HousingPartnershipMinutes2008Northampton Housing Partnership
1/7/08 Meeting 'notes'
location Human Resources Conf. Room Memorial hall
meeting sta1i 6: 3 0
Members Present: Martha Ackelsberg, Chair, Allan Ells, Gordon Shaw, Peg Murray, Betsy
Siersma, Maureen Camey, Richard Abuza (note-taker). Also Present: Wayne Feiden
Wayne reported on:
Smith College development agreement. Context: need to have a permanent record available to
all interested parties of the units involved in loss and replacement, over and above any individual
project, e.g. O'Connell. Wayne provided members with a spread sheet that the City will be using
to track the loss and replacement of units over time.
Village Hill: 1st 33 units have been built. Of the next group to go "on line," Community
�uilders is responsible for 40 units (affordable), and Jonathan Wright will be building some with
no affordability restrictions (number?). The goal is to have this be/count towards(?) a 40R
district. The City wants to be the title holder for affordability restrictions.
Habitat for Humanity Projects: Westhampton Rd. has been completed; Garfield-Verona site:
next step is to extend Garfield Ave. The City has given Habitat 3 lots; it will keep 1 lot at end of
Rd. to sell ( once the road extension and infrastructure has been completed).
Orien Ridge property is in foreclosure; owner is trying to hold on for financing. There is 1
possible buyer in the offing. The project was meant to be rental, at 33% affordable. Members
suggested to Wayne to alert possible buyer about our perspective on rental housing as desirable,
and discuss with the buyer possible ways for the City to support any efforts in that regard.
Doug Kohl Oaks Project. Has received the necessary waivers ???. There will be 10-11
affordable units, but the pace of building is slowing down because of market conditions.
Wayne Feiden left meeting.
Discussion: about submitting our own CPA project proposal, a combination of a
Needs Assessment/Community Housing Strategic. Decision: we will submit an application, and
let CPC decide merits and timing. We should stress that we are doing this at the CPCs request,
and be candid about our position.
We approved the minutes from the previous meeting.
In preparation for presentations from Habitat, Valley CDC and Friends of the Homeless ( all of
whom had been invited to discuss with us the proposals they were putting forward for CPA
funding), Peg Murray noted the following from preliminary documents available on the City's
website:
•Habitat application for Garfield Ave no specific amount requested
•Valley CDC $276,000, for 5 $50,000 mortgage subsidies
•Friends of Hampshire Co. homeless requested $250,000 for purchase of a building that
would supply housing for 6 chronically-homeless people
Guests:
Joanne Campbell Valley CDC
Valley CDC is proposing a mortgage subsidy program, similar to one they are already
successfully operating with town of Amherst.
•It would be a down-payment program (Amherst is a "condo market," much more than
Northampton).
•The program would be addressed to those at or below 80% of area median income.
•If the property were held long-term, there would be no expectation of pay-back; if the
property were re-sold within a relatively short time, there would be some expectation of
pay-back (all these details to be worked out with CPA folks?)
•There would be deed restrictions on the resale
•Program would provide additional funds for down-payment (to decrease the total amount
of the mortgage), and would award funds on a 1st come 1st served basis, as long as
applicants have an accepted offer
MJ Adams Habitat for Humanity
Requesting funds to allow suppo1i next steps in developing the Garfield Ave site,in partnership
with Smith Yoke
•moving away from large condominium development, toward single-family cluster, with
a party wall, to avoid the condo entanglement
•The units will be handicap accessible
•They plan to start construction at far end for less disruption
•Homes would be targeted to those earning 30-50% of area median income, with 0% 20
year mortgates
Yvonne Freccero Friends of Hampshire County Homeless Individuals
Responding to long-recognized sense that the chronically homeless need better solution than
temporary shelter-for too many who are coming to the local shelter, it is not, in fact, temporary.
Want to respond to the Housing First model
•Regional committee for the chronically homeless advocated setting up such a facility
•Goal:co-operative living for 5-6 chronically homeless.
•FoH has saved/pledged $75,000 toward the purchase existing building, that would then
be owned, maintained and serviced by ServiceN et.
•They are requesting roughly $250,000 from CPA funds to enable them to purchase one of
several homes that are now appropriate and available.
•ServiceN et will undertake necessary renovations.
•A Hampshire student is working with Yvonne interviewing shelter users, creating
profiles, to try to identify 5-6 best candidates
Discussion about recommendation. We agreed to support all three, but to give special
commendation to the Habitat and FOH proposals, as addressing long-recognized needs. Martha
will draft an overall letter, including these recommendations as part of a cover letter with our
own CPA application.
Respectfully submitted,
Richard Abuza and Martha Ackelsberg
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NORTHAMPTON HOUSING PARTNERSHIP
Minutes
February 4, 2008
Members Present: Chair Martha Ackelsberg, Peg Murray, Gordon Shaw,
Richard Abuza, Maureen Carney. Absent, Betsy Siersma, Alan Ells. Also present,
Peg Keller, staff.
Call to Order: Chair Ackelsberg called the meeting to order at 6:37 p.m.
Member Abuza submitted meeting notes from the last meeting, which Chair
Ackelsberg agreed to revise. Member Shaw made a motion to approve them as
submitted, with anticipated reformatting. The motion was seconded by Member
Murray; all in favor.
Community Preservation Committee Application
Chair Ackelsberg thanked Member Murray for her work in preparing the
Community Preservation Committee application for a Strategic Housing plan. This
involved not only putting the narrative together, but calling many consultants to
get quotes on potential costs. Members reviewed the approach outlined in the
application. They decided some work needed to be done interna'lly prior to
interviewing potential consultants. The suggested methodology is to do a
Request for Proposals to hire someone to develop the scope of work, to be
followed by a Request for Quotes for someone to actually do the work. It was
decided that model housing plans would be identified to help members develop a
work scope appropriate for Northampton. Peg K. will find some links and send
them to members for their perusal. The March meeting will include discussion of
a preliminary work scope.
Member Murray will attend the CPC session on March 1st. This is the day the
Committee will hear the presentations from all applicants. Their decisions will
follow thereafter.
Sustainability Plan
The final draft is circulating. The Planning Board has approved it, now it goes to
City Council. Members were asked to review the housing section, in preparation
for the discussion on the Strategic Plan work scope.
Meeting with Amherst Housing Partnership
The Amherst Housing Partnership members continue to express interest in
getting together to discuss mutual issues. Peg K. will notify them that April ih
around 6:30 p.m. would be a good time.
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Tasks for 2008
Members began thinking about what they wanted to accomplish this year. All
agree that getting funding and moving ahead on a Strategic Housing Plan would
be huge. Peg K. added the topics of expiring use properties and housing rehabilitation as important to address. Fair Housing responsibilities were also
noted. The Affordable Housing Trust fund, in relation to CPA expenditures was
discussed. More discussion shall follow next month.
Election
Martha Ackelsberg said she was ready to have someone else chair the
Partnership. Member Carney nominated Member Shaw, the motion was
seconded by Member Murray. Member Shaw agreed to take the chair position;
the vote in favor was unanimous. Member Ackelsberg was thanked for her
dedication and leadership over the past 3 years.
Membership
Members discussed bringing in new members. Realtors and tenants were
mentioned. Outreach in the newspaper did not yield any volunteers. Member
Abuza mentioned the Paradise City Forum as a possible venue to identify new
members as well as direct contact with Community Action and Casa Latina. Peg
K.will send some materials to a person Member Shaw has identified. The Mayor
will be asked for assistance in bolstering membership.
Adjourn/ The meeting concluded at 8:05 p.m. The next meeting will be the
first Monday of March, at 6:30 p.m. with refreshments to honor Martha
Ackelsberg for her tenure as Chair.
Respectfully submitted, Peg Keller
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NORTHAMPTON HOUSING PARTNERSHIP
Minutes
March 3, 2008
Members Present: Chair Gordon Shaw, Martha Ackelsberg, Peg Murray, Betsy
Siersma, Maureen Carney, Richard Abuza. Also present, Laverne Howard, Jesse
Adams and Mike Raeburn, interested citizens and Peg Keller, staff.
Call to Order: Chair Shaw called the meeting to order at 6:35 p.m. Member
Ackelsberg made a motion to approve the minutes from February, seconded by
Member Murray. The vote in favor was unanimous. The January minutes will be
sent out again for review and approval.
Public Comment: Interested citizens said they were not here for a particular
issue; only to observe.
CPA Application: Member Murray reported that she had attended the session
on Saturday at which the applicants presented to the Committee. There was
some confusion around the weather and a location change, but she did present
the Partnership request for a strategic housing plan. Discussion followed about
elements to be included in a scope of work for the consultant, should the project
be funded.
Chair Shaw asked about the goals and objectives of the Partnership's work, and
suggested the scope should include a snapshot of affordable housing as it
currently exists in the City. Other items mentioned were an inventory of existing
affordable housing, costs of housing, an overview of people and their income
levels, and an identification of the match and mismatch between housing and
income, to pinpoint gaps. Peg M. will do a draft highlighting the issues previously
identified: condo conversions, expiring use, SRO's, the affordability gap.
Member Ackelsberg described it this way:
We need to determine where we are now, where we want to be, how can all
who want to live here do so and how do we get there.
Peg M. will email her draft around to members and to Wayne Feiden for
comments.
April Meeting: Members were reminded that they have been invited to attend
a joint session with the Amherst Housing Partnership. This is planned for April ih
at 6:30 p.m. in Amherst. Peg K. will rsvp to Amherst and send out directions.
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Tasks for 2008: Chair Shaw asked if there were other topics that should be pursued in addition to embarking on a strategic plan (which will be a huge
accomplishment in itself !). Peg K. noted expiring use, relative to Hathaway
Farms. This is a critical issue that will be evolving over the next year and a half,
as the Trust fund move towards exhaustion. A strategy needs to be developed,
in partnership with Spear Management, as 53 families currently receiving rental
assistance from the Trust, will no longer be able to do so. It has been suggested
that the Housing Partnership could sponsor a session with agencies and organizations to assist the families with their plans for the future. Peg K. will
speak with the property owners to see how they wish to proceed.
The need for a housing rehabilitation program should also be addressed.
Ms. Howard then discussed the current living situation at Leeds Village. Peg K.
informed the Partnership members of the Mayor's office activity over the past 2
years relative to this. There is an existing group composed of tenants,
representatives from the Leeds Village Civic Association, the Northampton Police
Department and management ( Mt. Holyoke Management, formerly Marken
Properties ). Peg said the group had met most recently last fall, but it sounded
like it needed to be assembled again. She will talk to the Mayor and can provide
updates to the Partnership as requested.
Adjourn: The meeting concluded at 8:35 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Peg Keller
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NORTHAMPTON HOUSING PARTNERSHIP
Minutes
May 5, 2008
Members Present: Gordon Shaw, Chair; Maureen Carney, Peg Murray, Betsy Siersma, Richard Abuza, Martha Ackelsberg. Also present, Lynne Wallace,
interested citizen and Peg Keller, staff.
Call to Order
Chair Shaw called the meeting to order at 6:35 p.m. Member Siersma made a
motion to approve the minutes of the January and March meetings, seconded by
Member Abuza. The vote in favor was unanimous.
Announcements/Updates
Augie's Fire: Peg K. reported on the city activity since the fire at Augie's
Rooming house. She said the Mayor was called to the scene of the fire Sunday
morning. The Mayor qmtacted Sue Stubbs (CEO, ServiceNet, Inc.) and the Inter
Faith shelter at 43 Center St. was opened by the end of the day. (It had closed
for the season the week prior). Two meetings were held Monday with the Red
Cross and local service providers and subsequent meetings have been held every
2-3 days since. Area providers have come together to get housing placements for
those residents of Augie's that requested help. 18 of the 20 residents were being
assisted.
Leeds Village: Peg reported on her on-going discussions with tenants and
management of the Leeds Village apartments. Progress is being made to
establish more of an on-site management presence and to control unauthorized
people living in the units. Discussion will continue. A tenant association is being
formed.
Community Preservation Awards
Peg K. described the "Community Housing" applications for the second round.
One is for an alarm system at Grove Street. Another is for operating funds for
Paradise Pond apartments. There is a third for rehabilitation activities at the
Alliance for Sober Living House on Summer Street.
Member Murray reviewed the timetable for implementation of the Housing
Partnership's CPA award for the Strategic Housing Plan. Peg K. said Joe Cook,
the City's procurement officer, said that a contract needed to go out with the
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Request for Proposals. She will confirm that and try to issue both before the end of May. Proposals to create the Work Scope for the Plan could be returned by
mid-late June. Members discussed the formation of a sub-committee to review
the proposals and recommend a selection. Peg K. will get a boilerplate contract
from Wayne Feiden. Once proposals are received, Partnership members can meet with the respondents.
Member Carney made a motion to authorize the Partnership to have a Selection Committee with as many members that wish to participate to review the
responses and make a recommendation to the full Partnership. The motion was
seconded by Member Siersma. Member Abuza made a friendly amendment to
reserve the right to re-examine the process depending on the number and type
of responses. The vote in favor of the motion with the friendly amendment
passed unanimously.
Expiring Use Issue
Peg K. described the situation with Hathaway Farms and the Affordable Housing
Trust fund. The goal is to assist families that will lose the trust as a resource over
the coming year with locating alternate housing. Peg K. will re-contact the owner
to see if they h�ve developed a strategy yet. They had said they wanted to check
their numbers to develop a timetable. Peg K. will reiterate the Partnership's
concern about assisting the affected families as much as possible. Items
discussed were as follows: a direct mail letter listing resources, legal
ramifications, tenant rights, and an overall contact person. Members wondered
how many _families the Northampton Housing Authority might be able to absorb
and if they could play a role in the resource referrals. Discussion will continue.
Adjourn
The meeting concluded at 8:35 p.m.
Respectfully submitted, Peg Keller
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NORTHAMPTON HOUSING PARTNERSHIP
Minutes June 2, 2008
Members Present: Gordon Shaw, Chair, Alan Ells, Martha Ackelsberg, Richard
Abuza, Peg Murray, Betsy Siersma. Also present, Peg Keller, staff and Laverne Howard, interested citizen.
Call to Order: Chair Shaw called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m. Member
Murray made a motion to approve the minutes of the last meeting, seconded by
Member Siersma. The vote in favor was unanimous.
Leeds Village Update: Laverne Howard updated members on the status of
tenant landlord relations at Leeds Village. There is a tenants meeting on June
1ith at 6:00 p.m. She said cameras have been installed for security. There was
no communication from management about the installation. Tenants were
hopeful they would be installed outside, but they are inside on the first floor and this has negatively impacted tenant privacy. She said there are currently 2
vacant apartments. She is president of the Tenants Association. Peg said she
would like to attend and will contact the Leeds Civic Association members about
the date and time.
Augie's Update: Peg described the City and provider network response to the
fire at Augie's SRO.
Housing Strategic Plan/ CPA Award
Members discussed the two phased process. It was decided that although not
recommended by the City's Procurement Officer, the members wanted someone
who might respond to the initial contract to be able to respond to the second
one also. Members expressed this desire, due to the limited number of potential
respondents available. Member Abuza made the following motion:
" The Northampton Housing Partnership would like to express appreciation for the
advice (of the City's Procurement Officer, Joe Cook) and recognizes its wisdom in
principle, however, in this special circumstance, due to the small amount of funding
involved and the potentially limited applicant pool, it is in the best interest of the City to
not preclude Phase one participants from participating in Phase Two and that the
Partnership will exercise due diligence to insure the Request for Proposals do not
unfairly advantage any applicant. "
The motion was seconded by Member Ells, vote in favor unanimous.
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Discussion of the release of the RF P followed. It was noted that reference to the
Community Preservation Program as the funding source needed to be added to the press release and all notifications. The following sources were suggested as
placement for the Request: the Central Register, the Mass Planners listserv, the
city's web-site and a targeted mailing. Peg M. will give her initial contact list to
Peg K. It was decided that a one-month turn around time would be sufficient.
Summer meeting dates were discussed.
At the last meeting, a sub-committee was suggested for vetting the proposals.
Members Siersma, Shaw and Murray volunteered to serve on the Sub
committee. Meeting dates will be finalized once the RFP is released.
Hathaway Farms
The response from Diane Andes from Spear Management was reviewed. It was
decided that Chair Shaw would contact her and ask her to come to a meeting
with the Partnership. The purpose would be to review the Trust fund account
and the status of Trust fund households. She will be requested to submit a
written plan for discussion.
Community Preservation Projects
The projects in the current round were reviewed. It was noted that no applicants
had come forward to seek a letter of support from the Housing Partnership. Peg
K.will ask Bruce Young, staff to the CPC if formal vetting will be required in the
future rounds. It was agreed that a letter would be sent requesting this action.
The motion was made by Member Abuza, seconded by Member Murray.
Developing a list of priority projects was discussed. It was suggested that a
meeting with Valley CDC be held to ascertain their plans for future projects.
Adjourn/ The meeting concluded at 8:30 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Peg Keller
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NORTHAMPTON HOUSING PARTNERSHIP
Minutes July 7, 2008
Members Present: Gordon Shaw, Chair, Richard Abuza, Martha Ackelsberg,
Peg Murray and Betsy Siersma.
Call to Order:
Chair Shaw called the meeting to order at 6:40 p.m. No one was present for the
public comment period. Member Ackelsberg requested a change to the June
minutes. Member Siersma made a motion to approve the minutes as amended,
seconded by Member Ackelsberg. The vote in favor of approval was unanimous.
Local Initiative Application/ Equity Builders, North King Street
Members reviewed an application for the Local Initiative Program submitted by
Jim Harrity to DHCD. In the permit approval for this subdivision project located
behind the new food coop, additjonal units were approved if they were
affordable. This is the submission to the State to get 40B credit. Included is the
unit type breakdown, the marketing and lottery plans. Peg noted that Mr.
Harrity's plan is to pre-sell the units prior to actual construction. Members
decided to support the submission, as new affordable single family homes
continue to be needed in the community. Towards that end, Member Abuza
made the following motion:
" The Northampton Housing Partnership recognizes the chronic shortage of affordable
units in Northampton and supports the inclusion of affordable housing units in new
developments wherever feasible and in furtherance of that goal, the Chair is authorized
to sign the Local Initiative Application of Mr. James Harrity /Equity Builders."
The vote in favor of the motion was unanimous; Chair Shaw signed the
application.
CPA Grant/ Phase One/ Request for Qualifications
Considering Peg K. had not yet published the Request for Qualifications, she
asked the members to review it once again. She had some concerns about the
clarity regarding the nature of the work being requested. Members reviewed the
RFQ one final time. Phrases such as the following were added: "The Partnership
believes that a carefully constructed work scope is key to the success of the
project" ( creation of the plan) and "The plan must be specific to Northampton
and build on our past community planning efforts" ( in order to avoid someone
giving us a boilerplate plan tweaked for different locations).
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Member Ackelsberg tracked the edits. Peg will revise and issue it. It will go out
July 7, 2008 with a response deadline of August 8th• She will run it in the Central
Register for statewide coverage, post it on the MassPlanners listserv, send it
digitally to those Peg Murray spoke to initially and put a legal ad in the paper.
Hathaway Farms/ Trust Fund
Diane Andes of Spear Management has agreed to meet with the Partnership.
Dates in August were discussed. Chair Shaw will suggest the 11th• Members
spent some time formulating questions for Ms. Andes to address. Peg K. will
check the guiding agreement to see if there are any procedures for closing out
the Fund. Members suggested a few things that could be done to assist the
families, such as, expedited return of security deposit checks, assistance with
physical moving expenses and expedited reference letters explaining that they
were moving not as a result of a faulty tenancy. Ms. Andes will be asked to
address why people are leaving now, where are they moving to, how they are
going to notify affected families and when, the profile of the affected families,
what information will be provided, is there a role for the Partnership, other
providers, etc. Trustees of the Fund will be invited to attend.
Expiring Use
Members reviewed DHCD's list of expiring use properties. It appears that the
next one slated for affordability restriction expiration is St. Michael's House in
2012. Peg K. will contact Mass Housing and the owner, O'Connell Development
Group to ascertain any plans that may be in the works.
Update of New Projects
Members discussed having Joanne Campbell of Valley CDC attend a meeting in
the fall to see what activities they are undertaking, as well as asking Jack Hornor
for an update on State Hospital activities. Peg K. will bring State hospital
elevations to the next meeting.
Adjourn/ The meeting concluded at 8:30 p.m.
Respectfully submitted, Peg Keller
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NORTHAMPTON HOUSING PARTNERSHIP
Minutes August 11, 2008
Members Present: Gordon Shaw, Chair, Peg Murray, Alan Ells. Diane Andes,
Ron Cote from Spear Management. Also present, Peg Keller, staff.
Call to Order:
The meeting began at 5:30 p.m. The members of the Housing Partnership had asked representatives of Hathaway Farms to attend a meeting to discuss the
Affordable Housing Trust.
Hathaway Farms Update
Ms. Andes gave members a description of what they predict for the coming year. They expect that possible 10-15 families may remain at the end of 2009, with a
fund balance of 27,000. They have not accepted any new families into the
program since last November. Currently there are 35 Trust families as of
September of 2008 ( down from 52). Upon questioning, Ms. Andes said that can
be attributed to people coming and going, households being over-income at re
certification, people moving out to purchase homes, people moving out because
they have found less expensive housing. There are currently 2 households
composed of students.
. . . The 80/20 Mass Housing Program which covers the lowest income levels in the
complex comprises 41 · households and will continue indefinitely. Members then
discussed a transition plan. Ms. Andes distributed a detailed financial projection,
which is based on some assumptions. The leases for trust families will now be
month to month. She plans to communicate with other properties in the area
that serve households with 60% of area median income. Tax credit properties,
(i.e. the Village at Hospital Hill), Pheasant Hill/ Barrett Street, the Autumn
Properties in Easthampton were a few named. Ms. Andes proposed sitting down
with the property managers to explain the situation at Hathaway Farms.
Although the respective properties would need to do their own tenant selection
due diligence, it might be possible to make some referrals.
It was agreed that the management would monitor the movement during
October and November and give all affected households formal notice in
January. One on one assistance would be provided for the affected families. With
regard to remaining affordable housing, there are currently 48-9 Section 8
voucher holders in the complex, as well as 41 units participating in the 80/20
program for 50-60% of AMI. There are currently 500 families on the
Northampton Housing Authority's Section 8 waiting list, so it is doubtful any
families would secure a voucher in the near future.
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The communication to the families will include information that the program is
coming to an end, there are resources available to help them with their
relocation, a list of properties will be provided, they will be encouraged to look at
them, notification should be given to see if any assistance can be given between
Hathaway Farms management and the new property, a thirty day notice will be
required and the leases after January of 2009 will be month to month. They will consider early release of one half of the security deposits to assist with moving
costs. Member Murray asked for a copy of the lease. Ms. Andes agreed to stay in
touch on a monthly basis to keep the Partnership and Trustees apprised of the
progress. They were thanked for coming.
CPA Project Review
Members discussed the 4 project submissions of Valley CDC to the Community
Preservation Committee. The 2 SRO projects were prioritized, and the operating
fund for capacity was supported. More information is needed about the
Foreclosure Prevention Program, as members felt this was akin to a gift for
individual families, not a broad public usage of public funds.
Expiring Use Projects
Peg K. distributed the list for expiring use projects in the City. The next closest
date for affordability restriction conversion is 2012 for the Michael's House on
State Street. Peg will contact the owner and Mass Housing to ascertain what the
parties plan to do when the current restrictions expire.
Adjourn/ The meeting concluded at 7:45 p.m. . .
Respectfully submitted,
Peg Keller
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NORTHAMPTON HOUSING PARTNERSHIP
Minutes September 8, 2008
Members Present: Gordon Shaw, Chair, Peg Murray, Richard Abuza, Betsy
Siersma. Also present, Patrick McCarthy of Valley CDC and Peg Keller, staff.
Public Comment Period
Pat McCarthy was recognized to discuss the Valley CDC applications to the
Community Preservation Committee. They are asking the Committee to move
quickly on the N. Maple Street request. He began by saying that projects typically require a long preliminary process, but once formulated, may need to
move quickly to secure State funding sources.
1.) Pre-development fund: this request is to allow Valley to move quickly to
acquire properties that become available. One must move quickly in a
market such as ours and time lost to pull together funding sources is
critical. In order to assess project feasibility ( and prior to site control
which is required by the State's pre-development funder, CEDAC) Valley
needs to conduct due diligence which includes many steps. Costs are
incurred to do legal research, a zoning review, survey work, securing an
appraisal and other steps prior to determining that a project may be
suitable for moving forward. Those costs are not covered by funding that
the CDC traditionally obtains. The CPC request will probably be for
$25,000 with the hope that additional requests might be made in the
future.
2.) King Street SRO project: Valley has made an offer to purchase a property
at 98 King Street. CEDAC is currently doing an appraisal to ascertain if the
$400,000 purchase offer is reasonable. The State funders are now
requiring that SRO projects not carry any debt. This is due to the limited
revenue generation stream from projects of this type. For that reason, the
CPC request will be for $225,000, as a contribution to a million dollar plus
overall cost. If the first floor is commercial, an elevator will be required to
service the upper residential floors that is tentatively programmed for 8
enhanced SRO units.
3.) N. Maple Street SRO: Valley needs to refinance the property and is
considering redesign in the process. The CPC request is for $250,000. This
amount is in line with a policy of no debt and with current proformas. Pat
said when he began at Valley in 2000, project costs were $90/sq.ft. and
now the figure is $190/sq.ft. The preference is to alter the property in
accordance with what is allowed by' right in zoning. The current appraisal
is $300,000 and the debt service is $315,000. They have put money in to
the property, but there is no return through rents. Heating costs are
expected to increase 35% this year, electricity costs 12%, as well as
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increases in insurance, etc. Also, the rooms are very small. Their architect
is researching design solutions as they relate to zoning, and more
information will be available at the end of this week. 4.) Foreclosure Fund/ Pat did not have the particulars on this application.
Partnership members discussed the three projects, feeling they all have strong
merit. Member Abuza stated that SRO housing has been prioritized as a top
community need, therefore the Partnership is supportive of the first two projects.
He said the pre-development funding resource makes sense as a necessity in the
Northampton market. After some discussion, Member Abuza made a motion to
issue three separate support letters, rather than prioritize the requests in one
letter. The motion was seconded by Member Siersma, the vote in favor
unanimous. The Partnership did not weigh in on whether or not the CPC should
fast track the request. Chair Shaw and Peg K. noted that a priority had
somewhat been suggested when they attended the CPC meeting. King Street,
because that project creates new units, was prioritized first, N.Maple second, as
those units currently exist, then the pre-development loan fund. It was
expressed at that time that the Partnership would be interested in learning,
along with the CPC, what the foreclosure situation is locally. Without that
information, they are not prepared to rank that project against the other
requests.
In conclusion, the Partnership is excited about the prospect of SRO units at this
location on King Street and about the possibility of improving the financial status
and quality of life of the Maples and support both those efforts whole heartedly.
Preparation for Meeting the Consultant:
Members then brainstormed a list of items they wanted to communicate to Karen
Sunnarborg, the selected consultant. Peg will send her materials to review prior
to the session. The dates of September 29th and October 6th will be offered for
this first session. Peg will communicate with her and confirm the date.
The second meeting with the consultant will be composed of other
representatives that will be invited to offer input. Groups such as the Housing
Authority, Valley CDC, HAP, Habitat for Humanity, the Community Preservation
Committee, the SRO Outreach Coordinator and Casa Latina, were mentioned.
Members look forward to the first meeting. Prior clients of Ms. Sunnarborg spoke
extremely highly of her when references were checked.
Adjourn/ the meeting concluded at 8:30 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Peg Keller
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NORTHAMPTON HOUSING PARTNERSHIP
Minutes October 6, 2008
Members Present: Gordon Shaw, Chair, Peg Murray, Richard Abuza, Betsy Siersma,
Alan Ells, Maureen Carney. Also present, Karen Sunnarborg, Consultant, Michelle Morris,
Valley CDC and Peg Keller, staff.
Meeting with Consultant/ Karen Sunnarborg introduced herself, as did the members.
She said she read all the materials Peg had sent her except for the Grow Smart
Northampton plan which caused problems on her computer. Discussion followed about
what the Partnership wants to see in the RFR for the creation of the Strategic Housing
Plan.
Ms. Sunnarborg noted that the City should meet DHCD's requirements for a Planned
Production Plan. Because many of the elements desired are the same, there would be
an advantage despite the City exceeding the 10%. It would need approval from the
Mayor and Planning Board. Planned Production plans also identify specific parcels for
development. Members reviewed the list brainstormed at an earlier meeting. (see
minutes of 9/08). Ms. Sunnarborg reviewed each element and discussion followed. She
will flesh out an outline. Interviews with the Mayor and Planning Director and session
with invited guests will be scheduled for November. She departed the meeting.
Valley CDC/ Support Letter Request for the Foreclosure Loan Program
Michelle Morris, Homeownership Director explained the proposal. Valley is looking for $75,000 from the CPC to address mortgage refinancing for 10-15 low income
households in danger of losing their homes through foreclosure. She said that in the
past 8 years she has worked at Valley, she has received 1 call from a family at risk of
foreclosure. Foreclosure prevention funding has been made available through the
Division of Banks and then calls started coming in. Households need funds in order to be
in a position to ask for loan modifications. In 2007, there were 35 foreclosures in
Northampton. There is a data delay for more current figures, due to the 90 day cure
period. Data should be out soon for August and September.
After further discussion, Member Abuza made a motion to recommend Community
Preservation Act funding for Valley CDC to create a pilot foreclosure prevention program
and that the support letter include wording relative to the timeliness and pressing need.
Member Carney seconded the motion. The vote in favor of the motion was unanimous.
Adjourn: There being no additional business to discuss, the meeting concluded at 7:40
p.m. with a motion by Member Carney, seconded by Member Murray.
Respectfully submitted, Peg Keller