12/14/2021 Neighborhood and Affordable Meeting Minutes December 14, 2021
Housing Advisory Board
City of Clearwater
Main Library- Council Chambers
100 N. Osceola Avenue
Clearwater, FL 33755
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s
Meeting Minutes
Tuesday, December 14, 2021
9:00 AM
Main Library - Council Chambers
Neighborhood and Affordable Housing Advisory
Board
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City of Clearwater
Neighborhood and Affordable Meeting Minutes December 14, 2021
Housing Advisory Board
Roll Call
Present 6 - Chair Camille Hebting, Vice Chair Kevin Chinault, Board Member Gaby
Camacho, Board Member Carmen Santiago, Board Member Peter
Scalia, and Board Member Lindsay Dicus-Harrison
Also Present - Denise Sanderson — Economic Development & Housing Director, Chuck
Lane — Economic Development & Housing Assistant Director, Patricia
O. Sullivan — Board Reporter
1. Call To Order
The Chair called the meeting to order at 9:35 a.m. at the Main Library.
To provide continuity for research, items are in agenda order although not necessarily
discussed in that order.
2. Approval of Minutes
2.1 Approve the July 13, 2021 NAHAB Meeting Minutes
Member Camacho moved to approve minutes of the July 13, 2021
Neighborhood & Affordable Housing Advisory Board meetings as
submitted in written summation. The motion was duly seconded and
carried unanimously.
3. Citizens to be Heard Regarding Items Not on the Agenda: None.
4. New Business Items
4.1 Presentation by the City's Sustainability Coordinator, Sheridan Boyle
Sustainability Coordinator Sheridan Boyle provided a PowerPoint
presentation on the City's updated Greenprint Plan designed to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions, improve public engagement and increase
community gardens, sustainable landscapes, backyard composting, and
wildlife support. Plans focus on low income residents by increasing solar
energy installations, providing nearby emergency cooling centers,
encouraging green building practices, including cool roofs, and providing
charging station access.
Discussion ensued with concerns expressed that residents need more
guidance and information re: 1) solar power installation, 2) impact of solar
panels on roofs and homeowner insurance, 3) incentives, and 4) reliability of
local solar providers. It was noted that installing solar on affordable housing
may be impractical due to high costs.
In response to questions, Ms. Boyle said maximum solar benefits relate to
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City of Clearwater
Neighborhood and Affordable Meeting Minutes December 14, 2021
Housing Advisory Board
the number of solar panels on a house's roof. Private homes qualify for solar
tax credits, municipalities do not. Duke Energy reimburses customers for
excess electric generation. The nonprofit Solar United Neighbors Coop is
familiar with local installers. Staff is brainstorming opportunities to fund
Greenprint benefits for low-income residents. For grant-funded retrofits,
installing energy efficient windows and roofs are important first actions
prior to solar panel installation. Staff is working to incorporate the Greenprint
model into affordable housing construction.
It was stated housing is not affordable if residents cannot afford air-
conditioning. Suggestions were made for the City to: 1) promote its
accomplishments developing affordable housing with few local tax dollars, 2)
pursue its goals with measurable actions, 3) review and adopt processes
through which other local municipalities have achieved successes, 4)
designate official affordable housing solar installer who could market the
designation; 5) encourage green energy roof installation with rehab funds, 6)
create grants, partially funded with federal money, for solar panel installation
on affordable housing; 7) reduce impact fees for affordable housing
developers that install EV(Electric Vehicle) charging stations or necessary
conduit, 8) sponsor 2-day, weekend symposium to bring residents together
and explore energy sources, expanding affordable housing, and developing
solutions, 9) schedule private and nonprofit presentations that focus on
renewable energy, and 10) approach providers to be energy partners on a
new sustainability website that features products and ideas. It was
commented that home values will increase in low income areas after solar
panels are installed on several neighborhood roofs.
Ms. Boyle suggested a symposium also could focus on water use and
landscaping. Mr. Lane supported a symposium but expressed concern re
difficulty in attracting participants. It was suggested the City could send
invitations. It was reported the County offers rebates for installation of
landscape plans that reduce water use.
4.2 Recommend City Council Approval of the City of Clearwater's FY 2020-2021
Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report (CAPER).
The Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report (CAPER) is
the principal administrative report documenting the City's expenditures for
Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and HOME Investment
Partnership (HOME) programs to the U.S. Department of Housing and
Urban Development (HUD). For FY 2020-2021, the City's entitlement
allocation was $837,233 in CDBG and $431,344 in HOME program funds,
$870,887 of Prior Year funds, $622,783 of Program Income and $1,145,000
in CDBG Revolving Loan funding for a total budget of$3,907,247 from
federal funds. Through the CDBG and HOME program activities, total
expenditures were $1,081,313 in FY 2020-2021. Funds not expended from
this year's budget will be programmed in future years.
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City of Clearwater
Neighborhood and Affordable Meeting Minutes December 14, 2021
Housing Advisory Board
In addition to reporting activities carried out with federal money, a summary
of activities conducted with the Florida State Housing Initiatives Partnership
(SHIP) Program and Pinellas County Housing Trust Fund (PCHTF) Program
is also included in the narrative section. For FY 2020-2021, SHIP fund
expenditures totaled $457,083 and PCHTF fund expenditures totaled $50,183.
The report provides HUD with necessary information for the Department to
meet its requirement to assess each grantee's ability to carry out relevant
Community Planning and Development programs in compliance with all
applicable rules and regulations. It also provides information necessary for
HUD's Annual Report to Congress and it provides grantees an opportunity to
describe to citizens their successes in revitalizing deteriorated
neighborhoods and in meeting objectives stipulated in their Consolidated
Planning document.
The City of Clearwater's FY 2020-2021 CAPER contains information on the
City's assessment of activities: 1) Assessment of Four-Year Goals and
Outcomes; 2) Resources and Investments; 3) Affordable Housing; 4)
Homeless and Other Special Needs; 5) Public Housing; 6) Other Actions to
Address Barriers to Affordable Housing; 7) Monitoring; 8) CDBG; & 9) HOME.
A list of notable accomplishments utilizing federal, state and local funds for
FY 2020-2021: 1) Provided four down payment & closing cost assistance
loans totaling $160,000. This included a deferred loan for a very low-income
household (below 50% of Area Median Income); 2) Assisted Community
Service Foundation with the rehabilitation of two multi-family rental units with
a total cost of$120,621; 3) Assisted Lexington Club at Renaissance Square
with the rehabilitation of seven multi-family rental units with a total cost of
$3007000; 4) Provided a total of$514,674 to three organizations for
construction of four single-family homes; 5) Expended $288,161 to support
facility improvements for four Public Facilities projects; a) Homeless
Emergency Project's (HEP) Adult homeless shelter (Phases 3 & 4); b) RCS
Pinellas' Domestic Violence Shelter; c) Salvation Army's Mallory Powell
Social Services Campus; and d) Directions for Living's headquarters facility;
6) Expended $80,332 for operational support for 9 Public Service providers:
a) Case management for HEP's Emergency Shelter Program; b) Salary
support for Kimberly Home's Transitional Housing Program; c) Fresh Start
Ministries & Mentoring; d) St. Vincent dePaul's Community Kitchen &
Resource Center; e) RCS Pinellas' Grace House; f) GulfCoast Legal
Services, g) Intercultural Advocacy Institute; h) Pinellas Ex-offender Re-entry
Coalition; and i) Case Management for WestCare-Florida's A Turning Point
facility; 7) Provided $57,675 for technical assistance services to a) Hispanic
Business Initiative Fund of Florida, Inc. dba Prospera and b) Tampa Bay
Black Business Investment Corporation that assisted 59 entrepreneurs and
businesses; 8) Provided $5,110 to three organizations to deliver homebuyer
education to assist 70 Clearwater residents: a) Clearwater Neighborhood
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City of Clearwater
Neighborhood and Affordable Meeting Minutes December 14, 2021
Housing Advisory Board
Housing Services; b) Tampa Bay Community Development Corporation; and
c) Bright Community Trust; and 9) Through City's General Fund contributed:
a) $100,000 to Pinellas Safe Harbor; b) $50,000 to Homeless Emergency
Project, Inc.; c) $25,000 to the Homeless Leadership Alliance; d) $40,000 to
Pinellas Hope; e) $25,000 to Hope Villages of America (formerly RCS
Pinellas); and f) $10,000 to The Salvation Army of Upper Pinellas.
Overall federal, state and local funding assisted 5,800 persons and 84
Households.
On December 16, 2021, staff will recommend City Council approval of the
CAPER as written. CAPER is due annually to HUD no later than December 31.
Mr. Lane provided a PowerPoint presentation on the City's FY 2021/22
CAPER, which included mortgage and utility assistance. The report is
available online.
Board Member Dicus-Harrison moved to recommend approval of the
CAPER as written. The motion was duly seconded and carried
unanimously.
5. Old Business Items
Discussion ensued re the Chair's annual presentation to the City Council in
February re Board accomplishments, objectives and goals. Staff will meet
with the Chair prior to the presentation.
6. Director's Report
Mr. Lane reviewed upcoming affordable and workforce housing projects.
7. Board Members to be Heard: None.
8. Adjourn
The meeting adjourned at 10:45 a.m.
Chair o.
Attest: ) Neighborhood & A or.-bl:. Housing Advisory Board
City of Clearwater
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