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HousingPartnershipMinutes1996NORTHAMPTON HOUSING PARTNERSHIP Members Present: Minutes January 16, 1996 Richard Abuza, Chair; Clare Higgins, Judy Cernak, Alex Ghiselin, Shelley Abend, Bruce Fogel, David Murphy, Laura Baker, Chuck Johnson, Louise Jeffway. Also present, Peg Keller and Wayne Feiden. Call to Order: Richard Abuza called the meeting to order at 7:12 p.m. At this time, there was not a quorum yet present. Public Comment Period: There was no one present for the public comment period. Minutes: Minutes were not approved due to the lack of quorum at the beginning of the meeting. Zoning Discussion: Wayne Feiden had been invited to the meeting to continue the discussion of lot size averaging and affordable housing incentives. Highlights of the discussion included the following: -there are currently two forms of density bonus in the ordinance/the residential incentive overlay district has been on the booksfor eight years and no one has used it; primarily because one canachieve greater density with a comprehensive permit (Pines Edgewas the only comp. permit)-the other form is with the cluster by-law which allows a 15%bonus density for the inclusion of affordable units/ no one hasused it since it was put into the ordinance in 1991-Wayne prefers to see how by-laws work before revising them, butin this case, he offered to pursue the expansion of the densitybonus city-wide if that was the desire of the Partnership/ withthe exception of water protection areas, and what is alreadycovered in the cluster and PUD (planned unit development) by-laws-Members reviewed proposed language changes-Wayne then returned to the discussion of lot size averaging whichoriginally prompted the discussion of expanding the availabilityof the density bonus-Planning Board felt that the recommendation of the Partnership tolink the density bonus for lot size averaging to the creation ofaffordable housing units did not deal with the density issue andthey should be kept separate in the language pg. 2 - Members felt that we should support something that has widerapplicability than just a neighborhood Richard asked on behalf of the entire Partnership that the Zoning Sub-Committee take a closer look at the language proposed and report back at the next meeting. David Murphy agreed and asked Wayne if he would meet with he and Alex. Wayne agreed. Sub-Committee Reports Preservation Shelley reported that at the meeting held earlier in the day, Jerry Joseph from Community Builders attended to discuss the expiring use issue with she, Richard and Peg. Based on that information and some garnered from a conference she attended in Worcester, it seems that the only way Hampton Gardens will receive funding from the Federal government is if they sell the property. Our local strategy will be to contact the owner and see if that is their plan and offer to work with them to locate a "priority purchaser". HUD seems to be moving away from long term subsidies of any kind and is not funding "stay-in" plans, at least this year. Peg followed up on a concern raised by Laura Baker regarding the overall percentage of subsidized units in the City should Hampton Gardens convert to market rate. She reported that the current percentage is 11.52 and with the loss of those units we would drop to 10.2 % . (10 % is the rate acceptable to the State and Feds in order to receive funding). Members discussed the tax incentives that are no longer benefitting the property owners. If the owners are interested in selling the property, there is a short time frame available to be eligible for HUD funding to finance the buyout. Shelley made a motion to have the Mayor and/or Partnership communicate to the owners our willingness to assist them if they choose to sell the property and offer our resources in locating a buyer should they so desire. The motion was seconded by Judy Cernak and the vote was unanimous. Shelley encouraged members to enter into a dialogue with staff from the Anti-Displacement Project to determine if they were going to organize the tenants at Hampton Gardens and to get an update on the status of the Federal legislation. Shelley said it would make sense to invite them to a meet ing of the full Partnership. pg. 3 She reported that the design of the Lead Paint Abatement Program was moving along with a few loose ends remaining. The Preservation Sub-Committee will be meeting again soon to work on that, as the issue of expiring use has taken up alot of their time. Finance Judy reported that the Sub-Committee is planning a forum for bankers to discuss their participation in the Soft Second program and the issue of the mortgage companies not being regulated by the CRA. Clare mentioned that Joe Kennedy was doing work on that issue and Shelley said that the Mass. Association on Affordable Housing is also working on it. Shelley will get Peg the information. Members were reminded that there is still no authorization from the Federal level to allow Block Grant funds to be dispersed for Homebuyer programs. The authorization expired September 30th and has gotten hung up in the budget battle. John Dunne said he gets calls daily and has applied to the Office of Planning and Development for an operating grant in order to avoid this happening every year. Penny is researching the feasibility of this. It was mentioned that the Hilltown CDC's Small Cities Grant award includes funds to start a First Time Homebuyer program in Easthampton and was to have used the Valley CDC for staff capacity. John is evaluating his staff configuration at this time. Project Review Laura reported .that the Sub-Committee has been working on finalizing the project review criteria and the Request for Proposals for the development of 3 bedroom units. The application has also been revised. She said they have been strategizing how to proceed on the redevelopment of the Verona Street property and the Smith Voe. farmhouse was scheduled for a tour but that project seems to be up in the air now. She expressed concern that the Block Grant funds are not being utilized and that developing the RFP's has taken a long time. Clare said that if all the pieces come together, ( the First-Time Homebuyer Program, the Lead Paint Abatement effort, and the 3 bedroom RFP) we should be OK. Zoning David reported that the survey project was awaiting the compilation of the 1995 assessors data to give to Smith College. Peg said the information is now available and Wayne will be getting it to Smith. pg. 4 Announcements Peg reported the following: -funding for the Grove Street Inn seems sufficient and secured forthis fiscal year so there will probably not be a deficit/ this isdue to the line item added to the State budget but there are noguarantees for future years/ meetings will be occurring in thenear future regarding the funding and the program at the Inn toassess the long term picturefunding for Jessie's House is now uncertain/ the Department ofTransitional Assistance ( formerly Public Welfare) has changedtheir referral policy and the shelter only gets paid for bedsfilled and they are not being filled with DTA families/a meeting is scheduled with the Mayor's Office, staff ofJessie's House and Sen. Rosenberg's office to develop a strategyfor the next fiscal yearthe Valley CDC is being required to relocate all the tenantsfrom the South Street project while rehab takes place/ originallypeople were going to be moved around inside the building whilework was done in phases but one of the final funding sources saidthat construction costs could be saved by being able to work onthe entire building at one time.A meeting is being held with all the local housing providers toidentify locations for the residents.the Cottage Kitchen is now called the Florence Inn and will becompleted on schedule. There is an open house planned forFebruary 2 at 2:30 p.m. and members of the Partnership areinvited to attend. Tenant selection will occur soon and thedesign is to have a resident managed house.The Emergency Shelter Cot Program is serving twice the number ofhomeless people as last year and the clientele is causing moreproblems for the volunteers. The safety of these untrained peopleis being called into question and a meeting of the Cot Programsub-committee of the Next Step Planning Collaborative willaddress this issue. The waiting list for Grove Street is 50+with part of the problem being that there is no place to go fromeither Grove Street or Jessie's House.Peg will be organizing some meetings to discuss the localhomelessness strategy and how to create additional affordablehousing in the community/ Adjourn There being no further business to discuss, the meeting was adjourned at 9:10 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Peg !��tl�Program Coordinator NORTHAMPTON HOUSING PARTNERSHIP Minutes February 20, 1996 Members Present: Richard Abuza, Chair; Laura Baker, Clare Higgins, Chuck Johnson, Alex Ghiselin, David Murphy, Louise Jeffway, Yvonne Freccero. Also present, Wayne Feiden (Principal Planner), Peg Keller (Housing Program Coordinator) and John Dunne, Director of the Valley Community Development Corporation. Call to Order Chairman Abuza called the meeting to order at 7:08 p.m. Members welcomed Yvonne Freccero to the Partnership and introduced themselves. Public Comment Period No one was present from the public, except John Dunne. Lot Size Averaging Wayne explained that the reason for the discussion this evening was to take formal action on the proposed ordinance for lot size averaging for the City Council. He reviewed the original language and related the comments of the Planning Board. The concepts of lot size averaging and density bonuses were described again. Clare made a motion to approve the ordinance as presented. Alex seconded the motion. Discussion followed. The vote was 2 in favor, 5 opposed with 1 abstention and 1 non-voting. Therefore, the motion did not pass. Clare made a motion to recommend that the ordinance be amended to allow inclusion of the excluded lots if the units made possible by including those lots are permanently affordable housing units. The motion was seconded by Chuck. The vote was 6 in favor, 2 opposed and 1 abstention. It was agreed that the additional language drafted by Wayne which deals with the expanding the bonus density city-wide, will be pursued further at the sub-committee level. Request for Funds Laura reported on the request from the Valley CDC for a loan of $50,000 to cover tenant relocation costs during the renovation of the South Street property. This was an unforeseen expense. ( 2) The amount has already been authorized through the HOME program but it is only reimbursable at the completion of the project. The Project Review Sub-Committee recommended to the Partnership that the loan be awarded. John Dunne elaborated on the request by adding that the structural analysis done most recently indicated that it would be unsafe to allow people to remain in the building while work was being done. He reviewed the budget figures accompanying his request. (see attached). He said that the $50,000 can be earmarked directly to the City and that the building is supposed to be back in service by 12/31/96. Of the 17 units, 9 are left to be relocated. Chuck made a motion to accept the recommendation of the Project Review Sub-Committee and approve the loan to the CDC in the amount of $50,000 for tenant relocation costs to be paid at project completion or by January 31, 1997. Clare seconded the motion. The vote was 7 in favor, 1 opposed and 1 abstention. Chairmanship Richard stated that he has been serving as chair of the Partnership for two years. He suggested that anyone interested in being the chair should speak to Peg or himself. An election shall be held at the March meeting. Sub-Committee Reports Preservation Richard reported that the sub-committee has been continuing to work on the expiring use issue. Caroline Murray of the Anti-Displacement Project attended the last meeting to update members on the issue as it stands nationally and state-wide and her organizations plans with regard to Hampton Gardens specifically. He said that no action from the Partnership is required at this time and there is not much we can do locally unless the property owner ( Spear Management) decides to sell the complex. He did mention that some communities are investigating the possibility of a home rule action that would restrict rents at Federally funded properties. A locally supported Home Rule petition would then go to the State legislature. Members felt that this route would be problematic for Northampton but the progress of such activity across the State will be monitored. Richard summarized by saying that the desires of the Partnership and City to see that housing remains affordable at Hampton Gardens is a message that has been communicated to the owner. The Sub­Committee will continue to monitor the situation. ( 3) It does appear that the Anti-Displacement Project whose sole mission it is to educate and organize tenants in expiring use properties will be starting work at the complex within this week. Their goal is to educate tenants about the process and their rights within that process and ultimately encourage the owner to sell the property to a tenant based entity. Ms. Murray will keep us posted. (She had originally been scheduled to attend the Partnership meeting but was unable so she came to the Preservation Sub­Commit tee instead.) Project Review Laura reported that the RFP for the development of three bedroom units (or larger) is ready to go out. It has been revamped several times but is ready to be mailed and advertised. The response time will be relatively short ( one month ) but hopefully it will generate some interest. Members will begin work on the RFP for sheltering populations at­risk and continue to work on the re-use plan for the Verona Street parcel. Finance Chuck reported that the sub-committee did not meet but he has gathered some information on the issue of the mortgage companies presence in the residential mortgage realm and the fact that they are not regulated by the CRA. Discussion followed and members suggested contacting the Federal representatives (Kennedy) and schedule a meeting with them. Members felt that this was an issue worth putting some Partnership energy into. The Sub-Committee will continue its efforts. David asked about the lead paint effort and Richard updated him on the efforts of the Preservation Sub-Committee. The RFP for an administering agency is almost complete and HAP is compiling a "safe unit" inventory of units that have been deleaded in the region. This will help tenants identify safe living environments. Zoning David reported that the assessor's data has been given to Smith College for entering. The project is moving along. Adjourn There being no further business to discuss, the meeting was adjourned at 8:50 p.m. Respectfully submitted, K Peg Keller, Housing Program Coordinator P PUBLIC HEARING Purpose: NORTHAMPTON HOUSING PARTNERSHIP Minutes March 19, 1996 A Public Hearing, in preparation of a Consolidated Plan Action Plan for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development was held to determine housing needs and programs to address those needs. The hearing, sponsored by the Northampton Housing Partnership began at 7:10 p.m. was adjourned at 8:10 p.m.and was held in the City Council Chambers of Northampton City Hall. In Attendance: Mayor Mary Ford; Penelope Kim, Director of Office of Planning and Development; Peg Keller, Housing Program Coordinator; Peg Murray, Florence Savings Bank; Sharon Simonton, Director of the Grove Street Inn and Cot Program; Judith Kohatsu, Hampshire Inter-Faith Council, Next Step Planning Collaborative and Christ United Methodist Church; Irene Lamson, Director, Council on Aging; members of the Northampton Housing Partnership, Laura Baker, Yvonne Freccero, Nola Reinhardt, Clare Higgins. Clare Higgins, acting Chair for the Partnership opened the public hearing and introduced Penny Kim. Ms. Kim described the process being undertaken. This session is the second in a series of Public Hearings being held to identify community needs. The City will then take these into consideration when determining how to allocate Block Grant funds for FY97. Ms. Kim then reviewed the FY96 activities and the CDBG amounts that have been allocated for them. Handouts were available listing this information. Ms. Kim also summarized results of the resident and agency surveys that had been received to date with regard to public services and housing. She described the activity areas; infrastructure, accessibility, housing and public services. She went on to say that the amount available for the coming year was unknown due to the fact that the Federal budget has not yet been approved. The Department, however, is proceeding on the assumption that an amount will be received. Ms. Kim then reviewed the time table for the creation of the draft plan, which will be available April 2, 1996; the Requests for Proposals for programs to meet the needs that are identified will be due May 1st. The final plan documenting how the City will allocate its Community Development Block Grant funds will be submitted to HUD on May 15, 1996. ( 2) Preliminary Survey Results Residential surveys were distributed widely. Construction of new rental units has appeared as a priority. The need for transitional housing was expressed by a number of agencies. The need for emergency sheltering and support services was also expressed. Public Hearino Comments/ The following areas of need were identified: Emergency Sheltering -40% increase in the need for shelter seen this year at GroveStreet Inn and the Cot Program-the resources of the continuum/ Cot Program, Grove Street, DayProgram (at Grove Street) are maximized and strained/-high need exists for a stable foundation for these components ofthe continuum-seeing increase in young pregnant and parenting adults and youngadults-need for more program development, life skills training throughthe Day Program-seeing higher need clients at Cot Program/ strain on thevolunteers/ need for training-population at Cot Program is more at risk/ need linkage withsubstance abuse system/ need for detox locally-paid staff could enhance coordination-Cot Program needs paid over-night staff-family shelter seeing more young adults and pregnant teensneed additional resources Transitional Housing -50-70% of those at Grove Street are working/ no place for themto move on to-need more transitional housing/ bottle neck at the Inn, nosober housing or SRO vacancies/ need those units-need jobs that provide a living wage-need one bedroom units, more sober housing, more transitionalunits accessible to public transportation and jobs-holistic approach requires available, affordable units and jobs Home Repair need for home repair for elderly and non-elderly/ seeing need for more extensive housing rehab/ 1st time owner rehab -discussed life tenancy option in exchange for rehab, linkage withLand Trust, banks (3) Other -need to preserve existing SRO's/ provide support services-address range of housing needs/ permanently affordable units-critical to monitor/plan for expiring use properties/ preserveexisting affordable rental units-need to address lead paint abatement-need for larger, lead-free, affordable units for families PARTNERSHIP MEETING The meeting was convened after the public hearing was closed; at 8:10 p.m. There was not a quorum of the members present. Clare Higgins, acting as chair in the absence of the Chair and Vice-Chair, recommended that all business be forwarded to the next meeting. Nola and Laura noted that there was a request from the Valley CDC for funds to purchase a unit at the Gables for affordable housing. John Dunne was hoping for a closing date of April 1st. The Project Review Sub-Committee had reviewed the application and requested that the long term affordability mechanism include the right of first refusal for unit recapture, the right to cure a mortgage default, and the subsidy repayment. Members felt strongly that with the amount of subsidy that was going into the project between the reduced purchase price from MHFA, the Hope 111 funds from HAP and the City's Block Grant funds, that the unit could not be lost after the first turnover. The members present agreed that the Sub-Committee's recommendation could go directly to the Mayor with the notation that a vote of the full Partnership was not possible due to the lack of quorum. The meeting concluded at 9:00 p.m. Respectfully, Peg Keller Housing Program Coordinator NORTHAMPTON HOUSING PARTNERSHIP Minutes April 16, 1996 Members Present: Richard Abuza, Chair, Chuck Johnson, Yvonne Freccero, David Murphy, Nola Reinhardt, Clare Higgins, Laura Baker, Alex Ghiselin, Shelley Abend. Also present, members of the Board of the Alliance for Sober Living, Mike Kirby, Summer St. neighbor, John Dunne, Valley CDC and Peg Keller, Housing Program Coordinator. Agenda/ Call to Order Chairman Abuza called the meeting to order at 7:23 p.m. No one was present for the Public Comment period, so Richard moved into the sub-committee reports in order to accommodate the guests present. Sub-Committee Reports Project Review/ 1.) Valley CDC Request for Funding/ Gables Condo Unit, 575 Bridge Rd. Nola reported that at last months Partnership meeting, the Sub­Committee had recommended that conditional approval be given to the CDC for the acquisition of a condominium unit at the Gables. The request was for a $25,000 grant to used in conjunction with the Hope 3 program, the MHFA program and a bank loan. Due to the large amount of subsidy going into the purchase of this unit, which will then be sold to a low income first time homeowner, John Dunne was asked to create a long term affordability mechanism (LTA) that was appropriate for this project. Due to the fact that a quorum was not present at the March meeting, it was agreed that the recommendation of the Sub­Committee could go directly to the Mayor noting the lack of vote by the full Partnership. It was made clear to the Mayor that work was continuing on the crafting of the LTA mechanism. Laura described the project and John then circulated a draft of his latest thinking on the mechanism. Upon reviewing the proposal, an amendment was suggested which would explore the concept of subordinating the mortgage in addition to recapturing the subsidy. Clare made a motion to approve the proposal, seconded by Shelley. There was no further discussion, all voted in favor of the motion, with one abstention. ( 2) It was confirmed that the $25,000 check for the closing on the property was available and that the final language on the affordability mechanism would be delineated prior to the sale of the property from the CDC to the homebuyer, which is several months away. 2.) Alliance for Sober Living Request for Funding/ 18 Summer St. Nola described the project and the discussion held previously regarding the LTA mechanism. The Alliance is proposing to purchase a two family property on Summer St. to be utilized for transitional housing for individuals in recovery. Funding sources proposed are Block Grant and a bank loan, with an application to the Federal Home Loan Bank Board Affordable Housing Program. Nola reported that the Project Review Sub-Committee wished to recommend to the full Partnership that on the condition that a long term affordability mechanism be developed, that we recommend the use of Community Development Block Grant funds to support this project. Richard recognized Mike Kirby and stated that it is important to have neighborhood support for projects. Mr. Kirby said that it is an important effort and the area is predominantly rental in composition. Funding possibilities were discussed. Laura asked about the availability of holding costs to cover a rent-up and Sue Weinrich stated that a waiting list exists so there will not be a long period without tenants. Laura said it was encouraging to see a new "developer" creating housing in the community. Discussion followed regarding the LTA mechanism, the floor plan of the units, how the presence of alcohol can be dealt with legally and the (lack of) on site management. Laura said that the two issues are the long term affordability mechanism affecting the resale of the property, and the affordability of the internal rent structure. Laura made a motion to recommend that a grant of $50,000 be awarded to the Alliance with the condition that long term affordability mechanisms be worked out impacting the resale of the property and the internal rent structure. Nola seconded the motion, all in favor with two abstentions. (David Murphy) ( 3) It was made clear to members of the Alliance that further communication with the Project Review Sub-Committee is required in order to finalize the long term affordability mechanism ( s) . Community Development Block Grant Program FY97 Peg Keller reviewed the results of the Needs Assessments and public hearings that were conducted in March in order to plan for next years program. The list of priority needs was circulated and members requested that First Time Homebuyers be added to the list under housing. The Valley CDC has been given an operating grant and will run a program, so it was not a newly identified need, but members felt it should be listed to guarantee our ability to fund such activities in the future. John Dunne noted that he had just hired Mary Apgar as the First Time Homebuyer Counselor who will begin work May 6th. Plans are to do outreach for the Soft Second Mortgage Program and the City's Downpayment Assistance Program (for which there are still funds available) . Partnership members asked that Peg convey to Penny Kim their request that the amount of Block Grant dollars allocated for housing (for FY97) be at least the same percentage of the total allocation as last year. Response to the RFP to Create 3 Bedroom Units The time period has elapsed for responses to the RFP developed by the Project Review Sub-Committee of the Partnership. John Dunne (Valley CDC) tried in earnest to respond and had some difficulty with the parameters of the RFP. Peg asked him to share his experience with the Partnership, so we can learn how to do it better in the future. Some of the points he made were as follows: -there are distinct differences between the way non-profits candevelop housing vs. private landlords-rents that can be commanded in the City are high enough thatprivate owners can charge them from day one with little or norehab-they (private owners) accomplish piecemeal rehab over time whenthey can afford it-non-profits have to do all the rehab up front-np's cannot charge high enough rents to do it over time-2,3 and 4 bedroom houses on the market are priced based on theamounts of rents they command (4) -at the lower end, rents similar to what a non-profit wouldcharge, i.e. 425-430 per one bedroom are rare and usually so rundown, rehab too much-not a goal of np's to subsidize people to live in substandardhousing-the amount of subsidy needed at the beginning of a project, foracquisition, to find out how much rehab is needed, (i.e. leadpaint, asbestos removal) and rehab, $10,000 per bedroom is notenoughcan bring in other sources, need time to hook into a fundingcycle-our offer of funds was restricted to too short of a time periodin which to make all those pieces come together John said it would work better if we offered an earmarked amount to a specific entity and give a longer period of time in which to produce the desired units. He has made such a request in response to the RFP, which the Project Review Sub-Committee will take up at their next meeting. John summarized by saying that no one wants to do this type of work, it is too difficult. The private sector is generally not interested. Laura said the time frame was attached in hopes of receiving more than one request and having a comparative process. The effort was referred back to the Sub-Committee for revisiting. Preservation Sub-Committee 1.) Lead Paint Abatement Program/ Shelley reported that the contract with Hampden Hampshire Housing Partnership to administer the program will be issued next week. The program proposal was circulated for full Partnership review, all comments should be made to Peg as soon as possible. A community-wide workshop will be held this Sat. and Chuck volunteered to represent the Partnership. 2.) Home Repair Program/ Shelley reported that the Committee is addressing the "elderly only" focus of the current program and attempting to assess the need for more extensive housing rehab in the community as opposed to just home repair. Ordinance The revised ordinance which describes the charge and membership of the Partnership has been reviewed by the Ordinance Committee and will proceed to the City Council. Richard spoke on behalf of the changes and Ordinance agreed to recommend its passage. Finance Has not met. Fair Housing ( 5) Attendance has been dwindling. A workshop is planned in conjunction with the Housing Discrimination Project; a town meeting format to discuss discrimination in the area. Fliers were distributed. Zoning David reported that the Smith College students have actually completed a sample telephone survey and have begun gathering data. A 30% response was received from area landlords. They will now evaluate their sample size and may do another run for comparison purposes. A report on the data gathered will be available in a few weeks. Downtown Historic District The Partnership was asked to review the preliminary report and forward comments to the Study Committee. Richard relayed his concerns about the document. Clare expressed concerns regarding handicapped accessibility. A motion was made by Chuck to approve the report with Clare's comments; not seconded. Some felt that they did not have enough information regarding the impact on affordable housing to make a specific recommendation. Therefore, Shelley made a motion to not make a formal recommendation but to express concern regarding the potential impact on the cost of housing and the ability of people to remove architectural barriers. Laura seconded the motion. All voted in favor, with Richard Abuza and David Murphy abstaining. Election of Chair Clare made a motion to re-elect Richard Abuza as Chair of the Partnership. Chuck seconded the motion, all in favor. Adjourn The meeting was adjourned at 9:05 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Peg Keller Housing Program Coordinator NORTHAMPTON HOUSING PARTNERSHIP Minutes May 21, 1996 Members Present: Richard Abuza, Yvonne Freccero, Alex Ghiselin, Laura Baker, Louise Jeffway, Clare Higgins, Nola Reinhardt, Chuck Johnson. Also present, John Dunne (Valley CDC) and Peg Keller. Members Absent: David Murphy, Bruce Fogel, Judy Cernak, Shelley Abend. Agenda/ Call to Order: Chairman Abuza called the meeting to order at 7:15 p.m. Public Comment: John Dunne was in attendance to request support for his application to EOCD's Homeownership Program due in June. He said that he did respond to the Partnership's 3 Bedroom RFP and had told us last month that it was difficult to present a specific project due to the lack of an additional funding source to use with the CDBG funding. EOCD' s Program is such a funding source and he has identified a couple of properties to consider for acquisition and rehab. In response to questions, he said his application will cover units in several towns, with 2 -3 being in Northampton. He said the program has a 15 year payback provision for the long term affordability mechanism, but we could add something additional for use of the CDBG funds, if we so desired. He said that the City will need to formally sign on as a sponsor. There is 2. 5 million dollars available with a maximum award of $300,000. He said he would provide us with the specifics of the application once formulated. Richard then closed the public comment period in order to take formal action on the request for support. Clare moved to endorse the application of the Valley CDC to EOCD for Homeownership funds for the creation of affordable three bedroom (or larger) units in the City. Chuck seconded the motion. There was no further discussion; vote was unanimous, with the Chair not voting. Chuck asked John how much additional funding beyond the $30,000 per unit from HOME would be needed. John responded $20,000 per unit. He said that the homes that the CDC was selling in Amherst had only $30,000 subsidy per unit and were affordable to families making $32-34,000. The addition of the CDBG funds would enable the homes to be purchased by families making less than that amount. ( 2) Minutes: Nola asked that the Minutes from the April meeting be amended to change the wording "as opposed to" to "in addition to" regarding the subsidy recapture component of the long term affordability mechanism for the Gables Condo project (pg. 1). Clare made a motion to approve the minutes as amended, Chuck seconded, vote was unanimous in favor. Community Activity Update: 1.) Lead Paint Abatement Workshop/ Chuck attended to represent the Partnership and reported that only three people were in attendance. Richard said that the Preservation Sub-Committee was working with HAP on how to get the word out. The fact that it was the first nice spring day was probably a factor. 2.) Next Step Planning Collaborative/ Yvonne reported that after a "polling" of the houses of worship, it is clear that the Emergency Shelter Cot Program will not be supported this year (fall 1996) to the extent that it has in the past. All are in agreement that an additional year is needed for a program, but what form it will take has not been determined. She said that the "Single Site Committee" is looking for a single, central location. That location will need to be roughly 1500 sq. ft., open interiorly, capacity for 20 beds, with handicap accessible bathrooms and the ability to separate men and women. Rebecca Muller is currently assembling a budget. Laura questioned whether efforts shouldn't be on creating additional transitional housing opportunities, rather than focusing resources on additional shelter space. Alex questioned the contribution of other regional resources. Clare stated that the problem of people not making a living wage is a nationwide trend and not something we can solve in Northampton. She suggested including other surrounding communities in the sheltering effort. She said Grove Street has not been the end all to the need because of economics. Chuck asked about the availability of the State Hospital property. Clare responded that the process has been "slow". Housing will be a portion of the redevelopment scheme, but the RFP process to solicit proposals is only just beginning. Laura said it makes sense to focus on staffing one emergency shelter, rather than dispersing efforts and resources. ( 3) Peg then distributed a memo from the Mayor which outlined a proposal for a seminar on housing and homelessness. Members agreed that the City needed to do a better job communicating all the activities that are taking place in this realm but that the City should not continue to be the sole shelter provider for the region. Members suggested that the Mayor expand the list to include surrounding municipalities and the county. Members discussed the prior tent city and said that indeed, many people are in need now, as before, but there are many factors operating here, only a few of which can be impacted locally. 3.) CDBG Funding Update: Peg reviewed the general categories for the preliminary dollar allocations: Home Repair/Housing Rehab Emergency Sheltering Creation of new units Housing Services housing activities and $95,000 90,000 125,000 20,000 There was in excess of $430,000 requested from 27 programs with only $139,000 available to allocate for the public/ social services piece (which includes Grove Street staffing, the Day Program, SRO Outreach, HCAC Housing Search and Mediation, etc.). There is approximately $100,000 being carried over from the FY96 "housing drawdown" pot of funds, with an additional carry over of $30,000 for the Lead Paint Program. 4.) Sub-Committee Reports Project Review/ Laura reported that the committee did take the Valley CDC's response to the 3 bdm. RFP under consideration. The request was for $60,000 to create two three bedroom units. The sub-committee felt it was important to get the funds into the community and recommended to the Partnership that such an award be made with certain conditions. In response to that, Chuck made a motion to earmark up to $60,000 to the Valley CDC for the creation of up to 3, 3 bedroom (or larger) housing units subject to on-going review by the Project Review Sub-Committee with up to 6 months for acquisition and 1 year for completion. The motion was seconded by Alex; Clare noted that this reservation will help the competitiveness of the CDC's application to the Homeownership Program. The vote was unanimous. ( 4) Preservation/ Richard reported that the Lead Paint Abatement Program we designed will be administered by HAP and will begin May 24, 1996. He noted that members are investigating methods to disseminate information about the Horne Repair program to non-elders ( who are also eligible despite the fact that the program is administered through the Council on Aging). He gave a brief update on the expiring use situation and members agreed to allocate more time in a future meeting to the discussion of this topic. Ordinance/ Clare updated members that the revised Ordinance passed the second reading with no discussion at the last Council meeting. Richard summarized the changes; delinking membership slots from specific boards or agencies; and changing the quorum requirements from 8/15 to 51% of the active members. He distributed two sections for a by-law document, one addressing inactive member status and the other conflict of interest. Chuck made a motion to adopt the two sections and Alex seconded the motion. Discussion followed. Chuck said that the Conflict section was hazy and Clare said that it is not as critical for the Partnership, being only an advisory body. It is a good idea, however, to declare via letters or annual updates, what people's affiliations are and if they have changed. A friendly amendment was made by Clare to add a statement regarding that the Partnership will conduct its meetings according to Robert's Rules of Order. The vote on adopting bylaws which include the three sections was unanimous. 5.) New Business/ Laura made a suggestion that we utilize CDBG funds to hire someone to research and assemble a manual describing long term affordability mechanisms and which ones are appropriate for which types of projects. Richard suggested that the Project Review Sub-Committee flesh out the idea and return to the full board. Members expressed positive reaction to the idea. 6.) Adjourn There being no further business to discuss, the meeting was adjourned at 8:50 p.rn. with a motion from Clare and a second from Alex. Respectfully submitted, Peg Keller NORTHAMPTON HOUSING PARTNERSHIP Minutes June 18, 1996 Members Present: Yvonne Freccero, Alex Ghiselin, Richard Abuza. Also present, Peg Murray new member, Peg Keller, Housing Program Coordinator, John Dunne, Valley CDC and Carol Walker, HAP. Members Absent: Shelley Abend, Nola Reinhardt, David Murphy, Louise Jeffway, Laura Baker, Clare Higgins. Bruce Fogel is on in­active status. Judith Cernak has resigned. Call to Order: Chairman Abuza called the meeting to order at 7:14 p.m. A quorum was not present. Sub-Committee Reports In order to orient Peg Murray, new member from the Florence Savings Bank, Richard asked that committee tasks and charges be described. Preservation/ Richard elaborated on the areas df expiring use properties, lead paint abatement and SRO preservation. He also explained that it is the role of the Partnership to oversee City policies and assess their impact on affordable housing. Peg asked if there was a role for the banks to play with the lead paint program. Peg Keller related that when the informational material on the program is produced then she wants to have people at Florence Savings look at it. FSB has already expressed an interest and Peg K. has been in communication with M. Hebert. Peg K. said that if there end up being people falling through the eligibility gaps for the Get the Lead Out Programjpossibility the bank could fill in. Analysis and dialogue will continue. Project Review/ Alex reported that the sub-committee deals with projects, either in response to RFP's issued by the Partnership or project requests that are submitted from the development community unsolicited. Alex noted that they are working on formalizing the long term affordability agreement for the Gables condo project. John reported that renovation to create the third bedroom has not begun because they are working with the Condo Association at present. _l_/e" also mentioned that we are looking to formulate a compendium of����ng term affordability mechanisms. He said that the Partnership had issued an RFP for the creation of three bedroom (or larger) family units and received a response from the Valley CDC. Alex said that the sub-committee voted to earmark $60,000 for the 2 response to the RFP and to assist with the application to the State's HOME program. The letter to the other developers will be re-sent letting them know that funds are still available and that the Partnership is still encouraging dialogue about possible projects. Guest Speaker At that point, Richard introduced Carol Walker of HAP who had been invited to update us on the activities of the Hampden Hampshire Housing Partnership. Highlights of Carol's presentation include the following: -HAP began in 1972 with the administration of an experimentalrental assistance program which was the precursor to the Section8 program. This was the first program to assign the assistance tothe family rather than to the unit.-they since have broadened out to include the admin. of anemergency family shelter, administration of a large rentalassistance program, housing development, transitional housingfor homeless, special needs housing, tenant counseling, tenantand landlord education on rights and responsibilities,administration of a Soft Second Loan Program, a downpaymentassistance fund and homebuyer counseling, lead paint abatementprogram and housing rehab and an elder equity program-they have a staff of 70 down from 120 in the mid-80's.-they are exploring doing more in the area of post-purchasecounseling due to the high rate of mortgage defaults ( in a3 year high)-components that might be included in such an effort:home maintenance information, a newsletter with relevantbudgeting and maintenance info., home repair info. andeducation regarding replacement reserve accounts-affordable housing development has included group communityresidences for Belchertown State folks in several communities, 2SRO's, family housing for farm workers We then had a general discussion about trends and issues in the field of housing. The following was noted: Carol/ the Federal government retreated from housing programs in the 80's at which time the Dukakis admin. attempted to fill the void -those resources that produced special needs and low incomehousing are now gone-now there is no one source for funding/ one is forced to compilea patchwork of sources to do a project and resources are scarceand each has their own rules and regs and timelines 3 -the affordability gap is an income issue-it was easier to understand when the real estate prices were highand vacancy rates were 1-2%/ but now it is a result (in part) ofthe safety net being frayed/-lack of housing production and the deterioration of existingstock also contribute to the problem-properties bought high in the late 80's are unable to chargelow rents, can't afford maintenance and owners are walking awayfrom them ( primarily 100 yr. old 8-12 unit previouslystructurally sound structures in Springfield, Holyoke Members discussed briefly the regional homeless situation. Carol concluded by saying that HAP under went an organizational change three years ago which included changing their name and formalizing the already existing working relationships they have with many entities. This was done in order to better stay in touch with needs of the localities, to avoid competing for scarce resources and to not duplicate services. A larger organization also created a larger "target" to identify outside of Boston, for recognition and funding. John verified that this concept works. He said an agency the scope of the CDC would never stand a chance at the Federal level for access to the Hope 111 funding. This way, HAP can apply and we can access the funds from HAP. Carol said it enables them to provide resources to smaller grass roots entities who do not have corporate clout, such as Abodes in Amherst (mixed income families and some with physically disabled family members). Members thanked Carol for her attendance and agreed that it is beneficial to have such a "partner" in HAP. Project Review Sub-Committee Report (cont'd) Alex and Peg elaborated on the following City owned parcels that are being considered for development of affordable housing: -Verona Street/ Berkshire Design Group has provided us with3 concept plans for development which will be used as a starting point for discussion -Peg described the Board of Health process andthe time table for capping the landfill-the Sub-Committee is just beginning to discussthe project 4 -Vernon Street/ we are in dialogue with Smith Voe. regardingtheir use of the site for a school construction project/ Peg mentioned discussion with an architect to do some site schematics to determine the best reuse scenario/ CDBG funds will be used to create the final design based on neighborhood input and compatibility -Oak Street/ this parcel has been in the inventory for severalyears and poses several development obstacles/ it is timely to analyze its potential use and decide finally whether to pursue it or not -Smith Voe. Farmhouse/ Alex reported that the Trustees have againvoted to sell it and it is going back to City Council this Thursday. Peg has drafted an RFP which the Sub-Committee will review for use when and if we get the parcel Fair Housing Committee Peg reported that attendance for the last two meetings (they meet quarterly) was way down. She is reconfiguring the composition to have a smaller group of those involved doing the actual work, i.e. HCAC, Housing Discrimination, Western Mass. Legal Services and the Consumer Affairs Department of the District Attorneys Office. Richard said to check the Federal regs. which address mandated composition and adjust accordingly. Other Business John Dunne reported that he has located two properties to include in his application to EOCD's HOME Program. He needs a commitment from the City for the $60,000 of CDBG funds. Both properties involved substantial rehab and are located downtown. They will both contain three bedroom units and be sold to 1st Time Homebuyers. The rental units will have rent restrictions. Yvonne asked about the status of the Felt Factory on West St. Alex said it is proposed for condo artist living/studio spaces, now owned by Eric Suher. Alliance for Sober Living/ Peg updated the members about the neighborhood reaction after the Gazette printed that the Alliance was buying a house on Summer Street. Neighborhood outreach had not been conducted yet when the article appeared. This past Sunday members of the Alliance canvassed the neighborhood answering questions and inviting neighbors to a meeting this Thurs. (June 20th) to discuss the effort. 4 Peg said that the Partnership was told that neighborhood outreach would occur. Members agreed that a mechanism needed to be developed by which to monitor hmJ -� whether or not i t1�at happens.etULY\-OW The suggestion was made to require a plan and a timeline for neighborhood outreach as part of our application process (for CDBG funds). Further discussion will occur at the Project Review Sub­committee to insure that this happens. Finance Sub-Committee Peg described the duties of this sub-Committee and explained to Peg M.that this is traditionally the place our bankers havecontributed in the past. In addition to the regular tasks such asmonitoring the 1st Time Homebuyer Program, doing realtor and bankeroutreach, identifying new funding sources and monitoring CRAactivity, there is another issue in need of attention. Peg K. explained the work that had begun involving educating the local banks about the value of long term affordability mechanisms for the projects we fund. We need to devise a method that will meet everyone's needs. The Project Review Sub-Committee desires to have a joint meeting with Finance, to pursue this issue. Peg K. will make some calls to revive the Finance Sub-Committee and will schedule a meeting. Yvonne offered to join this also. Adjourn The meeting was adjourned at 9:00 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Peg Keller Housing Program Coordinator NORTHAMPTON HOUSING PARTNERSHIP Minutes September 17, 1996 Members Present: Richard Abuza, David Murphy, Alex Ghiselin, Yvonne Freccero, Clare Higgins, Nola Reinhardt, Laura Baker, Shelley Abend. Also present, Peg Keller, John Dunne. Members Absent: Peg Murray, Bruce Fogel, Louise Jeffway, Chuck Johnson. AGENDA 1.Call to OrderChairman Abuza called the meeting to order at 7:12 p.m.There was no one present wishing to address the Partnershipduring the public comment period. 2.By-lawsRichard distributed copies of draft by-laws for thePartnership. He used the Planning Board's as a base andrevised them accordingly to deal with our operational issues.He asked members to review them prior to the next meeting sothey can be voted on in October. 3.Community Activity UpdateNext Step/ Yvonne reported that the group is still functioning and accomplishing work through the sub-committees. The CotProgram will be set with seven nights covered, the first timeit is opening with complete coverage. The EntrepreneurialCommittee seems to have landed a huge HUD grant to be runthrough HCAC for small business development with homelesspeople. The $400,000 award will begin in January. Shelley saidshe will be setting up an advisory committee and Claresuggested linkage with the business community and Mary Kasperof the Arts Council. Shelley expressed her surprise at receiving the grant as the State was cut way back on their allocation. She and various collaborations have applied for HUD funds several times in the past and have not been successful until now. It will be a tremendous undertaking and Partnership members offered their assistance. Housing Authority/ Clare reported that rehabilitation is slated to occur at Florence Heights. Tenant relocation will be accomplished within the building. Rehab is beginning at Salvo House. The number of hours that the NHA maintenance staff works has been increased. 2 The Chapter 705 house that was torn down and rebuilt with Smith Voe. on Willow Street is ready for occupancy. The State Street complex is working well. She said that originally it was used by Community Hornes for Children, then by Nonotuck Resources, then sat empty for several years. It now contains 5 one bedroom units for family housing empty nesters and clients of DMH and a four bedroom family unit. Members discussed the cap on younger disabled people in elderly housing. The State set the cap at 13% and Salvo House has 38%. The State had issued rental assistance certificates to assist the younger population with finding other living situations. The NHA got a small number (5). Clare was asked what the NHA will do if elderly do not move in to the vacated apartments. Clare said that is an issue they will have to tackle. Shelley asked about the impacts of the SSI changes on NHA residents. (As of January 1, 1997 substance abuse and alcohol will no longer be categorized as disabilities eligible for income payments. Clare was unsure, Shelley said they are trying to document what the local impact will be. She said Pittsfield predicts 102 people for their area, ours may be similar. Clare said there are no State funds for modernization and Hampshire Heights and the Salvo House are State funded properties. She said they did get funding for the planning of rehab and the hope is to address the porches and bathrooms at Hampshire Heights. Members discussed the fatal accident involving a boy on his bicycle on King Street and Clare said she is meeting with Department of Public Works officials to determine how to make the area more conducive to pedestrian traffic. Clare said that specific discussions have not yet taken place with regard to the four properties at the State Hospital that will be transferred to the Housing Authority. Clare concluded her report by saying that should she step down from her position on the Authority's Commission, that the position should be refilled on the Partnership. Alliance for Sober Living/ has purchased their property on Summer Street and are looking for women to reside on the 2nd floor. The 4 rooms for men will be filled from the waiting list but they are having trouble finding women. 3 Florence Inn/ is operating and has been repainted by the architect. There has been some resident turnover and area support services are assisting ServiceNet and the residents with developing their tenant-managed community. Gables/ John Dunne reported that the renovation that converted the ground level into a third bedroom is complete. The CDC will begin marketing the unit in the area of $80,000. The priority will be given to Northampton residents and he will not turn away an eligible family in need of a two bedroom if that is the way it works out. He emphasized how difficult it is to find eligible applicants considering the window is so narrow. He said he hopes to have a family in there by the end of this year. South Street/ John said that he expects to be under construction in October. The closing will occur soon and the amount of paperwork is unbelievable. The piece of land that the end of the porches is on that belonged to the City (Pulaski Park) has been transferred. This took an act of the Legislature and now the City Council will have to approve the transfer. John reported that he met with Cathy Bennett of the Center for Human Development and Jerry Sachs of the Smith College School of Social Work to firm up the social service component. He is in search of minority firms to hire or sub as that is one of the goals of the project. He expects to re-rent in the spring. CDC Homeownership Project/ John is waiting to hear on the CDC's application to DHCD (Department of Housing and Community Development formerly EOCD) for a Homeownership Program with which he will utilize the Partnership's $60,000 allocation. He has 5 units in 4 buildings ready for inclusion in the program. CDC First Time Homebuyer Program/ is administering the CDBG funded down-payment assistance program for the City. Mary Apgar is the staff person responsible for this program. Mary and City staff are discussing doing a public event to celebrate the highly successful local utilization of the Soft Second Loan Program. Florence Savings Bank has joined the program. John noted that he would like to adapt the Self-Help Housing Program to Northampton as it is a model with many advantages. 4 Habitat for Humanity/ Peg reported that the group has been unable to find a lot to build upon in Northampton and have concentrated their efforts for the time being in Easthampton. Department of Mental Health/ Peg reported that the NHAuthority has 9 (689) slots that should be utilized to create additional special needs housing in the community. DMH has researched purchasing condo units in the past and are investigating scattered site locations for the homes. Converting larger single family houses to 3-4 units works well. Anyone with ideas about suitable properties should contact Peg. 4.) Board Recruitment Richard said that the Partnership needs to bolster its' numbers to help with projects. Laura asked how the word gets out that this is the case. Richard responded by word of mouth; Laura suggested putting something in the paper and fliering pockets of low income populations. Richard asked for volunteers to assist him with a recruiting effort. 5.) Sub-Committee Reports Preservation/ Richard updated members about Lead Safe Northampton, the new lead paint abatement program. The thrust will be to educate tenants and landlords about the resources available for abatement assistance. The program is currently being marketed. Laura noted to include the Board of Health in the education and outreach effort. Clare said that the BoH has begun participating in the State's Septic Repair program and noted many of the affordable properties on the outskirts of town are on septic systems. David said things get complicated when methods to resolve septic system problems require more land than the property owner owns. Laura also mentioned the RFP for housing rehab out now from DHCD. Municipal entities are allowed to apply and there seems to be a need. She wondered about capacity to run the program. Peg will review the RFP. Members continue to monitor the Expiring Use situation and are identifying new projects for the year. 5 Finance/ Peg reported for Peg Murray and Chuck Johnson. The committee has decided to focus on conducting a forum with local financial institutions to disseminate information on community needs. Peg felt that with the newly invigorated CRA regulations, it would make it a more effective process if the community was able to articulate the needs and the institutions then design programs to meet them, rather than developing products and services that are not needed/helpful. Zoning/ David reported that a first draft of data assembled 6.Adjourn by Smith College for the rental/vacancy rate survey is available. David reviewed some of the highlights. Katherine Halvorsen (Prof.) said that the response rate was small and wants to examine how to make the sample larger. She, David and Peg will be meeting next week. 13 characters were surveyed for and David said that with additional information added to the matrix, a more complete picture will appear. Smith does want to continue with the project (!) Due to the lateness of the hour, the meeting was adjourned at 9:10 p.m. Discussion of the work plan for the Partnership will be held over until the October meeting. NEXT MEETING/ October 15th at 7:00 p.m. City Hall Hearing Room NOTE/ Partnership members are encouraged to attend the Forum on Homelessness scheduled for September 29, 1996 from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. at the Center for the Arts. Sponsored by the AmericanFriends Service Committee and several other groups including theCity. NORTHAMPTON HOUSING PARTNERSHIP Minutes October 15, 1996 Members Present: Richard Abuza, Shelley Abend, Alex Ghiselin, Peg Murray, Nola Reinhardt, Laura Baker, Chuck Johnson. Also present, Peg Keller. Members absent: Bruce Fogel, Louise Jeffway, David Murphy, Yvonne Freccero, Clare Higgins. AGENDA 1.Call to OrderChairman Abuza called the meeting to order at 7:10 p.m. No one was present to address the Partnership during the public comment period. 2.By-laws Richard reported that the by-laws before the members are being recommended for adoption by the sub-committee. Members discussed the clause addressing in-active status. Richard noted that revisions can be proposed at one meeting and voted on at the next. Richard asked Peg to check into the availability of a list of City boards and committees. 3.Sub-Committee Reports Zoning/ Alex reported that a meeting was held with Peg and Wayne to discuss follow-up on the memo Wayne submitted last fall regarding expanding the density bonus for affordable housing units city-wide. Wayne offered to revisit the topic if members were interested in pursuing the discussion. Alex said that Wayne should proceed with an examination of the Ordinance to see where affordable housing incentives could be offered. Project Review/ Alex reported that the Sub-committee had·met and talked about several potential projects. He said that the 3 bdm. RFP should explain how private contractors could be involved. He said that development of the site on Vernon Street is being investigated and an environmental exploration will occur to see if the lot is buildable. He mentioned the Verona Street site and noted that the time table for that is far in the future. He reported that the City Property Committee was not interested in developing the Oak Street site and Nola said that she is still interested. Members discussed Habitat's inability to find a site affordable to them for development. Members then discussed the amounts of CDBG funds that are available for development and listed some potential directions they thought were worth pursuing. Members then discussed the final wording that had emerged in the Alliance for Sober Living's long term affordability agreement. Project Review members were disappointed that the grant was only to be repaid if the property were to be used for other than the stated purpose and only if the Alliance was able to do so fi�ancially. Members again emphasized the need for sample models and wording that will allow people to choose methods that we have already deemed to be acceptable. *At that point, a sufficient number of members had arrived toconstitute quorum and Richard entertained a motion to accept theby-laws. Chuck made the motion for approval, seconded by Shelley,no further discussion, vote unanimous. 4.Work PlanIn view of the time element, additional sub-committee reports were suspended in order to move into a discussion about new directions and projects for the Partnership to undertake. Creation of 3 bedroom units/ Peg said that John Dunne will be accessing $60,000 to create 2-3 units in conjunction with the HOME award he will be getting from the State. This will use most of the funds available in that set aside. Members noted that just because there was only one response to the RFP does not mean that these types of units are not still in demand. Her, Inc./ Peg noted that this SRO property on Green Street is listed on the tax title sheet. This project has been a recipient of CDBG funds in the past. Members felt strongly that these SRO units should be preserved and Peg was encouraged to find out what Her, Inc. needs in terms of additional resources or someone to sell the property to ( other than Smith College). Habitat/ Peg said that the Planning Office has been in communication with representatives of Habitat, but they have not been able to find anything affordable in Northampton and are now looking at a project in Easthampton. Members asked Peg to recontact them and make it clear that they understand that CDBG funds could be utilized for land acquisition and could supplement what they have available. Northampton Housing Authority/ Members discussed the news coverage on the three houses in need of rehab and sitting empty on Spring Street, as well as the condition of the units at Hampshire Heights. Laura said that utilizing CDBG funds for housing authority properties is an eligible activity. All agreed that we need a better dialogue with the Housing Authority. The Partnership can offer our services to help them identify other revenue sources, lobby for needed funding and help them advocate their positions. Being the largest source of affordable housing in the City, it behooves all involved to have a better working relationship. Members pondered whether it is a better use of CDBG funds to spread them around the community/ should we apply funds where other funds may exist and have they (NHA) exhausted all their resources. Upon receiving the answers to those questions, we may ultimately decide that assistance for rehab, etc. on existing NHA properties is a needed and appropriate use of funds. It was noted that when the UDAG (Urban Development Action Grant) for Hampton Court begins to be repaid, (year 2000) that this will be a significant amount of funding that could be applied to a large scale project (such as Hampshire Heights). Members all agreed that if we do not get these Block Grant funds out in to the community, that we are not doing our job. Chuck suggested that we become very proactive as he has not seen a demand for these funds in the three years he has been a member. The list of future directions to pursue consisted of the following: Her, Inc. SRO preservation 5.Adjourn Habitat for Humanity more 3 bdm units City-owned properties dialogue with Housing Authority Housing Rehab After emphasizing the importance of moving theseprojects forward, the meeting was adjourned at 9:00 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Peg Keller NORTHAMPTON HOUSING PARTNERSHIP Minutes November 19, 1996 Members Present: Richard Abuza, Clare Higgins, Laura Baker, Alex Ghiselin, Yvonne Freccero, Louise Jeffway, Nola Reinhardt, Peg Murray. Also present, Peg Keller. Members Absent: Shelley Abend, David Murphy, Chuck Johnson. AGENDA/ 1.Public Comment Period/ Richard called the meeting to orderwith the presence of a quorum at 7:10 p.m. There was no onepresent to address the Partnership at the Public CommentPeriod. 2.Sub-Committee Reports/ Peg suggested that the committeereports be given first in order to lead into the discussiontopic for this evening. Preservation/ Richard reported that a workshop has been scheduled for December 2nd under the sponsorship of the Partnership. The Housing Discrimination Project is involved and will be addressing fair housing issues. HAP is also involved and will be addressing the lead paint laws and Northampton's new program. A representative of the City's Building Inspection Department will also be present to address fire safety issues. Richard said that all three issues are preservation concerns and this will be a good forum to disseminate relevant information and express support for property owners and for safe housing. Richard will attend to offer the introduction. Project Review/ Laura reported that the topic of their meeting was possible collaboration with the Housing Authority and a discussion of new ways to accomplish the preservation/creation of affordable housing units. Many things seem to be changing at the Federal level and in the area of public housing and localities are being asked to develop new strategies. She said that Penny had attended the meeting and advocated for a dialogue with the development community to determine how to collaborate on a broader level and create new opportunities. There was also a brief update regarding the progress on specific projects. 3.Discussion/ Identification of New Directions/ Peg picked up on the themes expressed at the Project Review meeting and invited further discussion at the Partnership level. Highlights of Peg's introductory comments are as follows: -Federal level is getting away from long term subsidies-regulations are changing for public housing and the future ofexpiring use properties remains up in the air-between the housing authority units (618) and the two expiringuse properties (459) they comprise 80% of the affordable unitsin the City (1,077 out of 1,341)- a report has been written ( parts of which were distributed tomembers) outlining how the public housing situation ischanging and how new partnerships are being encouraged along .with the use of CDBG and HOME funds-the bottom line is that the Feds do not seem to have the answerregarding how to get away from long term subsidies and thedollars needed to rehab existing stock and they are looking tolocalities to develop new strategies and collaborations Highlights of the Partnership discussion that followed: -it is hard to develop capacity in smaller organizations whohave more difficult time funding their operations/ can we pairorganizations together who have complementary skillsbeing an entitlement community allows us to plan a longer termstrategy beyond one yearwe have more properties operating from State subsidies thanFederal ones/ the changes at the Federal level may filter downto the Statehow do we create movement from subsidized units intohomeownership/ discussion of continuumcurrently there is no incentive to save money/ the more youmake the higher the rent, no ability to savepublic housing was supposed to be a stepping stone/ lists werefrozen in the 80's/ the only families to be admitted werehomeless/ working families never got in/ lots of those familiesare still there, unemployment is highof the "elderly" housing units at the housing authority 40% ofthose are occupied by younger disabled people (200)what are the demographic trend predictions as baby boomers ageLathrup units have strong marketability/ City seeing increasein in-law apartments (legal and otherwise)Amherst Housing Authority has created a development entity/they have a different management portfolio/ less units and notas old-we need a development entity that does not have to take on toomuch to keep the money coming in/some organizations do not havethe desire or knowledge to take risks-it makes sense to talk to the people doing the work and see ifwe can identify new ways of accomplishing our goal/ develop amodel for how the work can be divided up -have the entities discuss their strengths, weakness and mix andmatch-entities to invite are the Valley CDC, the Housing Authority,ServiceNet and the expiring use property owners and managers-(there are more family units in both exp. use properties/Meadowbrook and Hampton Gardens/ than in the Housing Authority) -in reference to a continuum, if people cannot qualify forhomeownership from the "projects", we need to investigate thatareaFlorence Savings had 12 sign up for a first time Homebuyerworkshop, dropped to 6, none from complexes ended up completingthe course-NHA Board would be interested in a dialogue about moving peopleout of public housing / Partnership should look at NHA Annualreports-what are the general community demographic trends The discussion was brought to closure with plans of developing a list of questions to ask each "invitee". The Project Review Committee will be meeting the first week of December and can develop the list. The Housing Authority will be invited to attend the Partnership meeting Dec. 17th. Community demographics will be assembled and distributed. 4.Board Recruitment/ Richard said we need to draw additional resources and energyto the Partnership. Possibly from the discussions planned wewill identify some new people. He is up for re-election inJanuary for the chairmanship. Nola said that we needed additional time to discuss recruitment; it was decided that the Partnership will meet at 7:00 p.m. in December and the Housing Authority will be asked to come at 7:30 p.m. 5.Adjourn/ The meeting was adjourned at 9:00 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Peg Keller NORTHAMPTON HOUSING PARTNERSHIP Minutes December 17, 199/6 Members Present: Richard Abuza, Clare Higgins, Yvonne Freccero,Laura Baker, Chuck Johnson, Alex Ghiselin, David Murphy, Nola Reinhardt, Peg Murray. Also present, Peg Keller, Housing Program Coordinator and Jon Hite, Director of the Northampton Housing Authority. Members Absent: Shelley Abend, Louise Jeffway. AGENDA/ 1.Public Comment Period/ Richard called the meeting to orderwith the presence of a quorum at 7:10 p.m. There was no onepresent to address the Partnership at the Public Comment Period. 2.Board Recruitment/ Members suggested that a one page factsheet be developed explaining the charge of the Partnership thatcan assist with recruitment efforts. Peg will supply this. Members who need to be reappointed for new terms were so notified. David Murphy has expressed a desire not to be reappointed but will continue to work on the survey and other projects as needed. 3.Guest Discussion/ Northampton Housing Authority As discussed at previous meetings, the Partnership invited Jon Hite and Housing Authority Commissioners to meet with them to discuss how Federal and State policy changes may or may not impact their operation in the future, and if there are new ways to collaborate to· meet the affordable housing goals of the community. As a result, Jon Hite attended this evening and the following are highlights of his presentation and the discussion that followed: -organizational mission/ to provide decent, safe affordablehousing for families, elderly and special needs populations-current funding stream/ HUD, EOCD/DCHD, which they willcontinue to utilize-currently administer 460 public housing units for elderly anddisabled, 145 units for families, 20 for handicapped, 155Section 8/MRVP certificates with private landlords and 50mobile certificates from other communities-trends/ Federal funding cuts are following State funding cutswhich began most significantly in the late 80's/ they tried notto lay off any of their staff of 20/ Deputy Directors job waseliminated in 1991/ all $'s were put into operations andmaintenance to address deferred maintenance issues-budgetarily, never have caught up from the late S0's/ HampshireHeights is 45 years old, bad roofs and bathrooms/ no Statemodernization funds for major projects -rents are too low to generate any reserves/ very low incomehouseholds at the family complexes and average monthly rent atSalvo house is $170-Federal budget cuts are just starting/ 5% of $100,000 will becut next year, taking away resources for Florence Heights andMcDonald House-they expect to continue to manage what they own as opposed toprivatizing-they have been level funded at the state level for the past 4years, they saved money on sewer, water and electricity-the Spring Street houses were bought at below market ratesbetween 1976 and 1980/ now they need repair and $45,000 hasbeen saved to address this/ ( 2 houses, will use CDBG for 3rdhouse)-NHA can carry debt for new construction but not for rehab-it does make sense for NHA to own and manage scattered sites(as opposed to complexes) due to goals of having an integratedcommunity, increased pride in residents and low administrativecosts for management-NHA reports to the State, not the City/ they pay $30,000 inlieu of taxes and depend on the city for sand for the roads,gas for the trucks at DPW-sees changes at the Federal level having tenants pay more rentand admin. fees decreasing-existing collaborations/ goal to maintain existing and expandand improve partnerships with other agencies for supportiveservices for tenants/ i.e. VNA, Dickinson Programs, HonorCourt, DMH/DMR; more informal with HCAC and Center for NewAmericans had an office at Hamp. Hts.-Through Federal grant/ Youth Sports/ collab. with the PoliceDept., Y, Rec. Dept.-re: dev. of new units, sees greatest need for large familyunits/ would embark on new projects only with input fromHousing Partnership regarding needs of the City-with the exception of developing the sites at the Statehospital, no plans for doing any large scale new construction-attention to Hamp. Hts., in time, reserve coffers forimprovements will refill, maybe a little help from CDBG (?)-there currently is not an income mix due to Federal preferencesfor admission/ only 12 families at HH paying> $300/mo.-lack of movement from the complexes due to lack of next stepopportunities/ housing or job-increased units for elderly housing is not a priority/ 1975,Walter Salvo House added 192 units, doubling local#/ in 1975,those born in 1910 were 65 yrs. old not many Vets of WWll/ in1985, families existed with huge numbers of Vets/ boughthouses, now selling houses and living 6 mos. year down south/assets restrict eligibility/ supply is sufficient for demand/issue now is mixed populations, elderly with younger disabledliving together-family unit turnover is low/ last year 13/80 at HHts. -added 256 family applications in last 11 mos. to waiting listthey are closing that list for 6 mos. and the Section 8 waitinglist is closed/ 16-17 families will be taken from the list oncethe renovation occurs at Florence Hts.-rarely is a family able to leave a complex for homeownership/some move to 705 properties (NHA owned scattered site housing)but integration into mixed income neighborhoods is difficultfor families who feel community in the complexes-future directions/ soon, the majority of the units will havebeen renovated to last 15 yrs. and NHA can begin to focus onactivities such as economic development and improving tenantslives/-Peg M. asked about private sector involvement and said thatFlorence Savings Bank funds HAP to do homeownership counselingin Hamp. Hts. / Jon said NHA is considering Chamber membership-strengths and interests/ rental property management, rentrecerts, (they do 500 + turnovers, annually)-area of weakness, moving families to the private sector housing Members thanked Jon for his participation and all agreed to work together to identify possible collaborations and solutions to the issue of preserving, maintaining and creating additional affordable housing opportunities in the community; this being the first in a series of discussions the Housing Partnership will be having with housing providers. 3.Rental survey Update/ David Murphy updated members regardingthe survey work continuing through the Smith College MathDepartment. He described the breakdown in the number ofresponses 29/150 and the reasons for the gap. He said thatcombining the information from the first and second round ofphone calls and what he can contribute from his data base, shouldgive a more complete picture of the rental and vacancy ratesituation in the community. Work will continue. 4.Adjourn/ Due to the lateness of the hour, the meetingconcluded at 9:10 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Peg Keller