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02/13/2024 Neighborhood and Affordable Meeting Minutes February 13, 2024 Housing Advisory Board City of Clearwater Main Library- Council Chambers 100 N. Osceola Avenue Clearwater, FL 33755 m ap ® e Meeting Minutes Tuesday, February 13, 2024 9:00 AM Main Library - Council Chambers Neighborhood and Affordable Housing Advisory Board Page 1 City of Clearwater Neighborhood and Affordable Meeting Minutes February 13, 2024 Housing Advisory Board Roll Call Present 5 - Chair Robyn Fiel, Vice Chair David Harder, Board Member Kevin Chinault, Board Member Lindsay Dicus-Harrison, and Board Member Linda Byars Absent 1 - Board Member Camille Hebting Also Present— Denise Sanderson — Economic Development & Housing Director, Chuck Lane — Economic Development & Housing Assistant Director, and Rosemarie Call - City Clerk To provide continuity for research, items are listed in agenda order although not necessarily discussed in that order. 1. Call to Order— Chair Fiel The meeting was called to order at 9:00 a.m. 2. Approval of Minutes 2.1 Approve the January 9, 2024, NAHAB Meeting Minutes. Board Member Harder moved to approve the January 9, 2024, NAHAB meeting minutes. 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 Discuss Changes to City of Clearwater Public Service and Public Facilities Programs. Economic Development and Housing Assistant Director Chuck Lane said prospective applicants were invited to attend or view today's meeting and learn about the changes being implemented to the CDBG public services and facilities program. The application submittal period for the 24/25 program year begins February 14, 2024 through March 15, 2024. He said the program year will begin on October 1, 2024. Over the last eight years, the Department has been very inclusive with the number of applicants that have been accepted into the program. If the Applicant qualified, staff found a way to fund the request. He said the approach has created a lot of diverse programs and services offered to residents, but has also created some challenges, fewer funding Page 2 City of Clearwater Neighborhood and Affordable Meeting Minutes February 13, 2024 Housing Advisory Board amounts limits the number of organizations that can receive funding. He said some organizations do not apply because the reporting requirements are too onerous for the small grant awards. HUD prefers that the City treat the funds as seed money, funding new or expanded services for residents to organizations that are able to provide the service on their own after receiving the funds. Mr. Lane said, this year, applications that identify new services or expand existing services, will score higher. The new minimum request requirement is $25,000. Staff believes the new minimum requirement will decrease the number of awarded applicants but fund requests that will serve more residents. Staff is hoping the changes will encourage organizations to partner with one another, providing a broader array of services under one contract. Economic Development and Housing Director Denise Sanderson said the maximum request will be $50,000. Mr. Lane said the public facilities program helps non-profits improve their facilities. The challenge in public facilities is construction project delays. In August of each year, the Department must spend down the funding, the Department fails to meet CDBG funding criteria if more than 1.5 times the annual distribution is still available. Staff will be looking for projects that are ready to go on October 1 and for organizations that are capable to handle the request. The new maximum amount to be awarded in this category is $190,000, with the awarded funds provided in advance. He said staff will no longer be accepting applications for the public facilities program throughout the year. In response to questions, Mr. Lane said the allocations will be approved by the City Council in July and staff will inform the applicants of the awarded allocations, while conducting the environmental reviews and preparing the contracts. This will ensure everything is in place for the project to begin October 1. He said staff will work with the public facilities partners on the Notice to Bid to make sure they are released during the first week of October. Organizations with partnerships will be required to submit one application. Mr. Lane said applicants for public facilities will have the opportunity to identify other monies used to support the application request, applicants are not required to leverage their funding request. Applicants may co-fund their CDBG request with Pinellas County. Ms. Sanderson said the application now shows the points distribution, clarifying where applicants will need to invest the most time and details in the applications. Mr. Lane said the City has a contract inspector who evaluates every time the grantee submits a drawdown. Ms. Sanderson said the changes will provide applicants some funds in advance and hold back the last 10% of the award until the project is complete. The contract inspector will conduct a site visit and authorize payment to the contractor, the non-profit will pay the contractor based on the inspector's review. She said by keeping the public facilities under$200,000 will not trigger the onerous Build Page 3 City of Clearwater Neighborhood and Affordable Meeting Minutes February 13, 2024 Housing Advisory Board America/Buy America requirements. Discussion ensued with comments made that changes to the public services and facilities programs and providing staff assistance prior to the contract is helpful and appreciated. 4.2 Discuss the City Council Presentation of the Residential Inventory and Housing Affordability Assessment Report by SB Friedman. Economic Development and Housing Director Denise Sanderson provided a PowerPoint presentation, highlighting the demographic trends provided at the housing workshop. In response to questions, Ms. Sanderson said one of the challenges faced by the Clearwater Housing Authority is finding landlords who are willing to accept vouchers for lower income rentals. With the tenant based rental assistance program, the Department will be able to provide the first and last month rents to help incentivize the landlords to accept the vouchers. She said the voucher program pays the difference between what one can afford and what the market is commanding. The data presented at the workshop is publicly sourced and a bit stale as it relies on the census and the American Community Survey. She said HUD establishes the maximum purchase price for the HOME program, which is $349,525. The established maximum price for the SHIP program in Pinellas County is $481,000. Discussion ensued with comments made that Council should be applauded for stating that all of the priorities are important, no matter their ranking, that affordable rental housing is in dire need, and that affordability at point of sale is great but its impact on disposable income for lower income families is not considered in the process. In response to a comment, Ms. Sanderson said Planning and Development is finalizing a contract with a consulting firm to take on changes to the Community Development Code for the North Greenwood CRA area, with the intention to density the area, particularly along the MLK corridor. 5. Old Business Items — None. 6. Director's Report Mr. Lane said Ms. Santiago is no longer serving on the Board. He thanked her for her service and commitment to learning. He said the Department's website is in the process of being updated, ensuring information is Page 4 City of Clearwater Neighborhood and Affordable Meeting Minutes February 13, 2024 Housing Advisory Board accessible to the public and potential partners. The CRA yesterday approved a timeline extension for the Archway Project (81 units affordable housing tax credit project). He said the extension was needed in order for HUD to complete their subsidy layering analysis. Mr. Lane said the Technical Review Committee typically meets once at the end of the application process to review the scores, but will now meet prior to the April NAHAB meeting to prepare questions for the Board. 7. Board Members to be Heard - None. 8. Adjourn Attest: The meeting adjourned at 10:16 a.m. ?,7,1 Chair Neighborhood & Affordable Housing Advisory Board Page 5 City of Clearwater