Affordable Housing Trust Fund

Cityof MASSACHUSETTS www.cityofmalden.org Gary Christenson, Mayor Malden Affordable Housing Trust Fund Action Plan Subcommittee Meeting Minutes August 5, 2020 – 4:00 PM Action Plan Subcommittee Members Angie Liou Roxanne Reddington-Wilde Councillor-at-large Stephen Winslow New Business: 1. Call to Order – 4:05 PM Trustees Present: Angie Liou; Roxanne Reddington-Wilde; Councillor-at-large Stephen Winslow Others Present: Evan Spetrini, Senior Planner, Malden Redevelopment Authority 2. Approval of Subcommittee Meeting Minutes from July 1, 2020 On a motion by Ms. Reddington-Wilde and seconded by Councillor Winslow, the minutes from the July 1, 2020 Action Plan Subcommittee meeting were approved. 3. Review Action Plan Timeline Mr. Spetrini presented the updated Action plan Timeline (see attached). He explained that the housing needs research will primarily consist of pulling information from existing studies, including the Housing Needs Assessment and NSC Consolidated Plan. This research will be augmented with projections of the COVID-19 impact on housing needs. COVID-19 impact data will come from MAPC and the Boston Foundation’s recent studies, as well as other sources as they become available. Mr. Spetrini explained that the COVID-19 impact projections are primarily based on unemployment data. MAPC released a report based on the May unemployment numbers but Mr. Spetrini will check to see if they have a more recent study. Councillor Winslow suggested that the Malden Board of Health may have some data on the number of rental unit inspections, which could reflect the rate of turnover. Mr. Spetrini will take the lead on compiling the housing needs research to present at the next subcommittee meeting. The subcommittee will then review the data and make priority recommendations to the full board. Mr. Spetrini then reviewed the community engagement tasks in the timeline. The key stakeholders will be identified and the interview questions will be finalized by the 8/19 full board meeting. The full community survey will be developed and deployed in September. Councillor Winslow stated that the board will need to authorize funds for translation services at the next full board meeting. Ms. Reddington-Wilde asked if the survey would be distributed online or on paper or both. Mr. Spetrini stated that online would be easier for data collection, especially during COVID, but may not reach everyone. The subcommittee agreed that hosting the survey online and partnering with community organizations to distribute the survey would be the best approach. 215 Pleasant Street, Fourth Floor, Malden, MA 02148  Phone: 781-397-7000 Ext. 2001 info@cityofmalden.org Strong Past…Proud Future City of Malden, MA Mr. Spetrini explained that preparation for the community workshop had largely stayed on the same schedule, with the event taking place during the second week of October, likely on the 14th or 15th. Councillor Winslow suggested that the survey include an advertisement for the community meeting. The full board will be able to review the findings of the meeting at the following week’s meeting. Mr. Spetrini reviewed the updated timeline for the final three tasks: developing goals and priorities, the 1-5 year action plan, and completing the final report. Work on all three tasks will begin earlier than previously planned, but will be completed at the same time. With regard to the 1-5 year action plan, Ms. Liou asked if the identification of additional revenue sources was within the purview of the Trust. Mr. Spetrini agreed that the Trust itself cannot establish new revenue sources, but a recommendation could be to advocate for policy changes that would result in additional revenue. 4. Update on Housing Needs Research Mr. Spetrini briefly presented an outline of the housing needs research (see attached). The research outline closely reflected the data compiled in the Housing Needs Assessment and added a section on the COVID-19 impacts and a section identifying the main takeaways and implications for the Trust. The subcommittee agreed on the approach. Mr. Spetrini will start to compile the data to share with the subcommittee. 5. Discuss Stakeholder Interviews Mr. Spetrini presented the proposed stakeholder groups:  Affordable housing advocates  Housing service providers  Affordable Housing developers  Community Preservation Committee Member  Malden Housing Authority officials  City of Malden officials  Malden Redevelopment Authority officials The subcommittee discussed a number of individuals that could be interviewed to represent each of the categories and added a few more categories as well including other nonprofits, community leaders, and realtors. The original intent was to interview individuals that fall under each category, but the subcommittee agreed that focus groups may be more appropriate for some of the categories. Mr. Spetrini presented the proposed questions to be asked in each interview:  What are the greatest affordable housing needs in Malden?  What are the barriers to creating new affordable housing?  What kinds of programs and projects should the Trust support?  Please share any specific anecdotes about affordable housing challenges in Malden. Ms. Liou suggested that the interviewees also be asked: “What kinds of programs or projects do you think would have the greatest impact given limited resources?” Mr. Spetrini will refine the list of stakeholder interviews to be discussed at the next meeting. 6. Adjournment – 5:20 PM 215 Pleasant Street, Malden, MA 02148  Phone: 781-397-7000 Ext. 2001 info@cityofmalden.org Strong Past…Proud Future  July August September October November December 8/5 9/2 10/7 11/4 12/2 7/29 Full Subcommittee 8/19 Full Subcommittee 9/16 Full Subcommittee COMMUNITY 10/21 Full Subcommittee 11/18 Full Subcommittee 12/16 Full Board Meeting Meeting Board Meeting Meeting Board Meeting Meeting MEETING Board Meeting Meeting Board Meeting Meeting Board Meeting Task 1: Housing Needs Research A. Review HNA x B. Research COVID-19 impact x C. Compile data and develop priority housing needs x Task 2: Key Stakeholders and Community Engagement A. Stakeholder Interviews a. Identify key stakeholders x b. Develop interview questions x c. Conduct interviews x B. Survey a. Develop survey questions x b. Translate x c. Distribute x C. Community Workshop a. Develop draft goals and priorities x b. Create presentation x c. Community outreach x Task 3: Develop Goals and Priorities A. Update goals and priorities x B. Define eligible uses of funds x C. Outline operation of trust x a. Design application process x Task 4: Develop 1-5 Year Action Plan A. Identify priority projects x B. Develop budget x a. Identify additional revenue sources x b. Estimate expenses x Task 5: Complete Final Report A. Draft full Action Plan x B. Public comment period x C. Full Board approval x AHTF Action Plan – Affordable Housing Needs Outline 1. Summary of Previous Planning Efforts a. Housing Needs Assessment (2019) b. NSC Consolidated Plan (2020) 2. Population a. Total population b. Race c. Age Groups 3. Households a. Number of Households b. Household Tenure i. By race ii. By age group c. Household Income i. By race ii. By age group 4. Housing Stock a. Number of Units i. Breakdown by building size (how many units per building size) b. Number of Buildings i. Breakdown by size (number of buildings by size) c. Housing Age i. Breakdown by building size d. Housing Vacancy 5. Housing Market a. Home sale prices (single family and condo) b. Rental prices i. Per unit size ii. Per age c. New development 6. Housing Affordability a. Subsidized Housing Inventory b. Cost burden i. By tenure ii. By income level iii. By household size iv. By race v. By age group c. Affordability gap d. Foreclosure and eviction rates e. Homelessness 7. Projected Housing demand 8. COVID-19 Impact a. Projected increase in evictions and homelessness 9. Takeaways a. What income levels to target? b. Focus on rental or homeownership projects? c. Other specialized housing needs?