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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAffordable Housing Board - Minutes - 06/09/2005CITY OF FORT COLLINS AFFORDABLE HOUSING BOARD MEETING MINUTES 281 N. College Ave. Fort Collins, Colorado June 9, 2005 Kay Rios, Chair Denise Rogers, Vice Chair Ken Waido, Staff Liaison, 970-221-6753 Kurt Kastein, City Council Liaison, 970-223-0425 Board Members Present: Kay Rios, Kevin Brinkman, Jon Fairchild, Denise Rogers, Peter Tippett. Advance Planning Staff Present: Ken Waido, Maurice Head Council Members Present: None Guests: Glen Schlueter, City of Fort Collins Storm Drainage Department. Kay Rios called the meeting to order with a quorum present at 4 p.m. There were no comments from the public. New Business Welcome New Member The Board welcomed Kevin Brinkman, a realtor with Brinkman Partners, appointed by the City Council on June 7. Minutes The May 5 minutes were corrected to read, on page 3, second paragraph under Old Business/City Budget: Mr. Waido said at this time there is no step in the process calling for Boards and Commissions to be involved in the process. Denise Rogers moved the minutes be accepted as corrected; Peter Tippett seconded, motion carried unanimously. Storm Drainage Development Requirements and Impacts on Affordable Housing Programs Ken Waido reminded the Board that at the May 5 meeting, discussion of the Practical Housing for All initiative identified some obstacles created by the City's stormwater drainage requirements. Glen Schlueter, an engineer with the City's Stormwater Utility, attended the meeting to discuss the development code requirements for elevating structures. Fort Collins Affordable Housing Board May 5, 2005 Minutes Page 2 of 5 Mr. Schlueter distributed copies of new criteria based on the FHA gradient plan requirements from the 1970s. He reviewed the City's modifications of these lender requirements to lessen the height of a residence. FHA requires at least 6-inches of drop away from the top of the foundation in the first 10 feet; this drives the elevation. Different types of lots divert drainage to the street in different ways. For all practical purposes, the lowest grade allowed is 2 percent; handicapped accessible trails can't have a slope steeper than 10-in-1. Smaller lots have more difficulties achieving ADA-acceptable ramps. Mr. Schlueter said that while the City only requires the 6-inch drop, contractors can make houses higher if they feel the lot requires it, which is common in Fort Collins. This is also an infill issue, as older lot grading can be affected by newer structures nearby. The grading certificate required at time of closing only certifies that the grading meets the intent of the plan at that time. Setbacks are now as little as 15 feet, depending on the lot, and the Land Use Code requires buildings be built to the line. Mr. Schlueter said he thought there were Building Code requirements regarding how high above the curb the top of the foundation must be. Kay Rios asked that a representative from the Building Department be invited to join Mr. Schlueter at the next Board meeting to discuss how the Stormwater requirements and the Building Code work together. Accessible Housing with Supportive Care Services The Board watched the video, produced by Minnesota -based nonprofit Accessible Space Inc., postponed from the May meeting. Accessible Space has a contract on property in Fort Collins where they intend to develop and operate 20 units of housing specifically for the disabled, funded by HUD's Section 811. They could be making an application for financial assistance during the fall cycle of the Competitive Process. Budgeting for Outcomes Update Ken Waido updated the Board on the BFO process. There are no based budgets for 2006-07 fiscal year; each department is building its budget from the ground up to meet 7 service policy areas set by City Council. The interdepartmental staff Results Teams are collecting "offers" from all City departments on what it costs to provide various services and perform required tasks. The Teams will then rank the offers within the different areas. Maurice Head has been writing the offer outlining all costs associated with staff support of the Affordable Housing Board. Offers are due to the Result Teams on June 10 at noon. Mr. Waido said the preliminary estimate is that the City will have $295 million to spend. Various amounts have been allocated to the different areas on a preliminary basis for the City Manager's recommended budget. In September, Council will begin Fort Collins Affordable Housing Board May 5, 2005 Minutes Page 3 of 5 funding with the top -ranked offers and continue until the allocation is spent. After there, there is no funding, although departments could be asked to rewrite their original offer or Council could pick and choice among them. Of the $295 million, $2 million is federal funding tied to CDBG and other specific Advance Planning activities, which could not be allocated to other activities. In response to a question from Kay Rios, Mr. Waido said that comments on the budget can be made to the City Manager at anytime. His recommended budget will not be made public until September, and then Council will have two months to approve it. Ms. Rios said she was concerned the Board will not know what's going on in its area until the point at which the City Manager makes his budget recommendations in September. Mr. Waido pointed out that there are two rounds of acceptance of offers, at which time staff will know if specific offers have been kicked out of the process or need to be reworked. Mr. Head said he is making a specific offer to reinstate the Sales and Use Tax Rebate Program for affordable housing projects. The big focus of the budget process seems to be on economic development, of which affordable housing is an integral part. Denise Rogers felt it would be important to say to Council, when this process is completed, that a major component - input from the community, in the form of Boards and Commissions - has been missed. It's especially vital because the process is different than anyone has been through before and we're facing enormous budget shortfalls. Ms Rios added that communication with Council could be significantly affected depending on support for staffing Boards and Commissions through the process. Ms. Rogers suggested the Board act quickly in September to give Council input to advocate for funding for affordable housing. Kay Rios asked that this item remain on the agenda for monthly updates. 3-Unrelated Ordinance Ken Waido reported that at the April 26 work session, the City Council reviewed options for enforcement or change to the 3-Unrelated Ordinance; another work session is scheduled on June 14, on Neighborhood Quality Issues (including the 3- unrelated ordinance). In response to a question by Kevin Brinkman, Kay Rios explained that the AHB had taken the position, when the discussion was about rental licensing and charging a fee for registration, that there were already enough ordinances in place and they should be enforced before another ordinance was piled on top that probably wouldn't be enforceable. The Board opposed anything that would increase the cost of housing in Fort Collins. Mr. Brinkman asked if it wasn't a no-brainer from the affordable perspective, with more people in the dwelling unit, the cheaper it is. Ms. Rios said, speaking for herself, that it's also about quality of life for families. The 3- Fort Collins Affordable Housing Board May 5, 2005 Minutes Page 4of5 unrelated applies in most cases to single people crammed into a house that may not really adapt to their needs, particularly parking and traffic. Mr. Brinkman thought it was a very important issue for affordable housing. ]on Fairchild added that the Board had tried to take a position several times, but every time the Board met, the proposals had changed. Mr. Waido said even though there is no formal proposal on the table, some things that are generally agreed upon seem to be changing the statute from a criminal to a civil offense; and perhaps changing the number from 3 to 4, with a waiver process. Everything else is still under discussion, including overlay zoning that limits occupancy. Kay Rios suggested inviting a representative from the City Attorney's office to the July meeting to give an update so the Board can take a stance, but only if Council gives staff direction to write an ordinance at the June 14 work session. Housino Affordability Index Model Update Ken Waido updated the Board on the current project to develop a new, refined computer model that will help analyze the impacts on affordability and the number of low-income families that can afford to purchase homes if some variables were to increase. The City has rehired consultants BBC of Denver, who created the first affordability index model for the City in the 1980s to make a new one to compute factors such as rising interest rates, land costs, impact fees, etc. Maurice Head added that it would be useful when considering increased fees involved in building code changes. The index will also allow comparison with other Colorado communities. Mr. Waido said the consultants will make a presentation to the Board when the model is closer to completion. Staff is still working on getting better local data from developers and homebuilders. Michelle Jacobs is distributing surveys on behalf of staff. Mr. Brinkman asked if the effects of the 3-unrelated ordinance could be calculated as part of the model. Mr. Waido explained the economic impact analysis that has already been done on the issue. He added that the one factor that has the biggest impact on affordability, according to the model is interest rates. This could change the focus of the City's housing assistance programs. Fort Collins Affordable Housing Board May 5, 2005 Minutes Page 5 of 5 Old Business Update/Reports on Subcommittee Efforts None. Liaison Reports Peter Tippett reported on the Board of Realtors' second Affordable Housing Summit. It was not as well -attended as last year's, and the focus was shifted to Sensible Housing rather than Affordable Housing, to get away from the low-income mindset. Staff did not attend, because they were working on the BFO process. Other Business Open Board Discussion No additional discussion. Meeting adjourned 5:20 p.m. Respectfully submitted by Kate Jeracki June 28, 2005