ASHLAND HOUSING COMMISSION

MINUTES

JUNE 28, 2007

CALL TO ORDER – Chair Bill Street called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m. at the Community Development and Engineering Services Building, 51 Winburn Way, Ashland, OR. 

APPROVAL OF MINUTES – Voisin/Ayars m/s to approve the minutes of the May 24, 2007 meeting.  Voice Vote:  There was unanimous approval of the minutes.

Comment:  Street has heard from the Council and some members of the community criticisms concerning the assumptions of the Rental Needs Analysis and he wondered if those concerns could be answered and results defended.  Hardesty suggested the Housing Commission members watch the online video of the June 12, 2007 Planning Commission meeting to hear first-hand the comments made concerning the Rental Needs Analysis.  The Commissioners agreed to add this item to next month’s agenda.

PUBLIC FORUM - No one came forth to speak.

SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS

Education – Smith reported the RVTV show went well, they received good feedback and they learned some things.  They would like to reach a broader audience.  Voisin urged the committee to select callers and prepare critical  and substantive questions to raise interest in topics.  Street said one of the goals for this program is to educate the community that affordable housing is about more than just low income residents of Ashland but about a whole range of people. 

Finance – They are working on the housing trust fund and have settled on a mission statement.  They plan to use the CDBG model and see how those goals would work within a housing trust fund.  They will then prioritize their preferences and goals.  They will plan to bring it to the Housing Commission in July and hold a public meeting in August to review the priorities that have been preliminarily identified.  Goldman said he would investigate how the money that is in the general fund earns interest.

Land Use – No meeting was held.

Condo Conversion Update – The ordinance went to the Planning Commission and City Council on June 19^th.  The Council held a public hearing, received comments, and began deliberations.  A motion to approve was tabled until July 17^th when a decision will be made (first reading).  It is not too late for the Housing Commissioners or the public to comment. 

LIAISON REPORTS

Council – See Condo Conversion above.

Parks – No report.

Schools – Street reported the school board had a meeting (for the first time ever) and in-depth discussion of affordable housing and school properties.  It seemed to go very well.  Street said the hope is that the school board will identify housing as a goal.  It has to be a goal in order for the superintendent to act on it.  The school board wants a stream of income from housing.  Smith offered to locate models from universities that have been doing this for over 20 years.

Planning Commission – Hardesty would like to see the Housing Commission better communicate their goals and purposes to the Planning Commission.  Voisin said she would be willing to set up lunch meetings with different Commissioners (two from Housing and two from Planning).  Hardesty and Goldman agreed to assist her.  Note:  Street will be out the whole month of July.

Tripartite - Street, Hardesty and Goldman attended but no one else came.  Hardesty will set up the July meeting and work the meeting date around the school board members.  Goldman will write a brief memo to the school board outlining their options for putting together an application for a successful project.  There is not an advantage in identifying a specific property at this point. His hope is to keep the ball rolling.  Hardesty cautioned that we don’t want to overwhelm the school board.  She will get in touch with Goldman before the e-mail is sent.

2007-2008 GOAL SETTING

Goldman handed out a process for setting goals.  The Council will be establishing their goals on July 14^th and it would be valuable for the Housing Commission to weigh in.  He reminded the Commissioners that the Housing Action Plan goals should direct their strategy.

Brainstorming:

• Write a specific goal that resonates with enough people that they can remember what it is - a goal that becomes short, achievable, measurable and time sensitive. The Goal:  That we, in collaboration with the Planning Commission, City, and City Administrator, identify a piece of city land that can be developed as housing for a wide range of incomes with particular focus on City employees. 
• Keep track of vulnerable properties; that is, properties that have USDA grants. Work with non-profits to understand their strategies and track the properties.  Define vulnerable properties.  Vulnerable properties could include trailer parks.  Long-term plan to deal with vulnerable properties.
• Build better relations with the Planning Commission.
• Complete the housing trust fund.
• Build housing above parking lots (a larger parking lot than the Lithia lot).  Develop a Request for Proposals for housing over a parking lot.  Document the lessons learned from the Lithia lot.
• Stay strong in liaison work. 
• Land use regulation – regulatory controls related to housing, zone changes and annexations.
• Finances available for acquiring land for affordable housing. 
• Create a program(s) to use the $20,000 (in the Housing Commission budget) that had once been identified but underutilized for rental assistance and down payment programs. 
• Examine feasibility of zoning incentives to create rental housing.
• Ongoing education to raise awareness of housing needs through public information programs.
• Identify land to be purchased and /or constructed with Strawberry Lane fund to build workforce housing.
• Complete annexation ordinance.
• Limit development of “for-purchase” housing on multi-family zoned property.
• Examine expanding financing options such as bonds and tax credits

Refine Priorities 

The Commissioners voted (with dots) for their top three priorities that will be sent to the Council.  They will still keep the other goals.  They decided on the following priorities:

1.             Collaborate with the City Council and Staff to identify a piece of City owned land to accommodate housing for a whole range of City employees for at least 25 housing units. 

                2.             Complete the housing trust fund.

                3.             Complete the annexation ordinance.

Goldman will draft the letter to the Council and send it to Voisin for her review.

UPCOMING EVENTS AND MEETINGS

Next Housing Commission meeting - July 26^th, 5:30 p.m. (check for a quorum).

Review all the goals at the August meeting 

The Education committee will not meet in July.

ADJOURNMENT – The meeting was adjourned at 7:30 p.m.

Respectfully submitted by,

Sue Yates, Executive Secretary