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: November 10, 2015 PLACE OF MEETING: Oak Room, City Hall MEETING CALLED TO ORDER BY: Chairman, Idrobo at 6:30 p.m. THOSE PRESENT: Commission Members Staff Julio Idrobo, Chair Dana Lewis Tori McKinney Vice Chair Susan Richter Don Brobst Visitors M.T. Gutmanis Kathleen Luisa FCHC Liaison Laura Hicks Council Liaison Mary Beth Connelly – Council Liaison _X_ Planning Commission Liaison Lindy Hockenberry _________ Approval of Minutes: Minutes of October 20, 2015 were approved with changes. Old Business CDBG/HOME City Council Meeting Recommendations On November 23, 2015 The Housing Commission will make recommendations to council on which grantees to fund. Chair Idrobo will represent the Commission. Comprehensive Plan Presentation Tim Wildman, the Housing Research Intern, gave a presentation on some of the findings he has researched with the Comprehensive plan. After the presentation he asked the Commission to give future recommendations and guidance. Are we comfortable using the current goal? Commissioners suggested adding charts that forecast into the future for the next five years and ratios. Councilmember Connelly suggests that we give this same presentation to city council, especially the new members, in either January or February. She also suggests using numbers from the Falls Church Public schools demographic report. Liaison Vaccaro also has a paper that he will send out to Commission members that may have good information. The Commission feels that the affordable housing policy needs to be updated and revised. One member pointed out that if you make $120,000 in the rest of the country, you are in the top 5% but in Falls Church you are low-income. Affordable Rental Units – W. Broad Residences The group brainstormed how to get more persons into the 100% AMI units that are still available after the lottery. Julio wants to know when we will lose affordability for two bedroom units. One suggestion was to use Craig’s List to advertise. Another suggestion was to use funds from the Affordable Housing Fund to possibly subsidize tenant rents so that they would pay less. Another suggestion was to allow renters/participants to pay more than 30% of their income (the HUD standard) for rent. This would effectively make them cost burdened and the group felt this was not a good thing and it is also not allowed by localities. FCHC Annual Meeting November 11, 2015 All are invited. Thom will also write a letter to all members requesting their support for affordable housing. Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments- Housing Directors meeting Falls Church and Fairfax County are joint hosting. All commissioners are invited and it will be at Northgate apartments. ADU Resale Prices and Rents for 2016 Commissioners approved for 2016. SIGNATURE OF RECORDER: ___Dana Lewis__ _______________ 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). i:\housing commission\minutes\minutes 2015\hc minutes1120015.docx