Housing Commission

5/28/2019 - Minutes I. Call to Order Members Present: Robert Millar, Bobby Arnell, Leslie Black-Plumeau City Staff Present: Heather Carrington Guests Present: Mayor Kristine Lott Call to Order by: Robert Millar, 6:06 PM Minutes Recorded by: Heather Carrington II. Public Comment None III. Approve Previous Meeting Minutes Decision: Approved Motion by: Bobby Second: Robert Meeting minutes for 4/22/19 were approved IV. Department and City Updates City staff provided an update on the CCRPC Convening of the Chittenden County Housing Committees meeting held on April 30th. The focus of the meeting was on inclusionary zoning ordinances, with presentations on the structure and results to date of IZ policies in Burlington and Hinesburg. In addition, both for-profit and non-profit housing developers presented some of the impacts that IZ ordinances have on development of new housing. Staff also reminded the Commission about the Policy Priorities and Strategies meeting that will be held on Saturday, June 1st. City Council and the staff leadership team will use this meeting to discuss and set the priority work plan for the City over the coming year. The meeting will be held at the O’Brien Community Center and is open to the public. V. Working Session: Review Housing Trust Fund Policies Document The Commission continued work on developing the policies and procedures document that will guide use of the Winooski Housing Trust Fund. The following decisions were made: Construction and Rehabilitation Program (CoRe) Maximum Award Amounts 1. The Commission voted to approve the maximum award amounts of $15,000 per affordable unit, not to exceed $150,000 for a single project. Scoring Criteria 1. The scoring system will give priority to a higher raw number of affordable units, rather than being changed to prioritize higher percentages of units in a building. 2. Rehabilitation to improve life safety code compliance criteria will utilize the list of high priority projects developed for the Housing Improvement Program, based on FireHouse code enforcement visit data. A caveat will be added to the language indicating that this is not an exhaustive list of potential high priority issues. Housing Improvement Program (HIP) Scoring Criteria 1. Rehabilitation to improve life safety code compliance criteria was approved, with the addition of a caveat that the list is not exhaustive. 2. Energy related improvements point scale was increased to 8 potential points, with the addition of solar panels to the list of potential improvements. 3. A decision was made not to define “reasonable amenities” to market units. This will be addressed on a case by case basis.  exhaustive list of potential high priority issues. Housing Improvement Program (HIP) Scoring Criteria 1. Rehabilitation to improve life safety code compliance criteria was approved, with the addition of a caveat that the list is not exhaustive. 2. Energy related improvements point scale was increased to 8 potential points, with the addition of solar panels to the list of potential improvements. 3. A decision was made not to define “reasonable amenities” to market units. This will be addressed on a case by case basis. Down Payment Assistance (DPA) Funding Terms 1. The Commission recommends that these should be 0% interest deferred loans to be paid back upon sale or refinancing of home. 2. Closing costs were added to eligible expenses. 3. The loans will be made for a maximum of $5,000. 4. For those applicants who meet the priority criteria of living in Winooski prior to home purchase, working in Winooski, or having children in K- 12 schools in Winooski, $1,000 of the up to $5,000 will be available as a grant. VI. Adjourn Motion by: Leslie Second: Robert Time: 7:35 PM