Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutCommunity Development Block Grant Commission - Minutes - 01/10/2013COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING AND PUBLIC HEARING 215 N. MASON, FORT COLLINS JANUARY 10, 2013, 6:30 P.M. COMMISSION MEMBERS PRESENT: Kay Rios, Chair Anita Basham Robert Browning Gordon Coombes Catherine Costlow Jamaal Curry Margaret Long Emily Sander Kristin Stephens COMMISSION MEMBERS ABSENT: None STAFF PRESENT: Heidi Phelps; Sharon Thomas OTHERS PRESENT: Ray Roth, citizen; Kate Jeracki, Note Taker The meeting was called to order by Chair Kay Rios at 6:30 p.m. PUBLIC COMMENT None. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Bob Browning moved that the minutes from April 12, 2012, be approved as presented. Margaret Long second. Motion passed unanimously. Margaret Long moved that the minutes from July 12, 2012, be approved as presented. Kristen Stephens seconded. Motion passed unanimously. Bob Browning moved that the minutes from September 13, 2012, be approved as presented. Margaret Long seconded. Motion passed unanimously. Kristen Stephens moved that the minutes from October 11, 2012, be approved as presented. Margaret Long seconded. Motion passed unanimously. ELECTION OF OFFICERS Bob Browning nominated Kay Rios as Chair of the CDBG Commission for the coming year. Margaret Long seconded. The motion passed unanimously, with Kay Rios abstaining. 2 Catherine Costlow nominated Bob Browning as Vice Chair of the CDBG Commission for the coming year. Gordon Coombes seconded. The motion passed unanimously, with Bob Browning abstaining. PUBLIC HEARING ON FY2013 FUNDING AND COMMUNITY NEEDS Chair Kay Rios adjourned the regular Commission meeting and opened the Public Hearing at 6:40 p.m. There were no public comments. Heidi Phelps reminded the Commission that this hearing is required by HUD and that notice had been posted on the City’s website and in the local newspaper. Due to current financial uncertainty in Washington, D.C., Phelps could not report on the amount of money that will be available in the upcoming Spring 2013 funding cycle. Rough estimates are that there will be cuts of approximately 10 percent, but nothing is concrete. She did say that staff has not yet received word regarding a lot of applications for Affordable Housing projects. There are also pending applications in the Public Facility and Public Service categories. Not all anticipated applications have been received, since the pre-application deadline is January 21, with final applications due on February 22. Kristen Stephens questioned why there weren’t more new housing applications. She was concerned that the city was not expanding its inventory of affordable housing options. Phelps agreed, saying that Fort Collins is behind on the need for about 1,000 affordable units per year. Sharon Thomas said that saving the more than 300 units in The Villages at Cunningham Corner was huge, but there are no new units being built at this time. Phelps said the local affordable housing development cycle seems to be in a lull, with a number of big projects having just wrapped up. Stephens asked if planned projects had fallen through, or if developers were finding affordable projects hard to build. Thomas said it was more an issue of timing for the developers, and that the land was still out there. Phelps reminded the Commission that they do not need to fund any projects that they feel are unworthy and they do not need to allocate all the money available in a given cycle--funds do roll over to the next cycle, with certain time limits. Stephens said she didn’t want the Commission to look like they don’t need the money for funding, but that she would like to have more affordable housing in the community. Kay Rios agreed, but said she didn’t want to fund any projects unless they were worthwhile. Thomas said staff hasn’t heard of anything on the horizon, but staff can see what it can find out. Stephens said she is concerned about the situation. Phelps said staff is, as well. 3 Gordon Coombes pointed out that the current vacancy rate in the area is extremely low. Phelps added that in the affordable spectrum, it is less than one percent. Thomas suggested that the current boom in student housing construction could help the situation when the units are completed. Chair Rios adjourned the Public Hearing and reopened the regular Commission meeting at 6:50 p.m. STAFF PROGRAM UPDATES The scheduled segment with Bruce Hendee, Chief Sustainability Officer for the City of Fort Collins, did not take place, as Hendee was unable to attend the meeting. Sharon Thomas reported that applications for funding in the Spring 2013 cycle of the Competitive Process opened on January 3 and two pre-applications have been received. After final applications are received on February 22, staff will distribute all proposal information to the Commission during the first week of March. Presentations from applicants are set for March 26-28, and deliberations usually occur two to three weeks after that. However, that all depends when Congress allocates HUD funds and when HUD lets the City know how much is available. Thomas said that might not be until April or May. The City has 30-45 days to let HUD know how they want to spend the money. The best estimate, assuming a 10 percent across-the-board cut to CDBG funding, is that there will be $750,000 available for Public Service projects, and $550,000 for Housing and Public Facilities. The Commission agreed to keep the presentation format as it has been: a 5-minute presentation by the applicant followed by a 10-minute question-and-answer period. Margaret Long said she prefers the longer question period so the Commission can ask about items not in the written packet. Kay Rios said in the past she has changed her mind about applications based on the answers given. Kristen Stephens said a 5- minute presentation is fine to let the applicants go over what’s most important about their request. Thomas said the questions can go longer than 10 minutes if needed. She added that the Zoom Grants process is still the same, and laptops will be available for the meeting if any Commissioners would like them. Heidi Phelps thanked the Commission for the speedy decision on The Villages at Cunningham Corner project that closed on December 31. The project only came up in August 2012, but the needed Low Income Housing Tax Credits are in place and the rehabilitation of units has begun. Losing those 300 affordable units would have taken years to replace. Phelps said the City is extremely grateful that they could be saved. Thomas said there are openings on the Affordable Housing Board and asked Commissioners to recommend applicants. She added that the Social Sustainability 4 Department is having an open house at its new offices at 321 Maple Street on January 24, 10 a.m.--2 p.m. There will be snacks. NEXT MEETING The Commission agreed to cancel the regularly scheduled meeting on February 14. The Commission will hear presentations from Competitive Process applicants on March 26-28, but a date for deliberations on funding allocations cannot be set until there is a determination of how much money is available. The presentations will be videotaped so Commissioners can review them if there is a substantial delay beyond May. Heidi Phelps said staff will let Commissioners know if a regular meeting will be required in March or April to deal with agenda items that come up. Meeting adjourned at 7:00 p.m.