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10/14/2008 NEIGHBORHOOD & AFFORDABLE HOUSING ADVISORY BOARD MEETING MINUTES CITY OF CLEARWATER October 14, 2008 Present: Donald F. Brackett Chair Peggy M. Cutkomp Board Member Laurel Braswell Board Member Lisa Hughes Board Member Josephine Carbone Board Member Samuel Davis Board Member Absent: Kip Corriveau Vice-Chair Jordan Behar Board Member Peter Leach Board Member Tony Langhorne Board Member Nick Pavonetti Board Member Also Present: Geri Campos Lopez Econ. Dev. Housing Director – departed 10:27 a.m. Jim Donnelly Assistant Director of Econ. Dev./Housing Michael Holmes Housing Manager – arrived 9:18 a.m. Terry Malcolm-Smith Housing Coordinator Brenda Moses Board Reporter The Chair called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m. at City Hall. To provide continuity for research, items are in agenda order although not necessarily discussed in that order. 2. Introductions 2.1 Summary of September 9th AHAC (Affordable Housing Advisory Committee) meeting Economic Development Housing Director Geri Campos Lopez said the City hired consultants from Wade Trim to facilitate the review and completion of the City’s Local Housing Incentive Strategy. Jose Fernandez of Wade Trim said at the September 9, 2008 NAHAB (Neighborhood and Affordable Housing Advisory Board/AHAC meeting, the board’s role was reviewed. He said the board identified various barriers to affordable housing and prioritized the top three barriers, and the timeline for completion of the LHAP (Local Housing Assistance Plan). He said as it would be difficult to develop strategies for each of the barriers identified, he requested the board focus on regulatory issues and the City’s administrative/permitting process, including the Comprehensive Plan and the Land Development Code, and research the City’s best practices regarding providing incentives for affordable housing. He said the strategy the board develops could include costs for financing, production, public perception, and the barriers that have been identified. The final Local Housing Incentive Strategy report needs to be completed by November 12, 2008 in time for the November 19, 2008 meeting. Once finalized, the document will be reviewed by City Council on December 18, 2008. Elements of the Local Housing Incentive Strategy will be incorporated into the LHAP. 2.2 Explanation of work performed since September 9th Neighborhood & Affordable Housing 2008-10-14 1 See item 5.3. 3. Approve Minutes of September 9, 2008 Member Carbone moved to approve the minutes of the regular meeting of September 9, 2008, as submitted in written summation to each board member. The motion was duly seconded and carried unanimously. 4. Exercise with Members of the Committee 4.1 Exercise 1: What are the main principles that will guide the development of affordable housing in the City of Clearwater Mr. Fernandez said a vision statement and principles will be developed regarding what board members feel housing will look like in the future. He requested board member list two reasons why affordable housing should be promoted in the City. He said answers could include why affordable housing is so vital in Clearwater, how developments/structures should look, etc. Responses included: 1) Lack of affordable housing within the community/county resulting in workforce moving away from community which increases commute time and leads to workers leaving jobs to work in other communities; 2) Homelessness due to lack of affordable housing opportunities; 3) Urban renewal, keeping up with other cities; 4) City needs to find ways to draw residents back to the City by encouraging affordable housing; 5) City needs to find uses for vacant properties; 6) Projects that were proposed but never realized need to be completed; 7) City needs to assist Police officers, firefighters, and teachers that work in the community they serve so that they may enjoy the lifestyle Clearwater offers; 8) City needs to address lack of job opportunities in the community; 9) Provide and simplify public education regarding home ownership and make the process easier to understand; 10) There is a need to serve low/moderate income residents with affordable housing programs; 11) Promote/build wealth by encouraging homeownership through affordable housing; 12) Upgrade communities to reduce crime and encourage homeownership; 13) Property taxes and insurance continue to increase and adversely affect affordable housing; 14) City needs to assist low income families in enjoying pride of homeownership; and 15) The general public does not know that downpayment assistance and other programs are available for first-time and low to moderate income homebuyers. Mr. Fernandez requested board members list three words that define affordable housing in the City in the future. Responses included: 1) Mixed income projects with homes of various sizes; 2) Safe; 3) Attractive; 4) Low downpayment costs; 5) Fixed rate property taxes for low income wage earners; 6) Fixed mortgage rates offered by reputable mortgage lenders; 7) Efficient/green materials/floorplans with simple design to minimize ongoing homeownership costs; 8) Homeownership attainable through education; 9) Level/fair taxes for everyone; 10) Fair insurance rates; 11) Walkable community; 12) Enjoyable, inviting, and comfortable; 13) Preserve character of existing neighborhood; 14) Sensible, xeriscaped landscaping; 15) Affordable housing located near stores, parks, recreation centers, etc.; 16) Cost of homeownership (utilities, water, etc.) is too high; 17) City planners must look to the future; 18) Duplexes, however most lenders require leases be in place at the time of loan application; 19) Remove negative stigma of affordable housing; 20) Educate and instill accountability/pride by Neighborhood & Affordable Housing 2008-10-14 2 purchasers to ensure homeowners maintain and keep homes; 21) Accessory housing (homes with rental or mother-in-law apartments; two-story homes); 22) Easy access to mass transit; and 23) Affordable housing in downtown. It was suggested as the board’s discussion regarding affordable housing basically has related to homeownership, rental units also need to be considered. Discussion ensued with comments that acts of nature and increases in taxes and insurance greatly affect housing affordability, that the right mortgage broker can remove affordable housing barriers through education, that no more than 30% of a person’s income should be allocated for rent/mortgage, and that it is important to factor in future growth prior to construction of affordable housing projects. 4.2 Exercise 2: What are specific recommendations (regulatory, process, etc.) to improve the provision of affordable housing within the City? Exercise will consider existing and new housing units Discussion ensued with comments that the loss of trees and other landscaping has been replaced with a concrete jungle that affects afternoon rain patterns, that rental units that have been lost throughout the City have not been replaced to the extent necessary, that the City should implement a financial assistance program for people in crisis due to job loss, etc. as it would help stabilize the community, that the City should consider working with developers to obtain state and federal funds to replace lost rental units, and that the City assist potential buyers by providing City-owned land at reasonable prices to affordable housing organizations for affordable housing projects, including assistance with land acquisition costs. Housing Coordinator Terry Malcolm-Smith said although limited, the City’s Economic Development and Housing Division has a foreclosure assistance program. It was suggested the City purchase foreclosed homes and offer them to affordable housing candidates, create jobs, especially in downtown, that the City work with the financial sector, improve the mass transit system using smaller busses and providing more frequent routes, that the City obtain tracts of land on which to build a mix of rental units and homes in the same area, that the City buy deteriorated parcels of land, such as on Gulf-to-Bay Boulevard, for affordable housing, that the City be more flexible with Codes and regulations depending upon the neighborhood, that affordable housing be close to jobs, malls, parks, etc., and that when homeowners make property improvements they receive a tax credit or reduced taxes instead of tax increases, and instead of subsidizing homeowners in crisis reduce payments by extending the length of mortgage loans. It was suggested that instead of using the City-owned property on Drew Street as a golf course, that the property be considered for construction of multi-use, affordable housing. 5. Summary of inventory (Regulatory and Process) 5.1 Comprehensive Plan Amendments Mr. Fernandez said Wade Trim reviewed the City’s Comprehensive Plan, which is currently being reviewed by DCA (Florida Department of Community Affairs). At the end of December after amendments are completed, DCA will again review the Comprehensive Plan. He reviewed the Comprehensive Plan’s objectives, goals, and polices and said the definition of affordable housing is described in financial terms and needs to be refined. He said the Future Land Use Element identifies preferred areas for affordable housing and mixed use Neighborhood & Affordable Housing 2008-10-14 3 developments but does not reference other potential areas to promote affordable housing, such as in CRA (Community Redevelopment Agency) areas. At the first NAHAB meeting, Mr. Fernandez reviewed a list of State required items to be reviewed. He said some affordable housing elements are that are referenced in the Future Land Use Plan are not referenced in the Comprehensive Plan. He said the Comprehensive Plan has limited flexible landscaping requirements and limited flexibility to deal with concurrency requirements for affordable housing projects. The Housing Element recognizes that impact fees significantly affect the cost of new housing and methods of balancing the objectives of affordable housing and adequate infrastructure need to be explored. The Comprehensive Plan has no link to the Land Development Code to provide for a section that clarifies incentives that are available for affordable housing. He said the Comprehensive Plan does not include policies encouraging minimum siting criteria, minimum design standards to foster better types of affordable housing developments, does not specify criteria to weigh the type of development assistance provided to developers that want to build affordable housing that exceeds minimum requirements, and does not acknowledge statutory requirements to develop the Local Housing Strategy. He said the Housing Element requires review of new construction techniques, materials, building codes, and housing codes in order to determine where housing costs can be reduced. 5.2 Land Development Code Amanda Warner of Wade Trim said the City’s Land Development Code is a nontraditional, flexible code that includes minimum standard development, flexible standard development, and flexible development. Each degree of flexibility has specific criteria with regard to height, density, setbacks, access, etc. She said there are three levels of development review, depending upon the proposed use. Comprehensive Infill Redevelopment projects provide applicants more flexibility and require a more intensive review process. She said there is an expedited plan review process for affordable housing projects that are reviewed by staff, that receive priority review over non-affordable housing applications, and if warranted are reviewed by the DRC (Development Review Committee, and the CDB (Community Development Board) and scheduled for the next available meeting. Ms. Warner reviewed the types of housing referenced in the Community Development Code. She said the Code defines dwelling units as independent living facilities for one family that provide living, sleeping, and complete kitchen facilities, and are not used or occupied for interval or fractional ownership. The Code defines four types of dwelling units: 1) Detached dwelling units, which are typically single-family residences; 2) Attached dwelling units, which are typically multifamily units; 3) Accessory dwelling units, which are accessory to and occupy the same lot as a nonresidential use; and 4) Mobile homes. The City is contemplating including residential accessory dwelling units in the Comprehensive Plan. She said no one article or division of the Code specifically addresses affordable housing and affordable housing is only referenced three times in the Code. 5.3 Permitting Process Mr. Fernandez said since the initial NAHAB meeting, he met with various developers regarding the City’s administrative and permitting review process. Feedback from the developers indicates that some City staff have a limited understanding, concept, and vision of affordable housing, there is a lack of customer service/positive attitude towards applicants, there is a lengthy response time regarding inquiries, that information regarding available incentives is not dispersed or available in one central location and is unclear, that the City does not have an affordable housing facilitator to work with developers, that the expedited permitting process for Neighborhood & Affordable Housing 2008-10-14 4 affordable housing is not working, that there is a lack of coordination for permit approval by building, zoning, engineering, fire, and other departments, and there are no specific criteria for rehabilitation of property or new construction incentives in the Code. Developers also felt the City needs a comprehensive checklist (separate site/building review) and a better definition of substantial rehabilitation (50% rule) in the Code. Developers expressed frustration that for multifamily developments, density allowances are addressed after site plan approval. 6. Comments Assistant Director of Economic Development/Housing Jim Donnelly said information provided by Wade Trim regarding developer comments and the NAHAB's comments regarding affordable housing is invaluable to the City. 7. New/Old Business 8. Next Meetinq 8.1 NAHAB/AHAC: October 28, 2008 @ 6:00 p.m. It was requested that board members call staff if they are unable to attend the next meeting. 9. Adiournment The meeting adjourned at 10:34 a.m. ~ Chair, Neighborhood & Affordable Housing Advisory Board ~ rb-lJ2~ oard Reporter Neighborhood & Affordable Housing 2008-10-14 5