IURA Neighborhood Investment Committee

Ithaca Urban Renewal Agency 108 East Green Street Ithaca, New York 14850 (607) 274-655 Minutes IURA Neighborhood Investment Committee May 9, 2014 I. Call to Order The meeting was called to order at 8:34 with members Tracy Farrell, Chair, Teresa Halpert, and Karl Graham present. Staff members Nels Bohn and Lynn Truame were present. Committee member Fernando de Aragon arrived at 9:15. II. Public comment None. III. Review of Minutes – February 14, 2014; March 14, 2014 T. Halpert moved, seconded by K. Graham, approval of February 14 and March 14, 2014 minutes. Carried unanimously. IV. New Business 1. Request for approval of lease agreement between CHI and Rescue Mission for 618 West State Street (project #7 2006 CDBG) Chuck Guttman, representing CHI, Inc., reviewed the reasons for requesting the change in tenants. N. Bohn confirmed that the Rescue Mission (RM) is providing the level of service and staffing required by the Loan Agreement. He noted that the current configuration of the facility is 15 SRO units and 9 shelter beds, however there has been a large increase in the use of shelter beds (between 20‐30 beds each night) since RM began operations at the facility. This increase appears to be attributable to RM accepting people prior to their being participants in the DSS system, whereas the American Red Cross (ARC) required completion of DSS paperwork prior to shelter admission. N. Bohn reported that RM believes they will need a larger, or additional, facility in future to meet this observed need for both shelter beds and SRO units. K. Graham moved, seconded by T. Halpert: 618 W. Court Street – Approval of Lease Agreement between CHI, Inc. and The Rescue Mission Whereas, Community Housing of Ithaca, Inc., (the Borrower) received $350,000 in Community Development Block Grant funds through the 2006 HUD Entitlement Program for the rehabilitation of IURA NIC Minutes, 5/9/14 Page 1 of 5 the property at 618 West State Street to create a 16‐bed emergency homeless shelter, 6‐bed Single Room Occupancy facility, and day‐services center for the homeless, and Whereas, operational requirements of the deferred CDBG loan requires staffing of a on‐site facility manager who shall provide overnight, on‐site, facility management from mid‐afternoon to sunrise seven days a week, 365 days a year; and Whereas, in 2011 the IURA approved a modification to the use of the building to a 9‐bed emergency homeless shelter and a 15‐bed Single Room Occupancy facility, and Whereas, the award of funds was conditioned upon the execution of a lease agreement between the Borrower and the American Red Cross (ARC) for the operation of the project property in the manner described above, and Whereas, the term of the Loan Agreement between the IURA (the Lender) and the Borrower has not yet expired, and Whereas, if, during the term of the loan, the lease between the Borrower and the ARC should be terminated or should expire and not be renewed, the Borrower is required to immediately repay the higher of the entire outstanding principal balance of the Note, and any accrued interest, OR, the current market value of the project property less any portion of the value attributable to the expenditure of non‐CDBG funds for the acquisition of, or improvement to, the project property, and Whereas, at the Lender’s sole discretion, the Lender may modify the above requirement if the Borrower has secured the Lender’s approval of a Lease Agreement with another organization delivering the same services as described in the Loan Agreement, in a manner to cause no interruption of services, and Whereas, the Borrower has requested the Lender’s approval of a Lease Agreement with The Rescue Mission of Syracuse, Inc., to operate the project property as described in the loan agreement, and Whereas, the primary objective of the Ithaca Urban Renewal Agency for this project is to provide emergency shelter, SRO housing, and day‐service facilities for the homeless, and Whereas, the Neighborhood Investment Committee reviewed this request at their meeting on May 9, 2014, and recommended the following, now, therefore be it Resolved, that the Ithaca Urban Renewal Agency hereby approves the transfer of the Lease Agreement for 618 West State Street from the American Red Cross to The Rescue Mission of Syracuse, subject to receipt of delinquent annual 2013 reporting by June 9, 2014, and be it further Resolved, that the IURA Chairperson is hereby authorized, subject to advice of IURA legal counsel, to execute any and all necessary documents to implement this resolution. Carried unanimously. IURA NIC Minutes, 5/9/14 Page 2 of 5 2. Proposal to conduct Fair Housing Choice Analysis of Impediments survey – Tompkins County Office of Human Rights Karen Baer and James Douglas, Tompkins County Office of Human Rights (OHR), attended. N. Bohn explained the IURA obligation to update Ithaca’s existing Analysis of Impediments (AI) and outlined the reasons for contracting with OHR for this work. Ithaca’s last AI concluded there was not enough data available to establish or address barriers to Fair Housing Choice. This last report met minimum HUD requirements, but we have been strongly encouraged to assemble the data required to produce a more effective AI and Action Plan (AP). The timeline included in the OHR proposal for delivery of the report is acceptable to HUD as long as the effort is progressing. The committee raised, and OHR responded to, various questions about the format of, and process for, both the survey and testing portions of the AI. K. Graham asked what data was currently available on housing discrimination locally. K. Baer responded that her office does not receive nearly as many housing‐related as employment‐related complaints and she believes that may be because of a lack of knowledge regarding housing discrimination on the part of both renters and landlords. All agreed on the need for additional outreach and education. K. Baer stated that her hope is that the City and County will work collaboratively on fair housing issues going forward, both to be more effective and to attract more federal financial resources. The data acquired via this AI will be the first step in that process. T. Farrell requested a copy of the current draft of the random survey. Staff will forward this document to the committee. K. Graham asked how often an AI needs to be updated and whether this would be an ongoing cost to the agency. N. Bohn replied, every 5 years, though the Action Plan, which flows from the AI, is a living document that would be revisited more frequently. N. Bohn agreed that this would be a periodic cost and that fair housing‐related efforts must typically be funded through CDBG/HOME administrative funds. The cost in this current year, however, should be unique as it will establish the baseline AI that Ithaca currently lacks. K. Graham moved, seconded by T. Halpert: Contract for Completion of Fair Housing Choice Analysis of Impediments Survey Whereas, the City of Ithaca is subject to the requirements of the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Entitlement Program, and Whereas, one such requirement is certification that the City is Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH), and Whereas, the development of an Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing (AI) and corresponding Action Plan are required for this certification, and IURA NIC Minutes, 5/9/14 Page 3 of 5 Whereas, the Tompkins County Office of Human Rights (OHR) has submitted a Fair Housing Choice Proposal to the Ithaca Urban Renewal Agency (IURA) to complete, on a contract basis, the required AI, in a form acceptable to HUD, including the following: 1) Fair Housing Choice Survey, 2) Fair Housing Testing Program, 3) data collection and analysis, and 4) a final Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice, and Whereas, OHR will gather information both within the City of Ithaca and in the surrounding area of Tompkins County, with a 60/40 emphasis on the City, an approach which has been approved by HUD, and Whereas, as a result of this approach the County will share in the cost of preparing the AI, and Whereas, the completion of an AI on a contract basis is an eligible activity for the use of CDBG/HOME Administration Funds, and Whereas, the 2014 IURA Recommended Action Plan includes $135,108 in CDBG Administration funds and $44,177 in HOME Administration funds, and Whereas, the cost of the Fair Housing Choice Proposal, as submitted, will be divided between the City of Ithaca and Tompkins County, with the City’s share of that cost being $17,670, and Whereas, the Neighborhood Investment Committee reviewed the Fair Housing Choice Proposal submitted by OHR at their meeting on May 9, 2014, and recommended the following, now, therefore be it Resolved, that the Ithaca Urban Renewal Agency hereby approves the acceptance of the Fair Housing Choice Proposal submitted by OHR to conduct the required survey and analysis and prepare the final AI report in substantially the form described at a cost of $17,760, and be it further Resolved, that the IURA Chairperson is hereby authorized, subject to advice of IURA legal counsel, to execute any and all necessary documents to implement this resolution. Carried unanimously. V. Old/Other Business 1. 2014 Recommended Action Plan The committee reviewed the final action plan. T. Farrell suggested alerting funding recipients to the anticipated decrease in available resources next year. N. Bohn observed that the President’s proposed budget includes a 5% cut for both HOME and CDBG next year and that the cut will probably be larger than that once Congress finally acts. It was agreed that funding recipients would be notified of this situation in their commitment letters, so that organizations we have historically funded on an on‐going basis are aware of the needs to identify other sources of support. 2. Review of summary Breckinridge tenant profiles. Staff reported on an e‐mail received from Paul Mazarella describing the make‐up of the first group of Breckenridge Place tenants: IURA NIC Minutes, 5/9/14 Page 4 of 5 Race: 40‐50 yrs old: 5 American Indian: 2 50‐60 yrs old: 15 Asian: 1 60+: 15 Black or African Amer.: 17 Female Head of Household w/children: 8 Other: 4 Male Head of Household w/children: 4 White: 26 Prior Residency: Ethnicity: City of Ithaca: 41 Hispanic or Latino: 3 Tompkins County: 5 New York City: 0 Age: New York State: 3 20‐30 yrs old: 7 Outside of NYS: 1 30‐40 yrs old: 8 3. Stone Quarry Road project update N. Bohn provided an update on the Stone Quarry Road project. INHS is hoping to break‐ground in September 2014, and place in service in July 2015. The Elmira Road complete street project is bidding now; the City will also be looking at other road improvements in the area, including reconfiguration of the Old Elmira Rd/Spencer Rd intersection and the Stone Quarry Rd/Spencer Rd intersection. F. de Aragon commented on the project’s ideal location for biking and his desire that INHS be encouraged to include project components that facilitate bicycle usage. 4. Old Library Site project update K. Graham inquired about the City’s roll in reviewing plans for Old Library site. N. Bohn replied that City will have some input, but will not be a decision, though the actual development will be reviewed by the City as usual (Planning Board and ILPC.) The County is in the process of identifying preferred proposals but no decisions have yet been made. There was a general discussion of the various proposals received. 5. Neighborhood Pride site update T. Farrell asked for an update on the status of the Neighborhood Pride property. N. Bohn reported that the Salvation Army, Cornell Cooperative Extension, ScienceCenter, and INHS have all expressed interest in property, though none will pay the full price that the seller is asking. INHS and CCE are probably the two finalists. CCE would relocate entire operations there and sell current offices. INHS would be looking at housing, perhaps partnering with another civic use such as the ScienceCenter. Due to pressure from the lien holder, there should be some resolution within the next two weeks. VI. Motion to Adjourn The meeting was adjourned by consensus at 10:37. END Minutes prepared by L. Truame IURA NIC Minutes, 5/9/14 Page 5 of 5