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HousingPartnershipMinutes2004NORTHAMPTON HOUSING PARTNERSHIP Minutes January 20, 2004 Members Present: Fran Volkmann, Chair, Pat Byrnes, Yvonne Freccero, Don Bianchi, Jack Hornor, Joel Feldman, Richard Abuza, Nola Reinhardt. Also present, Jane Banks, Director of Jessie's House, Phil Chu of the Green Street neighborhood association, Peg Keller and Michael Owens, staff. Call to Order/ Chair Volkmann called the meeting to order at 7:01 p.m. She opened the public comment period and invited Mr. Chu to address the group. Mr. Chu said he had come to get an update on Smith's plans relative to the Green St. Belmont Ave. neighborhood. He said the name of their organization is now "Coalition for Affordable Northampton Neighborhoods" and a few planning meetings have been held. He said at the last meeting the Partnership offered to ask the Mayor to meet with President Christ and he wondered if that had taken place. He emphasized that the current plans would mean destruction of homes and neighborhood businesses. He has the impression that not much attention has been given to the fact that their neighborhood is slated for the wrecking ball. He reiterated the groups' hope that Smith will reconsider and look at other sites. Chair Volkmann thanked him for his comments. She reported that she had met with the Mayor and had encouraged her to meet with President Christ, but was not aware if a meeting had taken place. She said the Mayor had agreed that all the relevant parties needed to come together. Mr. Feldman told Mr. Chu he was disturbed by the comments in the paper that Mr. Chu had made to describe the Partnerships' stance on the issue. Mr. Feldman said that the Partnership had not endorsed the demolition of a neighborhood. Mr. Chu was thanked for his presence. Jane Banks/ CDBG Request/ Ms. Banks presented a request for CDBG funding to install an emergency alarm system at the homeless shelter. She outlined the safety concerns relative to the site logistics. Mr. Owens reviewed the funding available. Member Reinhardt made a motion to approve the request; Member Byrnes seconded the motion. Mr. Abuza noted that although he is supportive of the program, he thought the funding needed could be raised from the community, rather than CDBG. Ms. Banks replied that they do a significant amount of fundraising ($40,000- $50,000) each year from the community already. Budget cuts from the State 1 have required budget reconfigurations to make up the difference. The amount of rent paid to the Housing Authority is not enough to cover operating reserves. The facility also needs new windows and a refurbished kitchen, which will be financed by community fundraising. Mr. Owens said the Housing Authority is creating a capital improvement plan and that this request could be covered by program income (CDBG loan repayments). He said the Partnership could make a recommendation to approve the request for $3,500 and he could replace it with additional anticipated program income. Chair Volkmann asked for the vote, which was all in favor, one abstention, to approve the request from Jessie's House to install a security alarm system at the family homeless shelter at 143 West Street. Mr. Owens distributed the timetable for the upcoming Year 21 CDBG process. Approval of Minutes/ The minutes from December 16, 2003 were approved as presented. Items for Discussion/ Members discussed Partnership vacancies and possible candidates for appointment. Members discussed whether or not all participants should also serve on a sub-committee. Mr. Abuza suggested that all members should be encouraged to serve, unless someone makes a specific request not to. That request would be considered on a case-by-case basis. Members agreed with that approach. Chair Volkmann began the discussion of how to track progress on Partnership goals. It was suggested that the Mayor be invited to attend meetings on a quarterly basis and that periodic meetings be held with the Planning Director. Chair Volkmann offered to talk to the City Council about referring ordinances related to affordable housing to the Partnership. An appointment to the Ad Hoc Committee to review public service CDBG applications was discussed. Peg Murray will be approached. Outreach to private developers early enough in the process to encourage the creation of affordable units, was also discussed. The Chair distributed DHCD workshop topic offerings that members could select and asked for ideas to further the Partnership educational goals. The Planning Sub-Committee will collate the responses to the workshop requests and send it to DHCD. Members supported the idea of a listserve administered by Mass. Housing Partnership as a way to communicate with other housing organizations across the State. It was agreed to continue the overall organizational discussion in February, with the Chair requesting that the Sub-Committees meet to discuss and prepare answers to the questions on page 2, relative to the "activities and next steps" section. 2 A representative from Mass. Housing Partnership has asked to attend the next meeting. The Chair said that the Planning Sub-Committee will think about educational activities that the Partnership can undertake during the year. CDBG Expenditure/ Peg Keller asked for feedback on a scope of services prepared by Valley CDC with an accompanying request for funds. Valley has agreed to conduct marketing and homeowner screening activities for Jim Harrity and the Turkey Hill project. Members felt it should go to the sub-committee for discussion, then back to the full Partnership. No decision was made. Adjourn/ the meeting concluded at 9: 15 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Peg Keller 3 NORTHAMPTON HOUSING PARTNERSHIP Minutes February 17, 2004 Members Present: Chair Volkmann, Pat Byrnes, Don Bianchi, Yvonne Freccero, Nola Reinhardt, Peg Murray. Also present, interested member Linda Valenti (Valley CDC) and Tatiana Xenelis from the Mass. Housing Partnership. Peg Keller, staff. Call to Order/ Chair Volkmann called the meeting to order at 7: 10 p.m. Members introduced themselves to the guests. Chair Volkmann then introduced Ms. Xenelis. Massachusetts Housing Partnership Ms. Xenelis reported that she is part of the agency's community technical support team and is visiting Partnerships across the State. She distributed copies of the Housing Needs Workbook that MHP had created for a needs assessment training session and spoke about more workshops being scheduled. She circulated a list of the resources her program offers, including cash assistance for project feasibility. She said that the Bank America/Fleet merger would bring additional resources to MHP. Their programs are partially funded through bank assets and lines of credit. She expects an announcement soon regarding the amount of money that will be result. Mr. Bianchi noted that MACDC is opposed to the merger overall, as it results in fewer (local) lenders, but will advocate for some of the funding to be offered as grants. Ms. Xenelis described upcoming State funding rounds; no changes expected for HOME and Housing Stabilization funding but Tax Credits will have an increased emphasis on sustainable development proposals. She mentioned that in addition to 75 million dollars of project funding, they also have 22 million for technical assistance. She was thanked for her attendance. Minutes/ were approved as submitted from the February meeting. Sub-Committee Reports Planning/ The report was reviewed. A "Smart Growth" workshop with local participants is being discussed. Chair Volkmann spoke to the need for a multi­ disciplinary discussion, feeling people are too compartmentalized. All agreed that it was a good time for such a forum; which could be constructed around actual case studies involving local parcels. 1 Chair Volkmann noted that the new City Council committee on Housing, Economic Development and Land Use should participate. The Planning Director is in agreement. Other Partnership members supported the idea. The Planning Committee will move ahead with the event. It was suggested that business/bank representatives be included. Implementation/ This group has not met recently. Three meetings will be scheduled next month, however, to review the housing related CDBG proposals that will be submitted during the RFP solicitation. Discussion followed about how the Partnership should be involved in the CDBG process. The Mayor, Planning Director and CDBG Administrator will be invited to the full Partnership meeting next month to discuss this issue. In the meantime, it was agreed that the Implementation should move ahead with participating in the project review, because at least one of those meetings will be held prior to the full Partnership meeting. Chair Volkmann offered to have the Planning Committee develop a list of questions to guide this session. Items for Discussion/ Chair Volkmann then moved to the list of items that she presented in January. Related to educational activities, the MHP listserve idea was mentioned. Ms. Xenelis said that at this point, it will be a newsletter/bulletin format, rather than an interactive listserve. Members expressed disappointment, reiterating the high value a listserve dedicated to housing issues would have for practitioners state-wide. Announcements/ Member Bianchi reported that the Hilltown CDC is currently building affordable homes in Williamsburg and Chesterfield. He described the project and their coordination with Valley CDC. He also described a regional planning effort to identify possible ways to collaborate with area housing agencies in order to reduce affordable housing project costs. Membership/ Chair Volkmann indicated that Ms. Valenti is considering membership as a representative of Valley CDC, Maureen Carney is being considered from the Northampton Housing Authority and Linda Desmond will be asked to represent the Council on Aging. A new City Council representative will also be selected. SNAP/ Chair Volkmann updated the Partnership on the effort, saying that there is a meeting planned with President Christ in a few weeks. There was no update about the group meeting to address the Green St. neighborhood concerns. MACDC/MNPHA / Member Byrnes reported that there may be a funding request for site specific projects and she may need testimony from the Partnership. Respectfully submitted, Peg Keller 2 Northampton Housing Partnership Meeting with Mayor, Planning Director, and CDBG Administrator March 16, 2004 Purpose and Background for Meeting The purpose of this joint meeting is to clarify the roles and the appropriate levels of engagement of the Partnership in: establishing housing goals and strategies for Northampton; advocating for affordable housing; evaluating proposals related to affordable housing; and monitoring expenditures for affordable housing. As background information, the document, Powers and Duties of the Partnership, based upon the original establishing ordinance, is attached. Questions for Discussion, with Notes Goals and strategies: 1.What is the Partnership's role in establishing goals and strategies for affordable housing in Northampton? What are the roles of the Mayor, the Planning Director, the CDBG Administrator? Is anyone else in involved? How should we proceed? Advocacy: 2.How, generally, can the Partnership support the Mayor and the Planning Office in itsadvocacy role? 3.What should be the Partnership's specific role in attempting to influence thedevelopment of plans and proposals that contain ( or might be persuaded to contain)an affordable housing component? How should the Partnership's recommendations be made and used? Note: This is where we can clarify how we would get information about CDBG proposals and other proposals early in the process. Whether or how we should meet with proposers. Tools to get affordable housing included, etc. Evaluation: 4.What kinds of proposals should the Partnership evaluate? Note: Yvonne's questions come up here: should we be involved in broader decisions related to land use, sustainable growth, and Smart Growth in general, 2 weighing in on zoning proposals, proposals for developments that do not contain any affordable housing, etc.? Should we be involved in CDBG proposals that are not directly related to housing (you'll recall that we now have a rep -Jack -on the Community Services Committee)? In all uses of CDBG funds that involve housing? In some sub-set of those? What happens now? 5.What is the appropriate level of Partnership engagement in the evaluation process?Where should the Partnership be placed on the broad continuum of policy only on theone extreme and micromanagement on the other? How do we differentiate betweenthe role of the Partnership and the role of the CDBG administrator? How can we bemost useful here?Note: Partnership members will recall the most recent examples that lead to this discussion. Those concerned the level at which the Partnership should be involved in lottery issues, and the role (or not) of the Partnership in allocating funds for the Jessie's House security system. Someone also raised a question of the level of detail at which we should be evaluating deed riders. This is probably not the time to revisit these issues per se, but they do serve as jumping-off points into a larger discussion that is at the core of what we are trying to do tonight. 6.What kinds of criteria should the Partnership be using in making recommendations?What is the appropriate level for our criteria?Note: The Planning subcommittee talked about the following criteria as examples: (a) type of housing; (b) Levels of affordability; (c) length of affordability; (d) degree of leveraging; (e) cost per unit; (f) location; (g) marketing. A proposal would be most highly recommended if it provided housing configurations in keeping with the city's most urgent needs, was affordable at the most needed levels, included provisions for retaining affordability over a long period, included effective leveraging, cost a reasonable amount per unit, was located in keeping with Smart Growth principles, and included a provision for appropriate marketing. What other criteria might be useful? What criteria are we using now? What are examples of criteria that are at the wrong level for what the Partnership should be doing? Monitoring: 7.At what level should the Partnership be monitoring the degree to whichNorthampton's housing goals are being met? What would it take for the Partnershipto periodically assess and update its priorities? What information would be needed,where would it come from, and who would be responsible for providing it?8.At what level should the Partnership be monitoring the success of funded proposalsfor individual affordable housing projects? 9.Should the Partnership be involved in monitoring the overall expenditures of CDBGfunds designated for housing. as well as monitoring the degree to which housinggoals are being met? 3 10.CDBG funds are used for multi-year, renewable, activities related to housing, as wellas for one-time projects. Should the Partnership be involved in the monitoring ofthese expenditures? If so, how?Note: These questions re monitoring, as a group, should help us to reach some common understanding in this area. My sense is that different people are making very different assumptions about what is the Partnership's role here. Some hold the view that the Partnership should set goals and monitor the degree to which those goals are met, but that all monitoring of expenditures is the job of the CDBG folks and not the Partnership. Others hold the view that the Partnership should monitor all expenditures of funds that impact directly on how much we have to spend on affordable housing. Still others think we should monitor expenditures above a certain threshold. How do we sort this all out? Maybe we can also clarify questions such as how we should be thinking about draw down funds, and whether we can assume that about 50% of CDBG funds will normally go to housing. Other questions: 11.What specific kinds of advice are/would be most helpful to the people whom thePartnership advises? (Mayor, Planning Director, Housing and CDBG staff)12.Should the Partnership be planning periodic forums and other educational activitiesfor the community or designated sub-sets of the community? If so, with whomshould we be working? What resources would be needed, and where might theycome from?13.What other activities should be high-priority for the Partnership?14.What remains to be addressed that we were not able to cover today? NORTHAMPTON HOUSING PARTNERSHIP Minutes April 20, 2004 Members Present: Fran Volkmann, Chair, Pat Byrnes, Don Bianchi, Jack Hornor, Linda Valenti, Peg Murray, Nola Reinhardt, Yvonne Freccero and Peg Keller, staff. Call to Order: Chair Volkmann called the meeting to order at 7:06 p.m. No one was present for the public comment. Ms. Murray made a motion to approve the minutes from the February meeting. The motion was seconded by Mr. Hornor; the vote was unanimous in favor. Announcements: -Green Street Neighborhood Group/ Chair Volkmann and Mr. Bianchi will represent the Partnership on this newly formed group. Terri Anderson (City Economic Development Coordinator) will facilitate. Group will be composed of representatives of Smith College, neighborhood residents, neighborhood business owners and the City. The charge of the group is to improve communication between all entities involved in the evolution of the West Street neighborhood relative to Smith's campus expansion plans. -MHP Email Bulletin / Peg will send MHP the Partnership email list so members can get these updates directly. -Valley CDCwill have an open house celebrating the construction of the first affordable homes at the Ice Pond parcel, the first homeownership phase of the State Hospital redevelopment project (May 10th). -Chair Volkmann has communicated with the Planning Board about representation on the Partnership. She plans to see how the discussion at subsequent (Partnership) meetings re: overall planning efforts impacts membership recruitment. She noted the new Council committee on Economic Development, housing and land use may provide a new venue for communication and policy discussions. Committee Reports Implementation/ Mr. Hornor had written minutes from March 11th, 18th and 25th, meetings held to review CDBG housing proposals. He explained the 1 process undertaken for review. Four proposals were examined. Presentations were made by each organization asking for funding; Council on Aging for the Elder Home Repair Program, Valley CDC for the Housing Rehab and First Time Homebuyer programs and additional funding for the Go West SRO project. The Committee also advocated the continued existence of a housing drawdown. Setting aside whatever small amount of funding would provide at least some flexibility throughout the year to accommodate additional funding requests. Mr. Hornor also reported on the Ad Hoc Committee process that undertook review of public service dollar requests. This is a competitive RFP process for social service agencies serving low and moderate income people to apply for a capped percentage of the CDBG entitlement. He reported that a good portion of the requests were housing oriented, therefore there is value to having Partnership representation. The lists of project funding requests and allocations were made available. Jack was thanked for his attendance and communication to Partnership members during both efforts. Next regular Implementation meeting will be April 29th at 8:00 a.m. Planning/ Ms. Byrnes reported that the Mass. Housing Partnership has allocated $1,000 to the Partnership for a planning workshop. She noted that Ms. Freccero is working on a mixed use project which will be further pursued at their next meeting. Bill Breitbart, formerly of MBL Housing, now working with CEDAC has been invited to discuss financing for mixed use projects. Meeting will be held May ih at noon. Members discussed Richard's email relative to the rental situation occurring in the City. Peg referenced the Grow Smart Northampton draft plan that included anecdotal information about the vacancy issue. Discussion will be held at a later date. Peg Murray described a Financial Literacy Program she is helping to implement with Valley CDC, the Evenstart Program, HCAC, the Center for New Americans and Casa Latina. Chair Volkmann asked her to circulate additional information as it sounded like a wonderful effort addressing pertinent issues such as budgeting, credit and predatory lending. Adjourn/ The meeting concluded at 9:05 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Peg Keller 2 NORTHAMPTON HOUSING PARTNERSHIP Minutes May 18, 2004 Members Present: Chair Volkmann, Peg Murray, Jack Hornor, Richard Abuza, Pat Byrnes, Linda Valenti, Joel Feldman, Yvonne Freccero, Don Bianchi. Also present, Wayne Feiden, Planning Director and Peg Keller, staff. Call to Order: Chair Volkmann called the meeting to order at 7:07 p.m. Member Hornor made a motion to approve the minutes of the last meeting; seconded by Member Murray. The vote in favor was unanimous. Announcements Ice Pond / Chair Volkmann reported on an Open House held May 10th to celebrate the completion of the first affordable home at the Ice Pond parcel. This is the first homeownership phase of the State Hospital redevelopment effort and Valley CDC has played a major role in the marketing of the units and selection of the families. The project involves the construction of 8 affordable homes (6 single family units, 2 with accessory apartments) in a 27-lot subdivision. This was an exciting event for all involved. (In the end, all 6 households ended up to be from Northampton). Section 8 Update/ There is currently a movement in Congress to fully fund the program. This will avoid the termination of vouchers for area families in the near future, although additional advocacy will assuredly be necessary. Congress for New Urbanism/ Chair Volkmann attended a conference in Boston on the topic. ( we hope to hear more .... ) Updates Mass. Housing Partnership/ Priority Development Fund / Member Byrnes reported that the agency will be making funds available for a.) studying/implementing zoning and education functions that result in the creation of affordable housing, b.) direct project assistance for i.e. site/project specific projects with site control, c.) innovative efforts that result in unit creation. The total amount available is 3 million dollars, with individual awards in the $20,000- 50,000 range/ applicants are municipalities. Mass Housing also has set aside 100 million dollars for affordable housing creation. Chair Volkmann noted that there are other municipal incentive funds for housing creation. Mr. Feiden mentioned the Commonwealth Development Fund, which has a competitive scoring threshold that rates communities for competitiveness. All applications are being viewed through a Smart Growth lens, and ranked accordingly. King Street Zoning Update/ Mr. Feiden reviewed the plan to rezone two existing houses/parcels from residential to highway business on King Street. Discussion followed about the desire to have the owner agree to certain covenants in exchange for the zone change. The merits of the recommendations contained in Mr. Feidens' memo were discussed. Questions raised by the Partnership were as follows: -why support an action that might remove existing market rate rental housing from the community inventory ( which a vote in support of this proposal might do)-how do we balance the long term eventualities with present usage?-Acknowledgement of good location for mixed uses/ abutting residential-Why push for change when existing uses work well to buffer abutting neighborhood from commercial activity, traffic, etc. Some members agreed that a possible course to follow might be to stipulate new buildings on the site be mixed use ( commercial and residential), multi-story, with the stories above the first floor be for housing. Members Byrnes, Feldman and Bianchi asked about the displacement issues that might be activated by this change and questioned why the Partnership would want to facilitate the displacement of existing tenants in existing market rate affordable housing. More discussion followed and various motions made. The final motion, made by Member Abuza was as follows: "If the City Council in its judgment decides to change the zoning (as requested by the owner), the Housing Partnership strongly recommends that it include the modifications listed in Mr. Feidens' memo, numbers 1-6 with #6 being modified to include that the new buildings be mixed use, with housing above the first floor. Member Valenti seconded the motion; the vote was 6 in favor, 0 opposed and 3 abstentions. New package of Zoning Revisions/ Mr. Feiden circulated another package that he is bringing forward for review. One of the changes involves large scale residential development, which he said he would be happy to return at a later date to discuss in detail. Planning Events/ Members reviewed a worksheet which outlined the public workshops planned for the fall. The goal is to consolidate all department planning efforts. This will be discussed more fully in the near future. Resignation/ Prior to closing the meeting, Chair Volkmann announced that Member Bianchi was resigning his membership on the Partnership. He is taking a new position in Boston at the Mass. Association of Community Development Corporations as a Senior Policy Analyst. He will be missed, to say the very least. He was thanked for his service not only on the Partnership, but on the Implementation Sub-Committee, the Affordable Housing Trust and the Green Street/Smith College Working Group. His understanding of affordable housing issues, coupled with his compassion and guidance benefited the work of the Partnership greatly. Good luck Don. Stay in touch ....... . Adjourn/ The meeting concluded at 9:15 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Peg Keller NORTHAMPTON HOUSING PARTNERSHIP Meeting Minutes June 15, 2004 Members Present: Richard Abuza, Fran Volkmann, Pat Byrnes, Jack Hornor, and Linda Valenti. Also present: Mayor Clare Higgins, Planning Director Wayne Feiden, and Michael Owens. Call to Order: The meeting was called to order at approximately 7:00 pm. Public Comment No members of the public were present; no public comment was offered. Updates and Announcements King Street Re-Zoning Wayne reported that the issue of the zone change may continue indefinitely as the neighbor and owner try to work out an agreement. Essentially the owner would like his property zoned highway business, neighbors want some restrictions to buffer the existing residential uses. Displacement does not seem to be an issue, as the multi family building will remain occupied for the foreseeable future. Green Street Working Group Fran noted that the meetings of this group continue, as Smith is moving forward with planning for a new engineering complex in this area adjacent to its campus. Richard asked if neighborhood residents felt included in this process and Fran reported that three residents are serving on the Committee and that public materials will be issued in the near future. Smith / City Committee to Disburse Housing Replacement Funds Fran reported that membership on the Smith / City Advisory Committee on Affordable Housing has been formalized and a letter from both Smith President and the Mayor has been issued. Meetings will begin soon to determine the next steps in selecting and funding affordable housing projects. Housing Advocacy Coalition Linda stated that the Housing Advocacy Coalition which has been active countywide in Hampshire County for the past few years continues seeking folks interested in getting involved. A mission statement was made available and interested parties were asked to contact Joanne Campbell at the Valley CDC. Habitat for Humanity Fran reported that PVHH would be setting up workdays for volunteers at the site on Westhampton Road. Partnership members who wish to volunteer will coordinate by e-mail. Discussion Fran began by providing some framework for the discussion and reported on the Partnership's role and engagement in the CDBG process. The overall goal this evening is to forge an understanding between the involved parties regarding the level of review and involvement. Both Richard and the Mayor provided some history on the creation of the housing partnership. The Mayor noted that the Partnership plays a prominent role in the way CDBG funds get allocated which is unlike other CDBG entitlement communities where the chief elected official generally makes the decisions. Richard stated that the issues, as he sees them, focus on the level of involvement with initiatives from the Mayor's office and the staff feeling micromanaged by the Partnership. Jack stated that he was generally happy with the process for reviewing and recommending CDBG housing proposals and noted that a housing partnership representative now serves on the public service ad hoc committee, which is valuable. The discussion indicated that CDBG housing proposals would still go to the Partnership for review and recommendation but that in some cases initiatives will come directly from the Mayor's Office. These proposals, which will most likely deal with the state hospital redevelopment, will also be forwarded to the Partnership for review. The discussion also touched upon the need for the Partnership to get involved in strategic planning activities related to CDBG and non-CDBG housing projects; to assist the City in determining overall housing priorities; and generally place the City in a position to take advantage of state funded initiatives and resources as they become available. Clare believes there will be state resources geared toward "smart growth" communities and wants Northampton to be in a position to capture these resources. Comprehensive Planning Document Wayne talked about the need for a citywide comprehensive master plan but noted that City resources for such an effort were not available and that staff capacity in the planning department to complete a comprehensive master plan was limited. The group also discussed the challenge of integrating a comprehensive zoning plan with the CDBG consolidated plan, which is scheduled to be updated in the fall. Wayne also discussed how the first point of contact generally takes place with developers and at what point it was most advantageous for the Partnership to advocate for affordable housing. Several members wondered if there should be a policy or statement issued by the Partnership requiring a certain percentage of CDBG funds to be earmarked for housing every year, basically a set aside for a housing drawdown fund annually. Clare noted that ultimately her office makes the decision of where CDBG resources get allocated and that there will always be a strong commitment to affordable housing. Staff noted that over the past several years all affordable housing projects that requested CDBG funds and that met CDBG funding priorities were granted resources. The City is well aware that affordable housing projects proposed for Northampton must have a CDBG commitment as a show of local support. Other Issues Pat Byrnes noted her interest in creating an overall housing action plan and wanted the Partnership to be involved with that effort rather than with the housing needs assessment required for the CDBG program. The housing action plan would look at a wide range of issues that effect affordable housing; everything from City zoning policies to public infrastructure issues to CDBG allocations. Fall Event Planning The planning for a fall event will be discussed at the next meeting. Membership Members in attendance agreed that either Councilor Rita Sleiman or Councilor Paul Spector would be a good candidate for membership on the Housing Partnership. Members also discussed the need for a "renter / tenant" representative and a representative from the Northampton Housing Authority Board of Commissioners. More vigorous membership recruitment will begin in the fall. The meeting was adjourned at approximately 8:50 p.m. Michael T. Owens Respectfully Submitted 07-12-04 NORTHAMPTON HOUSING PARTNERSHIP Minutes July 20, 2004 Members Present: Chair Fran Volkmann, Pat Byrnes, Yvonne Freccero, Linda Valenti, Joel Feldman, Jack Hornor, Richard Abuza, Peg Murray, Rita Sleiman. Also present, Rachel Rybaczuk, John Jackson, from CANN (Citizens for Affordable Northampton Neighborhoods), another interested citizen and Peg Keller, staff. Call to Order/ Chair Volkmann called the meeting to order at 7:07 p.m. Although there were interested citizens present, they said they wanted to observe and had no public comment to make at this time. Member Hornor made a motion to approve the minutes from the May meeting, seconded by Member Abuza. They were approved as submitted, the June minutes are still being prepared. Announcements 1.) Chair Volkmann reported that Member Valenti had been approved by the Council for membership and Rita Sleiman was welcomed as the Council representative. Members introduced themselves to Councilor Sleiman. 2.) Jack Hornor has submitted a press notice to the Gazette alerting the public to the fact that the Partnership is looking for new members. 3.) The Turkey Hill house lottery has been held and 2 families selected for residency. Chair Volkmann participated in the lottery process with Joann Campbell and Michelle Morris of Valley CDC. 4.) Green St. Working Group/ Chair Volkmann reported that the first phase of the work has been completed. Design principles to guide the construction of Smith College's new buildings and neighborhood integration have been formulated. Those principles will be forwarded to the President and the Mayor. 5.) Habitat for Humanity/Westhampton Rd./ A work session will be held on July 25th•Linda Valenti is construction supervisor who will be overseeingthe work that day. All members are encouraged to attend. (12-4) 6.) HOP Units/ Pat Byrnes reported that Mass. Non-Profit Housing Association has taken over responsibility for the HOP/LIP units from DHCD across the State. She said they are actively trying to market one of the affordable units at Pines Edge in order to not lose it from the inventory. 1 Sub-Committee Reports Implementation/ The group has put forward a draft policy regarding the term of affordability restrictions for CDBG involved projects. The wording is as follows: "The Housing Partnership supports the continued use of the 99 year deed restriction on affordable homes which are built with the help of City funds. This policy should apply equally to for-profit and non-profit developers." Committee members noted their understanding of the need for negotiation and flexibility but supported this stance as a base from which to begin discussion and a goal to strive for. Member Hornor made a motion to approve the adoption of the policy, seconded by Member Freccero. The vote was 8 in favor, O opposed with 1 abstention. Planning/ Member Byrnes reported on their meeting, which had an invited guest from the Mass. Smart Growth Alliance and a representative from the Boston Fair Housing Commission. Former Member Don Bianchi also attended. Ms. Byrnes felt the presentation and discussion shed some insight on intelligent smart growth planning. All members present felt the exchange was very worthwhile. Member Freccero reported that she has taken on the task of updating the Partnership brochure on the housing affordability gap. She is gathering rental rates and updated salary information. She will check with the Housing Authority to see if they have conducted an annual rental survey and the Grow Smart Northampton plan to access the data gathered by Peg Keller. Project Updates Earle Street SRO Chair Volkmann described the undertaking, which will include construction of a new building on Earle Street to house the residents currently residing in the Her, Inc. SRO on Green Street. This is related to the Smith College expansion activity. This project has been progressing for several years and is now ready for permitting. The project will go before the Zoning Board for a comprehensive permit application in August. The developer (Smith College) has asked for a letter of support for the project from the Partnership. A comp permit is required because currently the zone allows lodging homes, but the definition of lodging homes excludes units with kitchens. The new units will be enhanced, with kitchens and bathrooms in each. There is also a request for a reduction in the number of parking spaces required, and a request to waive a traffic study. Discussion followed with CANN representatives with regard to the two houses that will be demolished by Smith College in order to construct the new SRO. It was suggested that the net loss of those 3 units should be included 2 in the replacement total committed to by Smith. Chair Volkmann agreed to follow up on this issue. Discussion followed about each of the four houses currently on Earle Street. Member Feldman expressed reservation about supporting the project as he felt that would endorse Smith's expansion plans in the neighborhood. Ms. Byrnes encouraged members to be mindful of any house someone is living in that is not subsidized that may include a low income household who would have difficulty re-locating. Chair Volkmann asked if anyone who takes down a house is responsible for relocation. Member Abuza said the Partnership always had a preservation focus and concerns about demolition, condo conversions and the conversion of multi-family properties into single-family homes, are legitimate. Members clarified that support of this particular project, which is still close to downtown and will improve the quality of life of the SRO residents, should be addressed separately from the Smith expansion issue. As a result, Member Abuza made a motion " to support the construction of this structure as designed and hope that the Zoning Board of Appeals will approve the comprehensive permit application". Member Hornor seconded the motion, the vote in favor was unanimous. Paradise Pond Apartments Chair Volkmann reported that the HAP project behind Jessie's House was on track and moving ahead, but is now faced with a $300,000 funding gap. Smith College supported the concept of the project early on, but decided to focus primarily on the Green St. resident relocation. It was also anticipated that an award would be made from the Federal Home Loan Bank, which was not. The developers are now revisiting the funders already committed to the project to see if increases can be made. Chair Volkmann said there is an immediate need for a small amount of CDBG funding, less than $3,000 to address some infrastructure issues. Member Freccero made a motion to approve the recommendation to the Mayor that CDBG funds be allocated to this project to cover the immediate costs as described above. The motion was seconded by Member Valenti, the vote in favor was unanimous. CDBG Discussion Follow-Up Chair Volkmann summarized the meeting held with the Planning Director, Mayor and CDBG Administrator. She felt that Mr. Feiden and the Mayor were supportive of the Partnership increasing its public exposure. They encouraged members to attend public hearings, permit and CDBG related. Peg K. agreed to put together a list of all the housing plans being prepared in the near future. 3 Ms. Freccero noted that when she listened to the tape of the meeting she heard sentiment that the NHP should be more focused on larger community issues and be less detail oriented. Peg Murray (also after listening to the tape) relayed the comment that times have changed, but the NHP is still doing the same type of work. She suggested that the NHP might want to revisit its role. Members Feldman and Byrnes wondered what had changed. Ms. Byrnes said the Mayor implied that the amount of affordable housing (in existence and planned) is acceptable, but Ms. Byrnes argued for continued vigilance. With regard to housing plans, she suggested that although there is a lot of information, there is no real strategy; no real action plan. Member Feldman added that the Planning Sub-Committee could move this piece ahead. Members were reminded that in the Ordinance creating the Partnership, the charge is to consider all housing needs, not just the need for affordable stock. Ms. Byrnes said that there is a statewide land use reform effort occurring, and having the input of a housing professional to pull the new information into a local strategy would be beneficial. Chair Volkmann concluded the discussion by saying that the NHP should begin to look at the plans required and identify the groups' role in their development, help to identify the goals and strategy and determine how to achieve the goals. Ms. Rybaczuk added that the Green Street area is an existing neighborhood of affordable housing that will be lost. She asked for the Partnership's consideration of this situation. Trailer Parks Chair Volkmann has received a request from Wayne Feiden to see what the Partnership thinks about encouraging trailer parks as a form of affordable housing. This is in response to a request from an individual to create a 10 unit park. Currently they are not allowed by zoning. Joel said the parks are usually rent controlled by City Boards. They are purchased for low prices, then rent is paid to the owners of the park. He said the Attorney Generals office has promulgated tenant protections for seniors on fixed incomes and low income working class tenants. Ms. Byrnes wondered about the affordability after someone paid the land acquisition and infrastructure costs to build a new park. The conclusion was that the members would like additional information prior to forming an opinion, such as the mechanism for long-term affordability. They are open to the idea of manufactured homes as a construction method. Eguity Builder Program / Peg Murray said 5 households had received grants of $10,000 each for home purchases from this program. Adjourn/ The meeting concluded at 9:00 p.m. Submitted by Peg Keller 4 NORTHAMPTON HOUSING PARTNERSHIP Minutes August 17, 2004 Members Present: Chair Volkmann, Pat Byrnes, Peg Murray, Councilor Rita Sleiman, Linda Valenti, Yvonne Freccero, Martha Acklesberg, Richard Abuza, Nola Reinhardt. Also present, Peg Keller, staff. Call to Order/ Chair Volkmann called the meeting to order at 7:05 p.m. No one was present for the public comment period. The minutes from June and July were reviewed. A revision to the July set addressing Smith College's initial support of the concept of the Paradise Pond Apartments project was clarified. The minutes will be revised accordingly. The Chair also asked that the notes she created from the tape recording of the June meeting be attached to the June minutes. Announcements Membership/ 3 responses were received from the request in the newspaper. The Chair has met with 2 candidates and plans to meet with the third. She invited others to meet with the candidates if they so chose. It was noticed that Members Byrnes and Acklesberg might need to be reappointed. Member Reinhardt noted that she would not asked to be reappointed when her term expires. Green Street/ Chair Volkmann gave some background on the Working Group for new members. She updated members on current discussion about releasing a report on work accomplished prior to work completion. It has been decided that Mayor Higgins and President Christ will issue a joint press release. Chair Volkmann is permitted to describe generally what the work has entailed, but it is the desire of the Working Group not to have documents released that are still under consideration. She highlighted some of the Smart Growth principles relative to neighborhood integration that were being discussed. The Earle Street properties associated with the new SRO were discussed. Affordable Housing Trust Fund/ Members were asked to consider membership on that Board as new members are needed. Member Byrnes said she might be interested. Mayor's Initiative on Planning/ Chair Volkmann reported that the Mayor had assembled a gathering to discuss Smart Growth and new State initiatives. She said various groups are coming together to develop components of a Master Plan 1 and the Mayor is setting up a Steering Committee to guide the process and determine how to solicit input. She will keep the Partnership appraised of that process as it develops. Housing Plans Peg K. circulated a description of the various housing plans that the Partnership had requested. It differentiates what they all are and who is responsible for their formulation. Members were asked to review the piece and bring questions to the next meeting. Policy Discussion/ Public Participation at Partnership Meetings As a result of actions at a prior meeting, Chair Volkmann suggested that a protocol might be needed for entertaining public comment during meetings. She suggested a public session at the beginning (similar to City Council) then, it becomes the Housing Partnership's meeting. Public comment beyond that initial time would be solicited only if Partnership members needed additional information. A motion could then be made to permit a nonmember to speak, subject to a vote of the membership. Discussion followed. Members agreed that some control may be necessary, but it is also important to hear about community issues. It was agreed that the Chair would announce at the beginning of the meeting that public comment was encouraged during the public comment period, but for them to know they may or may not be recognized later in the meeting. The offer would then be made that they could request to be put on the agenda at a future meeting. A vote followed this proposal, 8 members in favor and one opposed. Sub-Committee Updates Implementation: Peg Murray reported that they had discussed the Smith College expansion issue at their meeting. They did not make any decisions about follow up activity because they wanted to talk to Member Feldman, who was not in attendance. Chair Volkmann described the selection of members to the Mayor's Working Group that did include representation from the Partnership. The Chair said she was unclear about intentions of the Implementation Committee to somehow get involved. It was agreed that policy discussions about neighborhood revitalization and affordability were appropriate for the Implementation Committee to pursue, but there was an objection to members contacting Green Street neighbors outside of the purview of the Working Group. Planning: Member Freccero reported her progress on updating the affordability gap brochure. Plans for a fall event will be on hold as the Mayor's Initiative takes shape. 2 Misc.: Trailer parks / The Planning Director had asked for feedback from the Partnership relative to this being an acceptable form of affordable housing and if our zoning should be adjusted to allow them. Members felt that they could be supportive if there was a long term affordability restriction associated with the units/park, but felt more information was needed prior to a full endorsement. Adjourn: The meeting concluded at 9:25 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Peg Keller 3 NORTHAMPTON HOUSING PARTNERSHIP Minutes October 19, 2004 Members Present: Fran Volkmann, Chair; Nola Reinhardt, Peg Murray, Yvonne Freccero, Rita Sleiman, Linda Valenti, Richard Abuza, Pat Byrnes. Also present were Betsy Siersma, new member pending appointment and Connie Fender, a housing developer. Call to Order: Chair Volkmann called the meeting to order at 7:07 p.m. Members introduced themselves to Ms. Siersma. Councilor Sleiman asked about Partnership openings. She sits on the Evaluation Sub-Committee of the Council. Members responded that a tenant and elder representative are needed. Additional discussion on membership followed later in the meeting. Announcements Chair Volkmann noted the following: •The Zoning Board approved the Comprehensive Permit request for the Earle St. SRO development.•The Planning Board approved the Special Permit request for Paradise Pond.•Valley CDC has received the final funding piece from the Affordable Housing Trust Fund for the Go West project. Another grant application to the Beveridge Foundation is pending. Member Byrnes reminded members that the Annual Fundraiser for Valley CDC will be scheduled soon. The location will be the Florence Savings Bank and will include a walk to the Go West building so members can observe the building in it's "before" condition. No update has been received on the Green Street Working Group. Discussion followed regarding some email communication relative to Smith College's plans to develop the Fort Hill area. Some members relayed that it was their understanding that Smith has decided it is not economically feasible to move forward at this time. Approval of Minutes: Ms. Valenti made a motion to approve the minutes from the August meeting. Ms. Freccero seconded the motion. Chair Volkmann asked for a revision relative to the wording on the bottom of page 2. It said the chair objected to subcommittee members talking to Green St. residents, when she felt it was the sense of the membership, not just the chair. The wording will be revised accordingly. The minutes were approved as revised. Guest/ Connie Fender Ms. Fender was introduced by Ms. Valenti. She had prefaced Ms. Fenders arrival by saying that she (Ms. Fender) had attempted to develop a parcel in Williamsburg. The permit was granted then appealed by neighbors. The appeal lasted for close to one year and the process was contentious. Ms. Fender eventually gave up and sold the property to a larger developer who had the resources to do other projects while the appeal was fought. Ms. Valenti had asked Ms. Fender to come and share her experience with trying to develop housing in Northampton, also unsuccessful to provide insight for Partnership members as to the complexity. Ms. Fender explained how she had learned about a parcel that could be developed in Northampton and read the letter from the Mayor attached to the Special Permit application that encouraged the inclusion of affordable housing. She took that message to heart and attempted to develop such a plan. She also thought in-fill was a City goal that she could meet with the location of this parcel. She described conversations with the Planning Department, Massachusetts Housing Partnership and Valley CDC. In order to accomplish the density she said she needed for project viability, a comprehensive permit was required. Chapter 40B through which comp permits are processed, require the developer to form limited partnerships and cap their profits. Discussion followed about all these aspects. It was the desire of the Partnership to have a conversation with Mr. Feiden about the particulars of this process. He will be invited to the next meeting. Ms. Fender was thanked for sharing her experience and members expressed dismay that it was so complicated she felt she could not move ahead. Chair Volkmann suggested this as a possible case study at an upcoming regional session for housing partnerships, being sponsored by MHP. Planning Sub-Committee/ Affordability Brochure/ Ms. Freccero reviewed the updated information regarding sales and rental prices and incomes. The sub­ committee will continue to update the remaining pages and discuss the possible creation of an accompanying video. Adjourn/ The meeting concluded at 9:00 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Peg Keller NORTHAMPTON HOUSING PARTNERSHIP Minutes December 21, 2004 Members Present: Chair Volkmann, Pat Byrnes, Richard Abuza, Linda Valenti, Martha Ackelsberg, Rita Sleiman, Alan Ells, Nola Reinhardt, Jack Hornor, Betsy Siersma, Peg Murray. Also present, Wayne Feiden, Peg Keller and Mayor Higgins. Michael Kirby came in during the meeting and left after the Senior Center item. Call to Order/ The first portion of the evening was a social gathering to acknowledge the contribution of members that recently have left or are leaving the Partnership and welcome new members. Chair Volkmann recognized the services of departing members Nola Reinhardt and Jack Hornor (present) and Joel Feldman and Don Bianchi (in absentia) and welcomed Linda Valenti (belatedly), Betsy Siersma and Alan Ells. Chair Volkmann noted their many accomplishments and contributions of those leaving. The Mayor added her gratitude and appreciation, emphasizing the important role the Partnership has now played for almost 15 years. Announcements/Updates MHP Regional Forum The session is scheduled for January 18, 2005 and will take the place of the regular meeting. Case studies will be presented and the group will be broken into discussion groups. The case studies are based on scenarios that the Partnership has itself addressed. Partnerships from Amherst, Easthampton and other housing advocates will be invited. CDBG Allocation for State Hospital Peg Keller had solicited recommendations from the Partnership for increasing the current ($75,000) allocation to The Community Builders for Phase One residential construction during the beginning of December. Rehab cost estimates had come in higher than expected. In order to garner additional State funds, the local match needed to increase as well. The request came in outside of a regular meeting cycle and had a response deadline. Partnership members were contacted and (unanimous) agreement had been expressed via email. Member Ells suggested that such discussions should be held in open public meetings. He suggested that if that were not possible, that decisions should then be ratified at the next public meeting. Therefore, Member Ells made a motion to formally recommend to the Mayor that an 1 additional $50,000 of CDBG dollars be granted to The Community Builders to address a funding gap and local match requirement for Phase One residential development at Hospital Hill. The motion was seconded by Member Abuza, the vote in favor was unanimous. Senior Center Chair Volkmann had been asked by some members of the community if the Housing Partnership wanted to "weigh in" on the site being pursued by the Selection Committee for construction of a senior center. She asked members how they wished to proceed, considering the project will require a significant portion of current and future CDBG funds. Member Hornor said that yes, the NHP should have input and we should research if other communities use CDBG dollars for senior centers. Member Byrnes agreed that the NHP should be involved if the availability of housing dollars will be negatively impacted. Planning Director Feiden offered that the City is opening bids currently to select a firm to analyze the site. He said those decisions will be made by the Building Committee. Member Sleiman agreed to research what happens in other communities. Peg Keller noted that the construction of senior centers is an eligible activity and CDBG funds are frequently used in many communities for that purpose. This is in part due to the blanket income eligibility of elders as a group entitled to benefit from CDBG funding. Chair Volkmann wondered if the location of the center could impact the amount of CDBG dollars expended. Member Ells said it would be important to see the % of the total expenditure planned as compared to the dollars traditionally allocated for housing activities. Mr. Kirby addressed the members. He noted that on the "downstreet.net" website, there was an article about this being a poor site for the center. He then went on to note that he had written a series of articles on the Housing Authority, particularly the elderly housing complexes and the unsatisfactory quality of life for elders there. He stressed a lack of ability on the part of the NHA to address the drugs, crime and disturbances that wreak havoc at the developments. Members felt that this could be a future agenda item, but would not be pursued at this meeting. Elections Chair Volkmann had agreed to serve as chair for one year. She asked for nominations for a new chair. Member Valenti nominated Member Acklesberg. The nomination was seconded by Member Siersma. Member Sleiman made a motion to close the nominations, seconded by Member Abuza. The vote was unanimous to close the nominations. Member Ackelsberg was elected as the new chair by acclamation. She agreed to accept the position on the condition that the night of the meeting be changed, as she has a standing conflict for the 3rd Tuesdays. Members agreed to accommodate that change. 2 Member Ackelsberg nominated Member Valenti as Vice-Chair. The nomination was seconded by Member Murray. Ms. Valenti was elected by acclamation. Member Siersma was nominated to chair the Planning Committee by Chair Volkmann (who will continue to serve as Partnership Chair until the end of the meeting), seconded by Member Valenti. Member Siersma was elected unanimously. Member Murray nominated Member Abuza to chair the Implementation Committee, seconded by Member Hornor. Member Abuza was elected unanimously. Member Ells was elected to serve as the Partnership's representative on the Affordable Housing Trust and Member Hornor was elected to continue to serve on the State Hospital's Citizens Advisory Committee, although he will no longer be formally on the Partnership. He agreed to attend CAC meetings and send reports and attend Partnership meetings when necessary. Out-going Chair Volkmann agreed to write the Mayor to confirm that this would be acceptable. Members Abuza and Volkmann agreed to serve on the Mayor's Planning Committee and Member Volkmann agreed to continue to serve on the Green St Working Group, at least for the near future. Sub-Committee Reports Planning Member Ackelsberg reported that the Mayor and Wayne Feiden had reviewed the final draft of the brochure. The Mayor noted that UMass is the largest employer of Northampton residents, so it might be relevant to have salary rates from there. She also noted that Meadowbrook was not final yet. Average condo sales prices, brochure distribution options and fundraising were discussed. Chair Volkmann asked for a motion to endorse the brochure and its contents. Member Ells made the motion, Member Hornor seconded it and the endorsement was unanimous. Local Needs Assessment This ad hoc committee composed of Peg Murray, Betsy Siersma and Pat Byrnes created a Local Housing Needs Assessment document. This was distributed and will be discussed in February. They were thanked for their efforts, as it is an impressive document. Condo Conversions Members reviewed a list of recent conversions. There is some sentiment in the community that the trend will end soon. Member Ells noted that when people purchase properties at top dollar they have to convert to condos because rents do not cover the debt service. Member Abuza said he is seeing a vacancy rate 3 like he has never seen. He noted that ownership costs such as trash removal, insurance, etc. are so high landlords are unable to keep rents low. Chair Volkmann wondered about who was actually being displaced, relative to income levels and what that displacement actually looks like. Member Abuza said that the street list might identify who the people are. Mr. Feiden thought it important to continue to gather data. Member Ells said, after looking at the list, that only 2 units had affordable purchase prices ($55,000) that would indicate that the working middle class is being driven out. Mr. Feiden said that when rent control was prohibited, condo conversion prohibitions were eliminated also. Member Abuza said that any effort to reverse that decision would be strongly opposed statewide. Mr. Feiden said that strengthens the argument in favor of inclusionary zoning, to gain new affordable units to offset the conversions. Other suggestions included targeting CDBG funding to create new units downtown. More discussion will follow. Adjourn/ The meeting concluded at 9:15 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Peg Keller 4