Housing Commission

9/28/2020 - Minutes I. Call to Order Members Present: Robert Millar, Anna Wageling, Jessica Bridge, Chris Melnyk, Katherine “Deac” Decarreau City Staff Present: Heather Carrington Guests Present: Councilor Jim Duncan Call to Order by: Robert Millar Meeting Start Time: 6:06 pm Minutes Recorded by: Anna Wageling II. Public Comment None III. Approve Previous Meeting Minutes Minutes approved for 1/28/20, 2/24/20 and 7/27/20. 8/25/20 Minutes were tabled due to lack of quorum of members present at the meeting. IV. Elect Vice Chair The Commission elected Jessica Bridge as Vice Chair. V. Winooski Housing Authority Update on Rent Non-payment Rates and Trends “Deac” Decarreau provided an update on rent non-payment rates and trends being seen at the Winooski Housing Authority. The report indicates that a small number of households are carrying the vast majority of the back rent obligation. Based on the data, 8% of Winooski-based WHA households owe more than $500/per household in back rent. The Vermont-wide rent non-payment rate is 9% as of the September 14th Household Pulse Survey conducted by the US Census Bureau. Staff reported on the rental registry landlord survey results thus far (98 responses). When asked whether they anticipated having to evict tenants due to rent non-payment, 4% of reporting landlords answered “yes”. This does not indicate a wide-spread “evictions cliff” coming, but the combined WHA units and tabulated responses represent only 25% of total rental housing in Winooski. VI. Work Plan Alignment to Master Plan Priorities Discussion Councilor Duncan facilitated a discussion reviewing the goals of the Housing Chapter of the Winooski Master Plan. The Commission was asked to consider whether their work plan is aligned to the Master Plan, if the current work is on schedule to complete the Master Plan goals over the next 7 years, what are the priorities of the Commission, and do they have the necessary support to complete the work. Councilor Duncan’s report of the discussion follows: • Have past and current initiatives been aligned to the policy goals in the Master Plan? The Commission has been focused on the development of unit targets, working with Code Enforcement on utilizing housing registry data, the Housing Trust Fund and monitoring • Have past and current initiatives been aligned to the policy goals in the Master Plan? The Commission has been focused on the development of unit targets, working with Code Enforcement on utilizing housing registry data, the Housing Trust Fund and monitoring incoming development. These actions support the primary goals related to the Commission’s charge, which is focused primarily on Goals 1-3 and 5-7. The Planning Commission and other entities in the City have more direct influence over some of the other goals, but the Commission has provided information when needed to those discussions. • Are current efforts supporting multiple goals? Yes, the Housing Trust Fund and housing monitoring support multiple goals. • Given that we are only a year into this Master Plan, are there goals we are not currently moving forward on at all? Are these still priorities for the next seven years? There are no directly relevant goals where the Commission felt we are not making progress, and those goals are still priorities. The Commission inquired about the status of goals around energy efficiency and promoting trees, but see those as the purview of other commissions. • Do we feel like we're on track towards meeting these goals over time? The Commission noted that COVID interrupted their work and is still causing delays towards implementing policy that would address the goals, primarily the Housing Trust Fund. Changes to zoning and form-based code to incentivize affordability above current levels still need to be made, especially if seeking affordable family housing. The Commission noted that challenges remain around providing affordable housing with 2+ bedrooms, which is needed to support a mix of housing types, and may not be addressed with the current tools being implemented by Winooski. • What priorities should future policy focus on in the next year or two? 5 years out? Looking ahead, the Commission sees a sustainable, long-term funding model for the Housing Trust Fund as a critical need. The Commission also identified responses to the impacts of COVID on housing stability and examining the issue of setting targets for bedroom counts alongside unit counts as issues of importance for the years ahead. In addition, the Commission stressed the importance of regular monitoring of the impacts of housing policies that have already been implemented, and wants to keep this in its work plan. • Do we as a commission have what we need to succeed? Are we able to make policy advisory decisions that keep us on track towards our master plan and community vision? The Commission feels they have enough resources, information and support from staff in a data-heavy task. In particular, Heather’s skills, support and research have been indispensable to the Commission. A major challenge that cannot be solved by the Commission or City is that so much of what impacts housing affordability and access is outside the control of the Commission and the City. Some areas to explore for additional capacity include some mechanism to get the perspectives of developers during discussions and maintaining a connection to the Chittenden County RPC, ideally through their “Convening of the Housing Committees” effort, to better identify how Winooski is the same as and different from other communities. Both can help the Commission better formulate policy responsive to Winooski’s unique housing conditions.  outside the control of the Commission and the City. Some areas to explore for additional capacity include some mechanism to get the perspectives of developers during discussions and maintaining a connection to the Chittenden County RPC, ideally through their “Convening of the Housing Committees” effort, to better identify how Winooski is the same as and different from other communities. Both can help the Commission better formulate policy responsive to Winooski’s unique housing conditions. VII. Adjourn Motion by: Deac Second: Anna Meeting End Time: 7:24 PM