Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutAffordable Housing Board - Minutes - 04/01/1999CITY OF FORT COLLINS AFFORDABLE HOUSING BOARD Meeting Minutes April 1, 1999 Bob Browning, Chair Kay Rios, Vice Chair Ken Waido, Staff Liaison Chuck Wanner, City Council Liaison The meeting of the Affordable Housing Board was called to order by Chairman Bob Browning, beginning at 4:05 p.m., at 281 North College Avenue, Fort Collins, Colorado. Board members present included: Bob Browning, Kay Rios, Bruce Croissant, David Danforth, Joanne Greer, Stacy Overton, Isabel Garity and Mickey Willis. Staff present: Ken Waido and Ann Watts. Other City personnel present: John Fischbach, Darin Atteberry, Greg Byrne, and Joe Frank. Public Comment No public comment was offered. Approval of minutes Ms. Rios noted the following corrections to the minutes of February 4, 1999; "Dean" should be "Dehn"; Ms. Watts rather than Ms. Rios reported on State proceedings; the possibility of CDBG funding, mentioned before adjournment, needed clarification. Mr. Waido explained that the application would apply to acquisition rather than any housing not on a permanent foundation. Moved by Ms. Rios, seconded by Mr. Croissant: To accept the minutes as amended. Motion approved unanimously. Presentation by City Manager Mr. Fischbach introduced Darin Atteberry, the Assistant City Manger. Mr. Fischbach and Mr. Atteberry are presently in the positions of interim director and assistant interim director, respectively, of the Housing Authority. Mr. Fischbach gave an overview of housing issues. The Authority is retrenching; consequently, not many new things are happening in the housing market. The Housing Authority is receiving 250 Section 8 vouchers for disabled tenants and for the Northwood Apartments. Mr. Atteberry clarified that the Northwood Section 8 vouchers are converting from project -based to tenant -based. The Housing Authority will manage those vouchers. The Housing Authority will continue to manage those vouchers even if they should move from the project. The addition of many more vouchers is raising a concern for the Authority's staffing needs. Families who have been on Temporary Aid for Needy Families within the last two years will have priority for available vouchers. The Housing Authority may be able to reopen its waiting list. Affordable Housing Board Meeting of April 1, 1999 Page 2 The City is pursuing options concerning the vouchers and deciding whether to pursue the application through a competitive process. The County, the City of Loveland, and many City departments are interested in the possibilities. The City is being cautious at this moment due to the upheaval that has taken place within the Housing Authority structure. Mr. Atteberry gave an overview of the Northern Hotel project. Funding Partners is driving this proposal. Pending Council approval, the City and DDA will be participating financially. The project will be oriented to senior occupancy. Other details are not for public disclosure at this point. Mr. Fischbach reviewed the recent history and present status of the Housing Authority. Even with the reduced amount of the settlement, the Authority has a heavy debit with the City. The City Council became the Authority, and Mr. Fischbach and Mr. Atteberry administering. In six months, Mr. Fischbach and Mr. Atteberry will report to Council. The Authority is presently looking at other models of housing authorities around the state to help with the reorganization process. Recruitments need to be made for some positions, particularly dwelling unit manager, a new executive director, and staff to handle the new vouchers. A new board composition will be proposed. Options include tenant and/or Council representation. A new statute may be upcoming. Landlords are wary of Section 8 applicants, and education needs to occur to persuade them to participate more willingly. The Section 8 program should be a short-term program and not provide a way of life for the recipients. A tenant meeting was held with 15 staff members; only three tenants attended. The Housing Authority manages 260 units. The need exists to keep the vacancy rate down and revenue coming in to reinvest into yet more housing. Via Lopez has 33 units of modular homes; 20 will close soon. $125,000 should be made from the development to repay the City. Parkway Townhomes was inherited from TRAC; eight units should close soon. More funds may be requested from the Council Finance Committee for affordable housing. Impact fees from development are not available without a City-wide vote allowing it. No long-term assurance exists for this type of funding. A meeting with TRAC and CARE will be arranged to discuss existing problems and their solutions. Kaufman and Broad types of operations should be encouraged with incentives to build the type of affordable housing needed in the City. Partnering with other City departments may be another option. Larimer County — Review of Affordable Housing Program Robert Thompson from the County distributed an information packet. Changes had been requested on pages 7 and 8 to add language; some changes were made. Discussion was held concerning intergovernmental groups working together and Affordable Housing Board • Meeting of April 1, 1999 Page 3 incentive programs where possible. The sentence referring to 20-year affordable guarantee was removed in favor of stating the useful life of the building. The policies and language need to be reviewed on an annual basis. Funding is always subject to political charge. A solid, definable program is needed. The County will meet with public committees and then write a resolution to document County goals and policies. At present, general funding is not readily available. Other avenues need to be explored, such as CDBG or an allocation from property taxes. Other effective means may be landowners trading eligible property to the County and encouraging co-op developments. From a technical standpoint, Larimer County does not have, nor do counties generally embrace, affordable housing. There is in reality a great deal of affordable housing in the County. Most of the larger mobile home parks are in the County. Changes are being made in County Planning for such items as building height, landscaping, and parking. One area with a funding surplus is Parks; perhaps some of that funding will be rechanneled. Old Business Right of First Refusal - Update The City of Portland has a model ordinance that puts the City as first option purchase of properties that will be sold without a contract renewal to maintain affordability. The ordinance will probably be challenged. Staff will stay in contact with the City of Portland and keep the Board apprised. Recent opinions from the City Attorney's office have been favorable to the Board's efforts. Mr. Danforth noted that the legality of an issue does not define the economic or practical advisability of it. Budget Memo In response to a request from the City Manager's office, Staff prepared a memo regarding budget recommendations. Questions were raised concerning the land banking recommendations and Board support therefor. Mr. Danforth noted that he had sent a letter to Mr. Wanner, Ms. Watts, and Mr. Willis regarding his concerns; that letter has not been responded to. Ms. Watts stated that the concerns would be addressed in the feasibility study; Mr. Danforth replied that even though the Board was not charged with reviewing land banking, the proposed memorandum implied a support for the concept that had not been reached. Discussion was held as to the land banking concept and the ongoing feasibility study. Different language was proposed to assuage Board members' concerns. The timing of Affordable Housing Board Meeting of April 1, 1999 Page 4 the Board's memorandum is somewhat critical. The initial meeting of the land banking feasibility group produced ideas for solutions that may be apart from this concept. Funding Partners is seen by some members as the driving force behind funding a land banking program. Discussion was held over City funding of affordable housing programs. Woodlands was originally intended to pay back its grant through cash flow. Those payments have not been forthcoming, and Staff is reviewing this issue with the management to determine what the cash flow and payments will be. As of now, the program income for the City budget is not being realized, so the proposed budget from Staff was restructured to have that difference made up. Part of the memo's intent is to point out the grant that the State initially promised and then reneged on. The State needs to hear the City's opinion regarding the State's failure to make good on its promise. The Board's concern is that the memorandum states the Board's support of land banking. The Board clearly does not feel comfortable with that statement. Language was agreed upon which would generally state, "The Board also recommends that the City allocate $500,000 in both 2000 and 20001 for special affordable housing projects or programs. Depending on the results of the feasibility study, this may or may not include land banking for the affordable housing program." Board Training "Strengthening Board Effectiveness" will be held on April 30. It is reputedly an excellent training session, and Mr. Waido encouraged all Board members to attend. Board Appointments Three Board members' terms are expiring; they are all eligible for reappointment. Agenda Ms. Rios requested that the issues of manufactured housing and the truck route be placed on future agendas. Mr. Danforth has done research on manufactured housing and will have a presentation prepared for the next meeting. Meeting adjourned at 6:05 p.m.