Housing Commission

11/25/2019 - Minutes I. Call to Order Members Present: Robert Millar, Anna Wageling, Deac Decarreau, Chris Melnyk, Jessica Bridge City Staff Present: Heather Carrington Guests Present: Councilor Jim Duncan, Mike Hoey of Local 22/44 MyChamplainValley News Call to Order by: Robert Millar, 6:02 PM Minutes Recorded by: Anna Wageling II. Public Comment None III. Approve Previous Meeting Minutes Decision: Minutes Approved Motion by: Deac Second: Chris Minutes/Notes: October 28th, 2019 meeting minutes approved IV. Department and City Updates Housing Trust Fund Update: The HTF policy issues raised by City Council have been addressed as recommended at the previous Housing Commission meeting. Work to operationalize the HTF program continues. The financial institution to provide loan servicing will be selected through a Request for Proposals (RFP). An MOU with Champlain Housing Trust will be executed for the income compliance monitoring. Once the loan servicing and compliance monitoring terms are finalized, the Housing Trust Fund Policy and Procedure document will be updated to reflect the terms and sent to the City Attorney for legal review. Any outstanding policy questions will be returned to the Housing Commission for recommendations. Staff expects that the Policy and Procedure document will be approved by City Council over the next month, and the program will be up and running by early 2020. V. Discussion of Parking Minimum Recommendations for Planning Commission The Housing Commission continued to discuss the impact of parking minimums on housing in Winooski. Specifically, the Commission evaluated what impact parking minimum requirements have on housing affordability, creation of new housing supply in Winooski, and economic integration of neighborhoods. The Commission finds that required parking minimums increase the cost of housing, can suppress development of new housing, and impacts the economic integration of neighborhoods through higher parking requirements in areas with higher income households. The Commission looked at examples of smaller municipalities nationwide that have reduced or eliminated parking minimums, and reviewed recent and proposed changes to parking minimums in Burlington and South Burlington. The Commission recommends the following approaches for the Planning Commission: Process recommendations: 1. Recommend that Planning Commission request a CCRPC desk study of number of on-street parking spaces (parking supply) to inform decision-making. 2. Recommend that Planning Commission invite current Winooski developers to share their experience and insights and parking utilization data as part of the decision-making process. Recommendations for Regulatory Changes to Consider 1. Recommend that the Planning Commission review parking minimum requirements in R-B and R-C districts. These are higher requirements than other areas of the city, but are in areas where on-street parking is less congested and more readily available. They are also some of the priority areas that the Housing Commission has identified for construction of new affordable housing. 2. Base parking minimums in the gateway districts on a demand analysis to be provided by developer, contingent on having the desk study of available on-street parking as a reference.  as part of the decision-making process. Recommendations for Regulatory Changes to Consider 1. Recommend that the Planning Commission review parking minimum requirements in R-B and R-C districts. These are higher requirements than other areas of the city, but are in areas where on-street parking is less congested and more readily available. They are also some of the priority areas that the Housing Commission has identified for construction of new affordable housing. 2. Base parking minimums in the gateway districts on a demand analysis to be provided by developer, contingent on having the desk study of available on-street parking as a reference. 3. Utilize transportation demand management strategies in gateways. 4. Establish a payment-in-lieu of parking program for the gateways. 5. Reduce/eliminate parking requirements for projects building affordable housing (Current incentive for affordable housing is not functioning. This could work as an incentive.) 6. Establish a method for applying for a parking waiver through the Development Review Board VI. Adjourn Motion by: Deac Second: Jessica Time: 7:01 PM Next Meeting: Tuesday, January 28th, 6-8 PM at Winooski City Hall