Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutWORK SESSION SUMMARY-07/10/2012-Work SessionCity Manager’s Office City Hall 300 LaPorte Ave. PO Box 580 Fort Collins, CO 80522 970.221.6505 970.224.6107 - fax fcgov.com Memorandum Date: July 13, 2012 To: Mayor and City Councilmembers Thru: Darin Atteberry, City Manager From: Diane Jones, Deputy City Manager RE: Work Session Summary for July 10, 2012 HOUSING AUTHORITY FEE WAIVER POLICY On July 10, 2012 City Council held a Work Session to discuss the City’s fee waiver policy and practice related to Fort Collins’ Housing Authority Projects. Staff members included Diane Jones, Steve Roy and Julie Brewen, Fort Collins’ Housing Authority (FCHA) Director. Staff presented the issue, the options identified and considered, feedback from the Affordable Housing Board and the CDBG Commission, staff’s recommended direction, and next steps. SUMMARY OF DISCUSSION City Councilmembers generally supported the direction to make FCHA fee waivers optional with certain criteria in place to guide granting fee waivers. Comments from Councilmembers included the following:  The State statute and the City ordinance provided fee waivers for the Housing Authority but not for other affordable housing projects which may be developed by non-profit agencies and private sector developers. There was a suggestion that Council may want to consider making the policy broader and applicable to other affordable housing projects than just those affiliated with the Housing Authority that may have merit.  Council supports the recommendation to have more discretion for waiving fees—i.e., members support the recommended amendment to the City ordinance to change “shall exempt” to “may exempt.”  Council supports including clear criteria as to the types of projects that “may” be exempt from paying select development and impact fees. And the criteria should be permissive vs. mandatory, allowing some discretion by the Council.  For Housing Authority projects that do meet the criteria (as to the types for which an exemption would be considered), it was suggested to look at a combination of approaches for 2 such projects, i.e., where possible consider using CDBG or HOME funds to pay the fees that can be paid by these sources and perhaps waive the balance of fees that are due.  Council asked for some additional data when this comes back to Council for formal consideration: a. A list of the FCHA projects from the last 10 years and which ones would have qualified for fee waivers under the criteria that was proposed under Option D (constructed for the homeless or disabled and constructed for occupants whose income is between 0% and 30% of the Adjusted Median Income for this area). If possible, provide some estimate of what the fee waiver impact would have been for these projects under the proposed policy and approach. b. A chart that shows what the 0% to 30% of Adjusted Median Income is for this area for individuals and families of different sizes.  Council asked staff to clarify if the policy/ordinance is written for the Fort Collins’ Housing Authority or for “any” housing authority and, if so, what does this mean. NEXT STEPS 1. Collect and prepare the additional data requested by Council. 2. Present the information and recommended approach to the Economic Advisory Commission. 3. Refine the recommended approach based on the Council’s discussion. 4. Prepare an amended ordinance that reflects the policy direction provided by Council; along with the ordinance prepare an intergovernmental agreement between the City and the Fort Collins Housing Authority. Natural Areas Department 1745 Hoffman Mill Road PO Box 580 Fort Collins, CO 80522 970.416.2815 970.416.2211 - fax fcgov.com/naturalareas July 13, 2012 To: Mayor and City Councilmembers Through: Darin Atteberry, City Manager Wendy Williams, Assistant City Manager Marty Heffernan, Director Community Services From: John Stokes, Director Natural Areas Department Re: Work Session Summary July 10, 2012; Natural Areas Department Update: Overview, Budget, Land Conservation John Stokes and Mark Sears provided Council a general overview of Natural Areas Department activities. Councilmember Poppaw was absent. Councilmember Horak participated telephonically. Generally Council was pleased with the activities of the Department. One Councilmember suggested that additional recreation activities be considered on community separator properties, or those properties that have not yet been fully restored. Another Councilmember expressed concern about the Natural Areas contribution to the Parks Department for the paved trail system and indicated it should not be considered a permanent financial obligation. A Councilmember expressed concern that there were Natural Area activities prior to 1992 and it is incorrect to characterize 2012 as the 20th anniversary. A Councilmember suggested that the Department follow up on the idea of allowing hunting on Soapstone and perhaps other appropriate properties. A suggestion was made that the Department use conservation easements to help promote local agriculture and food production. Several Councilmembers acknowledged the potential challenge posed by the expiration of the County’s open space sales tax in 2018. Council discussed the Natural Areas contribution to the Museum of Discovery. Council expressed enthusiasm about the Natural Areas theme woven into a number of the exhibits. In addition to these suggestions, the Council leadership team asked for some follow up, including a description of lands purchased with funds from the 1973 and 1984 tax measures. A request was made for additional information about the expenditure of funds for restoration, in particular the “green” funds allocated for this purpose. A memo with this information and supporting documentation will be provided to Council in the next week or so. Transportation Planning & Special Projects 281 North College Avenue P.O. Box 580 Fort Collins, CO 80522.0580 970.224.6058 970.221.6239 - fax fcgov.com/transportation Planning, Development & Transportation DATE: July 13, 2012 TO: Mayor and City Councilmembers THROUGH: Darin Atteberry, City Manager Diane Jones, Deputy City Manager – Policy, Planning, & Transportation Karen Cumbo, Planning, Development, & Transportation Director FROM: Kathleen Bracke, Transportation Planning & Special Projects Director RE: JULY 10, 2012 WORKSESSION SUMMARY – CDOT NORTH I-25 DESIGN This memorandum provides a summary of the City Council Work Session discussion from July 10, 2012 regarding the Colorado Department of Transportation’s (CDOT) North I-25 Design Project, which is the next step to advance the Phase 1 transportation improvements from the North I-25 Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). Attendees: City Council: Mayor Karen Weitkunat, Mayor Pro-Tem Kelly Ohlson, Councilmember Ben Manvel, Councilmember Aislinn Kottwitz, Councilmember Wade Troxell, Councilmember Gerry Horak. City Staff: Darin Atteberry, Diane Jones, Karen Cumbo, Kathleen Bracke, Mark Jackson. CDOT Staff: Myron Hora and James Flohr, CDOT Region 4 Discussion Summary:  City Council provided comments and suggestions to City and CDOT staff regarding the proposed North I-25 Design Project process, particularly in regards to continuing to involve City Council and City staff as the design process moves forward with the selected consultant team (Atkins).  The multimodal transportation improvements included in the North I-25 EIS are very important to our community. City Council encourages local participation in this Design Project and suggests using an engagement process similar to the previous North I-25 EIS involvement.  Staff updates should be provided to City Council in writing quarterly and then future Work Sessions can be scheduled annually and/or as needed at key milestones throughout the Design Project.  Important to keep community informed of progress throughout the Design Project as well, including general public, business/property owners, residents, and agency partners.  Important to coordinate the northern corridor improvements with the other two I-25 segments also going through similar design processes to ensure a seamless outcome for the entire corridor.  Cost of Phase 1 multimodal improvements is estimated to be $670 million. Funding to cover this cost is based upon the anticipated revenue generation from state (70%) and federal (30%) sources through 2035.  Importance of having the design completed for the northern corridor in order to be ready and competitive in seeking potential construction funding resources from federal, state, local, and public/private partnerships.  Decision making regarding setting priorities of the various multimodal transportation improvements need to include highway safety and maintenance needs as well as need for regional transit such as the express bus along Harmony Road to I-25 and right-of-way preservation for future passenger rail along Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad corridor.  Clarification of the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) role as the oversight agency for the national interstate system and CDOT is the state-wide implementation agency responsible for building, operating, and maintaining I-25. FHWA and CDOT have a stewardship agreement.  Concern expressed about CDOT’s future plans to rebuild the I-25 and US34 interchange, particularly because it was just recently renovated. CDOT explained that the recent improvements were done to address basic safety issues and provide cosmetic enhancements. The magnitude of future traffic demand at the interchange will require a full rebuild of the interchange as well as substantial improvements to the adjacent intersections of US34 and Centerra Parkway on the east side of I-25 and to Rocky Mountain Way on the west side.  Council expressed the preference for CDOT and region to prioritize funding for new improvements north of US34 before rebuilding the new interchange.  CDOT assured the City Council that the new I-25 interchange at SH392/Carpenter Road is adequate to handle the long-term future width of I-25 and should not need to be rebuilt. The Harmony Road interchange will likely be able to accommodate the Phase 1 six lane improvements but may need to be modified to fit the proposed eight lane cross-section which includes the tolled express lanes.  The North I-25 EIS does include highway maintenance and safety related improvements north of SH14/Mulberry Street but not any additional lanes or widening is proposed to the north. These improvements will handle the 2035 projected traffic volumes, including regional truck traffic.  Need to also support regional funding for parallel roadways such as Timberline so that not all local traffic needs to use the interstate to make short trips.  Important for design phase to reflect all of the comments and concerns raised by the Fort Collins City Council and staff during the formal EIS comment periods. CDOT staff assured Council that they will incorporate all of feedback received throughout the EIS into the design process, including environmental impacts and Poudre River Trail extension.  Good that CDOT and their contractors recycle and reuse the concrete from their construction projects.  Council appreciated CDOT coming to the City early in the process and looks forward to staying involved along with City staff and the community.