Housing Commission

City of Falls Church Housing Commission MINUTES 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 14, 2021 PLACE OF MEETING: Virtual MEETING CALLED TO ORDER BY: Joshua Shokoor at 6:31 PM THOSE PRESENT: Commission Members Planning Commission Liaison Joshua Shokoor Andrea Caumont Jordan Hicks, Vice Chair Letty Hardi Peter Davis Andrea Caumont Meredith Anderson Guests Staff Gene Gresko Dana Lewis Phil Duncan Cindy Mester Filipe Turriaqo-Borrero Noha Osman Kristina Martinez Al Hansen Johnny Chanel Minutes from the July 13 meeting were Approved Proceedings: Meeting and Roll called to order – Chair Joshua Shokoor at (6:35) PM Reading of Virtual Meeting Notice – Staff Lewis Approval of Minutes – Chair Joshua Shokoor One motion to approve by Chair Joshua Shokoor and seconded by Meredith Anderson Amazon Grant Request/Virginia Village Properties & Land - Short Term Preservation and Long-Term Redevelopment – Staff Dana Lewis and Deputy City Manager, Cindy Mester  Virginia Village Quads: Currently being managed by Promax  Pulling new renters from ADU renters list  Repayment in the future will consist of refinancing the $2.8 million to the City and EDA  Virginia Housing Community Impact Grant covers the cost of rehab, Virginia Housing and Community Development or the city’s CDBG funds may be used  Goal is Long term preservation of all 80 existing units as committed affordable units  $3.75 million available from the Amazon Grant  Non-profit partner is a specific requirement for the grant (deadline is September 30)  Housing Commission will write a letter of support for the grant The Fields Tenant Complains and Future Meeting – Staff Lewis (7:20) ● Letter sent last week to the Fields (Kettler Management) by current tenants due to rent increase, humidity, mold, rodent/roaches, carpets, and air filters ● Most residents are at 60% AMI since they’re a tax credit property ● Possible legal services required/requesting inspection for the property Affordable Housing Goals Discussion Continuation – Commissioner Pete Davis (7:39)  Falls Church set an affordable living policy in 2021 to preserve and increase the city's affordable housing stock.  Almost all the goals were missed, with the top line goal missing by 309 units (a decrease in 159 units from 2021).  We should set a new goal for 2032 (or perhaps 2042) to help jumpstart council and community interest in increasing affordable housing.  We can't just set one single number as a goal, because we need to take into account AMI, unit size (1 bedroom or 2+ bedroom), and rent vs. own.  If we were to set a goal, we could - get sign off from other boards, get sign off from Council, create a public dashboard of progress, routinely check on the goal's progress, and more  The point of the goal is not just to set a goal, but to push concrete policies, like increasing set-asides, funding standalone affordable housing projects, changing zoning for affordability, and experimenting with legal forms that move to permanent affordability. Housing Development Update – Staff Lewis (7:52)  Founders Row to open at the end of September  Reach out to potential residents from the Fields as well as outreach for those on the waitlist  Is it possible to place Afghanistan refugees in ADUs?  Commission would like to change ADU policy on citizenship status/green card status Motion to support policy to remove citizenship/green card status for ADU eligibility; one motion to approve by Chair Joshua Shokoor at 8:04 seconded by Kristina Martinez Other (8:07) Meeting Adjourned – 8:20 PM