Housing Commission

MINUTES HOUSING COMMISSION PURPOSE OF MEETING: The five-member Commission is appointed by the City Council for three-year terms. The Housing Commission maintains awareness of housing needs and opportunities, including affordable housing; proposes housing policy initiatives and changes; investigates fair housing complaints and conciliates these complaints; mediates conflicts relating to the Virginia Residential Landlord & Tenant Act and offers reconciliatory services in conflicts relating to other housing laws. DATE OF MEETING: September 15, 2015 PLACE OF MEETING: Oak Room, City Hall MEETING CALLED TO ORDER BY: __Julio Idrobo_____ AT ______6:35_________ THOSE PRESENT: Commission Members Staff Julio Idrobo, Chair __x_ ____ Dana Lewis: _____ _ _x_____ Tori McKinney Vice Chair ___ ___ Paul Stanford: _____ ____ Don Brobst ___ x_ __ Tim Wildman: ____x______ M.T. Gutmanis __x __ Nancy Vincent:___________ Tommy Goodwin __(present via conference Council Liaison call) Mary Beth Connelly – Council Liaison x__ FCHC Liaison Planning Commission Liaison Thomas Vaccaro ____ _ ______ Lindy Hockenberry _______x__ FCPS Student Representative Visitors Camile Borja __x___ TOPICS OF DISCUSSION: Approval of Minutes: The minutes for August were approved. Community Input on Future Affordable Housing Chair Idrobo began the discussion by reiterating the need for community outreach in order to further the goal of increasing affordable housing in the City. Chair Idrobo is looking to schedule a meeting with developers interested in the City. He said that in recent conversations with developers the biggest obstacle is that any project will need at least one-half acre of property that is zoned as mixed use property. One solution he suggested was that it might be more beneficial in the short term to distribute smaller designations of units throughout the City rather than waiting to compile the necessary property to develop a large-scale project. He also noted that this would assist with the HUD stated goal of integrating affordable units in properties with market rate units. Chair Idrobo also believes that a regional approach to affordable housing is needed and that it would be beneficial to contact Arlington and Fairfax jurisdictions to discover what they have done to increase availability in their locations. Liaison Hockenberry brought up the proposed redevelopment of the George Mason High School site and commented that it is too early in the process to determine the availability of housing on the site, but also noted that it would be important for a member of the Housing Commission to be present at Planning Commission meetings when the project is being discussed. Chair Idrobo volunteered to serve as liaison to the Planning Commission and agreed that it is necessary to promote communication between City Boards and Commissions. Liaison Hockenberry noted that the Mason Row development proposal has been sent to Boards and Commissions and that now is the time to voice concerns about the project. Virginia Village Proposal Staff Lewis informed the group that Falls Church Housing Corporation (FCHC) met with City Development staff member Jim Snyder with regard to purchasing three to four units in the Virginia Village property for the purpose of redeveloping the area to provide more affordable housing in the City. Staff Lewis noted that the City owns a road in the area and could redevelop in conjunction with the Tax Analyst property. She stated that if developed correctly the area could potentially hold up to 100 units, but that it is important to remember that the City is interested in developing a “green space” or park in that area as well. Chair Idrobo agreed that the area is underdeveloped and that because it is already serving a low income community it is possible to think about a development that is bigger in scope that would have the opportunity to help even more people. Staff Lewis suggested that the discussion should continue when FCHC Liaison Vaccaro is present to discuss as well. Updates to ADU Policy Manual Staff Lewis began the discussion by noting that this is the first update to the City’s Affordable Dwelling Unit (ADU) policy in quite a while and that it is necessary due to the recent increased interest by developers and the amount of new developments that are being planned. Staff Lewis noted that the most pertinent changes are as follows: • ADUs that are available to households at 100% of Area Median Income (AMI) will be referred to as “workforce units”. • For homeowner ADUs, if the property is sold before the restrictive covenant has expired the new owner agrees to “reset” the covenant for the full period as allotted. • With regard to citizenship status, a “green card” is now an acceptable document for confirming citizenship. • For the purpose of counting household composition, children of pregnant women would count as members of a household. Children that were part of a joint custody between parents or guardians at least 50% of the time would count toward the household as well. • It is now mandatory for ADU dwellers to fill out an affidavit yearly certifying their residence in the unit. • Vouchers now will be accepted as a source of income. • A waiting list will be maintained rather than a list of completed, approved applicants. • The property management will perform the credit report on potential residents. ADU Rents Discussion Staff Lewis informed the group that there is now official wording in the policy regarding the rent for units with dens. This change was submitted to the Commission for approval. Commissioner Brobst moved to approve the changes. Commissioner Gutmanis seconded and Chair Idrobo announced the approval. West Broad Residences (Harris Teeter) Lottery for ADU/Workforce Unit selection Staff Lewis announced a move-in date of January 9, 2016 for the first set of units at the West Broad property. There will be 18 ADUs on-site: 6 each available to households with incomes at 60, 80, and 100% of AMI. The lottery for the 60% AMI units will be held for applicants with incomes between 50 and 70% AMI; the lottery for the 80% units will be available for applicants with incomes between 70 and 90% AMI; the lottery for the workforce units will be available for applicants with incomes between 90 and 110% of AMI. The rents will be set by staff and will be ready for approval at the next Commission meeting. There was discussion regarding the implementation and operation of the lottery process for the West Broad ADUs. It was decided by the Commission that there will be three lottery drawings happening on the same night, one for each level of household income. The lottery date was set for October 27th at 6:30, 7:30, and 8:30. The deadline to apply for the ADU lottery was set for October 16th. CDBG/HOME FY2017 Staff Lewis informed the Commission that the date of the CDBG hearing will be October 13th. As of now there are five grantees and applications are due September 21st. Sprague Liaison Reports – All Commissioners and FCHC Commissioner Gutmanis announced that rents at Merrill House are being increased by $100, $200, or $250 per month depending on the size of the unit. She encouraged the residents to speak to management because she believes that these are market rate rents for properties that do not have market rate facilities. There was no update from Commissioner Brobst. Councilwoman Connelly addressed the developer’s proposal for the Mason Row property. The City Council returned the proposal to Boards and Commissions for review due to the fact that there have been no meaningful changes made to the initial proposal. The proposal is not in accordance with the ADU policy as it is stated in the Staff Report, in which it is called for a mix of one and two bedroom units commensurate with the make-up of the property as a whole and which must be affordable to households with income levels between 60 and 80% of the area’s median. Councilwoman Connelly reiterated her assurance that she will withhold her vote until the proposal meets the qualifications as stated in the policy. Comprehensive Plan - Update – Intern Wildman shared a tentative outline for the completion of the Comprehensive Plan. In October, the draft, outline, and progress against goals as stated in the 2005 Plan will be presented to the Planning Commission. Also in October the Housing Commission will meet for a work session during which input from the Commissioners will be taken so that the content of the Plan can begin to take shape. Public engagement is scheduled to begin after a draft is complete, possibly in February based on the current timeline. Housing Updates – Staff Lewis Staff Lewis had no other updates to share. OTHER MEETING ADJOURNED AT: _____8:20________________ SIGNATURE OF RECORDER: __Timothy Wildman___ ___ The City of Falls Church is committed to the letter and spirit of the Americans with Disabilities Act. To request a reasonable accommodation for any type of disability, call 703 248-5005, (TTY 711).