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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAffordable Housing Board - Minutes - 04/06/2000CITY OF FORT COLLINS AFFORDABLE HOUSING BOARD MEETING MINUTES April 6, 2000 Bob Browning, Chair (970) 225-0137 Kay Rios, Vice Chair Ken Waido, Staff Liaison (970) 221-6753 Chuck Wanner, City Council Liaison (970) 484-0810 The meeting of the Affordable Housing Board was called to order by Kay Rios beginning at 4:05 p.m. at 281 North College Avenue, Fort Collins, Colorado. A quorum was present. Board members present included: Isabel Garity, Stacey Overton, David Danforth, Chris Martin, and Bruce Croissant. Staff members present: Ken Waido, Maurice Head, and Melissa Visnic. Council liaison, Chuck Wanner was not present. Others present: Craig Foreman, Parks Development Manager; Bob Smith, Director of the Stormwater Utility; Grace Harris, League of Women Voters; Brent Reed, CSU student; and Kent Glover, developer. Open Public Discussion Grace Harris, League of Women Voters, reported that the CARE Housing groundbreaking this afternoon had a good turn out. New Business Minutes Mr. Croissant moved to accept the March minutes as submitted, Mr. Martin seconded, motion passed unanimously. Update on the Proposed Floodplain Regulations Bob Smith, Director of the Stormwater Utility, provided new information on a fourth alternative (option B-1) to the proposed Poudre River floodplain regulations. He asked for the board's comments, concerns and recommendations on the options presented in order to report back to City Council at their study session on April 11. This item will be formally considered on May 2 at the regular City Council meeting. Mr. Danforth questioned where the FEMA guidelines fit in to the matrix that Mr. Smith showed the board. Mr. Smith responded that there wasn't enough room on the matrix to show them, but that the FEMA guidelines are the minimum criteria to be met, and City standards go beyond those. Affordable Housing Board April 6, 2000 Meeting Minutes Page 2 Kent Glover, guest, asked if a house were to burn down in Buckingham, could the home be rebuilt. Mr. Smith responded that redevelopment is allowed with options A, B and B-1, but not with option C. If option C were in effect, the City's housing rehabilitation programs could not provide assistance with electrical or other improvements in the floodway or floodplain. Mr. Martin moved to support option B or B-1, and express strong opposition to option C. Ms. Garity seconded. Motion passed. Mr. Danforth abstained. Parkland Fee Increases Craig Foreman, Manager of Park Planning and Development, discussed the proposed neighborhood and community parkland fee increases. The issue has been discussed with the Council Finance Committee and they have given preliminary support for the fee increases because they are necessary to maintain the existing level of service. The current fees were set in 1996 and are funded off of new home construction. The reasons for the increases are: 1. The development of new parks requires raw water charges paid to the Water Utility. 2. Irrigation ponds are required to be lined by the State Engineer to prevent ground water from evaporating. 3. The Americans with Disability Act has placed new requirements on playground surfacing and equipment. 4. The water supply for parks now requires a new charge for treated water. 5. Maintenance facilities must be included as part of the overall building plan. 6. Park projects participate in the Art in Public Places program. Ms. Garity questioned when a new park is designed if the plants used are those that require the least amount of water possible. Mr. Foreman answered yes, the City Forester has established a list of trees and plants to use. Mr. Foreman pointed out that after these parks are built, their maintenance costs comes out of the general fund. Mr. Croissant expressed that he has no problem with justifying the fees because parks are important. He discussed the Group's publication of the Real Estate Insider, under item 1 of Achieving Affordable Housing — A Ten Step Plan, it disusses restructuring building fees. It states that "The building permit fees for a 2-bedroom apartment or condominium are nearly as much as the fees for a $500,000 single family house. On a percentage basis, fees can represent 20% to 25% of the cost of an apartment and less than 5% of the cost of a luxury home." Mr. Croissant said the these fees make affordable housing harder to achieve and the City may need to restructure how these fees are assessed. Affordable Housing Board April 6, 2000 Meeting Minutes Page 3 Ms. Rios commented that parks are essential. She said CARE Housing says that they are affected by the elimination of the impact fee rebate program. Mr. Waido said that while that program is no longer in place, agencies can still apply for funding for that same purpose through the competitive process and that the review process now in place is more effective than the rebate program was. Mr. Croissant said that because the fees represent a higher percentage of home costs, an occupant of an affordable house would have to spend more time looking for resources than using the parks. Mr. Danforth commented that the residents of the Dry Creek Manufactured Homes will be required to walk across railroad tracks to get a neighborhood park. He also commented that the assumption that the community will use the parks accordingly to the number of people is not clear. Ms. Rios expressed that she is not sure it is reasonable to expect that low income household can pay the same amount as higher income families. Mr. Foreman commented that the City tries to put a park in every square mile, but in some areas it is more difficult to make it work and it is necessary for residents to cross streets or railroad tracks to access the parks. Mr. Danforth moved that the City Council work on the equitable application of these fees, considering the factors of income and park location. Ms. Rios seconded. Motion passed unanimously. Ms. Rios would also like to add this to the board's work plan under encourage incentives, to push for equitable application of park fees. Old Business Update on the Land Banking Program Mr. Head reported that the land banking committee has reviewed and commented on the Request for Proposal, which has been forwarded to the Purchasing Department. Purchasing will send the RFP out to consultants for responses. It will take 60-90 days for the solicitation, interviewing, and selecting a consultant to complete the feasibility analysis. The board will be updated as this progresses. Update on Mobile Home Park Process In the fall of 1998, the Harmony Mobile Home Park residents formed a home owners' association and applied for CDBG funds. They were not funded, thus City Council directed Affordable Housing Board April 6, 2000 Meeting Minutes Page 4 staff to continue to work with the home owners' association to find short-term and long-term solutions. Two sub -committees were formed. The short-term committee assessed the need for immediate assistance, gathered information on the number of people in need. It was determined that there is no need for another application for relocation or rental assistance. Mr. Head reported that the long -tens committee has forwarded a letter to request the Division of Housing to provide some financial assistance to perform a housing market analysis for Larimer County. The State will forward this request to HUD. HUD contracts with the Enterprise Foundation to respond to local technical assistance needs and provide financial support. There could be approximately $20,000 that can be accessed through the county. Mr. Danforth explained that he had sought employment selling manufactured housing, GM said they were unsure they could hire him, because they are very dependent upon ARC to give them spots to put their manufactured homes in, and they don't want someone siding with the Harmony Park tenants. Follow-up on the Board's Recommendations on CDBG Housing Proposals Mr. Waido distributed the information that was distributed to the CDBG Commission and discussed the memo from Paul Eckman on ex-parte (off the record) contacts. Board members should not have any contact with applicants outside of a hearing in order to remain impartial. Update on Sub -committee Efforts Committees have been formed and chair persons have been selected to address the issues of: 1) Education/outreach (Isabel Garity, chair), 2) Measurement tools (David Danforth, chair), 3) Encouraging incentives (Kay Rios, chair). The chairs of each committee will give a status report at the next meeting. Other Business Mr. Martin commented that the passing of the public nuisance is already having an affect on affordable housing. He has seen some new leases with substantial increase in rents, and clauses that hold the tenants legally/financially responsible for public nuisance results. Mr. Martin also expressed his concern that the board's City Council liaison voted for the public nuisance ordinance. Ms. Rios stated that the board's letter was presented at the City Council meeting. Mr. Martin said he would like to have a new council liaison who will be an active member of the group. Ms. Garity said she believes that Mr. Wanner has been a good liaison to the board, although he disagreed with the board on this particular issue. Mr. Danforth spoke with Charles Dehn, who says that rents are going up another $20 per month at the Harmony Mobile Home Park. 0 0 Affordable Housing Board April 6, 2000 Meeting Minutes Page 5 Mr. Croissant informed the board that he now works for Flextronics, Kent Glover, developer, commented favorably on Larry Kendall's 10 step plan for afforable housing. He believes that there is a greater risk for developers in Fort Collins, "especially for the little guy." He said if it takes greater risk, there has to be a greater return, and that the hassle of dealing with planners, utilities, and engineers all factor into the risk. Mr. Waido referred to the second page of Larry Kendall's report and said that it was inspired by the poster about the faces of affordable housing. The poster is being reworded to strengthen the message. Mr. Waido commented that Christopher Shearer had been appointed to the board to replace Mickey Willis, but he is moving out of town and will be unable to serve on the board. The City Clerk has been notified of the opening. Meeting adjourned at 5:45 p.m.