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: January 12, 2016 PLACE OF MEETING: Oak Room, City Hall MEETING CALLED TO ORDER BY: Chairman Idrobo at 6:40 p.m. THOSE PRESENT: Commission Members Staff Julio Idrobo, Chair ___X__ Dana Lewis __X_ Tori McKinney Vice Chair __X__ Tim Wildman __X__ M.T. Gutmanis __X___ Visitors Tommy Goodwin __X___ Kathleen Luisa __X__ Don Brobst __X___ Laura Hicks __X___ Council Liaison Mary Beth Connelly – Council Liaison _X_ Letty Hardi – Council ___X__ Planning Commission Liaison Lindy Hockenberry ______X___ Approval of Minutes: Minutes of December 8, 2015 were approved with changes. Old Business Planning for Comprehensive Plan Presentation to Council The purpose of this presentation will be to educate council, especially as there is a new council member. Chair Idrobo believes that the Housing Commission needs to think about what the goals will be for the update to the Comprehensive Plan. He believes that protecting the Affordable Dwelling Units in the City should be a goal. The impact of rising housing costs on the older residents should be remembered as Chair Idrobo mentioned that some have become priced out of the City due to rising rents and higher taxes; he would like to determine the number of elderly residents are in the City and to find out if they are considered housing cost burdened. Liaison Hockenberry suggested that a dedicated affordable housing building should be considered in the City to ensure long-term solution for affordable units. Commissioner Goodwin believes that the Housing Commission will need to bring ideas that will work with the current Affordable Housing Policy (AHP) and that during negotiations with developers the goals should be consistent with the parameters of the AHP. Chair Idrobo suggested that applying for grants would be a good way to add money to the Affordable Housing Fund. Affordable Rental Units Update Staff Lewis reported that as of the time of the meeting there were still ADUs available at the West Broad development. There are also 25 people on the waiting list for the Tinner Hill development. Pictures of the ADUs at West Broad were distributed which showed that the ADUs were the same quality and character as the market rate units. Chair Idrobo suggested that the Commission consider updating the ADU policy so that parking fees are included in the monthly rent. A discussion followed regarding the best use of the Affordable Housing Fund. Commissioner McKinney stated that the money could be used to assist one or two families with rental or homeownership. Commissioner Goodwin would like to see a list of possible ideas before deciding on which one would provide the most return on the investment. Commissioner Gutmanis asked whether it made sense to use the fund for small ideas rather than large-scale ideas. She suggested that the money might be used to hire a proposal or grant writer. Chair Idrobo would like to discuss this matter at the next Commission meeting. Commission Planning for 2016 and Election of Officers for 2016 Commissioner McKinney nominated Julio Idrobo for Chair of the Housing Commission. Chair Idrobo accepted the nomination. New Business Miller House Update Staff Lewis stated that the evaluation committee has recommended three submissions and that two of them are viable. The next step is to gather consensus from City Council during the February 16 Work Session with a Public Hearing to follow. Staff Lewis believes the project may begin this year. Annual Report of the Status of Affordable Housing The City’s annual Status of Affordable Housing was presented to the Commission. There was a discussion regarding the current stock of affordable housing in the City and the target number of units as outlined in the Affordable Housing Policy. The City has fallen short of its goals of preserving market rate affordable units and increasing the number of total affordable housing units. Due to the Affordable Dwelling Unit program, however, there has been an increase in the number of committed affordable rental units. There was additional discussion regarding the need to push for a goal of creating ADUs that serve only households earning between 50% and 80% of the Area Median Income. Housing Commission Annual Report Chair Idrobo distributed the Annual Report to the Commission. He highlighted five points from the Report that he believes should be the focus of the Commission’s efforts throughout the upcoming year: • Solutions to provide more affordable rental units. • Purchasing ADUs so that there is not a covenant that restricts the time that the unit is affordable. • Discussing how the Commission can keep older apartment developments affordable as  the facilities age. • Devising a regional approach to affordable housing that can involve other neighboring jurisdictions. • Decide how to change the Affordable Housing Policy in order to make it a stronger and more realistic design to protect the diversity of housing in the City. Housing Commission Participation by Electronic Means Staff Lewis shared that the City Attorney has provided legislation that would allow commissioners to participate electronically in meetings. However it was pointed out that they would have to share the reason why they were unable to attend in the minutes of the meeting. The group decided that was not something that they want to do. As quorum has not been an issue, they will continue with in person meetings. SIGNATURE OF RECORDER: ___Tim Wildman__ _______________ 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 2016\hc minutes1122016.docx