Agendas and Minutes

Housing Commission (View All)

Housing Commission Minutes

Agenda
Monday, October 16, 2006

ASHLAND HOUSING COMMISSION

MINUTES

OCTOBER 16, 2006

 

CALL TO ORDER

Vice Chair Bill Street called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m. at the Community Development and Engineering Services Building, 51 Winburn Way, Ashland, OR.

 

 

Commissioners Present

SOU Liaison

Bill Street, Vice Chair

Sunny Lindley, present

Jennifer Henderson

 

Aaron Benjamin

Council Liaison

Liz Peck

 Cate Hartzell, present

Don Mackin

 

Steve Hauck

 

Carol Voisin

Staff Present

Absent Members

Brandon Goldman, Housing Specialist

Faye Weisler, absent

Sue Yates, Executive Secretary

 

APPROVAL OF MINUTES

Mackin/Benjamin m/s to approve the August 21, 2006 and September 18, 2006 minutes. Street added that on page 2 of the September minutes under Education Report, Hartzell has agreed to be on the educational television program.  Voice Vote:  Approved. 

 

NEW BUSINESS

Review of Current Pre-Applications

220-226 VanNess Street (4-unit condo conversion)

Hauck stated that he is the Executive Director of a non-profit and he has a financial relationship with Tom Giordano who is their architect on a current project. 

 

TOM GIORDANO, agent for Carl Wright, applicant, said they are requesting a four-unit condominium conversion off VanNess.  One unit will meet the City’s affordable guidelines and will be one of the middle units.  The owner would like the financial flexibility to either rent or sell the units.  Giordano believes it is the upcoming ordinance change that has panicked owners that want their ability to sell their units. 

 

Goldman said he’d be happy to meet with the applicant about the first right of refusal for the current tenants.  

 

Giordano said the current tenants are paying $795 per month rent, soon to go up to $825.  Goldman said under the current ordinance, the rent for an occupant earning 80 percent of median income would be $805 per month.  Under the proposed ordinance, the 30 year term is targeted as a rental to 60 percent median income with the target rent at $585 a month. 

 

PUBLIC FORUM – No one came forth to speak.

 

REPORTS AND UPDATES

Subcommittee/Liaison Reports

Land Use – Goldman may be asking for their assistance in evaluating any Request for Proposals that are received for the Rental Needs Analysis.

Finance – No report.  Next meeting:  November 13th from 5:30 to 7 pm.

Education – Mayor Morrison attended their last meeting on October 4th and they discussed plans for their Housing Commission information television program now scheduled for November 15th.  Currently, Hartzell and Morrison will be on the show.

 

Comments:  Benjamin and Lindley noted that they attended a recent local political candidate forum and they both felt the candidates and audience members were well-informed about Ashland’s housing situation.  Benjamin credited, in large part, the meetings, workshops and forums that have been held concerning affordable housing. 

                                 

Hartzell arrived at 6:50 p.m.

 

Liaison – Street will be meeting again with members of the School Board to discuss possible ideas for workforce housing for employees of the school district.  A possible agenda item for next month would be a review of the liaison relationships and some formalization of those relationships.

 

Lindley has observed that most of the discussion that has occurred around affordable housing does not include the SOU student population.  The Commissioners had a brief discussion and Street suggested an agenda item to invite college students to brainstorm with the Commission.

 

Other Business from Housing Commission Members – There was none.

 

NEW BUSINESS

Survey of City Commission – The completed survey is included in this month’s packet.  Goldman provided a synopsis of the responses.  The Commissioners are also welcome to fill out the comment sheets individually.

 

Goldman will expand the final sentence of Question 7 (Commission’s budget) that talks about holding an annual forum to say “to look for a consistency the larger budgets that other commissions have in order to accomplish that goal.”  The Commissioners want the budget to reflect what they spend. 

 

Question 9 – Lindley asked why the student liaison member is not a voting member.  Hartzell explained that if the SOU student representative is made a voting member, he/she would have to be present for a quorum and over the years it has been difficult to have student appointees that have attended meetings consistently.  Mackin said any time there is a vacancy on the Commission, the student liaison could apply.  Street noted that though Lindley may not have a vote, the Commission values her attendance and input.

 

Review of Current Pre-Applications

Grizzly View Garden Apartments (84 unit apartment and annexation)

Dave Richardson, Architectural Design Works and Bob Kendrick, project manager showed site plans and explained their project.  Kendrick said he knows there is a lack of rental housing in Ashland. They are planning to construct mostly studio apartments.  He will incorporate a community center for a gathering place.  Their biggest obstacle is gaining a secondary means of egress.

 

Goldman reiterated that an annexation requires a percentage of affordable housing when it is residential.  The property is currently partially zoned E-1.  They will have to request a zone change in their application and with that they need to demonstrate a public need for residential, or conversely, a lack of need for E-1. 

 

Mackin said this is a classic example of the type of project the city is going to have to look at in order to get multi-family housing.  It is not prime property because of its location and the fact it has been vacant this long means it’s not competing for single family housing.  The rental needs analysis could provide the numbers needed to show public need for multi-family housing. 

 

Kendrick said he has given no consideration to converting these units to condominiums.  He is trying to build an apartment community that is a long-term investment.  He will show how many apartments have been built since 1994 and that’s how he’ll show the need.  He is targeting one, two and three person households.  The affordable units will be scattered throughout the development.  He would like to incorporate as much green and sustainable building as possible.

 

Lindley interjected that she believes student housing is packed with families and they could really use three bedroom units.  A lot of families that live in student housing currently are looking for a place to live when they leave school.  Kendrick will look at the design and the market to see what he can do.

 

The Commissioners noted that the project is an excellent site that is close to transportation, access to banks, shopping and services. 

 

PROJECT UPDATES

Lithia Lot Update – Goldman said the developer fee and the interest rate increases have created a $300,000 funding gap.  ACCESS has hired a third party to see if they can cover the gap.  And, ACCESS believes BOLI will apply to this project too.

 

MEETING AGENDA ITEMS

November 20, 2006 Meeting

               Liaison Appointments

               Rental Needs Analysis Update

               Update on progress of Housing Trust Fund

(Note:  Benjamin asked if the Commission should consider the concept of a land bank and explore the possibility of surplus underutilized land being made available.  That land could go into the Housing Trust Fund and be kept in reserve and could continue to appreciate in value.)

               Pre-App Reviews – Evaluate and reflect on how that process has been going

        Unexcused absences – Goldman will bring definition
        Responsibilities of Subcommittees – Clarify assignments, expectations, reports

 

December 18, 2006

SOU Housing Report/SOU Masterplan (tentative)

Annexation Ordinance

 

CONDO CONVERSION ORDINANCE UPDATE – The ordinance went before the Planning Commission on October 10th and has been carried over to their study session on October 24th at 7:00 p.m.  Benjamin commented at the Planning Commission meeting and would strongly recommend there be Housing Commission representation at the study session. 

 

Tenants Right of Refusal – Hartzell said the Resolution states that the landlord has to document that they offered the residents the ability to purchase.  She would like to see in addition to that wording, wording that would reflect the tenant’s response.  Goldman said the reporting is required back to the State.  Hartzell would also like to know if first right of refusal only applies to the unit the tenant is living in or can we make the resolution flexible enough to offer the first right on any unit in the complex?

 

ADJOURNMENT - The meeting was adjourned at 8:00 p.m.

 

Respectfully submitted by

Susan Yates, Executive Secretary

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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