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: Sept 13, 2022 PLACE OF MEETING: In Person (Community Center Senior Room) w/ Virtual Option MEETING CALLED TO ORDER BY: Jordan Hicks at 6:32 p.m. THOSE PRESENT: Commission Members Paul Boesen Meredith Anderson City Council Hannah Jordan Letty Hardi Jordan Hicks Guests Staff Gene Gresko Dana Jones Justine Underhill Kayleen Mark Turan Ahmad (student rep) Brenden Woodley Approval Minutes – Vice-Chair Hicks • Minutes from the July 19, 2022 meeting were approved Welcoming Falls Church Update – Paul Boesen  • Paul updated commission on the status of Welcoming Falls Church. Discussed efforts to mobilize community support. Noted there were 34 indicators of interest to join support teams. The first support team was formed comprised of four members and one liaison. Paul then walked through points and noted a recommendation of graduated subsidy reductions for immigrant families. • Gene asked how many income-earners per family, Paul responded initially one is assumed, then case by case basis moving forward, though dependent on family size. • Hanna asked if the subsidy is based on income, Paul responded initially not, but then it transitions to a more typically income-based model. • Hanna asked if the first family will start in a few weeks, Paul responded depending on when the state department would post family name. • Dana asked if bussed in migrant families would be eligible, Paul said possibly. • Paul celebrated a $25k unsolicited donation. Dana asked who is holding funds, Paul noted that the funds are being held by a Donor Advice Fund. • Paul requested landlord support. Letty offered assistance from the city council with outreach for a call to action. Intro of New Housing Development Specialist – Staff Brenden Woodley • Brenden provided a short overview of experience. Amazon 2 Homeownership Program UPDATE – Staff Kayleen Mark • Kayleen provided overview of status on outreach waitlist and identifying contractors. • Letty initiated discussion on need for additional website and possibility of hosting on City website. • Letty noted interest in timeliness for NHP, particularly since fees were higher, greater expediency is expected. Amazon 3 Acquisition Strike Fund Update – Staff Dana Jones • Dana discussed the approval of MOU with Council and provided update on remaining documents, noting next steps will be the tax abatement. • Hanna requested the MOU to be sent to the Commission. Affordable Dwelling Unit (ADU) Update – Staff Kayleen Mark • Kayleen discussed the ADU Matrix document provided. It was recalled due to potential unit information being shared • Gene requested that market rents be included in the matrix for comparison • Letty requested that homeownership units be included in the matrix as well • Kayleen noted that some units might expire prior to occupying as 80% AMI units are more difficult to lease. Dana noted that rents may be reduced to be more attractive. • Kayleen noted that audits were completed and training scheduled with the ADU property management teams. • Kayleen noted that the ADUs at Tinner Hill and West Broad need to be recertified. • Letty initiated discussion about consolidating the ADU waitlist to reduce confusion for enrollees. A possible resolution would be redirecting requests directly to Kayleen. Housing Goals Update – Commissioner Meredith Anderson & Staff Mark  • Meredith discussed meeting with Kayleen and Ethan. She noted there needs additional discussion on updated housing numbers to compare with demographic information to identify goals. • Gene requested a comprehensive list of housing stock. A discussion ensued with Letty offering a table of information created for public schools. Housing Commission Membership & recruitment Status– Staff Jones • Dana recapped the recruitment status from last month, including the nominating committee. • Hanna asked about potentially updating the size of the Commission. Dana responded that the commission must vote on the size of the membership and it is in the City code. • Additional discussion on the potential for finding more diverse voices on the Commission and community participation took place. Justine noted that DC has a listserv that goes out to residents of a specific Neighborhood Commission. Other • Dana noted next meeting agenda items to be: o Planner will make presentation on T-Zones o Review the status of the Housing Goals with Meredith o Continue discussion about diversity in recruitment and facilitating community participation Adjourn Meeting adjourned – 8:18 PM The City of Falls Church is committed to the letter and spirit of the Americans with Disabilities Act. This document will be made available in an alternate format upon request. Call 703-248-5005 (TTY 711).