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HousingPartnershipMinutes2006NORTHAMPTON HOUSING PARTNERSHIP Minutes January 11, 2006 Members Present: Martha Ackelsberg, Fran Volkmann, Alan Ells, Richard Abuza, Yvonne Freccero, Mari Gottdiener, Peg Murray, Betsy Siersma. Also present, Joann Campbell and Patrick McCarthy from Valley CDC & Wayne Feiden. Call to Order: Chair Ackelsberg called the meeting to order at 6:35 p.m. No one was present for the public comment period. It was asked that last months minutes reflect that Member Valenti was the one doing the research for the Elder Vision article. Member Murray made a motion to approve the minutes as amended, Member Siersma seconded the motion. The vote in favor was unanimous. Sub-Committee Reports Implementation: Chair Abuza reported that representatives of Valley CDC had come to present a proposal for the renovation of 46-48 School Street ( 4 units). In order to provide a required local contribution, they are requesting $25,000 of CDBG funds from the City. Chair Abuza summarized the proposal, saying it has the wholehearted endorsement of the Sub-Committee. Ms. Campbell said the State funding sources require a minimum of 5 units, so they were not able to secure resources for a renovation. They did an investigation of adding additional units and are proposing to increase the number from 4-8. This will require a comprehensive permit. Chair Abuza noted there had been some discussion about bedroom sizes. He thought there was a priority for larger sizes. Current data collection will hopefully shed light on this aspect. Valley is proposing 2 studios, 4 one bedrooms and 2 two bedrooms and Ms. Campbell said they would be approaching Smith College for an additional local match. Member Gottdiener asked about the length of the affordability restriction. Ms. Campbell said the Affordable Housing Trust Fund requires 40 years and the Housing Development Support Program carries a 30 year restriction. Given the charge of the CDC, the housing would probably be affordable in perpetuity, she added. The total project cost will be roughly 1.3 million dollars. The building will be entirely renovated and 4 units will be added. Member Abuza made a motion to recommend to the Mayor that the City allocate $25,000 to the renovation and expansion of 46-48 School Street. Member 1 Gottdiener seconded the motion. The vote in favor of the motion was unanimous. Member Volkmann recused herself. The Sub-Committee will revisit their discussions of Inclusionary Zoning and strategies to assist small landlords at their next meeting. Communication Issues: Chair Ackelsberg addressed the members reaction to what they felt was a late report on the negotiations with the Hampton Court developer. Some feel this is a pattern, as they also felt "out of the loop" on the Meadowbrook project. It was summarized that with 2 of the larger affordable housing projects in the City, they were not informed to the extent they felt was appropriate, given their charge. It was agreed that an annual review of the subsidized inventory would be conducted so members are aware of potential unit losses. It was noted that when asked, the Mayor does attend to provide updates. Members may want this to occur more often. Planning Sub-Committee: Chair Siersma reported that Member Valenti was working on the Elder vision Article. Their next meeting (to be held January 30, 2006) will be with local housing search workers to ascertain information regarding the types of units their clients need. Planning Activity Update Planning Director Feiden came in to update the Partnership on the City's comprehensive planning process. Chair Ackelsberg began with a summary of the last Steering Committee meeting held January 9th• The survey form that will be distributed through the City Census has been finalized. It seems that this is something that can be done annually. She is excited about the format and the possibility for on-going input. The focus groups are scheduled for March. The questions for those sessions are being finalized. Representatives on the Steering Committee were asked to go back to their groups to find out what they really want to know/learn from the sessions. She asked the Partnership members what questions they wanted to pose to encourage people to think about housing issues. The list of proposed questions was reviewed. Mr. Feiden said that the current activities include the survey, data collection, the focus groups and the Op Ed pieces that will be placed in the Gazette. The topics will be the economy, equity and the environment. Chair Ackelsberg said that the raw data being collected by the consultants would need to be formatted for the focus groups. The AIA Sustainability Report will be finished next week, the PVPC data piece should be received by the end of January and the work on the zoning tools should be completed in early March. Chair Ackelsberg stated that the Partnership could educate people with the questions asked. She wondered how to take best advantage of this "teachable 2 moment" and frame the conversation for people who do not think about the issues as much as they do. Member Volkmann wondered about the value of asking people questions without giving them any factual context. The Chair responded that was the role of the briefing papers that are also proposed. Director Feiden replied that in total there are 5 Op Ed pieces planned; (the 3 mentioned previously), one introductory in nature and another written by the architect in charge of the Sustainability report. He said the AIA report and Grow Smart Northampton would also be made available on the web. Member Volkmann said most people won't take the time to read the reports and suggested that each focus group begin with a 3 minute presentation on relevant facts, such as housing demographics, trends and issues, presented with no advocacy attached. Director Feiden said the Op Ed pieces could do that also. Members suggested that fact sheets be assembled on average wages, jobs, population trends and incomes. Director Feiden said that the "Community Indicators" report is being updated by PVPC. A summary sheet could be created and used as a common point of reference. If the data is compared to what is needed and the disconnect is visible, it will be easier to garner support. Members picked questions 17,18a, 19, 20, 22 and 25 as being relevant to propose to the focus groups. Additional ideas should be emailed to Director Feiden, as the February meeting will be too late. New Business Member Gottdiener said she is drafting an informational piece relative to the implementation of the Community Preservation Act. Zoning Tool Update: Director Feiden said the consultant would be reviewing staff generated language for Inclusionary Zoning, Transfer of Development Rights and 40R Overlay Zones. Chair Ackelsberg asked that rather than the Partnership reviewing specific language, that the consultant prepare 1-2 pgs. outlining the logic, advantages and disadvantages of the approach. Director Feiden added that internal discussions need to be held in order to better inform the consultant. It was agreed that a separate meeting to pursue this topic should be scheduled. Members set it for Friday January 13th at 1 :30 p.m. Member Abuza made a motion to continue the Partnership meeting to that date and time. The motion was seconded by Member Freccero; the vote in favor of the continuation was unanimous. Green Street Update: Director Feiden said the Educational Overlay zone was on hold until the new Council was seated. March 9th a joint meeting with the Planning Board and the Ordinance Committee will be held. Adjourn/ The meeting concluded at 8:35 p.m. 3 Submitted by, Peg Keller NORTHAMPTON HOUSING PARTNERSHIP Minutes February 8, 2006 Members Present: Martha Ackelsberg, Chair, Yvonne Freccero, Alan Ells, Betsy Siersma, Linda Valenti, Peg Murray. Also present, Peg Keller, staff and 3 interested citizens. Call to Order: The meeting was called to order at 6:35 p.m. Member Murray made a motion to approve the minutes from the previous meeting, as amended by Member Volkmann (in absentia). The motion was seconded by Member Ells and the vote in favor was unanimous; Member Valenti abstained. Public Comment Period: An unidentified member of the public made a comment about the need for Smith College to build housing for its employees. Update on January 13, 2006 Meeting with Planning Director Feiden/ Chair Ackelsberg asked members for an update on that informal session. Members said it was informative, helpful and they suggested that it happen again to continue to enhance their knowledge about zoning tools and techniques. Sub-Committee Reports Implementation/ Member Murray reported that they reviewed the completed application from Valley CDC regarding the School Street project. A few items need to be followed up on and a letter was sent. The request from Mass. Non­ Profit Housing Association for CDBG funds for Pines Edge is being pursued. There was a discussion about the "tone" and content of the City communications to multi-family property owners and the mailings are being reviewed. Member Valenti said there are two forms and she will fax Peg K. the second one. Planning/ Chair Siersma reported that Member Valenti is working on the article for Elder Vision. This came from a desire of the Committee to assist elderly rental property owners. They are investigating doing a series of articles and addressing such topics as lead paint, legal aid, repair and handicap accessibility programs, tenant selection and eviction, and the building and sanitary code. Member Valenti is gathering information from the Housing Authority and Valley CDC. Information collected could be placed on the City's website. HAP produces a landlord workbook and conducts workshops. The guides cost $35, but one could be purchased and placed in the Council on Aging. Member Ells mentioned that Mass. Legal Services has a website with relevant information and the housing courts offer legal assistance as well. 1 Chair Siersma reviewed the information gathered from the meeting with the housing providers. There is a plan for a follow-up meeting with the Housing Authority. Community Planning Update Chair Ackelsberg said work was nearing completion on the op ed pieces that will be circulated shortly. She will send them around via email for final comment. She said the questions for the focus groups would be finalized at next weeks Steering Committee meeting. She mentioned that the GIS program at Smith College has tremendous capabilities and would entertain local project requests. Member Murray suggested re-examining the local needs assessment to identify possible projects. Chair Ackelsberg said she would talk to Mr. Feiden about the best way to interact with Ms. Netter, the consultant hired to review zoning language drafted by the Planning Department. It was noted that the data base materials Pioneer Valley Planning Commission utilized for their contract could be helpful to the City. Membership Representation from the Housing Authority and the Council on Aging were discussed. Because Maureen Carney is on the Housing Authority Board of Commissioners, it could serve dual purposes if she were appointed as the City Council representative to the Housing Partnership (to replace Rita Sleiman). Chair Ackelsberg will pursue this with the Mayor. Adjourn/ The meeting concluded at 8:40 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Peg Keller 2 NORTHAMPTON HOUSING PARTNERSHIP Minutes March 20, 2006 Members Present: Martha Ackelsberg, Chair, Alan Ells, Fran Volkmann, Mari Gottdiener, Linda Valenti, Peg Murray, Betsy Siersma, Richard Abuza. Also present, Wayne Feiden, Planning Director and Peg Keller, staff. Call to Order: Chair Ackelsberg called the meeting to order at 6:35 p.m. There was no one present for the public comment period. Community Planning Update Two focus groups have been held to date. Chair Ackelsberg and Member Volkmann were at the first one and Member Abuza attended the second. The Chair stated she was impressed with the participants. Mr. Feiden said the process was going smoothly. Due to the amount of information being generated that will require processing, the time line has been lengthened. Members were encouraged to attend future meetings. The wrap up sessions are scheduled for June 20th and 21st. Workshop Report Chair Ackelsberg reported on what she had learned at the session entitled "How to Run a Good Public Hearing". This was a workshop conducted for Northampton Boards and Committees, held on February 9th• She stressed that members need to pay attention to the nature of discussions that occur via email. It was her understanding that any matter that asks for responsive dialogue must occur at a publicly posted meeting. Discussion followed. It was agreed that if she has already been given permission to draft a letter at a meeting, then circulation of the letter and resulting comments could occur through email. It is safer to direct all comments to staff for consolidation, as opposed to interaction with other members. Membership Chair Ackelsberg has asked City Council President Bardsley if Councilor Carney could be appointed as the Council representative to the Housing Partnership. As Ms. Carney is also a member of the Housing Authority Board of Commissioners, that would provide the Partnership with a link there, as well. The Chair will follow up. Power Point Presentation The remainder of the evening was spent viewing a slide show presented by Mr. Feiden, the Planning Director. This was followed by a discussion of Smart Growth zoning tools and techniques. Adjourn/ The meeting concluded at 8:45 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Peg Keller NORTHAMPTON HOUSING PARTNERSHIP Minutes April 26, 2006 Members Present: Martha Ackelsberg, Chair, Mari Gottdiener, Fran Volkmann, Richard Abuza, Betsy Siersma. Also present, Peg Keller, staff. Call to Order: Chair Ackelsberg called the meeting to order at 6:36 p.m. No one was present for the public comment period. Comprehensive Planning Process Update Chair Ackelsberg reported that the Council on Aging focus group is being held this evening. The final session will be the one sponsored by Casa Latina, to be held next week. Peg will email location information for those members wishing to attend. Discussion followed regarding how the Partnership is supposed to have input into this City planning process. Interns in the Planning Department are summarizing the information gathered on newsprint from the focus groups. When that information is made available, it may be easier for members to see overall themes that could lead to Partnership activity and advocacy. Op ed columns and briefing papers were discussed as community education vehicles that could be created by Partnership members. The Chair noted that she is taking a Geographic Information Systems course at Hampshire College. For a class project, she has undertaken mapping 2005 condominium conversions as compared to rents in 1999. She is hoping to identify properties on a map that were converted, to ascertain if properties with higher rents or lower rents went condo. Member Gottdiener asked again about the role of the Partnership, expressing her desire to be involved in hands on tasks. Chair Ackelsberg said we could either wait for the zoning analysis and focus group results, or study what exists and be proactive about identifying issues. Sub-Committee Reports Planning: Chair Siersma reported on the findings of the group, based on conversations they have had with an area rental agent, housing providers and a representative from the Housing Authority. Information provided by the Housing Authority and Planning Department was reviewed. She said that the overall need for individuals coming out of homelessness, and single adults with very low 1 incomes, is for enhanced SRO units. Her committee will be waiting to see what comes out of the City's planning process to identify future tasks. Implementation: Chair Abuza referred in brief to some issues he outlined in an earlier email message. He has become Chair (by default) and feels the Committee could benefit from a new chair and additional membership. He feels he has repeated the issues that are of concern to him many times and would like to continue to provide input into the discussions, but does not want to organize the work of the committee. He is vitally interested in activities that could provide support to local landlords. Future Tasks Chair Ackelsberg returned to the discussion of how the Partnership should proceed relative to the local planning process. She said that the group had not reassessed its goals and objectives since Member Volkmann was chair. She said it would be timely to review the materials that were generated at that time. They will go out with the next mailing. She agreed that it was difficult to bolster committee membership with the Partnerships overall numbers down. Discussion followed regarding possible Partnership roles. Member Volkmann said the role of advocacy is very important and members should be present at all of these venues to keep affordable housing issues in the discussion mix. She also noted that it would be important to receive an update from former Chair Jack Hornor regarding the development at Hospital Hill. Although no longer a Partnership member, Mr. Hornor asked to remain as the liaison on the CAC and agreed to report regularly. This is important due to the significant new housing being created there. Chair Ackelsberg will contact him. In summary, it was agreed that members should review the updated Community Indicators report recently prepared by the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission. Members should study the housing section (that had been drafted with input from the Partnership) and come prepared to discuss what that information means for future activity. Peg will also send out the Goals and Objectives from 2003 and 2004. The May meeting will be devoted to identifying possible future Partnership directions based on that analysis. Adjourn/ The meeting concluded at 7:50 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Peg Keller 2 NORTHAMPTON HOUSING PARTNERSHIP MEETING MINUTES MAY 10, 2006 Members Present: Chair Martha Ackelsberg, Betsy Siersma, Yvonne Freccero, Fran Volkmann, Alan Ells, Peg Murray. Also present: Michael Owens. Cal to Order: The meeting was called to order at approximately 6:30 p.m. Public Comment No members of the public were present; no public comment was offered. Minutes Member Volkman moved to approve the minutes of the previous meeting; motion passed unanimously. Reports State Hospital Citizen Advisory Committee Martha spoke with Jack Hornor who reported that the CAC is meeting about once a year. Jack stated that he would respond in writing as to where he sees things at this time. Martha requested that staff ask Wayne to report on and discuss the status of the state hospital project at the next Partnership meeting. Sustainable Northampton Both Martha and Fran attended the recent sustainability meeting with Casa Latina clients and tenants of the Northampton Housing Authority. Feedback from this session will be tabulated and added to the data from the nine (9) focus groups. Major areas of concern expressed at this session were public transportation, housing and jobs. The City survey sent out with the local census indicates strong support for affordable housing. On June 20th and 21 st the City reports back to the public the results of the focus groups and survey; all the aggregate data will be summarized at these two meetings. Members discussed the value of including the community indicators report and economic report as part of the presentations to be made in June. On Monday the 22nd of May a meeting will be held at City Council Chambers to formulate the June information package. Community Indicators Report Members discussed the major themes on the PVPC indicators report including low wages, creating jobs with livable wages; the lack of affordable housing and the lack of housing in the middle rage of 1 prices, which are few, and far between. Members noted that page 25 of the report had many telling statistics including trends in condominium sales. Members also discussed the state benchmark goal for communities to have at least 10% affordable housing. Some members felt that this was an artificial number and the goal for affordable housing should actually be much higher. Member also discussed affordable units that are coming on line and units that are being lost. Members requested that Peg Keller provide information of the overall loss/ gain of units at the next Partnership meeting in order to provide members with a better sense of where the City is trending in regards to affordable units (both rental and homeownership). Martha asked members to give some thought to how the Partnership could use its "bully pulpit" to raise concerns and interest regarding affordable housing. The apparent "over housing" of elders was also discussed along with potential ways to preserve this housing as affordable when seniors pass on. Membership Peg Murray requested that staff prepare an information packet on the Partnership for Casa Latina. Staff persons at Casa and/ or clients of Casa may be interested in serving on the Partnership but need additional information. Members suggested sending the Partnership powers and duties outlined within the City ordinance as well as the most recent brochure to the folks at Casa Latina. There was also discussion of getting a City Councilor on the Partnership as well as the status of the appointment of Gordon Shaw. Members felt that getting a blurb in the newspaper in search of members would also be worth while. Betsy noted that this was how she learned of the Partnership and became involved. Announcements Access to Justice Commission -Alan noted an upcoming event in Springfield on Friday from 9am to 1 pm. A panel discussion will take place regarding the barriers faced by low-income persons in accessing the justice system. New Ventures Zoning for Affordable Housing -An aspect of this presentation dealt with the regional aspect of affordable housing production and retention. Members expressed an interest to open a regular dialogue with the Amherst housing group and possibly affordable housing supporters and advocates active in Easthampton. Next Step Collaborative -Next Step will meet tomorrow and the agenda looks very interesting. Member Freccero stated that she will be attending tomorrow's next step meeting. Respectfully submitted Mto 05-15-06 2 NORTHAMPTON HOUSING PARTNERSHIP Minutes June 14, 2006 Members Present: Martha Ackelsberg, Chair, Richard Abuza, Yvonne Freccero, Fran Volkmann, Betsy Siersma, Peg Murray. Also present Wayne Feiden, Planning Director and Peg Keller, staff . Call to Order: The meeting convened at 6:35 p.m. Member Freccero made a motion to approve last months minutes. The motion was seconded by Member Siersma; the vote in favor was unanimous. Updates Sustainable Northampton/ Chair Ackelsberg said this phase of the public process is coming to an end. The wrap up sessions are being held next week. Member Volkmann will attend Tuesday and Chair Ackelsberg will attend Wednesday. The Steering Committee has been grappling with how to present the information gleaned from the 9 community meetings. Work articulating goals will continue into the fall and then actual work putting the comprehensive plan together will commence. Director Feiden said the process has been slowed down from the original schedule to insure a comprehensive effort. The sessions next week will give people an opportunity to confirm the conclusions and/or point out what might have been missed, as opposed to taking additional input. Member Freccero said she is interested in the input from the forum sponsored with Casa Latina. Peg will get those notes. Northampton State Hospital Update/ A memo from Jack Hornor reported that the Community Builders is moving ahead on the second phase of residential development. The CDBG request has not changed but the site plan has. All are awaiting the demolition of Old Main. TCB has hired a New Urbanism marketing firm to look at the demographics, to see what types/sizes or units are in demand. The trend seems to be towards smaller units. They are also rethinking the phasing, and may do market units next. Another firm has been hired to re-examine the Master Plan. Wayne confirmed for the Chair that the 80-120% of area median income range is being considered. Those may be harder to develop, given the lack of subsidy available. When the final outcomes of the Sustainability Process are known, it may impact future development decisions. A discussion of transportation and the Zip car ensued. The work Wayne is doing with Edith Netter on zoning language has progressed slightly. He has some comments back from her relative to the initial drafts, but he has yet to review them. Wayne assured the Partnership that they would have an opportunity to weigh in, but did not want Ms. Netter to come out until things were farther along. He will be submitting a 40R proposal to the State for technical review in the next few months, however, if the public comments support that direction. 1 Bedford Terrace/ Wayne reported that Smith College will start work when the City Council approves the covenants. He said the affordability restrictions will be consistent with the development agreement, but Smith will not sign the covenants until the zoning overlay district is approved by City Council. The plan is 99 years of affordability and 26 units; two thirds at 60% of area median income and one third at 80%, 1 market rate unit. We will want to get 40B credit for these units and will have the developer meet the requirements that will guarantee credit for the City. Mr. Feiden, in answer to a question by Member Abuza, said O'Connell Development will get the land for free and some funds from Smith, which is how they will be making the units affordable. O'Connell will own and manage the units for the long term. The project, which will involve renovation of the existing building and new construction of a second building, will be filed with the Planning Board soon. Hampton Court/ Mr. Feiden reported that the affordability agreement will be for 15 more years from now. They guarantee not to convert to condominiums for 5 years. If they do convert, the loan will be repaid to the City. This forbearance agreement got the City 15 more years of affordability. School Street/ City Council has approved an easement needed by Valley CDC to move this project forward. The comprehensive permit application is in process. Applications for funding will be made soon. The due diligence on this project revealed issues with the Northampton Area Land Trust. Legal assistance being provided to Valley will sort through the current status and resolve some issues that will enable this project to advance. There may be more longer term issues that will need to be resolved. N.King Street/ Mr. James Harrity's proposal for a large development on N. King Street was discussed. The plan includes affordable units. More information is needed prior to an endorsement from the Partnership. A discussion about supporting accessory rental apartments versus small condominium ownership units ensued and will be continued next month. A monitoring agreement will also need to be created. Membership/ Gordon Shaw will be recontacted to see if he is interested. Having Maureen Carney represent the City Council may involve changing the meeting night. This will be pursued. A request will be submitted to the Kimball Howes Volunteer Center registry and an ad placed in the newspaper in the fall, in search of new members. Adjourn/ The meeting concluded at 8:25 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Peg Keller 2 NORTHAMPTON HOUSING PARTNERSHIP Minutes August 1, 2006 Members Present: Martha Ackelsberg, Chair, Richard Abuza, Yvonne Freccero, Alan Ells, Mari Gottdiener, Betsy Siersma. Also present Peg Keller, staff. Call to Order: Chair Ackelsberg called the meeting to order at 6:35 p.m. Members discussed changing the meeting night for the remainder of the year. It was agreed that the third Monday from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. would be the new meeting time. Approval of Minutes: Member Freccero made a motion to approve the minutes of the last meeting. The motion was seconded by Member Siersma and the vote in favor was unanimous. Sustainable Northampton Master Planning Process Update Chair Ackelsberg reported she was not able to attend the last Steering Committee meeting but she had an update from W. Feiden, Planning Director. She circulated the draft goal statements that the Steering Committee had begun to put together. Teri Anderson told her that more work would occur on the visions and goals. The Chamber has offered to raise funds to hire a consultant to do additional work synthesizing the comments received from the public forums. When the Chair asked how the Partnership could be helpful at this juncture, Mr. Feiden said that developing benchmarks would be beneficial. He said that fleshing out the goal statements and identifying numerical values, time tables and deadlines is the next step. Towards that end, the members examined the vision statement addressing Equity Goals. The other draft addresses Economy Elements. Members discussed the bulleted items in the Equity piece that addressed housing concerns. The items generated from the public forums were compared to the priorities identified by the Planning Sub-Committee. It was agreed that we should invite Valley CDC representatives to attend a meeting to address the item about expanding the First Time Homebuyer Program. It would also be helpful to hear the results of Valley's recently completed strategic planning process. Discussion followed regarding how to include the Planning Sub-Committee goals into the comprehensive planning process. The Sub-Committee priority needs are: •affordable housing for households earning 80-120% of area median income•additional inventory of enhanced SRO units 1 •capture of homes owned by elders into perpetually affordable stock Discussion followed about linking elder homeowner units with first time homebuyers. Member Abuza said finding an entity to administer such a program has always been the stumbling block. It was suggested that Community Preservation Act funds might be utilized for such a program. A preliminary list of possible CPA projects was recorded on newsprint. A summary of the benchmark discussion is as follows. (Bold lettering indicates work of the Steering Committee and the italicized lettering shows the Partnership's preliminary thinking.) 4.Improve housing affordability to retain a diversity of residents. Strategies and Actions: a.Increase affordable housing options-both subsidized and market rate.Additional potential at the State Hospital/ mixed income housing/ enhanced SRO's and 80-120% affordable units✓ live/ work units b.Retain current stock of public and private low-income housing. Assistance to small landlords✓ creation of a supportive information network.Develop meaningful partnership with landlords to support preservation of affordable rental units. c.Expand first time homebuyer programs. Research current status of program with Valley CDC Assess trends andregional market-Get report by 9/1 or invite to September meeting. d.Address conversion of rental units to condominiums Develop a NHP fact sheet based on the research already compiled. Show therate and trends/ what legal paths are available and provide information to landlords.-Create fact sheet by the September meeting. e.Create affordable live-work space to retain artists in the City. Get zoning update on live/work space and home occupations. Support flexible zoning to safely allow such uses.-Get update by September meeting. Request inclusion of fact sheet on web-site. f.ADD/ Preserve and create full range of mixed income housingdefined as affordable to those earning 30% or less to 120% of area median income Sub-Committee Reports: Committees have not met, but will schedule in August. Implementation will work on the condo conversion fact sheet and Planning will continue working on the development of benchmarks. Adjourn/ The meeting concluded at 8:30 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Peg Keller 2 NORTHAMPTON HOUSING PARTNERSHIP Minutes September 18, 2006 Members Present: Martha Ackelsberg, Chair, Yvonne Freccero, Maureen Carney, Betsy Siersma, Peg Murray, Mari Gottdiener, Fran Volkmann. Also present, Joann Campbell and Michele Morris, Valley Community Development Corporation and Peg Keller, staff and Kathy Silva, interested citizen. Call to Order: Chair Ackelsberg called the meeting to order at 7:05 p.m. She welcomed our City Council representative, Maureen Carney and members introduced themselves. No one desired to comment during the public comment period. First Time Homebuyer Program Update One of the recommendations from the Sustainable Northampton public sessions was to expand the first time homebuyer program. In order to better understand the programs current operation, Joann Campbell, Director of the Valley CDC and Michele Morris, the First Time homebuyer Counselor, were invited to attend the meeting.Ms. Morris circulated a handout that described three facets of the program; program services, outreach and evolution. Members read the handout. Discussion followed. Member Gottdiener asked how CPA funds could be used to assist the program. Downpayment assistance and matching funds for affordable housing projects was suggested. The need identified for the first time homebuyer program, however, is on-going homeowner assistance. Ms. Morris said that affordable homes are able to be found in Laurel Park and in the Ryan Road areas. Homeowners are having increasing difficulty maintaining their homes, however. Ms. Morris mentioned the Financial Literacy Program (through Florence Savings Bank) that helps people prepare for ownership. Clients are looking for the certificate earned by attending First Time Homebuyer workshops in order to qualify for a Soft Second mortgage. A discussion of mortgage companies and the lack of regulation ensued. The question was raised, does the desire for "program expansion" translate into greater availability of affordable homes, or additional program services or a larger catchment area. It was noted that there is no potential for expansion with CDBG funding, unless the program went into the public services category. CDBG requires client referral to HOME units only. 1 The issue of post purchase counseling was addressed. HAP does offer services. Workshops have been offered in the past, but have not been well attended. Ms. Gottdiener suggested that local cable television programming might be a venue for education. Peg Murray mentioned reverse mortgages. Ms. Morris said they have been approached by lenders to hold classes on that practice, but due to its complexity, they prefer to make referrals only. HAP's downpayment assistance program, although available, is difficult to utilize. It was noted that Valley is terminating their administration of the City's Housing Rehabilitation Program this June. The program is time consuming and they no longer have the staff capacity to do this work. The future of the program is something the Housing Partnership and the CDBG Administrator will need to discuss, soon. The representatives from Valley were thanked for their time and good work. They left the meeting. Sustainable Northampton Update Chair Ackelsberg reported that in August, it was agreed that the City would look for funding to hire a consultant to synthesize the public input and outsource the writing of the plan. The scope of work was created in September. The hope is that the Request for Proposals will be issued in October, with a quick response deadline, with work to be completed in December. She said all efforts should be made to continue to articulate the Partnership's concerns into the process. Sub-Committee Reports Planning/ Their charge was to establish benchmarks by which to measure the goals, strategies and actions articulated in the Sustainable Northampton public sessions. Chair Siersma distributed the Committee's work. Peg will try to get the number of SRO units lost and an update on SRO zoning. Peg will ask Michele Morris to add some numbers to her program description, to address item c. and Implementation will meet in October to address the condo conversion fact sheet. Mass. Fair Housing Center Scope of Services Peg reported on the activities she suggested for the agency's annual work plan. This includes a session with local landlords on fair housing issues. It is scheduled for October 24th• Peg also reported on her meeting with the Clerk Magistrate relative to Housing Court procedures. Approval of Minutes/ Member Gottdiener made a motion to approve the minutes of the previous meeting. The motion was seconded by Member Freccero; the vote to approve was unanimous in favor, with the abstention of Member Murray. Adjourn/ The meeting concluded at 9:00 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Peg Keller 2 NORTHAMPTON HOUSING PARTNERSHIP Minutes October 16, 2006 Members Present: Martha Ackelsberg, Chair, Peg Murray, Maureen Carney, Fran Volkmann, Yvonne Freccero, Mari Gottdiener, Richard Abuza, Alan Ells, new member Gordon Shaw. Also present, Peg Keller, staff. Call to Order: Chair Ackelsberg called the meeting to order at 7:05 p.m. No one was present for the public comment. Members introduced themselves to Member Shaw. He was welcomed. Member Freccero made a motion to approve the minutes, as amended by Member Murray. The motion was seconded by Member Volkmann; the motion to approve was unanimous in favor. Sustainable Northampton Update/ Chair Ackelsberg reported that the Steering Committee did not meet in October. At the September meeting the scope of services for the Consultant was finalized. It has been sent out for bids. The time table asks for Report completion by early next year. Continuation of Discussion/ Goals and Objectives from Comp. Planning Process Peg reposted the newsprint and members reviewed progress. Highlights include the following: 1.) Goal Mixed use zoning at the State Hospital for 80-120% of area median income households/ Status: There is some discussion about increasing density on-site and creating a 40R zone. It was noted that this income range is difficult to produce due to the lack of subsidy. Jack Hornor will be asked to present after the next CAC meeting. 2.) Goal Assistance to landlords/ discussed briefly. Will devote November meeting to fleshing this out. 3.) Goal Research First Time Homebuyer program/ Valley did presentation, will ask for data. 4.) Goal Fact sheet on condo conversions. No progress, except summary by Richard. 5.) Goal Live work spaces/ Have zoning summary from Carolyn. 6.) Goal Create full range of mixed income housing, i.e. 30 % to 120% of area median income including enhanced SRO's. After some discussion it was agreed that the December meeting would be spent discussing how to create these housing types, with the developers who do this work. Invitations will be extended to representatives of the Northampton Housing Authority, Valley CDC, HAP, ServiceNet, the Department of Mental Health and the Mental Health Association. Issues relative to funding, management and provision of support services will be discussed. Adjourn/ The meeting concluded at 9:00 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Peg Keller 1 NORTHAMPTON HOUSING PARTNERSHIP Minutes November 20, 2006 Members Present: Martha Ackelsberg, Chair, Peg Murray, Maureen Carney, Richard Abuza, Gordon Shaw, Fran Volkmann, Betsy Siersma, Alan Ells. Also present, Peg Keller, staff. Call to Order: Chair Ackelsberg called the meeting to order at 7:05 p.m. No one was present for the public comment period. Member Volkmann made a motion to approve the minutes of the past meeting, seconded by Member Murray. They were approved as submitted. Sustainable Northampton Update Chair Ackelsberg said the Steering Committee met last week. Two proposals had been received to complete the final phases of the Comprehensive Plan. Neither met the requirements the Committee had set. Other parties will be notified and the project will be re-bid. Responses will be due mid-January, with the hope that the project will be completed in April or May. It was noted that members wanted to hear from Jack Hornor, regarding the State Hospital redevelopment status, at the December meeting. Smith Affordable Housing Fund/ Advisory Committee Members reviewed a memo from Member Volkmann. She had articulated some issues that have arisen within the Committee relative to the review of affordable housing projects to be funded with the Smith monies ( created from the SNAP efforts). In reviewing the School Street project request submitted by Valley CDC, one of the issues raised was how to "count" the units created relative to Smith's commitment for replacement housing and the funds they have obligated. The Committee had agreed to support the project and recommend to the College that it be funded. The request was for $200,000 and Smith wanted credit for 4 units. Member Volkmann referred back to the SNAP proposal that recommended DHCD guidelines be utilized in defining creation/replacement costs. The ballpark range according to DHCD is $200,000 per unit/ Member Volkmann thought, based on that, that Smith should be credited for no more than 2 units. More problematic, is that the Committee has no criteria for defining replacement activity in general, being that the Development Agreement appears to have superceded the SNAP proposal. She said that now that she is leaving the Housing Partnership (December will be her last meeting), her replacement will need to grapple with these issues. It will be important for that person to have a sense of the Partnership's expectations. 1 Member Abuza agreed that this was a relevant issue for the Partnership, as the Smith activity is important to the affordable housing arena, as is the State Hospital. Members then discussed the meeting that the Mayor had attended at which she mentioned the possibility of a Memorandum of Agreement. This could confirm that a member of the Housing Partnership would be a mandated position on the Smith Affordable Housing Fund Advisory Committee. Member Abuza made a motion for the Chair to write a (strongly worded) letter in support of the creation of standards to insure that the Development Agreement is a meaningful document. Member Ells seconded the motion. The vote in favor of the motion was unanimous. Chair Ackelsberg will send the letter. Elections/ will be held in December. Landlord Assistance Ideas After some brainstorming, it was decided that the Planning Sub-Committee would take on the development of a program to assist landlords in 2007. Ideas mentioned included the following: •Tone of City Communications/ appreciative, not punitive•Web-Site with Resources and Links•An Appreciation Event•Programs: Housing Rehab, Lead Paint Abatement, Handicap Accessibility/ADA, Fair Housing Laws, Tenant/Landlord Mediation•Mayor Communication to City Departments, i.e. Board of Health, Fire Dept. ,Building Inspection / Help not hinder•Early Intervention re: tenant and landlord interaction around problems Letters go out from the Assessors and Registrars office to the targeted landlord population. Peg will find out when the letters go out. Member Shaw agreed to be on the Planning Committee. Chair Siersma will schedule a meeting after the first of the year. Grove Street Inn Peg updated members on the need to rehab the Grove Street Inn. Members suggested ways to get volunteer labor. A grant source is needed to do an architectural feasibility analysis to determine whether the building should be rehabbed or a new facility constructed, or some plan in between. December Meeting/ will be a "thank you" pot luck to acknowledge the tenure of Fran Volkmann, who is resigning. Peg will try to line up housing developers to discuss SRO and Safe Havens housing. Adjourn/ The meeting was concluded at 8:50 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Peg Keller 2 Northampton Housing Partnership Minutes December 18, 2006 Members Present: Martha Ackelsberg, Chair, Gordon Shaw, Mari Gottdiener, Fran Volkmann, Maureen Carney, Richard Abuza. Also present, Linda Valenti and M.J. Adams of Habitat for Humanity, Councilor Michael Bardsley, and Peg Keller,staff. (Meeting was held at the King Street Fire Station). Call to Order: Chair Ackelsberg called the meeting to order at 7: 10 p.m. She introduced Councilor Bardsley who wanted to address the Partnership about the West Street relocation effort. West Street Relocation Councilor Bardsley has heard from several residents being displaced by the Smith College expansion. It appears there is much confusion about what will be offered at Bedford Terrace and whether or not the units are in fact affordable. He articulated some issues that Chair Ackelsberg agreed to follow up on. She circulated a draft letter to the Mayor she had created to address concerns Member Volkmann had raised about the Housing Replacement Fund implementation. Councilor Bardsley expressed his appreciation to Member Volkmann for her years of service and invaluable contribution. Pioneer Valley Habitat Presentation Linda Valenti and MJ Adams then presented a power point slide show of their recent Habitat trip to India. They, along with Steven Ferrari, traveled to India for an International Build where 250 homes were constructed in a week. They narrated their experience. Members thanked them for such a great presentation and the inspiration ! ! Thank you to Fran Members expressed their appreciation to Fran Volkmann, who has opted not to be reappointed for another term on the Partnership. They thanked her for her work on moving the tasks of the Partnership forward and for all her work on SNAP (Smith Northampton Affordability Partnership) and the Fund Advisory Committee, as well as Sustainable Northampton and the Planning Board. She will be greatly missed! Thank you, Fran. Adjourn/ The meeting concluded at 8:45 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Peg Keller