Affordable Housing Advisory Committee - City of Tampa

Regular Meeting – September 23, 2008

MINUTES

Pursuant to notice, the regular meeting of the Affordable Housing Advisory Committee for the City of Tampa was held on September 23, 2008 at 2:00 pm at the Hillsborough County Planning Commission Hearing Room located at 615 E. Kennedy Ave., Tampa, Fl.

Members Present: Cathy Byrd, Leslie Griffin, Vivian Kitchen, Anthony LaColla, David Lapides, Herold Lord Jr., and Debra Reyes.

Members Absent: Ron Carpenter, James Horvick , Rayme Nuckles, with one position vacant.

City Staff Present: Stuart Campbell – HCD, Michelle Boone – HCD, Gloria Moreda – Land Development Coordnation, and Sharon West – HCD.

Others Present: None

Meeting called to Oorder by Anthony LaColla, Committee Chair at 2:15 PM.

I.Introductions were made by City Staff and committee members

II.Mr. LaColla called for the approval of minutes from the September 2, 2008 meeting, however, a quorum was not present at the time, so the item was postponed until the end of the meeting.

  1. Stuart Campbell gave a power point presentation and discussed the recommendations made to date on the following items (hand out provided):

1. Parking and Setback Requirements – the following are the current parking requirements: Multi-Family structures = 1.5 per unit (3 or more bedrooms requires 2 spaces) Central Business District = 1 parking space per unit. Changes would require rezoning of the property, or a variance.

  1. Allow for alley access garages in design standards – Ms. West agreed to consider such design if needed for smaller lots
  2. Encourage Mass transit availability – The committee agrees that the transit lines must be located near affordable housing and rerouted if necessary
  3. Encourage better communication between HART and the communities building Affordable Housing to provide better access to busses – Proximity to bus line is favored in LIHTC applications for tax credits.
  4. In addition to affordable housing being located near mass transit, Tthe frequency of routes must be considered or reviewed by HART (added)
  1. Printed Inventory of public land
  2. Offer non-buildable lots to adjacent property owners.
  3. City should continue to D offer defer payment loans or subordinate mortgages (debt service) on land purchaseds until the homes are sold.
  4. Consider Nnon-buildable or isolated lots could be for used as pocket parks or neighborhood parking areas. Issues with this recommendation include the City’s maintenance responsibility and public safety of the pocket parks or parking area.– the City must maintain all parks and parking lots. Safety is also an issue.
  5. Before disposition of individual lots, the City should Ddetermine the highest and best use.

for each lot (added)

  1. Density Bonus Flexibility
  2. Increasing project density is OK to a point, may need to Aamend building codes that may affect and trigger negative cost impacts of increased density. depending on the type of building (ex. Aabove 3 stories) construction cost to install extra– Ssafety items, (fire sprinkler) Issues may offset the benefit of the density bonus. conflict
  3. Mandate Consider inclusionary zoning standards requirements for affordable housing. Tie the award of a density bonus with meeting inclusionary zoning standards.The City has studied such policies and found them to not be practical.– The City has studied such policies and found them to not be practical in today’s development market
  4. Provide incentives to builders and investors by reducing or deferring impact fees if rents/sales prices are limited and controlled – The City depends on Impact fees to cover certain operating costs. Also, each property must be monitored for a certain time period as part of agreement.
  5. Create Special Zoning Districts for that award a density bonus for Affordable Housing Development (Land Use Restrictions Agreement would be necessary) – added

Density Bonuses exist, but are not used due to cost. Higher density is available to developers without rezoning up to 10%. Typically, Tthe Ddensity will follow the transportation (rail line) availability.

  1. Support of Development near transportation hubs, mixed use
  2. City should determine future needs of the aging population and address those needs in the Comprehensive and Consolidated plans. – The City has researched what the future need may be, and has included them in planning documents.
  3. Determine future needs of disabled population for housing. (added)
  4. Determine future needs of student population for housing. (added)
  5. Provide Ttransportation incentives to housing developers near universities for student transportation. (added)
  6. Include owner and rental development in future plans. (added)

The City should have a Transit Ready Plan for mixed use/income by right. Under the new Comprehensive Plan there are established criteria along main corridors. Light rail routes will be focal points for proposed Affordable Housing. Most busses are accessible along main corridors.

  1. Flexible Lot configurations
  2. Discourage City initiatives to vacate alleys. Alleys to allow for access to detached parking garages – Especially in Historic Districts
  3. Re-establish vacated alleys. Once the alley is re-established, City resumes maintenance responsibilities including the removal of trash and any other negative issue.
  4. Encourage improvements to alley’s to allow for additional access to the back of their property.

Currently the parking options for higher density developments are limited. No physical space is available unless located underneath housing. The Mass Transit options should tie into the need for parking.

  1. Accessory Dwellings
  2. Reduce restrictions on who can live in them – allow them to be used for rental properties.
  3. Reduce barriers to construction of Aaccessory Ddwellings. Encourage larger single family developments to have a percentage of lots with accessory dwellings for future needs/use. (added)
  4. Allow for garage build outs. (added)

Currently Hhistoric neighborhoods have Aaccessory Ddwellings that provide housing for family members. The negative perception from neighbors is unwarranted. The Comprehensive Plan encourages Adaccessary dwellings in appropriate neighborhoods such as LowryPark. The main structure must be owner occupied and the Adaccessory dwelling is subject to annual inspections.

  1. Process for review of items that affect the cost of AH
  2. Waive/defer fee for curb installation along with sidewalk installation
  3. Require Ssustainability standards for GreenBuilding such as drought tolerant landscaping and efficient appliances. Requiring green building standards may – May be a disincentive, due to cost increase up front. The City currently provides a fast track permitting/plan review process for Green projects and affordable housing projects. Plan review fees are credited back if project is LEED certified.
  4. Bring back the City’s program to donate and plant trees for home owners
  5. Record a LURA to determine the maximum sales price after the affordability period expires (currently 5-30 years)
  6. Create a shared equity program on a pro rated basis depending on the number of years the person owned the home (with DPA)
  7. Provide incentives for building in existing neighborhoods if the infrastructure is already in place. No increased Capacity must be proven. The City has a 5 year time limit on vacant property. (added)
  8. Provide impact/capacity fee credits if meters and taps already exist on an infill property. Not all lots are tied to the City’s water/sewer system. Some are tied into their neighbor’s sewer system when originally installed. (added)
  1. Design Standards/model homes
  2. Allow for alley access garages in design standards. Plans must be reviewed by HCD/CSC.

Other Issues Discussed- Representatives from the City’s Public Works, Construction Services and Legal divisions will be available at the next meeting to discuss issues regarding Permits, Plan review, alley’s and Impact fees.

  1. Provide incentives for builders/developers of smaller rental housing complexes, or duplexes. Use the same model as the Historic Tax Credit program with the County. Cap the increase of tax value for up to 10 years, except for schools. Then when the property reassesses in 10 years, adjust the tax credit/renew. The property owner can initiate the process to dedicate property as affordable.
  2. Limit impact fees to not exceed a percentage of the cost to build each unit.
  3. Focus incentives on the Urban Core and transit/economic development areas, but not to the exclusion of the rest of the City.
  4. Provide incentives to stimulate the market, to include providing financing options to builders/developers of Affordable Housing.
  5. Provide incentives for investors to purchase and rehab rental units
  6. Encourage the State to give tax relief to investors to maintain affordability of rental units
  7. Subordinate/defer land costs (debt service) and impact fees until closing
  8. Provide incentives for rental property owners of small number of units.
  9. Create a category of LIHTC for small rental developments/rehabs. (added)
  10. Create a funding pool for developers to contribute to for infrastructure (added)
  11. Rebate Linkage fees for commercial/business owners who provide employee housing. (added)
  12. Allow small Multi-family units on infill lots.(added)
  13. Convert old commercial facilities, schools, churches, and city owned buildings into Affordable Housing units. (added)
  14. Provide incentives to builders and investors by reducing or deferring impact fees if rents/sales prices are limited and controlled – The City depends on Impact fees to cover certain operating costs. Also, each property must be monitored for a certain time period as part of agreement.
  15. Bring back the City’s program to donate and plant trees for home owners
  16. Record a LURA to determine the maximum sales price after the affordability period expires (currently 5-30 years)
  17. Create a shared equity program on a pro rated basis depending on the number of years the person owned the home (with DPA)
  18. Provide incentives for building in existing neighborhoods if the infrastructure is already in place. No increased Capacity must be proven. The City has a 5 year time limit on vacant property.
  19. Provide impact/capacity fee credits if meters and taps already exist on an infill property. Not all lots are tied to the City’s water/sewer system. Some are tied into their neighbor’s sewer system when originally installed.

Sharon West distributed presentation notes from the Florida Housing Coalition on Regulatory Reform that she received at the State Wide Housing Conference in Orlando. The Presentation gives a summary of the purpose of the Affordable Housing Advisory Committees, and explains the need to review specific topics for inclusion in the LAHP. The recommendations from this AHAC shall be incorporated into the City’s Comprehensive Plan and Housing Element. It was requested that a copy of the new Housing Element be provided at the next meeting.

Ms. West explained that when housing developments use public funding, certain requirements follow, such as: Income limits, rent restrictions, duration of affordability, and monitoring requirements. Depending on the amount of State or Federal funding in a project, determines the number of units that must be maintained as affordable.

Ms. Reyes suggested that the city use its HOME or SHIP funding to match the CDFI funding currently held by Neighborhood Lending Partners, or another CDFI. It creates a set aside pool of funds as a revolving loan fund for developers of affordable housing. Ms. West agreed that it is an option that the City can consider just like the Housing Bond Revenue used for Down Payment Assistance. An application must be made in the next funding cycle to the city.

With no further discussion on issues, Mr. LaColla called for a motion to accept the September 23, 2008 minutes since a quorum is now present. Mr. Lapides made a motion to approve, and Ms. Kitchen seconded the motion. Motion Carried. Minutes are approved as written.

The next meeting is scheduled for October 7, 2008, location to be determined. Information will be sent via e-mail.

The meeting was adjourned at 3:52 pm. ______

Michelle Boone, HCD

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