08/10/2010
NEIGHBORHOOD & AFFORDABLE HOUSING ADVISORY BOARD MEETING MINUTES
CITY OF CLEARWATER
August 10, 2010
Present: Kip Corriveau Chair
Laurel E. Braswell Board Member
Lisa Hughes Board Member
William R. Griffiths Board Member
Linda Kemp Board Member
Vacant Seat Board Member
Absent: Peggy M. Cutkomp Vice-Chair
Also Present: Geri Campos Lopez Economic Development & Housing Director
Jim Donnelly Economic Dev & Housing Assistant Director
Michael Holmes Housing Manager
Patricia O. Sullivan 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.
3 – Approval of Minutes
– June 8, 2010
Member Griffith moved to approve the minutes of the regular Neighborhood and
Affordable Housing Advisory Board meeting of June 8, 2010, as recorded and submitted in
written summation to each board member. The motion was duly seconded and carried
unanimously.
4 - Pinellas County Habitat for Humanity Community Housing Development Organization,
Inc. - CHDO Agreement
(Barbara Inman, Executive Director)
Purposes of the Cranston-Gonzales National Affordable Housing Act of 1990, as
amended, include: 1) promoting partnerships between States, local governments, and nonprofit
organizations and 2) expanding nonprofit organizations’ capacity to develop and manage decent
and affordable housing. To assist, the City, under the HOME Investment Partnership (HOME)
Program, must reserve at least 15% of its HOME allocations for housing to be developed,
sponsored, or owned by Community Housing Development Organizations (CHDOs). The City
must identify eligible nonprofit organizations capable, or reasonably expected to become
capable, of carrying out elements of Clearwater’s approved housing strategy. Only nonprofit
organizations certified by HOME participating jurisdictions as CHDOs can receive funds from
this reserve.
Pinellas County Habitat for Humanity Community Housing Development Corporation,
Inc. is requesting $77,100 in FY (Fiscal Year) 2001 funds and $78,114.45 in FY 2008 funds to
build single-family homes on vacant lots owned by the agency. The agency is a newly created
not-for-profit; the parent organization, Pinellas County Habitat for Humanity, will staff the CHDO.
Neighborhood & Affordable Housing 2010-08-10 1
The FY 2001 HOME CHDO allocation consists of funds previously set aside for a CHDO whose
project did not meet HOME program guidelines.
Pinellas County Habitat for Humanity Community Housing Development Organization,
Inc. Executive DirectorBarbara Inman reviewed the proposal and displayed renderings of the
Stevens Creek project. She said the infrastructure is complete and construction should begin in
November. She thanked NAHAB (Neighborhood & Affordable Housing Advisory Board) for their
support.
Member Hughes recommended approval of a Community Housing Development
Corporation Agreement with Pinellas County Habitat for Humanity Community Housing
Development Corporation, Inc. to acquire and develop affordable housing units in the amount of
$155,214. The motion was duly seconded and carried unanimously.
5 - Homeless Emergency Project Inc. - Land Acquisition
(Barbara Green, President & Libby
Stone, Vice President)
Housing Manager Michael Holmes said the Pinellas County School Board currently
owns the subject property.
On May 3, 2010, Barbara Green, Executive Director of the Homeless Emergency Project
(HEP), submitted an application to the City for $100,000 to acquire vacant real property at 1250
Palmetto Street. HEP, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1986 to meet the needs of
a growing number of homeless individuals and families, provides the homeless population with
emergency shelter, transitional housing, family rental units, food, case management, clinical
services, dental care, child care, and other supportive services. As proposed, the site will be
developed with transitional housing for homeless veterans. While the sales price was
undetermined at the time of application, a February 10, 2010, appraisal values the property at
$558,000. The 2.9-acre property fronts Palmetto and Engman streets and Holt Avenue.
On August 3, 2010, Ms. Green submitted an amended application to acquire the
property for $365,000, the price agreed to by the owner. The agency also submitted a $302,000
application to cover a portion of costs to construct 2-bedroom apartments for homeless female
veterans with or without children and a male veterans’ group home, for a total of 30 beds for
females and females with children and 20 beds for male veterans. The total development is
estimated to cost $2,303,930. Sources and uses include $115,000 from HEP for architectural,
engineering and inspection fees, $302,000 from the City for construction costs, and $1,886,930
from the U. S. Department of Veterans Administration for remaining construction costs.
Ms. Green said HEP currently is working with more than 100 veterans. HEP Vice
President of Development Libby Stone said the project will be constructed in two phases, with
the group home for males built first. The women’s building will be on the north end of the
property by the family center. The program is partnering with Bay Pines VA Medical Center. All
participants will be homeless. It was stated that Workplace Pinellas is willing to help with job
placement. Ms. Green said if VA funding is not obtained, other options will be considered. Mr.
Holmes said the housing pool needs to commit its funds; ample funds are available for other
projects.
Neighborhood & Affordable Housing 2010-08-10 2
Member Griffiths moved to recommend approval of the City funding the property
purchase for a veterans’ facility and a portion of related construction costs. The motion was
duly seconded and carried unanimously.
6 - Shared Equity Policy Elimination
(Terry Malcolm-Smith, Housing Coordinator)
The most distinctive feature of an affordable housing policy is its focus on promoting
homeownership to stabilize neighborhoods and increase the number of homeowners among
households earning less than 120% of area median income. To this end, the City established
its Down Payment and Closing Cost Assistance Program in 1999. The program has been
successful, with the City assisting approximately 115 households. While neighborhoods
benefited from an increase in long-term ownership, the program presented an opportunity for
low to moderate-income homeowners to generate windfalls through equity produced in a rapidly
appreciating housing market. To encourage long-term ownership and eliminate windfalls, the
City Council adopted an Equity Sharing Policy on September 20, 2005.
Creating opportunities for low to moderate-income households to rise above poverty is
an essential goal of community development programs as identified by the U. S. Department of
Housing and Urban Development and the State, primary funders of the Down Payment and
Closing Cost Assistance Program. The current equity sharing provision allows the City to obtain
up to 75% of realized equity when program participants sell their homes. The City’s percentage
decreases during the provision’s seven-year duration.
While the policy was well-intended, it is not having the desired effect. Staff recommends
discontinuing the policy: 1) Clearwater’s equity sharing provision is more stringent than others;
Pasco and Hillsborough counties only realize a 50% return and Pinellas County and the cities of
St. Petersburg and Largo do not have equity sharing provisions; 2) the 75% return is considered
aggressive as the City may contribute less than 10% of costs necessary to purchase the home.
Several lenders, including Bank of America and GMAC Mortgage, have commented on the
provision’s negative effect; 3) two of the City’s largest subrecipients, Clearwater Neighborhood
Housing Services, Inc. and Tampa Bay Community Development Corporation, which administer
the City’s Down Payment and Closing Cost Assistance Program, have submitted documentation
indicating that potential homebuyers who normally would purchase a home in Clearwater buy
homes in cities without equity sharing provisions; 4) homeowners who purchased a home in the
last five years have realized reverse equity due to depreciating home values; 5) the design of
the shared equity provision makes it difficult to determine a home’s appreciated value after
owner improvements; staff could not make this determination without outside consultation; and
6) the primary funding source for the City’s down payment assistance program was Florida’s
State Housing Initiatives Partnership (SHIP) program. With the elimination of SHIP funding, the
shared equity provision is no longer necessary.
The City anticipates using HOME Program underwriting guidelines, identified and
established in HUD 24 CFR Part 92. These guidelines identify program compliance through the
use of covenants, land use restrictions, affordability periods, or other lien instruments by
securing obligations of the property that do not impair the good and marketable title to the
ownership interest.
Housing Coordinator Terry Malcolm-Smith reviewed the item.
Neighborhood & Affordable Housing 2010-08-10 3
Member Kemp recommended approval of terminating the City's Equity Sharing Policy.
The motion was duly seconded and carried unanimously.
7 - Old/New Business: None.
8 - Next Meeting - Tuesday September 14, 2010
9 - Adjourn
The meeting adjourned at 9:26 a.m
6WOO'a, *-;W, do?4j
Chair, Wg b rhood & Affordable
Advisory Board
Neighborhood & Affordable Housing 2010-08-10 4