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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - Affordable Housing Committee - 07/25/2017APPROVED by committee on August 8, 2017 South Burlington Affordable Housing Committee MINUTES July 25, 2017 Members Attending: John Simson, Mike Simoneau, Leslie Black-Plumeau, Sandy Dooley Members Absent: None Others Present: Paul Connor, Kevin Dorn Minutes: Leslie Black-Plumeau The meeting was called to order at 4:04 PM by John Simson, Chair. There were no amendments to the meeting Agenda nor was there any public comment. The agenda item related to UVM property rezoning was postponed to a future meeting. Mike moved and John seconded that the minutes of the July 10, 2017, committee meeting minutes be approved as drafted. Best strategy to encourage affordable housing in the “priority” areas of the City The group discussed potential approaches for moving forward with initiatives discussed over the past few months that could promote the availability of affordable housing in priority areas. Leslie asked Paul to describe what areas were seeing the most residential development lately. He showed the group a breakdown of units in the past 5 years and past 10 years, by quadrant and neighborhood density type. The chart showed that in the past 10 years, more units have been developed in the Southwest Quadrant, which includes the Farrell Street neighborhood, than any of the other quadrant. In the past 5 years, more units have been developed in the Northwest quadrant. Sandy made a motion that we explore with the City Council and local groups two initiatives: (1) dedicating a penny on the property tax for an affordable housing fund and (2) extending South Burlington's inclusionary zoning requirements citywide through the city's Land Development Regulations. John made a friendly amendment that we describe how the property tax funds would be used when we discuss this initiative with the City Council. Leslie seconded the motion which passed unanimously. Paul suggested that we link our suggestions about the property tax funding and inclusionary zoning with the comprehensive plan as it pertains to priority areas for residential development. He also explained the state requires that any inclusionary zoning requirements be accompanied by offsets developers will receive, such as fee waiver and a streamlined review process. Approaching the City Council re letter inviting developers to connect with this committee The group discussed potential ways to connect with developers early in their process to help them understand the priority affordable housing has in South Burlington’s comprehensive plan. Instead of providing a letter, Kevin and Paul volunteered to explore the possibility of a conference for South Burlington committees such as the affordable housing committee and the energy committee to meet with developers and exchange ideas and information. Changes to Housing Preservation Amendment: Home ownership tenure requirement The group discussed the possibility of and ways to prevent "flipping" when an owner occupied affordable housing unit is constructed as a result of the housing preservation requirement. Paul described a hypothetical scenario in which a developer decided to build a replacement housing unit valued at $40,000 over the maximum "affordable" sales price. In this case, taking a loss of $40,000 is more desirable than the $60,000 in lieu payment. However, with no resale restriction, the homebuyer could quickly turn around and sell the unit at its full value. The home would then no longer be "affordable." Leslie explained that unless conducted through a formal arrangement with an organization like Champlain Housing Trust, covenants for units purchased that restrict sales price and income of future occupants pose difficulties for sellers and buyers using a mortgage and for municipalities overseeing the compliance with the covenants. Sandy agreed to send Paul information from Champlain Housing Trust about long-term affordability covenants for owner occupied housing. Changes to Housing Preservation Amendment: Add Congregate care to housing definition The group discussed how best to include all dwelling unit apartments in the scope of the housing preservation amendment. Currently units categorized as congregate care would be exempted. However, senior apartment buildings with minimal services or perhaps just a community room are considered congregate care under South Burlington's regulations. Paul explained the complexities of distinguishing congregate care units from assisted housing units. Sandy agreed to draft language for the housing preservation amendment that more accurately covers all apartments, but excludes units with significant services such as assisted housing. Land bank The group discussed the benefits of creating a "land bank" by purchasing land with funds raised from the penny on the property tax that could later become the site of affordable housing. Future meetings August meetings are scheduled for August 8 and August 21. Leslie moved to adjourn and Mike seconded. The meeting adjourned at 6:06 PM.