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HousingPartnershipMinutes2005NORTHAMPTON HOUSING PARTNERSHIP Minutes March 9, 2005 Members Present: Martha Ackelsberg, Chair; Alan Ells, Richard Abuza, Peg Murray, Yvonne Freccero, Linda Valenti, Betsy Siersma, Fran Volkmann. Seth Dietrich is serving as Housing Authority Liaison. Also in attendance, Joann Campbell, Valley Community Development Corporation, M.J. Adams, Pioneer Valley Habitat for Humanity and Peg Keller, staff. Call to Order/ Chair Ackelsberg called the meeting to order at 7: 10 p.m. Seth Dietrich was welcomed and members introduced themselves. Letters of Support/ Chair Ackelsberg introduced Ms. Campbell and asked her to describe the new funding source for which she and Ms. Adams were requesting application support letters. Ms. Campbell stated that some new monies available as a result of the Bank of America/Fleet merger were being made available to non-profit organizations producing affordable housing for capacity building. 9 million dollars will be dispersed over a three year period. 25-28 awards are expected to be made statewide. She described her proposal. Valley CDC is looking for funds to do strategic planning. She said that after 6 years, they are now free of past debt. Past activities have included completing the Millbank project, undertaking Go West, administering the Small Business Program, the First Time Homebuyer Program, working with the arts community and low and moderate income businesses in Easthampton, marketing other affordable housing units, i.e. Ice Pond, Turkey Hill and units in Amherst, as well as Meadowbrook advocacy, tenant certification and construction supervision. Joann received a standing ovation for her role in rescuing Valley from the brink of extinction, back to a viable contributing organization. She also thanked the Housing Partnership and City for its support and the many other people involved. Members decided to hear all three requests for support letters, HAP being the 3rd, before taking a vote on each. Ms. Adams began by adding her support for Valley CDC and the work it has done over the past several years. Habitat is also growing as an organization and their specific funding request is for construction supervision capacity to oversee their many housing projects. Six units are underway at Route 66, 6 are slated for Verona/Garfield and they are beginning projects in Turners Falls and Amherst. They have developed partnerships with Smith Vocational School, (the student building program is doing one of the duplexes on Rte. 66 and one at Verona), the House of Corrections, the Lions Club ( who will be sponsoring a house for a family with a handicapped member) and several churches ( one is sponsoring a house at Verona/Garfield). She hopes to get higher education institutions and area realtors more involved. She said that their chapter has been identified as a "National Affiliate" in acknowledgement of the capacity building efforts. 1 Partnership members congratulated Ms. Adams on the success of her organization as well, complimenting her on her communication and networking skills. Members and staff expressed appreciation for having such wonderful executive directors leading such exemplary organizations. Both agencies are ideal partners in furthering affordable housing work in the City and region. The third request came from the other regional partner, HAP. Their request was for staff capacity to continue development work in the area. HAP administers Section 8 vouchers in Northampton, has undertaken 96 Pleasant Street, helped with Millbank, conducts First Time Homebuyer Workshops, and provides many other services of benefit to area residents. Because of the contribution of all 3 agencies to the work that is important to the Housing Partnership, it was agreed that all efforts should be supported. The vote to support Valley's application was unanimous with 2 abstentions, the support for Habitats application was unanimous with 1 abstention, and support for HAP's application was unanimous with 3 abstentions. Peg K. will draft the letters for circulation. Ms. Adams and Ms. Campbell thanked the members and departed. Sub-Committee Reports Planning: Chair Siersma said they have not met, but there was an update on the brochure. Member Freccero said that production and mailing costs were being discussed. Distribution options were noted, if mailing to every household does not turn out to be feasible. Suggestions were; a presentation to City Council, local television coverage, placing an insert in the Gazette and distribution to various locations in the community, i.e. the Housing Authority, libraries, etc. and mailings to developers. Chair Siersma offered to take the brochures around to distribution points. Chair Ackelsberg offered to speak to Jim Foudy at the Gazette and she thanked Ms. Freccero for all her work on this! Implementation : Chair Abuza said they have not met, but would like to continue the discussion about the current condominium conversion activity. Members agreed that they would like more information on what actions may be possible. Follow-Up Activities •Local Needs Assessment will be addressed at the next meeting.•Congressional action is being followed relative to the proposed cuts to the CDBG program. Federal legislators are being contacted.•Membership-4 slots are available; need people representing tenants, low and moderate income households and businesses Adjourn/ The meeting concluded at 8:45 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Peg Keller 2 NORTHAMPTON HOUSING PARTNERSHIP Minutes April 13, 2005 Members Present: Martha Ackelsberg, Chair, Peg Murray, Yvonne Freccero, Betsy Siersma, Richard Abuza, Alan Ells, Rita Sleiman, Linda Valenti and Seth Dietrich. Also present Mari Gottdeiner, new member and Peg Keller, staff. Call to Order/ Chair Ackelsberg called the meeting to order at 6:35 p.m. Members introduced themselves to Ms. Gottdeiner and welcomed her. Local Needs Assessment Chair Ackelsberg began the discussion by saying that last fall members identified the value of having a housing assessment to articulate needs and develop a strategy to meet the needs. Members Byrnes, Siersma and Murray then got together to draft a document to address what information the Partnership would be looking to gather to create that assessment. Member Murray then walked members through the document they assembled. Peg Keller noted that the Planning Department is charged with submitting a Planned Unit Production Plan to DHCD, an EO 418 Certification to DHCD, a Consolidated Plan to HUD, a CDBG Annual Action Plan to HUD and there is talk of the Mayor embarking on a City Comprehensive Planning process. She noted that there is an intern available during the summer for some data collection. Chair Ackelsberg said that once all those reports are assembled, the Partnership could see what the gaps in housing are, and plan accordingly. Member Freccero said that the loss of rental inventory is the greatest problem that she sees; the loss of market rate affordable units. She said it would be helpful to know what exists now, how many have been lost, what the new units cost and what the needs are of the people being displaced. It was agreed that it would be helpful for the intern to gather data on that piece, as it relates to the changing state of low cost affordable housing in Northampton. Because all these reports are due soon, a more pro-active strategy could be employed over the long term. The ideal would have been to do the local needs assessment last fall, then that data would have informed the reports due now. But after the report requirements are met this spring, members will review the information and figure out how to proceed from that point forward. 1 Sub-Committee Reports Implementation Committee Chair Abuza recapped that the group had done some research and turned it over to Member Ells to summarize their findings. Mr. Ells reviewed the legislation that terminated rent control and prohibited condo conversions. The City of Boston then introduced new controls that did not pass, then a subsequent set that provided some protections to existing tenants but did not prevent the conversions. In summary, it does not look like there is a legal way to protect the housing, only the existing tenants. Members discussed the fact that a grass roots effort was underway to get the Community Preservation Act passed, which would be controversial. It was agreed that the Committee would let the Mayor know condo conversion research was being undertaken. A suggestion was made that owners converting units could be required to make a payment into the Trust Fund. Additional research will be conducted to determine the universe of the remaining units that could face conversion. At that point, a decision would need to be made relative to taking on what could be a hugely divisive public debate. Planning Committee Chair Siersma said that the brochure production funding was being pursued, at which point several members wrote personal checks to cover the remainder needed ($550.00) I It will be distributed through the Gazette to all Northampton subscribers and presented to City Council, in addition it will be taken to all City meetings. This is in lieu of mailing to every household, which was too expensive. Member Abuza mentioned that there are several email list servers in the community where it could be circulated as well. The Farmers Market was suggested. In summary, now with all funding secured, it will be printed, taken to the Gazette and distribution will begin I Thanks to all involved for bringing this project to fruition I CDBG Update Peg reviewed the draft Action Plan with the expenditures for housing, public services and economic development and infrastructure. Possible housing drawdown activities are renovation of School Street, a Valley CDC property in need of repair; kitchen renovations at Jessie's House; installation of security measures at the Alliance for Sober Living, and a Grove St. Inn rehab feasibility study. 2 Meadowbrook Update Mr. Dietrich reviewed a memo from Jon Hite, Housing Authority Director, which outlined the rental assistance situation at Meadowbrook and the plans for additional rehabilitation. Members emphasized the importance of having the complex under new ownership, and acknowledged the efforts of the Mayor and the Housing Authority staff and Commissioners to bring about this truly momentous report update! Seth was thanked for bringing the update and members agreed that congratulatory letters should be sent to the Mayor and Mr. Hite. Adjourn/ The meeting concluded at 8:30 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Peg Keller 3 NORTHAMPTON HOUSING PARTNERSHIP Minutes May 11, 2005 Members Present: Martha Ackelsberg, Chair, Mari Gottdiener, Fran Volkmann, Rita Sleiman, Betsy Siersma, Yvonne Freccero, Pat Byrnes, Richard Abuza. Also present, interested citizen Francis Mandeville and Peg Keller, staff. Call to Order/ Chair Ackelsberg called the meeting to order at 6:35 p.m. Member Freccero made a motion to approve the minutes of the last meeting, seconded by Member Siersma. They were approved as submitted. Sub-Committee Reports Planning Brochure Chair Siersma reported that the affordability gap brochure is available for distribution. It will be going out in the Gazette newspaper. Itwas also suggested that it be put on the City's website and presented to City Council. Member Volkmann agreed to go to the Council meeting. Copies will go to Valley CDC, the Planning Department, the Broadbrook Coalition and the Chamber. Chair Ackelsberg will call Dan Crowley at the Gazette for additional coverage. Member Gottdiener suggested coverage on local cable television. Member Volkmann mentioned the show "The State We are In" and agreed to follow-up. All members gave a round of applause to Member Freccero for bringing the brochure to fruitionl Planning Studies Member Valenti has given the CDBG housing unit tracking sheets she devised to Peg. Peg will give them to the intern doing work assembling housing data. Work will continue through the summer. SRO Preservation Peg reported on the short term strategy devised to assist Mrs. Shaw. Peg said she (Peg) had called Mr. Mcloughlin, the owner of 129 Pleasant Street, "Northampton Lodging", who said he is not interested in selling at this time. Member Freccero suggested getting a list of buildings from Teri Anderson to think about new spaces for SRO units. It is alarming to think that if Mrs. Shaw's (22) and Augie's (21) and Northampton Lodging (58) units were to disappear from the SRO inventory, this would be a loss of almost half the remaining units in the community. 1 Richard's Idea Member Abuza's idea raised several years ago was discussed, as it still remains valid. Many older people in Northampton own properties with 1-4 rental units. The theory is that if the properties could be purchased, the sellers could be given lifetime tenancies, and affordability deed restrictions could be applied to the units. This way, the owners, who may be house rich and cash poor, would have additional income from the sale, not actually have to move (until death) and the units could become affordable in perpetuity. This would secure inventory for the community into the future. There are possibilities for tax deductions, which Members Abuza and Freccero have researched in the past. The problem has been finding an entity to hold the mortgages and keep up the properties. Member Abuza agreed to write up a summary for disbursement to Valley CDC for their perusal as they move into their strategic planning activities. The Planning Committee will continue to pursue this concept as one of their next tasks. Chair Siersma offered her time to do more research. Implemenation Chair Abuza reported that the sub-committee had not met. The memo had gone to the Mayor alerting her to the issues around condominium conversions being observed by the Partnership and they were waiting to get some guidance from her as to how to proceed. Updates/ Community Preservation Act/ Member Siersma reported that she had attended a planning meeting for those supporting the CPA. She noted that Wayne Feiden made a presentation on the Act to the City Council at their last meeting. Member Siersma said the question is, does the Partnership want to endorsement the adoption of the Act. Members discussed their views and the perceived views of the Mayor. Member Volkmann said that a fuller discussion could happen next month. Member Abuza asked that someone draft a resolution to be considered at the next meeting. The Planning Committee agreed to do that. Mass. Housing Partnership Capacity Grants/ Peg reported that the Valley CDC had been successful in securing their request; which was $100,000 with contracts dated 5/1/05; $30,000 for the first year, $40,000 for the 2nd and $30,000 for t he third. HAP was also successful, securing $20,000 for one year, for general affordable housing development work (no specific project). Habitat for Humanity did not receive an award. 2 West Street Planning Charette/ Fliers were distributed. It was noted that the Smith College new building plans are on their web-site. Members were encouraged to attend. 36 Bedford Terrace/ Chair Ackelsberg asked Member Volkmann to update the Partnership about the RFP process. (Member Volkmann is a member of the 3 member proposal review committee for the fund that Smith established to create replacement housing; other members are Bill Brandt from Smith, and Bob Reckman, from Construct Associates/local builders). Although Ms. Volkmann said she could not speak to any of the specific proposals, she did say that Smith representatives stated that the value of the land and buildings were to be applied to the 3 million dollar fund amount, leaving the remainder for actual development costs. The appraised value has been stated to be 1.6 million dollars. It was agreed that this point would be pursued and clarified by Chair Ackelsberg. She agreed to speak with the Mayor to better understand the parameters of the proposal. Adjourn/ There being no additional business to discuss, the meeting concluded at 8:20 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Peg Keller 3 NORTHAMPTON HOUSING PARTNERSHIP Minutes June 8, 2005 (Revised) Members Present: Martha Ackelsberg, Chair, Richard Abuza, Fran Volkmann, Yvonne Freccero, Betsy Siersma, Alan Ells, Pat Byrnes, Mari Gottdeiner, Peg Murray. Also present were Jon Black and Ken Mitchell, members of CANN. Call to Order/ Chair Ackelsberg called the meeting to order 6:35 p.m. Although there were people from the public in attendance, they said they did not wish to speak. Committee Reports Implementation: Chair Abuza said that 2 members of the sub-committee had met with the Mayor about her thoughts on the issue of condominium conversions, but they had not yet updated the third member. After they are able to do that, they will report to the full Partnership with regard to future steps. Planning: Chair Siersma noted that the brochures are out; having been distributed in the Gazette and from various other locations. Member Volkmann presented the brochure at a City Council meeting and it is a link on the CPA website. It will be on the City's website as well. Member Gottdiener is moving ahead on the creation of a video to be aired on the local cable tv channel. She distributed a draft script. It will be informational as opposed to advocating for anything specific. It will include testimonials from local people relative to affordability issues. Members suggested projects and people to include. It is tentatively scheduled to be ready in the fall. It was suggested that Member Gottdiener circulate a draft of the script to the Mayor so she is aware of the project. Chair Ackelsberg contacted the Gazette about an article, but nothing has appeared yet. She said they could now include information about the video. Member Byrnes volunteered to join the Implementation Committee. Member Gottdiener will attend the Planning Committee meetings. Long Term Planning/ Members agreed to invite the Planning Director to the next meeting to ascertain what housing elements will be included in the Sustainable Northampton effort. This will help members identify how to proceed, relative to the Local Needs Assessment work scope developed by Partnership members. I West Street Charrette Update Members in attendance offered their impressions of the session. Members then asked about possible input they could make into the Planning Board process. Peg K.explained that the site plan review process for the new science and engineering building had a finite area of purview, relative to specific sitecharacteristics. Members agreedthat if the Planning Board were to get into adiscretionary waiver discussion, they (the Partnership) could ask the Planning Board to require that the replacement housing plan be solidified first; prior togranting any waivers. Member Volkmann said there had been a meeting about the Bedford Terrace property and discussions about use of that property werecontinuing. Chair Ackelsberg said she understood that a meeting between the Mayor and President Christ included discussion about how the building and land appraisal were to be defined relative to the fund set aside for replacement housing. She said the Mayor stressed the question, "would the 3 million dollars be adequate", as opposed to what could be applied to the fund. The Mayor also focused on the size of the units at the Bedford Terrace property and wondered if they were adequate. Member Volkmann noted that the language in the Trustees agreement said the replacement housing units would be guided by DHCD standards. delete : relative to square footage and affordability guidelines. Member Freccero made the following motion: "Smith College Board of Trustees voted to replace the housing being removed from the West Street neighborhood and in a resolution, guidelines were articulated. The Northampton Housing Partnership requests that before any discretionary waivers are granted (by the Planning Board during the site plan review process) that plans be made indicating that at least 26 units of replacement housing, as promised, be created that are comparable in size, quality and location (to those being lost)". Member Ells seconded the motion. The vote in favor of the motion was unanimous. Chair Ackelsberg said she would draft the statement and Member Siersma agreed to present it at the Planning Board meeting. Member Murray asked if there was any recourse to the way the charrette was implemented, considering so many were disappointed by it. Member Byrnes suggested an evaluation form be sent out. She then made the following motion " To request the Planning Department to send an evaluation survey to those who participated in the charrette, and to share the results with interested parties." Member Siersma seconded the motion. The vote in favor was unanimous, with one abstention. 2 Housing Trust Fund Membership Member Ells announced his plan to resign from the Partnership and the Trust, as he is moving out of town. This leaves 2 vacancies on the Trust. Members expressed their dismay about his having to leave Northampton. Peg Murray explained the duties of the Trustees. Martha Ackelsberg and Betsy Siersma both agreed to become members. Seth Dietrich offered to see if there were tenants of Housing Authority properties that might be interested in joining as well. Member Ells noted his desire to stay involved, despite his living out of town. Community Preservation Act Member Volkmann made a motion that the Partnership go on record as supporting the adoption of the Act in Northampton. She described it as a "no brainer" because the funds are matched (you get twice what you put in), there are exemptions for those households earning low delete: and moderateincome amounts, there is an exemption for seniors earning low and moderate income amounts and the Act is tilted towards people with more resources. She continued by saying that the open space is disappearing and the affordable housing stock is lessening; action is needed now. She feels the Partnership is a natural ( entity) not only for official support but for working for its passage. Member Gottdiener seconded the motion. Discussion followed. Member Abuza made a friendly amendment to reformat the motion: "Out of concern for preservation and promotion of affordable housing in the community, the Northampton Housing Partnership supports the local adoption of the Community Preservation Act." Member Byrnes seconded the motion; the vote passed unanimously. Other Updates Member Byrnes thanked everyone who participated in the fundraising event for the Valley CDC held over the weekend. She also noted that a CHAPA led initiative is elevating the discussion of the State's sustainability package evaluation measures and the disconnect for application and relevance to Western Massachusetts and the Cape. •Remember the all-boards meeting scheduled for June 20,2005/ Mayor will present her outline for the comprehensive "Sustainable Northampton"planning effort. Adjourn/ The meeting concluded at 8:30 p.m. 3 NORTHAMPTON HOUSING PARTNERSHIP Minutes July 13, 2005 Members Present: Martha Ackelsberg, Chair, Seth Dietrich, Rita Sleiman, Yvonne Freccero, Fran Volkmann, Peg Murray, Richard Abuza. Also present, Peg Keller, staff. Call to Order: Chair Ackelsberg called the meeting to order at 6:40 p.m. No one was present for the public comment period. Smith College Expansion Update: Members reported that Ms. Siersma did read the statement from the Partnership agreed upon last month, at the Site Plan Review meeting held by the Planning Board. The Board took public comments relative to Smith College's plans to construct the Science and Engineering Complex and continued the hearing for additional comment and deliberation. After some discussion, it was agreed that members of the Implementation Committee would meet with Planning Director Feiden to understand more about the site plan review process and to ascertain what leverage the Partnership may have to protect the City's affordable housing interests. It was also agreed that Chair Ackelsberg would send a letter to Smith College President Christ asking for an update on the Bedford Terrace Request for Proposals. She would also ask for a specific and concrete description of Smith's plans for the replacement housing (should it be that the Bedford Terrace property is not able to accommodate the 26 units being displaced). Chair Ackelsberg will also check in with the Planning Board (Chair, Keith Wilson) to see what their plans are for acknowledging/incorporating the Partnership's concerns. Response to Letter to the Editor: Gordon Murphy wrote a letter to the editor questioning the high costs associated with creating affordable housing. He specifically mentioned the Go West and Paradise Pond projects. Members agreed that a response was merited. Chair Ackelsberg offered to draft one and will circulate it to members for editing. Sub-Committee Reports: Implementation Chair Abuza began his report by saying that he is sorely distressed about the departure of Alan Ells, a valued member of the Partnership and Sub-Committee. Mr. Ells has moved out of town, and therefore according to current policies, can no longer serve as a Partnership member. Chair Abuza said 1 he wanted to revisit the residency issue with the Mayor. Councilor Sleiman said she could bring it up at the Appointments Committee. She agreed to place it on her agenda and solicit input on the issue. Condominium Conversions: Chair Abuza posed the possibility that extending the notice period for tenants may not be a battle worth pursuing; and that the Committee would continue to think about other ways to impact the preservation of affordable housing. Data is still being pursued relative to the universe of units that may be impacted. Planning: Member Gottdeiner is continuing to work on the video. Names were given to her for contacts in the Fire Department. There was some question about a video being aired on Cable lV; perhaps it was one on Habitat for Humanity. Chair Ackelsberg will contact the Mayor about appearing in the video. It was noted that Joann Campbell of Valley CDC was leaving on vacation soon, so her inclusion in the video should happen this week. Adjourn/ The meeting concluded at 8:35 p.m. Peg K. will make arrangements for members of the Implementation Committee to meet with Wayne Feiden and pursue getting data on owners who own properties containing 2-4 units. Respectfully submitted, Peg Keller 2 NORTHAMPTON HOUSING PARTNERSHIP Minutes August 10, 2005 Members Present: Martha Ackelsberg, Chair, Alan Ells, Richard Abuza, Rita Sleiman, Fran Volkmann, Yvonne Freccero, Linda Valenti, Betsy Siersma, Mari Gottdiener, Peg Murray. Also present, Kathy Silva, interested citizen, Peg Keller, staff. Call to Order/ Chair Ackelsberg called the meeting to order at 6:40 p.m. Member Murray suggested the minutes of the previous meeting be revised. The minutes were approved with the revision. Housing Discrimination Project/ Scope of Services Peg Keller reviewed the Partnership's role as the Fair Housing Committee. She summarized past activities undertaken by HDP, as a CDBG sub-recipient for the City. Members were asked if they had ideas for this year's $2,000 contract. Member Valenti suggested tenants rights under condo conversions; Member Abuza said it was important to work with landlords as well. Member Murray suggested HDP staff come to the Partnership to offer information on fair housing laws and predatory lending. It was agreed that in addition to processing complaints of discrimination by Northampton households, HDP would be asked to pursue tenant and landlord education around condo conversions and also assist with the formulation of the City's Fair Housing Impediments Analysis, a document required by HUD. Member Murray noted that the Housing Partnership's research and conclusions with regard to the status of condo conversions and actions to take, should be kept in one location to assure forward progress. Sub-Committee Reports Implementation Chair Abuza reported on a meeting with Planning Director Feiden regarding the Smith College Science and Engineering building plans. He said that members learned the City was working on a development agreement between Smith and the City that would address a variety of issues. Mr. Feiden assured them that the Partnership's concerns are part of the discussion. Plan review leverage points (within the context of the Dover Amendment) appear to be the parking, the building height and street closings. CANN has appealed the Building Commissioner's decision regarding building height, to the Zoning Board. 1 President Carol Christ's letter in response to the one sent by Chair Ackelsberg was circulated. The misunderstanding around the use of the housing replacement fund was discussed. It was agreed that the Chair would send a response reiterating that the Partnership's recollection of how the fund was to be used is different from Smith's, but that the overriding goal is to insure that quality replacement housing is created. She will also ask the Mayor about possible Partnership input into the development agreement. The response from the Planning Board to the Partnership's submission was also circulated. Residency Policy/ To follow up on an earlier inquiry by the Implementation Committee, Councilor Sleiman said she had researched the issue of whether or not members had to live in the community. She reported that some committee's have such a requirement in their charters or ordinances, but the Partnership's does not. She said she felt it was possible to discuss this with the Mayor, as it is ultimately up to her. She added that as a policy across the board, there may be some reluctance, but that it might be acceptable in some situations. Members discussed the probable preference that the citizenry would have for people setting policies for the City to be residents. Discussion followed with regard to either changing the Ordinance to address current members that move out of town, or to add language about living or working in Northampton. No action will be taken at this time. Planning Sub-Committee/ Video: "The Affordability Gap" At this time, members viewed the video created by Member Gottdiener. She was thanked for all her enthusiastic time and effort. It will be utilized as an educational tool to stimulate discussion and the timing is excellent as the City launches its comprehensive planning effort. Thank you, Mari Ill! Adjourn/ The meeting concluded at 8:31 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Peg Keller 2 NORTHAMPTON HOUSING PARTNERSHIP Minutes September 14, 2005 Members Present: Martha Ackelsberg, Chair, Yvonne Freccero, Seth Dietrich, Linda Valenti, Betsy Siersma, Rita Sleiman, Alan Ells. Also present, Jon Hite, Director, Northampton Housing Authority, Clare Higgins, Mayor and Peg Keller, staff. Call to Order: Chair Ackelsberg called the meeting to order at 6:35 p.m. Member Siersma made a motion to approve the minutes of the last meeting. Member Valenti seconded the motion. With the addition of an apostrophe, the minutes were approved as amended. Guest/ Chair Ackelsberg welcomed Mr. Hite. He then described a new Housing Authority undertaking. Highlights of his presentation were as follows: •The NHA was given 4 parcels at the State Hospital ►New family housing (12 units) is under construction behind Jessie's House►Bid documents are expected soon for (6 units) new DMH housing on Grove St. ►Laurel Street is being pursued for first time homebuyer units ►The 4th parcel is out past the Community Gardens on Burt's Pit Road•This parcel is composed of 1.7 acres and sits next to the compost facility•He has had conversations with the Dept. of Public Health, the Dept. of Mental Health and the Dept. of Mental Retardation ■ DMR is interested in developing housing there for clients who are aging/ may not need 24 hour care, but may require a daily check in Concept is for 2 houses, with 5 units each, all on one floor•The plan would be to secure grant from DHCD, then consult the neighborhood around design issues Mr. Hite said he is here to inform members about the project and to secure a letter of support, if agreeable to the Partnership. Member Freccero asked about transportation, in light of the fact that the parcel is not near services. Mr. Hite said DMR would provide the transportation. Chair Ackelsberg asked about the neighborhood input. Mr. Hite said that whether or not to develop the site is not debatable, but site issues relative to safety, access, lighting are in the abutters purview. He also hoped to have the neighborhood represented on the designer selection committee. Ms. Keller commended the Housing Authority on their addressing several population segments in the development of these parcels. 1 Member Ells made a motion to have the Partnership approve a letter to endorse the project. The motion was seconded by Member Siersma. The vote in favor was unanimous. Peg will draft a letter for circulation to the members for review. Mr. Hite was thanked for his attendance. He departed. Green Street/ Development Agreement with Smith College Chair Ackelsberg reported that she had met with the Mayor and Fran Volkmann. She said the Agreement was negotiated and completed, and there was no additional opportunity for Housing Partnership input. The Mayor then pointed out the following: •Re: the discussion on unit size, DHCD guidelines are more for new construction than rehab; she is more concerned about quality andflexibility around bedroom sizes; Smith has agreed to come up with "quality" criteria that will be added to the Agreement as an addendum.•Smith has agreed to unit by unit replacement (this was not the case in past instances relative to the taking of 2 other SRO's)•With regard to the condition of the existing units, the quality is mixed.What will get created in return will be newly renovated•RE: use of the fund ... question for Partnership/ how much State money dowe want Smith to use? The community needs it for other projects, i.e. State Hospital and will need it for other things in the future.•The Agreement does not cap Smith's commitment at a specific figure ... it says it will replace the units•Smith has agreed to move the tenants with a provision of $2,500 forexpenses•Smith has agreed to replace the units, they found a building, they arepaying to renovate it and have agreed to keep it afford for 99 years•Smith has agreed to provide compensation for units coming off line ... (PILOT) never been done before•Smith has agreed to retain 10,000 sq. ft. of commercial space on the corner of West and Green for 10 years and 10,000 more feet in the area•Smith has agreed to do a parking study•Smith has agreed to incorporate design considerations for future buildings In return, the City has agreed to zoning relief on height and setbacks in a defined area, and the parameters of Smith's area of expansion have been established. Those boundaries will be set by the creation of an Educational Overlay Zone in the local Ordinance. The City also agreed to street closings. The benefits of the Development Agreement include the fact that this is a contract, a legal document. This provides more clout than a conditioned permit under zoning where case law usually has favored educational institutions. The agreement will also be referenced as a condition on the site plan approval. 2 In response to a question about whom would monitor the Agreement, the Mayor replied that it would be the Mayor's Office as well as the Office of Planning and Development. She stated that enforcement of the Site Plan issues is not a role for the Housing Partnership. She reminded members that she has 2 appointments on the sub-committee overseeing the Fund (Fran Volkmann and Bob Reckman). If they are divided, they will bring their concerns to the Mayor and the Mayor will have a conversation with the President of Smith College. The Mayor envisions the Advisory Committee continuing, although there may not be another project for awhile. She would like a Housing Partnership member to be on the Committee, that is why she put Fran on it. She anticipates the West St. residents to remain in place for another year. The Bedford Terrace building must be renovated first. She said that Smith has hired Sarena Neyman to assist the tenants. The possibility of a Memorandum of Agreement was suggested as a way to guarantee Partnership membership on the Advisory Committee. The Mayor supported the idea. It was agreed that the person should be the Chair or the Chair's designee subject to approval by the Mayor. The Mayor was thanked for her attendance. After her departure, Members expressed their appreciation for her report, feeling that they understood the process and the agreement much better. Planning Sub-Committee Report/ Chair Siersma encouraged members to participate in the upcoming Sustainability Workshops and noted that her group would be meeting with elderly property owners in September, rental property managers in October and housing service providers in November. Adjourn/ The meeting concluded at 8:30 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Peg Keller 3 NORTHAMPTON HOUSING PARTNERSHIP Minutes October 26, 2005 Members Present: Martha Ackelsberg, Chair, Richard Abuza, Seth Dietrich, Fran Volkmann, Yvonne Freccero, Mari Gottdiener, Alan Ells. Also present, Wayne Feiden, Planning Director and Peg Keller, staff. Call to Order: Chair Ackelsberg called the meeting to order at 6:37 p.m. She reviewed the activities of the past few days relative to the Sustainability Design Assessment Team visit. SDAT Visit: Chair Ackelsberg had participated in one of the focus group sessions where representatives of Casa Latina stated that there is no affordable housing available for people trying to move out of public housing. Discussion followed about the need for affordable homeownership beyond the subsidized levels, more in the 80-125% range. She said that Planning Director Feiden was in attendance tonight to gather information from the Partnership about how to proceed now that the SDAT visit had concluded. RFP's will be drafted to continue the work into March, when additional public charrettes will be held. Member Volkmann summarized her participation in the Smart Growth focus group. There they discussed Smart Growth in terms of center based development, the need for a range of housing types and choices, mixed uses for live/work housing and affordable housing for a wide range of incomes. Strategies discussed were the transfer of development rights (TDR's), transportation alternatives and densifying with character. Member Gottdiener attended the economic development sessions. She said they discussed the need for affordable rental housing downtown. Member Abuza noted that he is seeing vacancies in the rental arena unlike any other time in his 30 years of being a property owner. Member Freccero noted the observation someone made at one of the evening sessions about the lack of different types of housing available. Member Ells noted that many people who live here do not work here and vice-a-versa. It might be preferable to be able to do both. Member Volkmann posed the question, how much affordable housing is enough? Members reviewed the data collection needs posited in the Local Needs Assessment that had been drafted earlier. Member Abuza said that he hoped any data collection would lead to policy formation. Mr. Feiden described the local planning process underway. Discussion followed regarding the information the Partnership wanted to gather via a housing consultant that would be hired. The group agreed on the following questions to answer: •Who can afford to live here? (rent or buy)•Who can afford to work here?•How many affordable units do we need?•What is the fiscal impact analysis of new units?•What are the population/household composition trends?•What can people afford, what is there, are we in balance or not?•What does all this mean/ how can we get there? Mr. Feiden showed a sample mock-up for the local census mailing in January. He said he felt he had enough input to draft the Request for Proposals. The time schedule is quick. This will be issued over the next week or two. He departed. Planning Sub-Committee Chair Siersma reported that there would be a meeting tomorrow with a representative from an area rental property management agency. The purpose is to learn about the current state of the rental market. Last month they held a meeting about elderly property owner issues, which was attended by the Building Commissioner. They are planning to place an article in ElderVision to alert elder property owners to certain issues. The third meeting planned will be with service providers who do housing search for clients to see what is needed in the community. Adjourn/ The meeting concluded at 8:25 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Peg Keller NORTHAMPTON HOUSING PARTNERSHIP Minutes November 9, 2005 Members Present: Martha Ackelsberg, Chair, Alan Ells, Betsy Siersma, Linda Valenti, Peg Murray, Yvonne Freccero, Fran Volkmann, Mari Gottdiener, Richard Abuza. Also present, Peg Keller, staff. Call to Order/ Chair Ackelsberg called the meeting to order at 6:36 p.m. No one was present for the public comment period. Approval of Minutes/ Member Gottdiener noted that on page 2 of last months minutes, she would like to include "identification of housing needs at different rental levels" and more about the number of housing units needed at different levels of affordability." Staff will add that verbage and the minutes were approved as amended. Committee Reports Implementation: Chair Abuza reported that their work on the condominium conversion issue was their most recent focus. The next area they plan to examine will be assistance to small landlords. A meeting will be scheduled. Planning: Chair Siersma reported that work was continuing on the creation of an article for ElderVision (the newspaper produced at the Council on Aging). The committee had met with Tony Patillo, the Building Commissioner, in October, who described issues he sees with elder property owners. Mr. Patillo posed the question to the Board of Health agent who also developed a list of problems he has observed. The article will attempt to address these concerns. Elements may include information on the home repair program, the State Sanitary Code and sample leases. The goal is to provide information pro-actively before seniors find themselves in trouble. Member Murray mentioned the option of reverse mortgages. Member Freccero said the initial focus was on elders owning rental property. Member Abuza noted some comments made by Pat Taylor of Hampshire Property Management at the meeting the sub-committee held in November. He said that support for existing landlords would be a strong factor in determining whether or not to sell. Member Volkmann suggested the idea of a "preservation program" for affordable housing, similar to the Agricultural Preservation Restriction Program. This would include some kind of payment or incentive to keep the unit(s) affordable. Chair 1 Ackelsberg asked if this could be an assignment for the Implementation Sub­ committee. Member Freccero said the issue of passage onto heirs with smaller property owners could be a problem. Member Valenti said that when she discussed "Richard's idea" (purchasing homes owned by elder property owners and attaching permanent affordability deed restrictions in exchange for tax deductions and life tenancy) with Joann Campbell at Valley CDC, it seemed too problematic. It would be difficult to secure the funding to buy the properties and maintain them while the prior owner remained in the property. The concept appears to require extensive funding. She (Linda) thought there might be other ways to accomplish the same goals. Chair Ackelsberg asked the Implementation Committee to pursue this. Sub­ committee Chair Abuza agreed. Planning Sub-Committee Chair Siersma mentioned that Mr. Abuza had also discussed the tenant rent escrow issue. This legislation has been proposed at the State level, but has not been adopted as of yet. He said that this single act would greatly assist the landlord community. He would like to see an attitudinal shift in recognition of the contribution landlords who keep their rents affordable make to the community. Member Gottdiener asked about getting the word out about the affordable housing gap video. She asked about getting it on the city's website. She said she gave a copy to Habitat and Valley CDC. Member Freccero said she would like it circulated to civic groups for viewing and discussion. Member Volkmann suggested the schools. Member Abuza supported that suggestion, to build sensitivity to affordable housing in the next generation. It was agreed that a person should accompany the video for inter-active discussion. The Youth Commission was also suggested. Chair Ackelsberg suggested the Smith College Education Department and the programming they have with local schools. It was agreed that Chair Ackelsberg would contact Smith College, Member Murray would contact Smith Vocational, Member Gottdiener would contact the Smith College Campus School and Councilor Dwight for the Youth Commission. Sustainable Northampton/ Comprehensive Plan Update A draft of the Request for Proposals created by Planning Director Feiden was reviewed. Chair Ackelsberg asked the members if what was listed would yield the results the Partnership wanted. The following comments were made: •National and State data could be useful for comparison purposes•If people work here but don't live here, do they want to live here?•Employers can run zip codes of their employees to see where they live•A survey could be designed and sent to ascertain if they want to live here•Colleges could be utilized for data collection and analysis•Gather data from the Housing Authority about where people go when leave NHA (topursue the comments made by Casa Latina representatives)•Where do the Section 8 vouchers get utilized? 2 •What types of units are we losing? Gaining? Affordability range?•Trends in housing units (use unit tracking form created by Member Valenti) rental andhome ownership/ new, lost•Add a #6 to the draft RFP asking to map the housing inventory over time/trends•Place a map onto the affordable housing gap brochure income chart showing the existingsupply of housing and the income levels of the population•Focus on data collection that will allow us to establish priorities identifying the type ofhousing the community needs and direct resources accordingly•Gather data to allow us to track the housing inventory over time and be able to visuallysee where the gaps are when the inventory is overlaid on the income gap chart•See the disjuncture between the supply & the income levels•How much do we need? What housing is needed to serve those living and working inCity?•Map not only the housing inventory over time, but family size, household size, population•What do we need, so we can set policies? Supply vs. demand•Housing needs of those who live and work, subsidized and market rate affordable•Overlay the housing stock and population on brochure income chart•Address percentage of income going to housing costs/ housing stress index•Analyze affordable housing and affordable life style Chair Ackelsberg agreed to re-draft these comments and forward to Wayne Feiden. Green Street Update Member Volkmann reported that she is now a member of the Planning Board. The Board is reviewing the plans for the new science and engineering building, the Development Agreement that has been created and signed by the Mayor and Smith College and proposed zoning changes. She asked the Partnership if they had any comments relative to the proposed Educational Overlay district going before the Ordinance Committee and the Planning Board this week. After some discussion, Member Abuza made the following motion: " The Northampton Housing Partnership applauds the work and intent and goals of the Agreement between Smith College and the City of Northampton and we suggest that the Boards considering this Agreement and its implementation, consider adding more specific guidelines, standards and procedures to insure that goals are met during the time period of the Agreement." Member Siersma seconded the motion and the vote was unanimous in favor. Member Volkmann will relay this on Thursday evening at the joint Planning and Ordinance meeting. Adjourn/ The meeting concluded at 8:55 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Peg Keller 3 NORTHAMPTON HOUSING PARTNERSHIP Meeting Minutes December 14, 2005 Members Present: Chair Ackelsberg, Betsy Siersma, Yvonne Freccero, Richard Abuza, Fran Volkmann, Linda Valenti, Alan Ells, Peg Murray. Also present: Planning Director Wayne Feiden, and Michael Owens. Cal to Order: The meeting was called to order at approximately 6:30 p.m. Public Comment Ellen Dibble was present and stated that she was attending the meeting to learn more about what the Partnership was about; she also expressed her concerns regarding the tight housing market in Northampton. Sub Committee Reports Implementation Committee The Committee met on December 1st and discussed inclusionary zoning and support for multi-unit property owners in the City. lnclusionary zoning has lots of potential to produce affordable housing but there remains lots of questions. Members felt the Partnership needs to fully understand this issue by way of a thorough and thoughtful process. Member Murray distributed inclusionary zoning information based on web research; these articles will be distributed to members as a primer to further discussion. Implementing such zoning changes will be a fairly complex matter that needs to go forward in a slow and thoughtful manner. Member felt that the Partnership should have a primary role if such a proposal goes forward. Wayne explained the various ways inclusionary zoning can be implemented (transfer of development rights, overlay districts, affordability inclusions). Wayne also indicated that the inclusionary zoning discussion should be undertaken as part of a larger discussion of zoning issues in the City. Wayne will be available to meet with the Implementation Committee upon request. Rental issues were also a topic discussed by the Committee, specifically the loss of affordable market rate housing (non-subsidized). Member Abuza commented on the challenges of owning and managing multi unit residential properties. Many of the issues facing private owners are not local but are regional, statewide and sometimes national. Member Abuza felt that neither the City administration nor the Partnership understood the challenges of multi unit property ownership and that one item that needed attention was the current rent escrow laws in the State. Member Murray asked what the Partnership could be doing to support multi unit landlords and it was discussed that there would need to be further discussion and input regarding this issue. Members then discussed legal rent withholding and the fact that how these issues are presented makes a big difference in the discussion. Members also felt the discussion needed to be broader and go beyond rental escrow accounts, discussions on the sub committee level will continue. Planning Committee Members Siersma and Valenti continue to work on an article for the elder vision newsletter, next steps include setting up a meeting with service providers. The newsletter article has led to other discussions regarding housing issues and the City's elderly population. Members report mostly positive feedback from the AIA process and will seek to get people involved in this effort as the City moves forward with the comprehensive plan. Community Planning Update The Planning Director provided an update of the community planning process (the City's Comprehensive Plan) and the three housing related pieces; (1) aggregate data collection, (2) evaluation of regulatory options and (3) development of a briefing paper that moves toward a comprehensive housing affordability strategy. Members then discussed taking the plan to its next steps and the feeling that this is an opportunity to set overall direction for the Partnership. Action items included interpretation of data, regulatory examples, outreach to the press, presentation and discussion of draft documents, formulation of the survey and format options such as compact disks and web based input. Members noted that the timetable was tight and full participation and public engagement was important. Members and staff then moved on to discussing the format and content of the survey that will be mailed to Northampton households as well as the number of focus groups, feedback sessions and the process for final presentation. Other Updates Wayne provided a quick update of the Green Street -Smith College permitting process for the engineering building; member Volkmann gave an update of the City Council Ordinance Committee regarding the educational overlay district, no action has been taken to date. At this point the Planning Board has requested additional information regarding the City/ Smith development agreement. A joint Planning Board and Zoning Board public hearing is likely in January 2006 to discuss the proposed educational overlay district. Wayne provide a quick update regarding Hampton Court, a HUD assisted affordable housing project constructed in the 1980's. Discussions / negotiations continue with Mass Development and the owners to ensure future affordability and protect define any future default provisions. Also provided was information regarding a training session to be offered by the Attorney General outlining the requirements for running a legal and effective public hearing. There being no other business the Partnership meeting was adjourned at approximately 8:50PM. Respectfully submitted, Mto / Draft 01-03-06