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10/03/2023 - Affordable Housing Advisory Committee Affordable Housing Advisory Meeting Minutes October 3, 2023 Committee City of Clearwater Main Library- Council Chambers 100 N. Osceola Avenue Clearwater, FL 33755 m ap ® e Meeting Minutes Tuesday, October 3, 2023 9:00 AM Clearwater East Community Library - 2465 Drew St, Clearwater, FL 33765 - Program Room Affordable Housing Advisory Committee Page 1 City of Clearwater Affordable Housing Advisory Meeting Minutes October 3, 2023 Committee Roll Call Present (7) - Chair Kevin Chinault, Committee Member Kathleen Beckman, Committee Member Linda Byars, Committee Member Pierre Cournoyer, Committee Member Robyn Fiel, Committee Member David Harder, and Committee Member Bruce Rector. Absent (4): Committee Member Camille Hebting, Committee Member Lindsay Dicus-Harrison, Committee Member Jacqueline Rivera, and Committee Member Carmen Santiago. Also Present: Chuck Lane - Economic Development & Housing Assistant Director; Lauren Matzke — Planning & Development Assistant Director, Amanda Warner— Wade Trim, Planner, Connor Baird —Wade Trim, Planner, and Rosemarie Call — City Clerk. 1. Call to Order— Chair Chinault The meeting was called to order at 9:00 a.m. 2. Approval of Minutes — None. 3. New Business 3.1 Second Discussion of Housing Incentive Programs - Amanda Warner, Wade Trim Consultant Second Discussion of Housing Incentive Programs -Amanda Warner, Wade Trim Consultant Ms. Warner provided a PowerPoint presentation. The goal is to include the Local Housing Incentive Strategies from this report in the Local Housing Assistance Plan, which is submitted to the State in the Spring. The public hearing will be held on November 14, 2023 and the council public hearing on December 7, 2023. There was committee consensus to amend the Affordable Housing Values as follows: A. Supports a dynamic and competitive economy. B. Improves social well-being and builds sense of community. C. Ensure s Aspires to have housing that fits that-the City's workforce Gala five within the ni y Page 2 City of Clearwater Affordable Housing Advisory Meeting Minutes October 3, 2023 Committee D. Everyone deserves a safe affordable home. Discussion ensued regarding the affordable housing principles and there was consensus to amend Principle #6 as follows: "Incentivized to promote incorporation of affordable housing into all non afforda housing developments. In response to questions, Ms. Warner said, in this document, affordable housing pertains to the SHIP income categories, which is 120% ami (area median income). The cost burden is identified as up to 30% of annual income for rent. There was committee consensus to amend the Affordable Housing Vision as follows: The City of Clearwater will incentivize the development of a diverse supply of housing that is safe, accessible, affordable, sustainable, and energy and cost efficient, that blends into the aesthetic character of all the city's neighborhoods proximate to public amenities and employment opportunities, which supports an inclusive community and the diverse needs of residents. Ms. Warner said the Committee today will be asked to identify if any of the Local Housing Incentive Strategies recommended by the past AHAC need to be modified or discontinued. The State requires the Committee to look at 11 incentive areas. She said the past AHAC initiated five additional incentive areas. Discussion ensued regarding Recommendation 1.1, Expedited Review. Staff was requested to provide data on the expedited review permit processing for affordable housing. In response to questions, Mr. Lane said Recommendation 1.2, as written, is comprehensive and staff has no changes to offer. About 90% of new affordable housing units in this country are built by tax credit developers. He said non-profit organizations cannot build a 150-unit affordable housing complex. The non-profit organizations are needed to ensure the community aspect is built into the project. He said many private developers have not entered the affordable housing arena but that may change with the Live Local Act. Mr. Lane said the Department has not established a list of mentors experienced in affordable housing (Recommendation 1.3) but can create one that consists of at least three mentors for the coming year. Discussion ensued regarding the City's affordable housing webpage with a Page 3 City of Clearwater Affordable Housing Advisory Meeting Minutes October 3, 2023 Committee suggestion made that staff look at the city of Tallahassee's webpage as a potential goal. It was suggested that NAHAB review the document at mid-year, not to make changes but to understand the status of the recommended brochure. In response to a comment, Mr. Lane said the Department has created brochures for the down payment assistance and rehabilitation programs. Staff works with Public Communications regarding webpage and brochure updates. A suggestion was made that staff should schedule a workshop with builders to discuss the feasibility of submitting frequently used template plans for pre-screening (Recommendation 1.5). Mr. Lane said he could have the conversation over the next few weeks and report back to the Committee. In response to questions, Ms. Matzke said the City recently reduced its building permit and site plan fees, city fees are generally lower than other municipalities in the area. A fee study is planned within the next two years to officially evaluate how city fees compare to other cities. She said staff is drafting a policy for council approval identifying how the Live Local Act would be implemented in Clearwater and a webpage with FAQs. She said since changes to the Live Local Act are expected during the next legislative session, staff anticipates implementing the Live Local policy into the code afterwards. Ms. Matzke said Public Utilities in the last several years has updated their potable water master plan and the wastewater master plan, which considers population growth. She said the most recent comprehensive plan amendments included a clarification that an accessory dwelling unit would not count towards the total density, providing one free unit if it is an accessory dwelling unit. Staff is researching how other municipalities address accessory dwelling units. She said the City's affordable housing density bonus allows for reduced parking and staff is recommending in the Live Local implementation policy to model parking reduction after what is allowed elsewhere. Discussion ensued with a suggestion made that Recommendation 6.1 include more focus on what additional flexible setbacks can be required, in terms of block configuration, to incentivize affordable single-family housing. A concern was expressed that reducing parking increases the need for sidewalks. In response to a comment, Ms. Matzke said staff will be drafting a scope of work for the implementation of changes for North Greenwood, a neighborhood with different lot sizes and primarily single-family homes, that can be replicated in other zoning districts. Mr. Page 4 City of Clearwater Affordable Housing Advisory Meeting Minutes October 3, 2023 Committee Lane said, in the past, developers did not want to waste time seeking flexibility in the setback to develop the corner lot and chose to construct one home in the middle of two lots, wasting space. The time associated to seek this flexibility has been reduced. In response to questions, Mr. Lane said the City's inventory of public lands includes 31 parcels, of which many are contiguous and represent 11 development opportunities. He said several commercial properties were added to the list this year. He said the list does not include a link to the county list as Pinellas County does not have any parcels within Clearwater city limits. He said minority or small developers interested in developing parcels under the disposition policy must submit the required information in order to be advised of opportunities. Mr. Lane said the former North Ward School site has been identified as a potential historic preservation and adaptive reuse project. Ms. Matzke said after a major comprehensive plan update, staff will prioritize the code amendments needed to implement the new policies. She said the Live Local Act does not apply to the residential zoning districts. Discussion ensued with a suggestion made that staff research what other municipalities do to educate residents and employees of the affordable housing incentives and benefits they offer. It was stated that the city of St. Petersburg offers employees within a certain income level a monthly rental assistance program, up to $500 for two years, the determination of the assistance provided is based on the 30% affordability rule. It was stated that 55 employees have benefited from the St. Petersburg program. It was suggested staff create a list of landlords who support affordable housing that can be shared with those seeking affordable housing or to create a program that incentivizes the landlords. It was stated that the city of St. Petersburg provides landlords up to 40% of their total investment for improvements to a unit which will be made available as a rental unit with HUD income rent limits. Staff was directed to schedule an agenda item for NAHAB to discuss what other municipalities are doing to incentivize landlords interested in offering affordable housing. In response to questions, Mr. Lane said the city down payment assistance program is limited to $45,000 and an additional $15,000 in ARPA funds is provided as a grant. Staff is considering increasing the down payment assistance loan to $60,000. Ms. Warner said the next meeting will be on October 24, 2023. Page 5 City of Clearwater Affordable Housing Advisory Committee 4. Citizens to be heard regarding items not on the agenda — None. 5. Adjournment Meeting Minutes October 3, 2023 The meeting adjourned at 11:05 a.m. Chair, Affordable Housing Advisory Committee Attest: Page 6 City of Clearwater