Housing Commission

5/24/2021 - Minutes I. Call to Order Members Present: Robert Millar, Anna Wageling, Leslie Black-Plumeau, “Deac” Decarreau City Staff Present: Heather Carrington Guests Present: Councilor Jim Duncan Call to Order by: Robert Millar Meeting Start Time: 6:03 PM Minutes Recorded by: Anna Wageling II. Public Comment None III. Approve Previous Meeting Minutes Meeting minutes from 4/26/21 were approved. IV. Council Update Councilor Jim Duncan reported: l City Manager Jessie Baker had her last day in the position on Friday, May 14th. The search for a new City Manager is underway and progressing. l The CCRPC on street parking study is continuing, and the results will inform Planning Commission discussions about changes to Unified Land Use Regulations. l Planning Commission is beginning their review of the Form Based Code sections including parking and density bonuses to incentivize affordable housing and energy efficiency. l The Winooski Charter Changes (with the exception of the Home Rule clause) have passed the state legislature and are heading to the Governor. V. City Updates l The new Equity Director, Yas Gordon, started her work at the City on May 10th. She has been very pro-active in the role thus far, and will be reviewing the Housing Trust Fund Policy through an equity lens per City Council request. Staff pointed out that equity work is everyone’s responsibility, not just Yas’ and we should all be applying an equity lens to all of our work. l The Housing Trust Fund Policy went to City Council for review and discussion, and the MOU with Opportunities Credit Union is in progress. Both documents are slated to go to City Council for final approval at the June 7th meeting. l Commissioner “Deac” Decarreau provided an update on the Winooski Housing Authority 5-year strategic plan, specifically the focus on creating new housing with 3 or more bedrooms. VI. Commission Appointments Appointment terms across all city commissions have been coordinated to expire on June 30th annually, in alignment with the end of the city fiscal year. This year there are four Housing Commissioners with terms set to expire on that date: “Deac” Decarreau, Sean McMannon,  more bedrooms. VI. Commission Appointments Appointment terms across all city commissions have been coordinated to expire on June 30th annually, in alignment with the end of the city fiscal year. This year there are four Housing Commissioners with terms set to expire on that date: “Deac” Decarreau, Sean McMannon, Chris Melnyk, and Robert Millar. Chris Melnyk has moved out of Winooski and resigned his position. Robert Millar and “Deac” Decarreau expressed their willingness to be reappointed. As Commission Chair, Robert will reach out to Sean McMannon to ask him if he would like to be considered for reappointment as well. A communication from the City recruiting new applicants for all Commission seats will be sent out in the coming weeks. VII. Annual City Council Priorities and Strategies Planning The Commission discussed potential recommendations for City Council for housing priorities over the next year. The possibilities discussed included: l Identifying potential funding streams for the Housing Trust Fund l Evaluating housing quality in Winooski, defined as health and safety of the housing stock. l Evaluating the effectiveness of the Housing Trust Fund in addressing Master Plan housing goals, and identifying areas for policy changes to adjust the program if gaps emerge. l Improving renter protections and empowerment in Winooski by looking into: Requiring that rental deposits are held in interest-bearing accounts, exploring placing limits on the maximum that can be charged for a rental security deposit, considering establishing a Housing Board (potentially similar to Burlington’s) to address renter issues, evaluate the Just Cause Eviction Policy in the City of Burlington for consideration as a tool in Winooski l Consider reinitiating conversation about replacement ordinance? The staff and council liaisons will take this slate of options forward to the annual City Council Priority Policy and Strategy setting retreat on June 26th for consideration. VIII. Planning Commission Draft Memo on Parking Incentive The Commission reviewed a draft memo written by staff making recommendations to the Planning Commission. The memo provided an overview of recommendations made by the Housing Commission in 2019 pertaining to the impact of required parking minimums on affordability and the production of new housing in Winooski. It also included a new recommendation to help incentivize construction of housing with three or more bedrooms, better suited to accommodating families. Comments from the Commission will be incorporated into the draft, and the memo will be presented to the Planning Commission in the coming months. IX. Adjourn Motion by: Deac Second: Anna Meeting End Time: 7:28 PM