes from the Coalition of Affordable Housing Partners are available. During a recent meeting, Linda Norton of Coldwell Banker pointed out the growing number of houses becoming unaffordable by becoming un'nsurable, due to insurers unwilling to write policies because of past claims. Jon Fairchild asked staff about the status of radon mitigation for new residential construction. AHB had endorsed requiring a passive system, but City Council had given direction to draft language requiring the more expensive active system, which could affect affordability. Ken Waido will research the status, as well as where mitigation for multifamily units stands. Ooen Discussion Vacant Land for Affordable Housing Maurice Head presented a map of vacant residential parcels between 5 and 20 acres in LMN and MMN zone districts within the City's current Growth Management Area. The map identified 41 parcels -- 25 of them between 5 and 10 acres -- for a total of approximately 309 acres, which could be considered available. He added two caveats: Approximately 40 percent of the parcels face some sort of development constraints, and three 10-acre parcels east of I-25 are currently occupied by single-family dwellings. Kay Rios pointed out that at the last City Plan CAC meeting, it was generally agreed that 20 acres or less would be the appropriate size for less -stringent requirements to promote infill and redevelopment. Kay Rios asked Maurice to refine the colors on the map for presentation to the next CAC meeting at the end of September. Distribution of Fall Competitive Process Applications Ken Waido distributed packets of information and proposals for Community Development Block Grant funding. Members were asked to review the proposals, then bring their comments to a special meeting on September 18, to make final recommendations on projects. Next meetings Fort Collins Affordable Housing Board Sept. 4, 2003 Minutes Page 5 of 5 September 18, 2003, 3:30-6:15 p.m., 281 N. College Ave., Conference Room C -- special meeting to review Competitive Process Applications. October 2, 2003, 4 p.m., 281 N. College Ave. -- regular meeting Meeting adjourned 5:30 p.m. Respectfully submitted by Kate Jeracki September 17, 2003 sy;