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HousingPartnershipMinutes2018NORTHAMPTON HOUSING PARTNERSHIP January 8, 2018 Minutes Members Present: Chair Weir, Vice-Chair Patrick Boughan, Richard Abuza, Becky Lockwood, Kyla Prior, Edgardo Cancel. Also present, Peg Keller, staff. Call to Order/ Chair Weir called the meeting to order at 5:38 p.m. Action Plan Updates Landlord Letter/ Peg reported that the City Clerk has determined that the mailing we usually send our letter with is being discontinued. She said it was redundant to another fo'rm. We can still send the letter with admin. funds from CDBG. Patrick got the address list, which will be updated. The workshop will still be held February although the location has changed to the Council Chambers. OP-ED/ Peg reported that with the planned topics of lead abatement reg revisions and marketing for the housing rehab program, she got an update from PVPC. They reported that the number of units in the pipeline will probably exhaust the funds currently available. It was felt that rather than drum up additional applicants now and have them go on a wait list, we should wait until after July 1 when additional funds will be available. Other possible topics were discussed such as the refugee housing issue. Peg will send the DHCD/ 211 memo that describes how support services are to be delivered. Zoning Sub-Committee/ Patrick reported being in contact with Planning Department about progress on identified revisions. Carolyn said they have not been advanced yet, due to holiday schedules, etc. Patrick spoke about Governor Baker's proposal which would only require 51 % approval for zoning revisions vs. 2/3 of a City Council body. Patrick also asked about activating the Affordable Housing Trust. APE Design Week/ The NHP has been asked to host a session on one of the days during the week of 2/5. Patrick found a speaker. This will be Susan Connelly of the Mass Housing Partnership. Our slot will be 2/8 from 5-7 p.m. Easthampton Savings Bank has agreed to sponsor refreshments. Outreach was discussed. Peg will circulate it through her listserv in addition to whatever the Planning Office is undertaking. Kyla said she would do a flier for distribution. Patrick said Ms. Connelly will send a draft of her power point presentation for vetting. Emergency Shelter Capacity/ Peg updated members about recent activity relative to our shelters being full and regional discussions taking place. Election of Officers/ postponed until next month. Adjourn/ The meeting concluded at 7:10 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Peg Keller NORTHAMPTON HOUSING PARTNERSHIP Minutes February 5, 2018 Members Present: Rev. Todd Weir, Chair, Patrick Boughan, Vice-Chair, Gordon Shaw, Jim Reis, Kyla Prior, Becky Lockwood, Edgar Cancel, Mike Roy. Also present, Peg Keller, staff. Call to Order: Chair Weir convened the meeting at 5:35 p.m. The minutes from December and January were approved as submitted. Action Plan Updates •Small House Design Competition Kyla reported that State Street is catering the reception, with costs covered by the Easthampton Savings Bank. Food will include coffee, tea, water, appetizers and desserts. Patrick has been in communication with the presenter. He can go early to help set up and Kyla will break it down. Edgar volunteered to help them. Jim will attend as well. Chair Weir will introduce the evening and speaker. Sounds great! Thanks to all. Patrick suggested a sign up sheet to build the advocacy network. Peg offered to do a sheet on the Partnership back-ground and a flier about the landlord workshop should be -available. Patrick has advertised the event on Community calendars and as public service announcements on the River and on Facebook. •Landlord Workshop Carl Lindley, of Farber & Lindley, LLC will present, as he did last year. There is no way to gauge potential attendance. It is being held in the City Council Chambers and no food or drinks are allowed in there, so no refreshments needed. Gordon will do the introduction. The lead paint regulation changes were suggested as the first topic he could address before opening it up for questions. Patrick offered to advertise it in the Gazette. •Fair Housing Impediments Analysis Peg reported that the Mayor does want to proceed and Springfield is still interested in combining efforts and funds. Our sub-committee should reassemble and pick up where we left off to move ahead. Peg will schedule. •OPED Patrick and Edgar worked to respond to the request of the Partnership to highlight activities around the arrival of the families from Puerto Rico. It was circulated for review. Peg requested it be held for awhile as events are still evolving. If it becomes a piece about the initial disorganization from the State to local level, that needs to be handled appropriately. If it becomes a piece expressing gratitude for those that stepped up in the local response, it needs to be inclusive. •Zoning Patrick reported that increasing mixed uses in mill buildings has been moving forward. He is in touch with the Planning Department and they will keep him apprised of when Partnership members can weigh in at public hearings, etc. Community Development Block Grant RFP Process Peg reviewed the program that disperses about $800,000 each year to projects and services that benefit people with low and moderate incomes. She described the Public Services component which funds 10-12 different programs. Interviews are held the second week of March. Rev. Weir represents the Partnership in that process. Discussion followed about the need for a playground at Hampshire Heights. Peg will talk to Edgar ab0ut pessible funding strategies that might be less complicated than CDBG, such as Community Preservation Committee funding. Community Housing Support Services Project Peg provided the update that the staff person has finally been hired by the Center for Human Development and will start the first week of March. Kyla and Jim reminded members of the need to locate long term funding sources. Election of Officers Rev. Weir agreed to serve another year and Patrick agreed to serve as Vice Chair another year. The vote in favor was unanimous. Thanks were given to both(!). Adjourn/ the meeting concluded at 7:10 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Peg Keller NORTHAMPTON HOUSING PARTNERSHIP Minutes March 5, 2018 Members Present: Rev. Todd Weir, Chair, Patrick Boughan, Vice-Chair, Gordon Shaw, Jim Reis, Becky Lockwood, Mark Goggins. Also present, Peg Keller, staff and Julio Alves, pending member. Call to Order: Chair Weir convened the meeting at 5:35 p.m. Introductions were made to Mr. Alves. The minutes were held until others arrived to achieve quorum. Strategic Planning Session Chair Weir began by saying the primary task for the evening is to review prior Action Plans and establish new goals for the coming year, defined as July 1, 2018 through June 30, 2019. Peg explained the Handouts. Jim stated a differentiation between member and staff responsibilities will help clarify and maximize member contributions and provide staff with additional assistance and support. The 2016 list was used as the basis for discussion. Highlights were as follows: Community Education •Done well in the past year •3 Op-Ed submissions on pertinent topics •Fair Housing Workshop held 11/14/17 well attended •Landlord Workshop held 2/13/18 well attended •Consider OP ED with other housing partnerships on regional issues •Workshop and NHP meeting locations could be rotated out into the community ( i.e. Meadowbrook Apts. Community Room) to reach tenants •Annual event/ had discussed holding annual Summits in the past, highlighting housing progress and challenges but never organized •Do an annual report and presentation to the City Council •Increase Networking/ NHP member presence at other events/organizations & invites to the NHP meetings building off of relevant connections For example: Domestic Violence organizations, Housing Developers ( Valley CDC, Habitat, Wayfinders, TCB), Friends of Hampshire County Homeless, Northampton Housing Authority, Realtors, Property Managers •Energy efficiency may not be a focus moving forward 1 j Mr. Alves asked if any of the work was cyclical in nature. Chair Weir described the Community Preservation Committee funding rounds (2 a year) which require support letters from the NHP. Peg described the HUD required 5 year Consolidated Plan and Annual Action plan reporting cycles. Needs Assessment •Consultant for Fair Housing Analysis of Impediments will do data collection Housing Plan (2011) used 2000 data, never updated for 2010 census •Members should review and identify census components and statistics worthy of note and track changes on a matrix •When kept updated, help inform us about community education direction and focusNew Unit Creation •Continue to observe Amherst Tax Abatement Program for applicability here •Continue to advocate for affordable housing projects via testimony and support letters •Schedule meetings with Planning Director and Permits Planner for updates on potential housing developments that could include affordable units •Establish time table for Partnership review and support of zoning revisions in order to provide testimony at public hearings and City Council meetings •*Receive periodic reports on private and municipal land availability for developmentPreservation •*Receive reports on status of Subsidized Housing Inventory •Work to maintain/exceed 10% threshold for subsidized units in the City •Continue to operate the Housing Rehabilitation Program with CDBG fundingFair Housing •*Major annual project/ Create RFP, Hire a consultant, produce a Fair Housing Impediments Analysis •Schedule workshops / community education eventsZoning •Continue to identify zoning constraints that create barriers to affordable housing development, work with Office of Planning and Sustainability. •Provide testimony and support at public hearings 2 *Examples of items in need of clarification regarding member role vs. staff roleSuggested additions to this year's list: Homelessness Prevention and Housing Stabilization Monitor Community Housing Support Services Project and work to identify longer term funding Inter-Departmental networking: Establish time table for Partnership review and support of zoning revisions in order to be able to provide testimony at public hearings and City Council meetings Other items discussed: •Affordable Housing Trust Fund: Research need for activation? Assignment ofCPCfunds?•Diversify member composition to include more voices of those we represent•Maintain/add resources to the City website•Identify speakers/guests we want to attend and schedule them•Need for a landlord workshop that addresses building code violationremediationIt was agreed that more time needs to be spent fleshing out these goals and assigning implementation responsibilities. Peg will create a draft for circulation and additional review will nccur at the April meeting. Other Agenda Items ❖Patrick described a program he has learned about called Nesterly. It is a webbased networking operation that matches people overhoused with peoplelooking for housing. Materials were distributed. More thought needs to be givento his pursuing this as an individual vs. NHP involvement.❖Live 155/ Wayfinders have funded a photographer and writer to document thehistory and residents of the former Northampton Lodging SRO. Opening isMarch 9th at Historic Northampton.Adjourn/ Meeting concluded at 7:20 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Peg Keller 3 NORTHAMPTON HOUSING PARTNERSHIP Minutes April 2, 2018 Members Present: Rev. Todd Weir, Chair, Mark Goggins, Richard Abuza, Julio Alves, Mike Roy, Kyla Prior, Gordon Shaw, Jim Reis. Also present, Peg Keller, staff. Members absent; Edgar Cancel, Becky Lockwood, Patrick Boughan. Call to Order: Chair Weir called the meeting to order at 5:32 p.m. The minutes from the March meeting were approved as submitted. Annual Action Plan Review Chair Weir began the discussion by asking members what they want to make sure we accomplish in the coming year. The priorities identified were: •Fair Housing -Analysis of Impediments •Housing Stabilization -monitoring and finding funding for the CHSSP •Community Education ( at the core of our activity components ) •Advocacy for Zoning Revisions Mike noted a goal could be to have been so successful with community education, that creation of new units would be accepted because all would be aware of the need. Members then worked their way through the draft action plan noting the following: Housing Stabilization The Northampton Housing Partnership sponsored Community Housing Support Services Project (CHSSP) existing funding will last 18 months. In the 6 months left before the new year of funding begins, we need to do the research to identify long term funding solutions (as the Community Preservation funds will probably not be available again) A meeting is being held next week with Center for Human Development staff, Peg and Gordon where this message will be delivered and a strategy developed. There is a contract between the Housing Partnership and CHD that Peg will review with the NHP describing requirements and accomplishment milestones. Jim noted DHCD, Community Action and Wayfinders Housing Consumer Education Center's as possible 1 ./ funders, as well as Meadowbrook and the Northampton Housing Authority. Kyla requested a specific timetable to insure we stay on track to locate funding. Peg noted that the Tenancy Preservation Project and the SRO Outreach Program also function in the community to stabilize housing. Specific tasks related to advocating for them will be spelled out further in the next Action Plan draft. Op Ed's A description of the aforementioned housing stabilization activities could be a future OP Ed topic. Kyla has the initial research for the project that she conducted as a Smith student! Quarterly submission schedule to the Gazette should continue, with pertinent topics identified as we move through the year. Lead Paint one is ready to go. (Submit final comments by Friday April 6/ thank you Patrick and Jim) Piece on refugee families still on hold. Kyla suggested in the future, a retrospective on the Live 155 project could be of interest. Fair Housing -Analysis of ImpedimentsSub-committee has met; Kyla reported on the timeline. Monthly updates will be provided to the full Partnership. o March 28th/ Met to review sample RFP's o April 11/ Meet to solicit comments on components to include in ours o April 30th/ Peg will draft, circulate and release o Month of May/ time period for people to respond o June: Conduct interviews, make selection o July-December 2018/ Project ImplementationCommunity Education o Annual report, presentation to the City CouncilMembers agreed both should occur; decided to plan for January/February 2019; will revisit in December 2018 as fall and spring are busy times for the Council. Annual summit could be done in conjunction with the Analysis of Impediments to launch the implementation recommendations, or to feature pertinent topics. Gordon mentioned rent control is being discussed again in eastern Mass. o Landlord WorkshopsPeg noted the January Mayor letter with a February workshop invitation schedule seems to be working. Gordon said there was a request for info. on code enforcement so maybe that could be included in the next session. o (OP ED's addressed above) 2 o Peg will bring power point on development opportunities in the City done at a public forum in 2013 to a future meeting.Community Collaborations Jim noted we should have an idea of what to suggest for possible areas of collaboration prior to inviting people/organizations to meetings. Develop schedule and at month prior to someone coming, discuss what to put forth/ask. Membership Add more members representing the constituents we are serving. Next Steps/ Todd and Peg will work together to transfer the goals, timing and implementation responsibilities to an excel spreadsheet for tracking purposes, and add a column for monthly progress. This will then be circulated electronically for review. Members were asked to send any additional thoughts in the next couple weeks. Peg will contact the Rec. Department for use of their van for a tour of affordable housing to coincide with the June meeting. Rotating meeting locations for the Partnership is also something to be planned and scheduled. Adjourn/ There being no further business to discuss, the meeting concluded at 7:05 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Peg Keller 3 NORTHAMPTON HOUSING PARTNERSHIP Minutes May 7, 2018 Members Present: Rev. Todd Weir, Chair, Patrick Boughan, Vice-Chair, Edgar Cancel, Kyla Prior, Gordon Shaw, Julio Alves, Richard Abuza, Becky Lockwood, Mike Roy. Also present: Peg Keller, staff, Joanne Campbell of Valley CDC and Rachana Crowley of The Community Builders. Call to Order: Chair Weir called the meeting to order at 5:37 p.m. All present were introduced. The minutes were approved as submitted. Village Hill North -Project Update Ms. Crowley and Ms. Campbell were present to provide an update on the two affordable housing projects at Village Hill. Highlights of that update are as follows: •65 units proposed; 53 in large building in rear, 12 in smaller mixed use building closer to the entrance of the complex. •January-February: Zoning approvals were obtained from the City•Upon an initial submission to the State for funding, they were not invited to submit a full application; next opportunity is February 2019.•In the meantime, the State created a new program called the Community Scale Housing Initiative to fund smaller projects of 20 units or less, in cities and towns with less than 200,000 population •TCBNCDC decided to separate out the smaller building from the larger One Stop application and apply for funding from the new program; deadline is May 16th. •They are asking that out of the initial CDBG award of $150,000 that $50,000 be specifically "assigned" to the 12 unit building. With $50,000 in CPA funding, both sources can indicate the local cash match. •The first floor of the new smaller building will house the TCB offices and commercial space. •The 12 unit building will contain 2 studio apartments, 8 one bedrooms and 2 two bedrooms. 1 •9 units will be for households with incomes up to 80% blended with 3 work force units which are up to 120 % of area median income •Affordability restrictions for the Community Scale Housing program are 50 years in duration; the work force units are for 40 years duration•They will wait for the next funding round (2019) for the larger building•Will go back to the CPC in the fall (2018) for more funding; 4 million dollars total development cost for 12 unit building•The Community Scale Program is a DHCD program and the Work Force Housing Program is a MassHousing program Mr. Abuza made a motion to support the recommendation to the Mayor that $50,000 in CDBG funding be allocated to this project. The motion was seconded by Mr. Boughan and the vote in favor was unanimous, with Mr. Alves abstaining. Since Joanne Campbell was here, she gave an update on other Valley CDC projects underway. LumberYard: The walls are going up at the LumberYard site, with a May 2019 anticipated completion date. Holyoke Street is now open and VCDC' s offices will be moving to the first floor of the part facing Holyoke Street. The 55 units of affordable housing will be at the 60% or less of area median income, with 11-12 being 30% or less. 2 units will be Community Based handicap accessible housing units (for people at-risk of institutionalization or already in one) through the Mass. Rehabilitation Commission. The building will be accessible and all units will be visitable. The 30% income level will be subsidized by Project Based Section 8 or MRVP vouchers. 82 Bridge Street/Sergeant House: 15 SRO units currently share 4 bathrooms, 1 kitchen and 1 common area. Building after renovation will offer 31 enhanced SRO units, all with their own kitchens and bathrooms. Building was purchased by Valley in 1990 and the front section dates back to 1820 and 1860. Two applications will be submitted to the State; one for the Supportive Housing Round was submitted in December. Wayfinders will manage the tax credit piece. Subsidies will still be needed. DHCD has done a site visit and VCDC is cautiously optimistic of funding in the first round(!) VCDC is having their second annual community block party to gather tenants together for fun and socializing -June 23rd. Having VCDC Board members join the NHP June affordable housing tour was briefly discussed. Joanne and Rachana were thanked for their presence and departed the meeting. 2 Action Plan Updates OP ED -the Lead Paint op ed (finally) ran. Thanks to Patrick and all for assembling it and seeing it through. Patrick talked about doing Google Drive to organize and house all relevant Partnership documents. Later in the meeting it was suggested by Kyla that housing stabilization supports could be the next topic (featuring the SRO Outreach Project, Community Housing Support Services Program, Tenancy Preservation Program, Community Legal Aid, etc.) Gordon will help. Meeting with Mayor: Patrick and Councilor O'Donnell had a meeting with the Mayor ( and Peg) to discuss housing issues. Patrick reported that the Mayor is supportive of ideas for policies being generated by the NHP, then submitted to him, then forwarded to the Council if appropriate. Topic Oriented Sub-Committee Patrick suggested that a sub-committee of the Partnership could be formed to dive deeper into topics that come up needing more attention than what can be allotted at the 1.5 hour regular monthly meeting. Possible topics could be: following up on the work Mike Roy did on tax abatement strategies, comparing the functions/powers of a housing trust vs. housing partnership, regulatory barriers, CPC allocation ratios. Members discussed ad hoc sub-committee formation that would rotate membership composition based on topics of interest, vs. a standing committee that would address each topic that came up. Mike, Kyla and Julio expressed interest in this sub-committee work. Discussion will continue. Hampshire HeightsUpdate Peg asked Edgar for an update on the plan to create a playground on site. He reported that GrowFood Northampton and Healthy Hampshire are working to create community gardens at public housing complexes. Peg updated members on her meeting with Lynn King, the Resident Services Coordinator and Jack Redman, Senior Manager for Section 8 and Public Housing programs. Lynn works only on the Federal properties but the NHA has found funding and is hiring up for an RSC to work on State properties as well. This is great news. More discussion will occur on the playground plan, once sites for the community gardens are solidified. Analysis of Impediments Schedule Peg will finish up the draft, circulate it for comment and release it. Interviews can be scheduled for mid-July for an August 1 launch. 3 Zoning Sub-Committee Patrick is following the work and schedule of zoning revisions being proposed by the Planning office. Carolyn is keeping in touch about the progress. Revisions are moving ahead related to district reconfigurations. A Gazette article presented the infill discussion well. Patrick, as an individual, is developing a blog entitled YIMBY, and is developing a list of affordable housing advocates to call on for events such as public testimony for zoning changes that remove barriers to affordable housing construction. Homelessness Issues This was raised as a possible area of work for the Housing Partnership. Peg stated that there are many groups working on those issues, but updates to the NHP are critical and should be done regularly. There was more of a link when Lynne Wallace, Chair of the Leadership Council of the Western Mass Network to End Homelessness was on the Housing Partnership. Upcoming Meeting Schedule June -Tour of Affordable Housing sites July-Prioritize work to be done over next several months Meeting to be held off site at the Hampshire Heights Community Room August -No meeting Adjourn/ the meeting concluded at 7:10 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Peg Keller 4 CITY OF NORTHAMPTON Office of the Mayor City Hall, 210 Main Street Northampton, MA 01060-3199 (413) 587-1288 Fax: (413) 587-1275 NORTHAMPTON HOUSING PARTNERSHIP Meeting Notice DATE: June 4, 2018 TIME: 4:45 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. PLACE: Smith Vocational High School Parking Lot AGENDA This month's meeting at City Hall will be replaced by a van tour of affordable housing properties in the City for Housing Partnership members. The next regular business meeting will be July 2nd at 5:30 p.m.in City Hall. Peg Keller Housing and Community Development Planner 587-1288 pkeller@northamptonma.gov NORTHAMPTON HOUSING PARTNERSHIP Minutes July 9, 2018 Members Present: Rev. Todd Weir, Chair, Patrick Boughan, Vice-Chair, Gordon Shaw, Jim Reis, Kyla Prior, Edgar Cancel, Mike Roy, Mark Goggins. Also present, Peg Keller, staff and Alex Jarrett, an interested citizen. Meeting Location: Community Room, Hampshire Heights Housing Complex. Call to Order: Chair Weir convened the meeting at 5:35 p.m. The minutes from the June meeting were approved as amended. Hampshire Heights Activity Update Edgar reported on a number of events happening at the housing complex including movie nights, opioid epidemic education and Narcan use instruction, recycling, food distribution by Casa Latina, Healthy Hampshire and Grow Food Northampton. The residents have an application in to the Housing Authority to create a formal tenants association. The process has taken a long time, but they hope to have their association recognized and sanctioned, with an operating budget, soon. Guest Welcomed Chair Weir acknowledged Mr. Jarrett and asked what brought him to the meeting. Mr. Jarrett operates the Peddle People organization and it is important to him that the community be able to offer diverse housing options for his employees. He himself purchased a home with three other (non-related) people and wants to encourage that as an ownership model. Chair Weir then provided some background on the work of the Partnership. He was thanked for his interest. Van Tour Feedback Peg asked members about their impressions of the housing observed on the van tour. Kyla said she was not aware that affordable housing locations were so spread out across the City and on the outskirts. Mr. Alves question at the end of the tour -how do people access the housing-is a valid question that the Partnership should work on, with increased information on the City's website. Barriers to access will be a topic in the Analysis of Impediments, as well. It was agreed we should conduct the tour biennially. Analysis of Impediments -Consultant Selection Update The Request for Qualifications will be sent out tomorrow. Todd, Gordon, Jim, Julio, Kyla, Becky and Mike offered to participate in the interviews. Questions should be determined ahead of time, so each consultant is asked a similar set for comparison purposes. Kyla will doodle the group to determine dates. The proposals will be 1 returned, questions defined, interviews scheduled, held and consultant selected to begin work on August 1st. Zoning Sub-Committee Patrick reported that there has been no movement in the Planning Office. He said there was some negative public reaction to the infill article. Jim suggested that a future OP ED topic could be "Green Zoning". It was suggested that Wayne and/or Carolyn be invited to a Partnership meeting for an update on planning and zoning activity. Community Housing Support Services Program Update Peg reported that the Coordinator that was finally hired, has resigned (3 months after her hiring). She said the Center for Human Development is not as responsive as they could be to their Northampton Programs and posited that the Partnership might want to consider putting out another RFP for a different agency to administer the program. The motion to investigate this possibility was made and seconded; the vote in favor was unanimous. Peg has a meeting scheduled with the CHD Program Supervisors. She will report back after that meeting to plan a course of action. OPED Kyla said she would begin to draft a piece on the value of housing stabilization programs that prevent homelessness. The SRO Outreach Program, the Tenancy Preservation Program and our CHSSP would be featured. Special Topics Sub-Committee Patrick reported that he, Jim, Mike, Kyla and Julio had volunteered for this group. The charge will be to dive more deeply into topics the Partnership as a whole does not have time to devote to. Patrick has put important Partnership documents on a Google drive to share and research on topics has begun. The sub-committee will meet later in July and early August, and report back in September. September Meeting The meeting will be held on Sept. 10th, as the first Monday is Labor Day. Patrick and Todd will update the work plan. Wayne and Carolyn will be invited to the October meeting and arrangements will be made to hold the meeting at Meadowbrook Apartments. Adjourn/ The meeting concluded at 7:10 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Peg Keller 2 NORTHAMPTON HOUSING PARTNERSHIP Minutes Septemberl0,2018 Members Present: Rev. Todd Weir, Chair, Patrick Boughan, Vice-chair, Richard Abuza, Julio Alves, Mike Roy , Gordon Shaw, Becky Lockwood. Mark Goggins, Jim Reis. Also present, Peg Keller, staff and interested citizen Alex Jarrett. Members absent; Kyla Prior, Edgar Cancel. Call to Order: Chair Weir called the meeting to order at 5:35 p.m. Introductions were made and all were welcomed. Minutes from the July meeting were approved as submitted. (No meeting was held in August). Timekeeping Proposal -Chair Weir said he and Patrick included time allotments for agenda items, to insure all items in need of attention get discussed. He welcomed feedback on its effectiveness, moving forward. Emerson Way Update Members discussed the Emerson Way subdivision project. The Planning Board recently gave permission for the developer to create some of the affordable units off site. Peg said she sent a letter suggesting any future project that mandates the creation of affordable units in exchange for zoning relief include phasing requirements and deadlines. Rich Madowitz was going to work with Habitat to create 6 units at the Burt's Bog site, but Habitat has opted out. (They will continue moving forward on the original 3 units they contracted for earlier at that site). Jim made a motion to send a letter to the Planning Director, Permits Planner and the Planning Board asking that: a timely resolution to this 15 year old project be pursued, that the Housing Partnership be kept informed and that the NHP is available to assist. The motion was seconded by Gordon; vote in favor was unanimous. Action Plan Updates Fair Housing/ Analysis of Impediments Update -Gordon reported that three firms had been interviewed and the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission had been selected. Members elaborated on the reasons for the selection. Gordon then made a motion to recommend the selection of PVPC to the full Partnership, seconded by Becky. The vote in favor was unanimous. Next steps include a meeting of the sub-committee to prepare for the first meeting with the Consultant. A date for next week will be selected. Jim offered for all Partnership members to communicate any issues they wanted to see addressed to be submitted to him for inclusion in the discussion and work scope developed with PVPC. CHSSP Update -Peg reported that the Center for Human Development has hired a gentleman by the name of Jose Cruz. She has scheduled a meeting with Mr. Cruz and attorneys at 1 Community Legal Aid, who have offered to orient him about community resources and Court activity and personnel. She suggested a sub-committee of the Housing Partnership be formed to actively pursue the identification of funding sources to sustain the program beyond the Community Preservation Committee allocation. Policy Sub-Committee -Patrick reported that the sub-committee is working on understanding the guiding policies and the role of the Partnership as articulated in the City's Administrative Code. There is a brief description of duties in the Code section, as well as the 'Multi-member appointive organization" section. Those narratives were reviewed. In order to be in compliance with those City codes, the sub-committee recommended the following actions: •CD BG housing proiect -funding proposal recommendations to the Mayor: That NHP membersbe educated about the CDBG approval process and implement the review procedure asarticulated in the Administrative Code. Also, that the role stipulated in the CommunityPreservation Committee operational guidelines which require NHP review of housingprojects coming before them, be articulated in the NHP admin. Code.Jim made a motion to approve the recommendation, seconded by Richard. The vote in favor was unanimous. Internal Organization: states there should be a Chair, Vice-Chair and Clerk. Election of a clerk will be conducted at the October meeting. ■ ■ ■ Election of Officers: shall take place at the first meeting after July 1. Recommendation is to elect officers at the October meeting to be in compliance. ■ ■ Board Diversity: Analyze goals for the work, the skill-sets needed and recruit in accordance. Members agreed to support this pursuit and identified the need for more women and representatives of sub-populations experiencing housing access issues and cost burdens. Members agreed name plates would be helpful to new members and guests. Mission statement and new member orientation materials are also being worked on. OP-Ed Update Kyla asked that she not be responsible for creating the next piece. Members confirmed that housing stabilization was the topic previously selected. Jim and Gordon agreed to work on it. Other Business Action Plan Spread Sheet was reviewed and updated. July meeting follow up -Peg suggested the home ownership model noted by Alex Jarrett could be a topic for the Policy Sub-Committee & increasing the web presence on accessing affordable housing as noted by Julio. Hampshire Hts. updates should be given often. Increased tenant representation on the Housing Authority Board-Patrick reported on this action being pursued by City Councilor Ryan O'Donnell (to increase tenant slots from 2 to 6) Adjourn/ the meeting concluded at 7:lOp.m. Respectfully submitted, Peg Keller 2 NORTHAMPTON HOUSING PARTNERSHIP Minutes October 1, 2018 Members Present: Chair Todd Weir, Kyla Prior, Becky Lockwood, Gordon Shaw, Julio Alves, Richard Abuza, Edgar Cancel. Also present, 3 Meadowbrook tenants, Michael Sciabek Property Manager, Alex Jarrett, interested citizen, Peg Keller, staff. Call To Order: Chair Weir called the meeting to order at 5:40 p.m. All present introduced themselves. The meeting was held at the Meadowbrook Apartments. Meadowbrook Presentation Mr. Sciabek reported that he has been on the job for two months. The complex contains 252 units composed of households with mixed incomes in 28 different buildings. There are one, two, three and four bedroom units, with most being two bedrooms. Preservation of Affordable Housing (POAH) purchased the property in 2005. Half of the tenants have mobile Section 8 Housing Choice vouchers. 24 of the units are market rate. There are 125 children in the development. There is a Community Impact Coordinator (Resident Services Coordinator) that organizes many events and offerings for tenants, such as the Summer Lunch Program. Many capital improvements have been made over the last two years, such as roof and boiler replacements, as well as unit upgrades. POAH supports resident services and community partnerships. Mr. Sciabek then departed the meeting and the residents spoke. Resident Rebecca Martin said there was a positive shift when Violet Matos became the CICoordinator. Health care and education became a focus and many activities were held that supported tenant growth and empowerment. Kids programming included arts, dance and music and she herself has tried to write grants for such activities. Cooley Dickinson Hospital sponsored their Art Show, Hampshire Healthy Connect and Grow Smart Northampton promoted healthy eating and now comes to the site with produce, the residents are having meetings to start a community garden, and there is community connectivity. Rebecca has been there 8 years and has tried to form a tenants association. She said there have been many staff changes in management and many many unit inspections. Mr. Alves asked why it has been difficult to form the association. The reply was that staff is not trauma informed, meetings had too much venting and too little positive action. People wanted a safe place to talk and that got in the way of organization. She 1 hopes there can be a way to bridge the communication gap and get a better flow of information. All were thanked for their presence and candor. Gordon offered to look into the report that many people's rents were going up in the near future. They were invited to stay for the remainder of the meeting. Fair Housing Analysis Update Peg reported on the progress of the effort. The first meeting with PVPC has been held. The consultant will submit a draft survey and engagement plan soon, to launch the effort. Op-Ed Kyla said she is working on a draft. Members said it could include an update on unit production, the Analysis of Impediments and stabilization programs. November Meeting/ invitations will be extended to Wayne and Carolyn to attend to give planning and zoning updates. Mr. Alves asked about the 12 unit project on South Street. Members decided the review process, to ascertain if there was any discussion about including affordable units in that project, would be good to pose to the Planning Dept. staff. Peg noted that the Tech review meetings to review projects are often too late to impact that decision. Policy Committee Kyla distributed information the Committee has compiled on voting procedures, open meeting law requirements and a glossary. She asked that the materials be reviewed prior to the next meeting. Misc./ Chair Weir reported that he had attended the Blessing of the Site, on Glendale Road where Habitat is building 4 affordable homes. He said it was a moving event and was glad he was able to represent the Partnership for the dedication. Adjourn/ The meeting concluded at 7:10 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Peg Keller 2 NORTHAMPTON HOUSING PARTNERSHIP Minutes November 5, 2018 Members Present: Rev. Todd Weir, Chair, Patrick Boughan, Vice-Chair, Richard Abuza, Kyla Prior, Jim Reis, Edgar Cancel, Julio Alves. Members absent, Gordon Shaw, Mark Goggins, Michael Roy, Becky Lockwood. Also present, Alex Jarrett, new member awaiting confirmation and Peg Keller, staff. Call To Order Chair Weir called the meeting to order at 5:35 p.m. Due to the lack of quorum, no action was taken on the minutes or the election of officers. Fair Housing Sub-Committee Update Peg reported that a meeting had been held with Pioneer Valley Planning Commission at which the community engagement plan and survey were discussed. PVPC followed up with more detailed submissions which have been reviewed. Peg noted that a conference call is scheduled for tomorrow morning. Discussion ensued and the following was concluded: -Request them to provide 3-5 suggested names for the effort, that will be a themecarried through posters, fliers, Face book posts and all outreach that conveyswhat we are trying to accomplish in terms everyone can understand-Survey document needs work/ Jim's re-draft has been sent. Less emphasis isneeded on the actual laws and more on soliciting personal experiences.-Focus groups should also be held with downtown workers through theDowntown Northampton Association and the Pioneer Valley Workers Center-( If the groups we want to do outreach to exceed the number PVPC is willing toconduct, we could do some on our own)-Hampshire Heights and Florence Heights could be combined to one meeting atone of the sites (public housing complexes for families)-McDonald House & Salvo House could be combined (younger disabled &elderly)-Post-incarcerated people with CORI histories is an important constituency-Hampshire County Resource Center at 43 Center Street is Northampton's entryportal for those experiencing homelessness/ could pull a group together as wellas service providers that do housing search for participants there -Stakeholder interviews should be held over two days, rather than just one to allow for revisions to be made if necessary -Focus groups could be held off until January/February to be informed by stakeholder interviews and survey results-Full Partnership wants to weigh in on survey document Peg agreed to update the Partnership after the phone call in the morning. Policy Committee Update Patrick asked Julio and Jim to present the Mission Statement that they worked on. Peg noted the full name of the CDBG program. People liked the content and length. Patrick asked Kyla to present the New Member Guide and Glossary. Discussion followed about the types of skillsets suggested for member recruitment purposes. Copy editing was included as the Partnership does create documents that circulate in the public domain. Richard felt it was incongruous with housing, but saw the point. Adding "homeless or formerly homeless" as an area to be represented, was suggested. Discussion followed that further defined Little a vs. Big A affordability. Comments should be forwarded to Kyla by the end of next week. Members were thanked for all their work on these critical organizational components. Patrick said all comments will be reviewed by the sub-committee which will meet again in November. Final documents will be submitted for approval in December. Action Plan Updates -OP ED/ Kyla presented her draft addressing the issues of affordable housing production, housing stabilization and the fair housing project. She was thanked for this first draft; comments should be sent to her by the end of the month. Ideally it could run with the dates of the public session(s) for the AI project. -Village Hill Testimony-Chair Weir will attend the CPC hearing on Nov. 7 to support the 65 units of affordable housing proposed at Village Hill. Julio may attend as well.-Planning Board Chair and staff will be invited to the January meeting. -Edgar Cancel was congratulated on getting the Hampshire Hts. Tenant Association officially designated, and updated members on other developments. Adjourn/ The meeting concluded at 7:05 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Peg Keller NORTHAMPTON HOUSING PARTNERSHIP Minutes December 3, 2018 Members Present: Rev. Todd Weir, Chair; Patrick Boughan, Vice Chair, Richard Abuza, Jim Reis, Edgar Cancel, Julio Alves. Also present, Peg Keller, staff. Call to Order: Chair Weir called the meeting to order at 5:40 p.m. A quorum of the board was not present. A discussion ensued regarding reverting to the prior practice of having quorum consist of the majority of the active membership, as opposed to the entire 15 member allowable composition (a number that has never been achieved). Fair Housing Sub-Committee Report Peg said she needed to focus on the survey, incorporate the member's comments and communicate with PVPC. She will check with staff there regarding the time table for the hiring of a new staff person. Members felt it would be better to wait to launch the stakeholder and focus group sessions when the new staffer was in place, in order to have consistency in the process. The name of the effort still needs to be determined, and the 6 groups that PVPC has agreed to facilitate need to be prioritized. Policy Sub-Committee o The Mission Statement was reviewed. Discussion followed about locking in the median income amount, as that fluctuates, so the sentence was revised. Vice­ Chair Boughan made a motion to endorse the mission statement as revised, seconded by Mr. Reis. The vote in favor was unanimous. o The Committee Membership section was reviewed. Vice-Chair Boughan made a motion to endorse the section as submitted, (with further research on the LGBTQ reference to determine what is currently correct terminology) with a second from Mr. Abuza. The vote in favor was unanimous. o The New Member Guide was being revised by Ms. Prior, but due to her absence, a current version was not available. This will be reviewed at the January meeting. Due to the lack of a quorum, these votes were endorsements; formal votes will be taken when the Partnership has a quorum. The Sub-Committee will not meet in December. Op-Ed Ms. Prior was going to revise the Op-Ed based on member comments. Mr. Reis felt we were falling behind with our plan to submit pieces to the Gazette quarterly. Peg will solidify the dates for the AI public sessions so they can be included in the submission. Zoning Sub-Committee Wayne Feiden (Planning Director), Carolyn Misch (Permits Planner) and Tess Poe (Planning Board Chair) have been invited to attend the January meeting of the Partnership to give updates on zoning revisions being considered. Community Preservation Committee Update Chair Weir and Mr. Alves attended the CPC meeting and provided testimony for the Village Hill affordable housing project. Rev. Weir said there were 3-5 people who spoke in favor and the room was packed with others supporting different projects. The Committee awarded the project $150,000 as opposed to the $300,000 that was requested. Vice-Chair Boughan suggested a case be made to the City Council regarding the need to fully fund housing projects. The Partnership then discussed possible next steps. Members decided on the following: •We would start the dialog with the CPC, rather than going to the City Council. •Chair Weir would attend the CPC meeting on 12/5 and ask for time on their agenda sometime in the future to discuss how to address housing projects that continue to grow in expense while CPC resources diminish.•Chair Weir relayed information he had obtained from Valley CDC about a gap in the project, and how having to come before the CPC in multiple rounds to secure needed funds, adds time and expense to projects. •There is a perception that if developers cannot get sufficient local funds, they can just get it from the State. VCDC info. debunks that myth. •Chair Weir will ask about the possibility of bonding for housing projects, similar to what is done for other CPC projects. Patrick will compile the current data on the percentage of CPC funds going for housing projects, to compare with the other categories. Adjourn/ The meeting concluded at 7:05 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Peg Keller FOLLOW UP TASKS PERSON (S) DATE Attend CPC hearing Todd 12/5/2018 Move AI forward Peg/ committee 12/7/2018 Compile current CPC stats Patrick 12/21/2018 Finalize Member Guide Kyla 12/21/2018 Finalize Op-Ed Kyla and members 12/21/2018 Prepare ?' s for Jan. mtng. Patrick, Todd & members 12/21/2018