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06/18/1996 (2) . ~. . ........ ......~U....H...~..~. "1' ....,. ,;,., ,I ' 1', ...'.... , :1< . " . ' '.... 'c':':'."" : ~ : > . . > ' . " .' t . ", ," .. >-' ~'."':~."/'~I"'''''':''''.T' . . . . . ,. T ~. ~'" '" + ,- ". . ~.' ......" _ I 1 I' .. ~. ., , '" . NAHAB Neighborhoo,d & Affordable Housing Advisory Board MINUTES Date une &,Lqq(p. l C) '15 1i, " . " ,'. , \ .' ,. " ,,, . '\ I' .' , '" "'-' ,',' "'''' ,'"',",',,,"".,"'. ,''',' ,,:,,' "'.'.; '''',',: '," , " " " . ' " .', '. :' : ,~ '. 'I' _." : ' ._"" " ',', : f I ~, I' . I . .I. I.. . ',\. ........,..,. \ . . . :." ,..... .':~;. '_" ~.'.::'.....,l.,,~,~L~~:'~;'!''''':''':'4'~ ',:..:...~. .'1" .... ..' ,I" :,...., I"" , ." I, : '. ~,' .) ."", . '.... . '. " ,', . .' '~ NEIGHBORHOOD & AFFORDABLE HOUSING ADVISORY BOARD CITY OF CLEARWATER June 18. 1996 Present: Shirley Moran Mayme W. Hodges Rev. William Graham Howard Groth Mary Myhill William Turner. Sr. Vacant Seat Alan Ferri Patricia O. Sullivan Chair Vice.Chair Board Member Board Member Board Member Board Member Board Member Economic Development Director Board Reporter Absent: Milly Joplin Bertha Kelley Board Member Board Member The Chair called the meeting to order at 10: 10 a. m. at City Hall. c:> This meeting. originally scheduled to meet in Chambers for broadcast on C-View TV, was moved to the Large Conference Room. Consensus of NAHAS (Neighborhood & Affordable Housing Advisory Board) was for members to be notified when conflicting meetings are scheduled in Chambers to provide NAHAS the opportunity to reschedule their meeting date. To provide continuity for research, items are in agenda order although not necessarily discussed in that order. ITEM # 2 - Presentation of the HousinQ Element of the Comorehensive Plf!fl , It was noted CHA (Clearwater Housing Authority) has 91 5 "Section 8" units. It was questioned how the needed 2,600 housing units could be constructed when Clearwater has less than 600 acres of vacant land. Mr. Ferr; said redeveloping existing sites must be considered. A sentence will be added to the plan to address that point. Mr. Ferri said every five years. the State requires the City to inventory resources such as the capacity of adult congregate care and licensed child care facilities and estimate if they will handle demand during the next five years. If capacities are inadequate, the City must identify goals. It was noted Jackson Manor has closed. Mr. Ferri reported future housing demand projections are based on last year's federally required study. Regarding substandard housing,' Mr. Ferri agreed numbers have declined. Substandard housing once was identified as units without plumbing facilities or kitchens. Most current housing has these facilities. Identifying 'substandard housing would require an inspection of every property to determine if electric wiring meets current standards, if ventilation and heat is adequate, if overcrowding exists. etc. This information is not available through current data sources. o mnah06b.96 1 06/18/96 .... ": _' , ,':' "", '.....: ;'::: ....:.,..',,' >. '."> :.... ," ',' :~ ',.,:.,'..:< "',':<.:,:,.':"::'~,;'.:,.,,.,,\,,: '" "","','" '1',,',"; ..:'. .':.":'., '.~",; ~ ",< :'., ::-'" ',;',: "':. ::",',,:,':,,':,..,: ,:',: " ' , "" ',:",," "'" .' ~I: 'J' \ I, \ L\' " ,':' " . . . " ., . . L~.__I \ ., . I I ~ I I, :'.'1';' ...,\...'::.......,..:,;:..."i>,..'..)'.~....:' :.~: ::...;_.;.....,...~::.t.:..:..~...:,~,~...;.~...:.:..,...:.:........ :l.:,::..':..,',"..;.~. I' '..' '. '.,'.:".1-,,', '. I . .,". ,'::.:';, ,;' '.', ~,' .,'.1," ":" ',' '1 It was requested that documents be presented to the board in advance to allow '" adequate review. Consensus was to approve the Housing Element of the Comprehensive Plan with reservations. Mr, Ferri requested members call him with suggested changes by June 21, 1996. He will send members a memorandum listing them. Members will call their approval to Mr. Ferri by June 25, 1996. In answer to a question, Mr. Ferri stated the City Commission had appointed NAHAB as the responsible citizen participation panel to review this document for housing. As an Economic Development Task Force does not exist, NAHAS is designated as that responsible body. ITEM # 3 - CritiQue of the Suborantee Evaluation Process Mr. Ferri referred to a distributed report which listed that unfunded agencies received low scores from NAHAB and the TRC (Technical Review Committee). The Consolidated Plan had been distributed for public comment. He expressed concern neither home ownership housing training program was funded. He will negotiate smaller grants for them from pools of City money designated for home ownership. Of the more than 70 families who purchased in.fiJI homes within the last 5 years, only one delinquency and no defaults occurred. He suggested creating a separate category for home ownership training to ensure future funding. "~ (:(f As some programs were not funded, it was suggested another evaluation process be developed. Mr. Ferri said fund distribution, previously based on City Commission and Economic Development staff recommendations, resulted in some political decisions. Applying agencies now know the process is objective. Staff holds workShops to explain the process although some agencies have not taken advantage of staff's technical assistance. The pool of funding is shrinking while requests increase. Mr. Ferri noted NAHAS members did not evaluate agencies with which they have ties. An average of 13 people evaluated each agency and no agency was evaluated by less than 10. He indicated most scores were clustered closely. He felt Pinellas Private Industry Council's plan to pay youth to attend training resulted in their low score. Public services funding is capped and scores are performance based. Girls tnc. 's request mostly covered administrative support. Concern was expressed the TRC may not be as aware of City needs as NAHAS. Mr. Ferri said the current process identifies if proposed programs target low and moderate income residents and if they address 9 specific objectives. Programs without clearly identified needs score poorly. Local funding also is available through JWB (Juvenile Welfare Board) and Pinellas County. He reported homeless services provided by the Salvation Army soon will qualify for State and Federal funding and no longer will need City funding. He reported some agencies which address housing needs missed their goals because of changing market conditions. o In answer to a question, Mr. Ferri said less than 1 5 % of funding is not spent. He is . comfortable with that production level. It was suggested NAHAS should have the authority to refuse funds to agencies which do not spend their approved funds. Mr. Ferri said the evaluation process penalizes agencies that do not reach their established goals. mnah06b.96 2 06/18/96 "'."..,_' .,' ':, :'.,: '., ',,::~>"',<:~.<,.', '''.:.'<.':',>.,'.''':';'':'>' ::,"',:,,', "'::".',::.t': :",>"',',,.::',:..,". ">,' ':',"':", . . ','.' ....'~ ~,.'>:< :':,::',,' :,,,;,,:>,:<,:<:".'~ . I I" .' , .. ~ . 1 C'j' .' f. ~ __ I .' 'i> . . ',., , ' , ',",'. I '~I" ',,:,' " ", " .' " ," , '. ,. ,. ", . I' 'It' \. .. " . .I. L' '" . . -:. ,'..,' ,'J . '.' '" ".~ . r . " j . .' \ ~ . . .' .' . . ',;.J -,',: I";. , ~ .1 Consensus was to agenda an evaluation of agency expenditures in April 1997, with a staff prepared report listing agencies that submit monthly reports late and comparing how much each agency has spent with their allocation and how much they should have spent by that point. Mr. Ferri suggested NAHAS incorporate a provision to recapture funds at the 6 month mark based on performance. In answer to a question, Mr. Ferri said most funding is earmarked for housing programs. Federal statutes strictly limit funding of Public Services and administration expenses. In answer to a question, he said agencies can apply to purchase and renovate old' homes to sell to low income residents. He noted the importance of identifying if acquisition and rehabilitation costs can be recaptured. A problem with absentee landlords in North Greenwood was noted. Mr. Ferri said many property owners demand compensation above market value. The CRT (Community Response Team) receives $175,000 in federal grants which carry restrictions. If a CRT condemnation of a substandard property results in the eviction of a Section 8 tenant, the City is liable for assisting that tenant's housing needs for five years. If alternative funding can be found, the CRT could be more effective enforcing substandard housing. He hoped the City would see this program is essential and fund it. The current program has had a positive impact. Five team members serve the North and South Greenwood communities and five members serve the remainder of the City. .<..-1li." I ""IJtJ Mr. Ferri expressed concern regarding CNHS (Clearwater Neighborhood Housing Services) $4,800 delivery cost per in-fill house constructed. He has requested they lower those costs. Regarding the evaluation process, it was felt some fine tuning may be needed. Mr. Ferri suggested some agencies may have rated poorly if their presentations did not clearly define their program goals, He noted last year, the City funded CSF (Community Services Foundation) as a contractor instead of funding a staff assistant position and staff vehicle. Mr. Ferri said staff will present a draft revision of the evaluation form in S~ptember and allocation recommendation. It was suggested that unclear terms such as "contract services" not be accepted. Future information packets will include an agency's financials if staff knows the agency has had an audit problem. ITEM 1/4 w Subgratee RODorts - None. ITEM #5 - Old Business - None. ITEM 1/6 - New Business a) Election of Chair Member Hodges moved to reelect Shirley Moran as Chair. Member Groth amended the motion to include Mayme Hodges as Vice Chair. The motion as amended was duly seconded and carried unanimously. l .;:,'~\ ~ mnah06b.96 3 06/18/96 , ': :':'"" '.;:' ','. :,:....'.:' t.:'4.....~:.::~..~;:...~.;,oI;.~.~4_.._~:.~II:_.~..'......:.r...."""',':': :',' ,~":'j":"".. .:"'~ .;~'. '..' '...',.: ,.1.,: ':::. :".;, "'::','.::.: r,,",,", ~ Vacant Seat Mr. Ferri requested board recommendations to fill the vacant seat. Applicants need to complete a form available from the City Clerk. It was noted the seat needs to be filled by a City resident who represents the housing construction industry. Brownfield Project Funding Mr. Ferri reported the City was awarded an initial $100,000 grant from the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) to address 100 contaminated sites the City identified downtown, and in the North Greenwood and South Greenwood neighborhoods. The award will help the City clean up the sites. The City was one of 1 B communities funded nationwide. The City will negotiate with EPA and the FDEP (Florida Department of Environmental Protection) to streamline a permitting containment process for businesses interested in acquiring sites that may have contamination. Instead of businesses having to deal directly with State and Federal agencies, the process will be done locally. Brownfield limits the chain of liability on property. Pending bipartisan legislation will provide $33- million in tax credits over 7 years for Clearwater. These credits can be used to construct the 13-acre downtown lake which will improve the water in Clearwater Harbor, '""",, r'::mi Mr. Ferri said the value of the area proposed for the lake is estimated at $10- million. He noted concerns regarding removing that much land from the tax rolls and the impact on surrounding property. Preliminary data indicate the value of surrounding property will double within 5 years of the lake's construction without redevelopment. Cleaning the 100 Brownfield sites is estimated to cost $25-million in taxpayer money over 10-years. He estimated cleaning 10 sites per year, will result in a repayment of $28- million in ad valorem and utility taxes. As the citizen participation vehicle for this grant, NAHAS will have a large role in working with SWFWMD, (Southwest Florida Water Management District) FDEP, USF (University of South Florida), and other groups concerned with environmental justice, It was questioned if Stevenson's Creek is listed as a contaminated site. Mr. F~rri said the creek will be addressed through the City's CIP (Capital Improvement Program). A funding request is pending to further evaluate the creek. A current study is looking at soil, not water quality. He said full habitat restoration of Stevenson's Creek has been suggested which includes removing exotic plants and cleaning up contaminants. Currently, 4.5~tons of nitrogen Bre pumped into the creek annually, The reclaimed water program will lower this figure significantly. It was suggested this issue needs to be on the "front burner. " In answer to a question. Mr. Ferri indicated he and a committee are working with a representative of the Jazz Hall of Fame regarding locating on the City's East End property. He noted concerns about who legally represents the group. o ITEM 117 - Announcements mnah06b.96 4 06/18/96 , " "" ,,:' '; ;",', " . ..:~,_',' ::";'::__"..,' ',,:, ,," , ',',. ',I,' , " ' " , " ,'., ' " .. l ~ ~. ... ;j~. \' t. : .', .. ~ " ':~ .,i I,"", , . -, :,: , ~::.:?'f'-'~': ~.:'<(;"; i:,\;;~.~~(::r}~:~.:s: ',::" ',~_ :<; < ,::-',\:'>:,:: ,:,:,;~:!,', . , " ~. . .,. . .:' b , . , '.. j. , :,' ,'I ~ , The next scheduled meeting will be July 16, 1996. Mr. Ferri said the Economic Development element of the Comprehensive Plan will be reviewed, The Comprehensive Plan will be presented to the City Commission on July 18, 1996. ' ITEM #8 - Adjournment The meeting ,adjourned at 11 :19 a.m. rw-./ C aIr Neighborho & 'Affordable Housing Advisory Board il , f::J " , ., "'0"'" " mnah06b.96 5 06/18/96 ". _'" ........ . 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