[BoulderCouncilHotline] Housing advisory board proposal DRAFT

[Morzel, Lisa]

CAC and Council:

Next Tuesday, December 5th, under matters from members of council, I'd like to schedule some time for council to discuss creating a housing advisory board and preparations needed in advance of our annual advertisement for applications for city boards and commissions which will start in late January/early February 2018.  As council members know who participated in our annual 2017 council, last winter council unanimously approved moving forward in taking the appropriate steps to form a housing advisory board. Given that housing remains one of council's highest priorities, there is an urgency in discussing the mission and role of the board, and details about composition of board, number of members, and other details.  It will be important to have the interviews of interested individuals and appointments to the housing advisory board at the same time as our other city boards and appointments.

Last January, I wrote the draft below for council consideration.  I have made slight modifications to this and ask council members to consider this and any changes, additions, suggestions you have. 

Thanks for your consideration,

Lisa

Housing Advisory Board proposal DRAFT

The City and this council have stated that affordable housing is a major goal.  This proposal is to expand the duties of the current Technical Advisory Group (TAG).  This group's function is not intended to slow down any of our current processes, nor to duplicate the functions of the Planning Board.

Mission/purpose:

1.  Evaluate applications for the city's cash-in-lieu (CIL) funds and linkage fees and advise on their distribution.  Possibly include distribution of  Private Activity Bonds
Currently applications for CIL funds and fees are evaluated by a city-manager-appointed technical advisory group (TAG) who then advises the city manager on their distribution.  Until recently, neither the majority of council nor the public was informed of the existence of this group nor advised of their distributions. The amount of CIL funds each year is in the millions of dollar range (currently the city has ~$6M CIL funds;  in recent years the City has distributed $12M in a single year).
Like the current members of TAG, most of the housing advisory board/group would have specific skills regarding housing finance, government programs, grants, lending, real estate, etc that are all related to housing.  Unlike the current TAG, the housing advisory board would be a council-appointed board and would be a more publicly visible board that holds regular scheduled public meeting similar to other council-appointed board meetings.

2. Publicly evaluate various options for housing policy that increase the supply of affordable and middle-income housing and take public input/comment. 
See PB annual letter January 2017 p. 2. 
The Housing Advisory Board would public discussions and input on types of housing and various approaches to housing. Examples of housing types:
Accessory dwelling units (adu's and oau's), Boarding houses, Duplexes and conversions, Occupancy, Large lots and options, Manufactured options (including mfc'd apartment buildings and single-family homes), more manufactured development (parks, ROC, ) Changes in housing stock (eg., Eastpointe), Co-housing, Consider more options for the developer to build housing on site.

3.  Evaluate the city's inventory of properties and advise which ones might be feasible to consider for housing--(eg., Spruce and Broadway parking lot).  Consider that on the subject of City buildings--could some of these be redirected in use and used for housing?
Consider using some of the Airport and city-owned properties, buildings, and parking lots within area 1 for housing. The city has done this inventory in years past but an update would be helpful. In recent years, council with former planning director David Driskell discussed development of housing on Spruce and Broadway; this would be an excellent site for housing workers needing smaller living spaces.

4.  Consider what other Colorado cities (Lakewood, Denver)  have done locally with construction defects ordinances to encourage development of condominiums. 

5.  Other housing issues that may arise over time
i) This could include consideration of better aligning city development review processes with LIHTC application processes.
ii) consider the issue of individuals who qualified and bought an affordable unit but no longer would qualify given their incomes have increased substantially.  How do we ensure that housing intended for income-restricted individuals remains in the hands of people who need and qualify for it?
iii)  wait lists and prioritization

I assume the board would be staffed by Kurt, Jay, Crystal, ~1 staff support. 

The rate at which Council and Planning Board can evaluate housing types/changes associated with housing policy  interspersed with transportation, muni, climate, public is very slow.  At this pace, we will never get in front of achievable housing.  There is no silver bullet. It needs to be a combination of types, allowances. My sense is to let this side board take in comment and advise PB and council of their findings. 

In 2016, we focused the majority of our efforts on a housing policy that improved the housing situation for a very small segment of our community.  If our intent is to create a community with more housing options and a greater spectrum of housing opportunities, in 2018 we need a board to focus solely on housing and associated issues. This is not going to happen at the City Council or Planning Board levels due to other requirements of our relative positions. 

 The Housing Advisory Board's mission would be to help advance and quicken our housing discussion and actions in a more focused way than either the Planning Board or City Council is able to do. Members of the proposed housing board would have similar skills as the current TAG and knowledge regarding housing in general and in depth (types of housing, affordable housing, funding models, federal, state, local programs/opportunities, process, land use, etc).

As it turns out, many communities have some type of housing advisory board with a range of missions, responsibilities, areas of focus.  As you will read for these communities, their housing advisory board is different than their housing authority and more broadly focused. 

The following is just a quick sampling of communities thate have Housing Advisory Boards including Charlotte NC,Washington DC, Georgetown DC, Brookline MA, Atlanta GA, Ft Myers FL, Eureka CA, Loudoun County VA, Charlotte County FL, Charlottesville VA, New Castle County DE, Lawrence KS, and many more.  It is not an unusual concept or practice these days. 

I've attached a link to the affordable housing board in Lawrence, KS

https://lawrenceks.org/boards/affordable-housing/


Lisa

303-815-6723

"We interact with one another as individuals responding to a complex haze of factors: professional responsibilities, personal likes and dislikes, ambition, jealousy, self-interest, and, in at least some instances, genuine altruism.  Living in the here and now, we are awash with sensations of the present, memories of the past, and expectations and fears for the future. Our actions are not determined by any one cause; they are the fulfillment of who we are at that particular moment.  After that moment passes, we continue to evolve, to change, and our memories of that moment inevitably change with us as we live with the consequences of our past actions, consequences we were unaware of at the time." The Last Stand, Nathaniel Philbrick