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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMemo - Read Before Packet - 4/13/2021 - Memorandum From Meaghan Overton And Lindsay Ex Re: Read Before Item 3 - End Of Term Report - Supplemental Information From The Ad Hoc Council Housing CommitteeDocuSign Envelope ID: 2E8E7784-DF8A-4C2B-8536-1 D9602D7C916 City of Fort Collins SOCIaI Sustainability MEMORANDUM DATE: April 12, 2021 TO: Mayor and City Council DS THRU: Darin Atteberry, City Manage \/ c'4 ,S Kyle Stannert, Deputy City Manag Affordable Housing Executive Team FROM: Meaghan Overton, Housing Manager Lindsay Ex, Climate Program Manager eDs RE: Read Before Item #3: End -of -Term Report — Supplemental Information from the Ad Hoc Council Housing Committee Social Sustainability 222 Laporte Ave. PO Box 580 Fort Collins, CO 80522 970.221.6758 Purpose: The purpose of this memo is informational for Council and includes two items (1) the End of Term Report summarizing activities and recommendations of the Ad Hoc Council Housing Committee and (2) to share information on a Housing Strategic Plan community summit, particularly the wrap-up event on May 3. Ad Hoc Committee and End -of -Term Report. The Ad Hoc Committee Housing Committee held its final meeting on April 8. In its 9-month tenure, key accomplishments included the following: • 7 quicker wins identified, including assessing displacement and gentrification risk, extending the City's affordability term, off -cycle appropriation to advance Phase One of the Land Use Code Audit, creating additional development incentives for affordable housing, foreclosure and eviction prevention funding, and adoption of the Metro DPA Program. • Support for and ultimate adoption of the Housing Strategic Plan. More detailed information on outcomes, lessons learned, and recommendations for the next City Council are included in the attached report. Committee members requested this information be provided for this Tuesday's meeting to support the Council End of Term Report Work Session item. Community Summit: Ad Hoc Committee Members were also informed of the dates and format for the upcoming Home2Health Community Summit. The format for the first three events is small - group discussion. The final event is a Community Wrap -Up night where staff and partners will synthesize feedback and share key takeaways about implementation of the strategies in the Housing Strategic Plan. Information about the summit can be found at www.fcgov.com/housing and a flyer for the event is attached. Attachments: Ad Hoc Housing Committee End of Term Report Community Summit Flyer 1 Jackie Kozak Thiel, Chief Sustainability Officer; Theresa Connor, Utilities Executive Director; Caryn Champine, Planning, Development, and Transportation (PDT) Director; Julie Brewen, Housing Catalyst Executive Director; Travis Storing, Chief Financial Officer; Dave Lenz, Finance Planning and Analysis Director; Beth Sowder, Social Sustainability Director; and Josh Birks, Economic Health Director. DocuSign Envelope ID: 2E8E7784-DF8A-4C2B-8536-1 D9602D7C916 City of Fort Collins Ad Hoc Housing Committee — End of Term Report Executive Summary The Housing Ad Hoc Council Committee was established by Resolution 2020-0068 on July 21, 2020 with an overall purpose to support the development of the Housing Strategic Plan, which was unanimously adopted by City Council on March 2, 2021. The Committee held nine meetings from August of 2020 through April 2021. Key Committee accomplishments include the following: • 7 quicker wins identified, including assessing displacement and gentrification risk, extending the City's affordability term, the off -cycle appropriation to advance Phase One of the Land Use Code Audit, creating additional development incentives for affordable housing, foreclosure and eviction prevention funding, and the adoption of the Metro DPA Program. • Support for and ultimate adoption of the Housing Strategic Plan. This report includes the following elements the Committee addressed during its tenure: • Committee composition, scope and process; • Committee topics, speakers, and outcomes; • Lessons learned; and • Recommendations for the next City Council, including areas of tension/opportunity to be aware of in implementation. Committee Composition, Scope and Process Three members of City Council served on the Committee. Committee members included Councilmember Emily Gorgol (Chair), Mayor Pro Tem Stephens (March -December), Mayor Pro Tem Cunniff, and Councilmember Ken Summers (January -April). Committee membership shifted slightly in January 2021 because Mayor Pro Tem Stephens was elected to the Larimer County Board of Commissioners. The Committee was supported by Lindsay Ex, Interim Housing Manager, and Meaghan Overton, Senior City Planner, in addition to the City's Executive Leadership. The Housing Ad Hoc Committee met on the 2nd Thursday of every month from 5-7 pm. Agenda and materials, including draft minutes from the prior meeting and background materials were provided in the Thursday Council packet prior to the meeting and were posted on the Committee's website. In discussions, the Committee used the following framework to discuss strategies and solutions: • Quick(er) wins: Were any of the strategies and solutions discussed something that could be moved forward on immediately (within this Council term)? Are additional resources required or can it be moved forward within existing capacity and resources? • Transitional strategies: Are there any strategies that could be part of the Housing Strategic Plan but cannot be moved forward within the next 5-6 months and should be highlighted in the end -of - term transition report to the next Council? • Transformational Strategies: Are there strategies that could be part of the plan and will take a longer time (2+ years) to develop an implementation and engagement strategy to address? DocuSign Envelope ID: 2E8E7784-DF8A-4C2B-8536-1 D9602D7C916 Committee Topics, Speakers, and Outcomes Topics Speakers Outcomes Committee Scope Councilmembers and Staff • Aug 2020 - Clarified focus on the plan's development and diving deeply on 14 topics, as time allows. • Each meeting — review of progress, pre - work, and next steps to ensure Committee success Existing Conditions and Greatest Challenges • Julie Brewen, CEO, Housing Catalyst • Kendra Diede, Human Resources, Advanced Energy • Landon Hoover, President, Hartford Homes • John Williams, CEO, Advance Energy • Meaghan Overton, Sr City Planner • Clay Frickey, Redevelopment Manager • Sylvia Tatman-Burruss, City Planner • Sept 2020 - Clarity around the "problem we're trying to solve;" understanding of the cost of housing in Fort Collins and drivers/levers for the housing system; and encouragement to test the greatest challenges with the community. Housing Types and Zoning • Kristin Fritz, Chief Real Estate Officer, Housing Catalyst • Jessica Prosser, Community Development Manager, City of Aurora • Daniel Krzyzanowski, Planning Supervisor, City of Aurora • Sandra Wood, Principal Planner, City of Portland • Paul Sizemore, Interim CDNS Director • Meaghan Overton, Sr City Planner • Oct 2020 — Initial list of strategies to pursue to support greater diversity of housing types and LUC changes. • Nov 2020 — Refined list of strategies to pursue as quick(er) wins, leading to a recommendation that an off -cycle appropriation for advancing the LUC audit be brought to the full Council. • Mar 2021 — Off -cycle appropriation for housing -related LUC changes and code reorganization unanimously adopted; see transition to implementation section below. Anti- displacement and housing stability • Clay Frickey, Redevelopment Manager • Nov 2020 - Identification of three potential quick(er) wins to discuss further at the December meeting. • Dec 2020 — Support for moving the anti - displacement mapping and eviction prevention fund forward Rental regulations, including occupancy and approaches from other cities • Shelby Sommer, CU Denver Masters Student • Marcy Yoder, Neighborhood Services Manager • Justin Moore, Code Compliance Lead Inspector • Dec 2020 — review of existing occupancy regulations, peer city research and potential options explored, inclusion of occupancy and rental licensing strategies in the Housing Strategic Plan as a result Funding and Financing Strategies • Sue Beck-Ferkiss, Social Policy and Housing Programs Manager • Victoria Shaw, Sr Financial Analyst • Dec 2020 — Review of the existing financial programs and quicker win opportunities moving forward; advanced the MetroDPA (down payment assistance for households making less than $150K) to the full Council (adopted in Feb 2021) 2 DocuSign Envelope ID: 2E8E7784-DF8A-4C2B-8536-1 D9602D7C916 Topics Speakers Outcomes Innovation • Joe Rowan, Commercial Loan Manager Impact Development Fund • Stefka Franchi, Chief Executive Officer Elevation Community Land Trust • Clay Frickey, Redevelopment Manager • Jan 2021 — Review of successful housing partnerships and innovative ideas; inclusion of design competition into the Housing Strategic Plan as a result (Strategy 15) Housing Strategic Plan • Mollie Fitzgerald, Principal with Root Policy Research • Lindsay Ex, Interim Housing Manager • Meaghan Overton, Senior City Planner • Megan DeMasters, Environmental Sustainability Specialist • Jan 2021 - Review of the initial set of prioritized strategies; adjusted language to the strategies to reflect Committee feedback • Feb 2021 — Deep dive into the draft Housing Strategic Plan, strategy refinement prior to Council adoption Transition to Implementation • Kristin Fritz, Chief Real Estate Officer with Housing Catalyst • Russ Lee, Ripley Design • Robin Bachelet, Local Developer • Jennifer Bray, Affordable Housing Board Member • Meaghan Overton, Sr City Planner • Mar 2021 — Increased understanding of the cost of housing and informed development of the Land Use Code Phase One work, e.g., ensuring the Code can be interpreted by all stakeholders; recognition that density, height, and parking are highly impactful on project feasibility; desire to remove subjectivity and explore consistent set of options to allow for flexibility; identified need for training opportunities for decision - making bodies around implementation actions like LUC changes, occupancy, etc. Housing/Climate Nexus • Kumar Jensen, Chief Sustainability Officer, City of Evanston, IL • Courtney Fieldman, Associate, Rocky Mountain Institute • Cyndy Comerford, Climate Program Manager, City of San Francisco, CA • Lindsay Ex, Climate Program Manager • Meaghan Overton, Housing Manager • Recognition that like housing, there are no silver bullets to addressing the housing / climate nexus and a systems approach is required. • Consider how displacement prevention can be paired with incentives (San Francisco example). • In building code updates, the importance of moving toward electrification was noted. Financing is a significant challenge; evaluating the housing / climate nexus in implementation of the Small Landlord Incentives strategy should be explored. • The importance of storytelling was emphasized, and the need to continue emphasizing lived experiences, whether in sequencing of engagement, data collection and analysis, or in decision making. • Recognize the tension with housing affordability and climate action and how to ensure these areas find mutually beneficial solutions is critical. 3 DocuSign Envelope ID: 2E8E7784-DF8A-4C2B-8536-1 D9602D7C916 Lessons Learned • There is significant value in Ad Hoc Committees to dive in more deeply on Council Priorities and to have an opportunity to learn and talk together as Councilmembers. • The structured nature of this committee, e.g., orientation to the plan and planning process, was helpful. • Having dedicated staff support was helpful for success, e, g., putting together meeting packets, developing and supporting the panel, and the back work to execute on Council's vision. • The virtual format of the Committee generally worked well and allowed for the participation of panelists from other parts of the state and country. • At the request of Committee members, pre -work was included with each meeting to both orient to the meeting topic and allow for in-depth discussion and exploration during the meeting. A mix of media for background materials, e.g., videos and reading, was helpful as Councilmembers expressed different preferences for the pre -work. • Midway through the process, there was a recognition that a more formal process would be helpful to provide for public comment. Public comment was added to each agenda and staff shared a prepared statement each time that let attendees know chat comments and questions would be a part of the public record. Recommendations for the next Council While the Ad Hoc Committee was able to accomplish a great deal in nine months, the work to achieve the vision that "Everyone has healthy, stable housing they can afford" will take decades to achieve. Further, housing is complex and touches nearly every issue and outcome area. Thus, this Committee recommends the next City Council be aware of the following areas of tension and opportunities as we move from plan to implementation: • Zoning, density and infill development. Current zoning capacity is not expected to keep pace with housing needs in Fort Collins and the current low vacancy rate creates a market where housing demand far exceeds supply. How to address this concern will be a critical focus of the Land Use Code (LUC) updates initiated by this Committee with an off -cycle budget appropriation. Key tensions in implementation of these LUC updates will likely include historical and present disparities in who can access housing, how to balance neighborhood and community change with quality of life, identifying strategies to achieve the City's carbon neutral goals while also achieving housing affordability, the tension between open space and housing needs, and evaluating processes to advance housing development along with what and where different housing types are allowed. • Renter stability, registration, and occupancy. Addressing policies and programs to better support Fort Collins's substantial renter population was identified within the Existing Conditions Assessment as one of our remaining questions, as this is a newer space for Fort Collins. Key areas of tension include the need to balance neighborhood quality with right sizing the existing occupancy ordinance for today's community, assessing the best strategies to protect health and safety of rental housing while balancing this with housing affordability, and ensuring all residents feel valued and welcomed in Fort Collins regardless of their housing tenure. • Achieving equity in outcomes. The Housing Strategic Plan was one of two plans adopted in 2021 that were centered in equity (the other plan was Our Climate Future). While the City has advanced with embedding equity in process by ensuring all residents have meaningful opportunities to engage with and influence plan development, how we will embed equity in outcomes is an area of exploration for Future Councils, staff, and the community. Integrating 4 DocuSign Envelope ID: 2E8E7784-DF8A-4C2B-8536-1 D9602D7C916 equity considerations into metrics and evaluation of existing and future programs is one important area of emphasis. • Financing the Strategies. As noted in the Existing Conditions Assessment, there is an $8.8M annual gap in funding for achieving the City's current affordable housing goal of 10% of units being affordable by 2040. As the City refines its goals to encompass the entire housing spectrum (one of the quicker win strategies identified in the Housing Strategic Plan), how additional funding and financing will be secured to deliver on the units needed to achieve this goal will be a critical area of focus going forward. Tensions that will need to be considered will be how to raise this additional funding and how to address funding needs for housing in a systematic way alongside other needs for transit, parks and recreation maintenance, and other community priorities. Innovative solutions will be needed to work with the public and private sector to adequately fund implementation of the Plan's strategies. • Communications and storytelling. Housing is personal, and changing neighborhoods, demographics, and the community overall will impact how this work is implemented. Critical to success will be communications and storytelling around housing as a community priority, who needs housing, and how new residents and housing types can be successfully integrated into existing neighborhoods. This work will require partnerships beyond the City to succeed. Future Councils may also consider further conversation opportunities similar to the panels the Ad Hoc Committee held. Potential panel topics identified by the Ad Hoc Committee for future consideration include hearing from neighborhood groups, boards and commissions, and other community groups regarding their perspectives on housing. • The importance of partnerships. As discussed throughout the planning process, no one entity can solve our housing challenges alone. The Committee recommends continued exploration of partnerships in implementation, whether with durable partners such as Colorado State University, or through innovative partnerships, such as those described above, to identify where mutual goals might be identified to advance the Plan's vision. Conclusion This Committee recognizes that achieving the vision that "Everyone has healthy, stable housing they can afford" will not be achieved overnight. As the Plan outlines, we will need to stay in learning mode with the work, as no community in the U.S. has solved housing affordability. Thus, finding ways for the next Council (and the next Council) to engage with and influence housing policy at all levels will continue to be important as the work transitions from plan to implementation. 5 DocuSign Envelope ID: 2E8E7784-DF8A-4C2B-8536-1D9602D7C916 HOM E2H E LTH COMMUNITY SUMMIT NIGHTLY TOPICS: Thursday, April 22nd 5:30- 8:00pm Increase Housing Supply and Choice Topics like zoning, land use, and diversity of housing types ui l d.�ics like undln aff ceives, . Id ways to preserve able housihg Saturday, April 24th 1:30-4:00pm Improve Housing Stability and Health Topics related to rental housing, occupancy and rental regulation, and manufactured homes Monday, May 3rd 6:00-7:30pm Community Summit Wrap -Up Participants will receive a $40 stipend for attendance Spanish translation and interpretation available *This project is funded in part by Amendment 35 Health Disparities Grant Program funding. The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the official policies of, nor does the mention of imply endorsement by, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. RSVP HERE City of Fort Collins CENTER FOR PUBLIC DELIBERATION COLORAOO STATE UNIVERSITY HOMEt2 HEALTH DocuSign Envelope ID: 2E8E7784-DF8A-4C2B-8536-1D9602D7C916 HOME2HEA,LTH COMMUNITY SUMMIT Abril 22, 24, y 26 .40 onclussion de la Cumbre Comunnaria el lunes 3 de' TEMAS NOCTURNOS: Jueves 22 de abril 5:30-8:OOpm Aumentar la oferta y la eleccion de viviendas Sabado 24 de abril 1:30-4:00pm _ Mejorar la estabilidad y la salud de la vivienda Lunes 3 de mayo 6:00-7:30pm Conclusion de la Cumbre Comunitaria Iiz•I.p'Li Proporcionaremos un estipendio de $40 a todos los asistentes a este taller. Traduccion e interpretacion al espanol disponibles jwon mai *Este proyecto esta financiado en parte por los fondos del Programa de subvencion de disparidades de salud de la Enmienda 35. Las opiniones expresadas no necesariamente reflejan las polfticas oficiales ni implican el apoyo del Departamento de Salud Publica y Medio Ambiente de Colorado (Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment). RSVP AQUI City of Fort Collins CENTER FOR PUBLIC DELIBERATION COLORAOO STATE UNIVERSITY HOMEt2 HEALTH