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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2008-01-24 Housing PACKET Ashland Housing Commission Regular Meeting Agenda: January 24, 2008 5:00 Î 6:50 Community Development Building 51 Winburn Way 1. (5:00) Approval of Minutes th December 20, 2007 meeting 2. (5:05) Public Forum items not on the agenda 3. (5:15) Reports and Updates Subcommittee Reports Liaison reports Education (no meeting) Council Land Use (no meeting) Parks Finance - meeting 1-8-2008 Schools (Voisin/Billin Î see item 4) Staff Update - CDBG (Goldman) Planning 4. (5:20) Housing Trust Fund Platform Development 5. (6:00) Presentation to Council Discussion about topics for annual presentation Presentation 2/5/2008 @ 7:00 6. (6:30) Assignment of Commissioners to Subcommittees 7. (6:45) Upcoming Events and Meetings Croman Mill Site Redevelopment Plan Public Workshop 7:00 PM Î 9:00 PM; Wednesday, January 30, 2008 Bellview Grange; 1050 Tolman Creek Rd. City Council Regular Meetings th 7:00-10:00PM: Tuesday February 5, 2008 Î Housing Commission Presentation th 7:00-10:00PM: Tuesday February 19, 2008 Î Clay Creek (Chitwood) Project RFQ review Housing Commission Regular Meeting 5:30-7:30 PM; Thursday February 28, 2008 Community Development Building Finance subcommittee Î 2/12/08 @ 5:30 -6:30 Education subcommittee Î 2/13/08 @ 5:00 -6:00 Land Use subcommittee Î 2/14/08 @ 11:00-12:00 Quorum Check Î Commissioners not available to attend the subsequent regular meeting or their assigned subcommittee should declare their expected absence. 8. (6:50) Adjournment Memo TO: Housing Commission Title: Housing Trust Fund Development Date: January 24, 2008 Submitted By: Brandon Goldman, Housing Program Specialist Ashland Housing Trust Fund Summary The Ashland Housing Commission has undertaken the process of developing an Housing Trust Fund to assist in the development of needed housing within our community. Specifically City Staff the Finance Subcommittee of the Housing Commission has taken an active role in the research and development of the Ashland Housing Trust Fund (AHTF), and periodically brings forward information to go before the full commission for consideration. The Finance Committee has examined a number of sections for inclusion in the platform of the trust fund to be considered by the full Commission. These items include: Section 1 - Eligible Applicants Section 2 - Eligible Uses and Activities Section 3 Î Preferences Section 4 Î Fund Administration Section 5 Î Match Requirements Section 6 Î Allocation of Funds 6a) Competitive award (RFQ) 6b) Non-competitive (NOFA) 6c) Grant or loan award criteria At prior meetings of the Housing Commissions Sections 1, 2, and 3 have been discussed as shown below in the minutes from prior meetings. These sections were in large part satisfactory to full Commission when previously reviewed. The Finance Subcommittee at this time requests that the full Commission review the provided Ðworking draft platformÑ and provide guidance to the subcommittee. Specifically Sections 4, 5, and 6 are presented for discussion as new items the full Commission has not previously reviewed. Background th At a previous meeting of the full Housing Commission on April 26 2007 the Housing Trust Fund was discussed focused upon the review of the Mission Statement and the community survey results. Excerpt from the 4-26-2007 Housing Commission minutes below: HOUSING TRUST FUND DEVELOPMENT SURVEY REVIEW (forwarded by Finance Committee) Goldman reported this data was gathered to find out how the stakeholders view how to best use the funds when a housing trust fund is developed. To date, 19 surveys (80 sent) have been returned from housing stakeholders in the community. There were 50 responses to the CityÓs website survey. Goldman thinks that some of the 80 may have filled out the online survey. The results indicate most people would support use of the housing trust fund between ÐownershipÑ and ÐrentalÑ housing as opposed to Ðspecial needsÑ or Ðhomeless.Ñ ÐLand acquisitionÑ and Ðnon-profit assistanceÑ were regarded as the highest priority. More detailed information is contained in the packet. Some of the Commission members were not certain of the credibility the online responses. They did not seem to be as well thought out as the written responses. Goldman said some respondents gave their names and some did not. Hauck said this was not intended to be a broad survey, but a data point. Voisin is interested there were 32 people who wanted to be contacted again. Hardesty thought it was interesting information but it needs to be taken with a big grain of salt. Smith thought it might be worthwhile asking for more detailed feedback from the 32 interested individuals. Voisin said this is just a snapshot and they will be gathering input and data all along the way and keeping up with those who want to stay informed. Goldman said with regard the chart entitled ÐTarget Income Levels for application of housing trust fundsÑ respondents consistently felt that it should be extremely low income, low income and moderate (80 percent AMI and below). The responses were not leaning in favor or funding workforce housing. MISSION STATEMENTS REVIEW AND RECOMMENDATIONS Hauck reported that the committee got it down to three mission statements for the Housing Commission to review and decide upon. They used models from other trust funds. Comments & Suggestions: 1) #1 says it all. 2) Like the wording : Ðpreservation of affordable housing throughout Ashland.Ñ (#1) 3) Keep community diverse (#2) 4) ÐWays and meansÑ (#2) says more than just Ðproduction and preservationÑ (#1) 5) Wording such as ÐÈpreservation of housing that all of its residents can afford.Ñ 6) How do we define ÐresidentÑ or what do we mean by Ðresident.Ñ 7) Look at the concept of ÐburdenedÑ because they are paying more than 30 percent for housing. 8) ÐÈall of the residents of Ashland can afford.Ñ 9) Use #1 and amalgamate it with #2. 10) ÐConstructionÑ instead of ÐproductionÑ 11) Leave in Ðproviding the ways and mean for affordable housingÑ so that will include other things besides construction or production and preservation. The Housing Commission further discussed the development of the Ashland Housing th Trust Fund (AHTF) on July 26, 2007 in which the mission statement was formalized, and the commission examined who would be eligible to apply for AHTF, and what uses of the funds would be permitted. Excerpt from the 7-26-2007 Housing Commission minutes below: HOUSING TRUST FUND DEVELOPMENT Goldman said the Finance subcommittee has taken the lead on developing the housing trust fund. There is a memo from Goldman to the Housing Commission in the packet outlining the work the Finance subcommittee has done. They are looking at a 20 month timeline to establish a housing trust fund. The mission has been defined. Goldman reviewed each section of the memo with the Commission. He said the ÐPurposeÑ statement is broad and can be revised at a later date. The ÐEligible ApplicantsÑ is meant to be broadly inclusive. Benjamin wondered if the ÐEligible ApplicantsÑ section is responsive or proactive. With this generic framework, weÓll have to wait for non-profits to come to us for funding. Or, are we going to go to them? He is inclined to keep the plan as flexible as possible. He would like, in anticipation of establishing the housing trust fund, to start asking the non-profits to start thinking about the projects they could do and what their needs will be in the next 18 months, before casting the housing trust fund in concrete. Ask them for a budget. Try to have two to three organizations in mind. Hauck agreed we need to invite the non-profits and ask them to participate and explain their funding needs in the near future perhaps in the format of a work session a public hearing. Goldman said we have a list of 20 individuals that are interested (from the survey). Guidelines ItÓs possible these could be prioritized. Goldman said the timeline now is defining the uses. The next section is establishing an award process and further down the list is the selection criteria where a point value could be given to projects. The Commissioners discussed the item under Guidelines: ÐDevelopments that include affordable units for the disabled and the homeless.Ñ Smith felt this was an awfully broad statement and if we are trying to accomplish creation of affordable housing and workforce housing, this seems outside the scope of the housing trust fund and more like a social service. Benjamin is concerned the Guidelines attempt to do all things for all people. Voisin would like to keep the Guidelines broad and open and leave the statement in the Guidelines. Hauck believes housing is for the citizens of Ashland, whoever they are, though he would like to have priorities. He doesnÓt want to take something off the list only to find it is needed. Benjamin would like the Guidelines initially to be void of anything that would create political opposition. Eligible Activities What is capacity building? Hauck explained it is where an organization doesnÓt have the expertise available to do a specific part of the project. For example, someone might be needed with expertise in financing. Voisin said the Finance Committee wanted to prioritize everything that is directly related to increasing affordable housing, but including the others, just in case. Ayars thought that ÐTransitional and Emergency HousingÑ should add at the end of the sentence, Ðthrough an established program to move people toward self-sufficiency. Ayars asked if ÐConservation of EnergyÑ was a stretch. Goldman said the intention is that if it is an affordable housing development that contains green technologies, that it would have a preference over one that did not. Conservation should be encouraged because it will lower the residents housing costs. The Finance subcommittee wanted the full commission to evaluate the work done so far on the housing trust fund and make a recommendation as to whether or not a special study session would be in order. The Commissioners were satisfied with the language with the few changes as noted above. Goldman will look at a time in early September for a special study session. The development of a Housing Trust Fund is an undertaking that requires careful consideration, public involvement, and will ultimately require significant support to th secure funding and approval. On October 30, 2007 the Housing Commission re- introduced the Housing Trust Fund model to the community through a public forum to introduce the purpose of the trust fund to interested community members. As the Ashland Housing Trust Fund platform is further developed it will be presented to the Housing Commission and City Council at public hearings to elicit more public contributions prior to its adoption. Ashland Housing Trust Fund WORKING DRAFT PLATFORM Mission The mission of the Ashland Housing Trust Fund is to keep our community diverse by facilitating the production and preservation of affordable housing throughout Ashland. Purpose The purpose of the Ashland Housing Trust Fund is to establish a dedicated source of revenue to provide ongoing funding for housing projects or programs that address the housing needs of Ashland residents. To this end the AHTF was established to address the primary purpose of encouraging the creation of housing for homeownership or rent, at a cost that will enable low and moderate income families to afford quality housing while paying no more than thirty per cent of gross household income on housing, To promote the rehabilitation, preservation and production of quality, well designed rental and homeownership housing the AHTF will award funds to community development partners that are furthering the AHTF mission. It is expecting that the local contributions made through AshlandÓs Housing Trust Fund will assist in maximizing the leveraging of state and federal funds, as well as encourage private sector investment in affordable housing. Understanding the high cost of housing regionally, it is evident that low and moderate income households are not being served by the housing market. To address the disparity between the cost of housing and the means of resident households to afford housing, the Ashland Housing Trust Fund aims to provide direct financial support to projects that retain or increase the supply of needed housing for households earning less than 120% the Area Median Income as defined by HUD. The Ashland Housing Trust Fund framework further establishes eligible uses, eligible applicants, and the method by which funds are awarded. In recognition of the changing nature of the housing market, and of the corresponding housing needs, the Ashland Housing Trust Fund has been developed to remain flexible to respond to changing conditions. Ashland Housing Trust Fund Working Draft: Jan 2008 1 Section 1. Eligible Applicants The Ashland Housing Trust Fund is structured to ensure that many different types of organizations are eligible to receive financing. Eligible applicants include governmental subdivisions, community development corporations, local housing authorities, community action agencies, community-based or neighborhood- based non-profit housing organizations, other non-profit organizations, for-profit entities, and private employers. Section 2. Eligible Uses and Activities The purpose of the Affordable Housing Trust Fund is to support the creation or preservation of housing that is affordable to people with incomes that do not exceed 120% of the area median income, as defined by HUD. AHTF funds will be focused on those activities that create, preserve or acquire housing within the Ashland Urban Growth Boundary. AHTF funds may also be used for permanent or transitional housing for homeless families and individuals, and for the modernization, rehabilitation and repair of public housing. A housing development to be financed by the Ashland Housing Trust Fund which receives subsidy, financing, tax credits or other assistance under a state or federal housing program, may contain market rate units insofar as permissible under those programs and/or to the extent that they are necessary to support the creation of and/or on-going sustainability for the affordable housing units in the development. However, AHTF funds may not be used to support market rate units. Affordable housing units developed utilizing subsidy from the AHTF shall comply with the limits established by Resolution 2006-13, as amended, and as restricted by a covenant prepared by the City of Ashland. The Ashland Housing Trust Funds can be provided as either a grant or a loan depending on the project or program receiving funding. To retain a significant degree of flexibility the eligible uses have a broad application including the following: Acquisition and Construction of new affordable housing. Eligible acquisition and construction costs include reasonable costs associated with building or land purchase, such as: ¤ Purchase price ¤ Option costs ¤ Financing fees ¤ Appraisal costs ¤ Closing costs ¤ Interest ¤ Inspection fees ¤ Title insurance ¤ Relocation costs ¤ Architectural/engineering fees Ashland Housing Trust Fund Working Draft: Jan 2008 2 ¤ Construction costs Conservation of energy through the use of ÐgreenÑ technologies provided that the benefits of the energy savings is passed on in the form of reduced costs to the qualified occupants of the affordable housing. Land Banking: the purchase of land to be dedicated toward the development of affordable housing in the near or long term. Predevelopment activities undertaken by a community development organization in support of the development of affordable housing including planning, architectural services, engineering services, landscape design, legal services, surveys, appraisals, site clearance and demolition, environmental clearance, permit application fees and system development charges. Bridge loans to assist in development of low-income housing (for rental or owner occupancy). Bridge loans are intended to provide funding to permit housing projects to proceed in advance of the availability of permanent project funding. Bridge loan funding is available for such project development activity as acquisition and/or construction. Capacity Building for non-profit affordable housing providers in the form of direct grant awards to fund administration of an affordable housing project or program. Rehabilitation and Emergency Repairs as part of an established program to secure units as affordable or to provide direct benefits to existing low- moderate income households. Eligible rehabilitation and emergency repair costs include but are not limited to: ¤ Architectural/engineering fees ¤ Construction costs ¤ Relocation costs ¤ Hazardous materials abatement including lead based paint noticing consistent with The Federal Lead Safe Housing Regulations HUD requirements at 24 CFR §35 Direct benefits to low-moderate income households through an established program including down payment assistance, rental assistance, mortgage foreclosure prevention, emergency housing vouchers, homeownership training, renter education, or other programs intended to increase housing opportunities for AshlandÓs low-moderate income residents. Transitional and Emergency Housing for homeless individuals and families through an established program to move people toward self-sufficiency. Ashland Housing Trust Fund Working Draft: Jan 2008 3 Other uses as deemed appropriate by the Ashland City Council as supporting the development or preservation of affordable housing within the City of Ashland. Section 3. Preferences Given the limited amount of funding available through the Ashland Housing Trust Fund, the distribution of grants, or low-interest loans, is conducted through a competitive award process. The general criteria of selection found in section 6 and may be modified through the annual Request for Proposals, however the following preferences are provided as guidance for future applicants. Developments that produce ÐnewÑ affordable housing units. For the purposes of these Guidelines, ÐnewÑ affordable housing units shall include housing units constructed where none had existed previously, abandoned or fire-damaged residential units to be returned to residential use, and non-residential or non- residentially-zoned property converted to residential use. Any designated new affordable housing units shall be secured as affordable through recorded Resale Restriction Covenants. Developments that provide new affordability. For the purpose of these Guidelines, Ðnew affordabilityÑ refers to existing housing where a new level of affordability is provided that does not currently exist. This could occur in rental or ownership housing where the number of affordable units is increased; where a portion of existing units will be made affordable to households at income levels substantially lower than the units currently served; or where the term of affordability on the units will be extended for a period beyond thirty (30) years. Developments of housing utilizing the Land Trust model to secure property and perpetual affordability. Developments that include joint ventures between multiple non-profit developers and or for-profit developers, working in partnership, to complete an affordable housing project Developments that include a joint venture between service providers and non-profit affordable housing developers to create projects that contain additional benefits to low income individuals in the development of the project, or additional services for the residents upon completion. Developments that incorporate the use of ÐgreenÑ building materials, use of energy- efficient appliances, low-water use landscaping, and building design and operational factors that minimize energy use and resource consumption as well as avoiding indoor health impacts to achieve Earth Advantage Certification. Developments that include affordable units for the disabled and the homeless. Projects that propose the longest term of affordability. Ashland Housing Trust Fund Working Draft: Jan 2008 4 Projects that are sponsored by non-profit organizations. Projects that use private funding sources and state funding sources to leverage the least amount of Ashland Housing Trust funds. Section 4. Fund Administration The Ashland Housing Trust Fund (AHTF) originated through the direction of the Ashland City Council and Ashland Housing Commission. The AHTF is designed to provide resources to create or preserve affordable housing throughout the City for households whose incomes are not more than 120% of median income, as determined by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for the Medford-Ashland Metropolitan Service Area. The Ashland Housing Trust Fund was created with the enactment of Resolution _____________ by the City of Ashland City Council on ___________. The City of Ashland acts as fiduciary agent and administrator of the funds. Funds dedicated to the Ashland Housing Trust Fund shall be exclusively reserved to support the eligible uses identified within the AHTF (Section 2) and shall not be used for the general operation of the City. The City of Ashland shall issue a request for proposals (RFP) on an annual basis to announce the availability of funds. The AHTF RFP issuance shall be timed to run concurrent with the Community Development Block Grant Program award process. The City may issue a Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) to specifically target up to $20,000 in annual AHTF revenue to undertake activities identified in section 8. The City of Ashland Housing Commission, and City Staff as designated by the Director of Community Development, shall review applications for Ashland Housing Trust Funds to determine project eligibility and evaluate the applications based on the selection criteria provided in the annual request for proposals. The Housing Commission, and City Staff, shall provide recommendations to the City Council who shall make the final award decisions. The City aims to administer the housing trust fund in a manner consistent with other affordable housing funds such as the Ashland Community Development Block Grant Program. The implementation of a comparable application, application evaluation, and approval process will provide housing developers with a consistent and coherent method for securing housing funds from the City. Further the Ashland Housing Trust Fund Working Draft: Jan 2008 5 coordination of the grant allocation process with other local and state funding application timelines, will help ensure that AHTF funds are best applied to leverage additional resources in support of the housing projects. AHTF funds will be allocated in a manner consistent with the threshold and preference criteria provided in Section 6. Section 5. Match Requirements The Ashland Housing Trust Fund is intended to support the development of needed housing, but is not intended to provide the sole source of funding for any development project or housing program. To ensure that affordable housing providers, and organizations that assist individuals and families in obtaining needed housing, do not rely exclusively on AHTF to support their activities, it has been determined that the housing trust fund contribution shall not exceed more than 50% of the total project, or program, cost. Required Match can be met utilizing Community Development Block Grants, State or Federal Funding, direct contribution from the applicant, private donations, and the contribution of land, materials or labor to the project. In the case that land previously owned by the applicant is considered as required match, the value of the land shall be determined by a certified appraisal completed by the applicant. Further it must be demonstrated that available equity in the land is secured which correlates to the amount of match identified. The valuation of land shall be verified by the City prior to the disbursement of an AHTF grant when its value is considered as required matching funds. Donated materials and labor which are proposed as required match through the development of a project shall have their value estimated at the time of application. The actual value of these contributions is subject to verification by the City at completion of the project. Award recipients shall provide verifiable accounting for donated labor and materials, when such was necessary to satisfy the AHTF match requirements. A recipient of an AHTF grant that fails to verify the match requirements have been satisfied at the conclusion of a project would be considered cause for the City to require full or partial repayment of any AHTF grants awarded to a project. Section 6 Î Allocation of Funds The Housing Trust Fund is structured to allow the flexibility for the City, and housing providers, to be responsive to opportunities that arise that require an immediate expenditure of a relatively small amount of funds to secure property, or financing, as well as to ensure the majority of housing trust funds are allocated through a annual competitive award process. Establishment of two distinct and separate award processes are intended to provide for both consistency and flexibility. The issuance of a Request for Proposals which will allocate 90% of the Ashland Housing Trust Fund Working Draft: Jan 2008 6 annual allocation of Housing Trust Funds will be coordinated with other local and State funding Cycles to allow applicants to best structure their project financing (section 6A). Additionally a Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) may be announced as funds permit to allocate up to $20,000 of the funding available in a means that is more responsive to immediate need for a limited grant or loan amount if needed for predevelopment activities which will further the mission of the AHTF. Section 6A. Competitive Awards - Request for Proposals (RFP) The City of Ashland has a limited amount of AHTF funds to use each year in comparison to the scope of the housing needs within the community. As a result, it is essential that the funding be used in a manner that best meets the CityÓs priorities and that projects utilizing the resources of the AHTF are efficient and cost-effective. To this end a competitive award process has been established and a set of award criteria shall be developed each year to evaluate proposals received through a Request for Proposals (RFP) process in terms of how they address the specific priorities outlined in the annual RFP. The steps for making the annual grant awards or loans is outlined below. 1. The City of Ashland shall issue a Request for Proposals providing applicants with a minimum of 45 days to respond to the request. 2. City Staff shall assess the project proposals to determine if the eligibility criteria are met and shall develop a recommendation to provide to the Ashland Housing Commission and the City Council. 3. The Housing Commission will provide applicants the opportunity to make a presentation on the project proposal and provide community members the opportunity to comment by holding a public meeting. 4. The Ashland Housing Commission will develop a grant award recommendation to the City Council using the AHTF criteria to determine which projects best meet the CityÓs spending priorities. Each application will be rated on a high-medium-low scale for each criterion (Section 6C). 5. The Ashland City Council shall make a final decision on the AHTF grant awards. 6. The City of Ashland shall prepare an agreement between the City and the award recipient. The Agreement shall outline the conditions of award and shall be executed prior to the disbursement of any AHTF funds. Ashland Housing Trust Fund Working Draft: Jan 2008 7 Section 6B. Non-Competitive Awards- Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) The City of Ashland recognizes that the nature of affordable housing development acquisition of property is often opportunity dependant. Further many nonprofit housing developers lack the resources to undertake feasibility studies, due diligence inspections, preliminary drawings and other activities required to evaluate potential projects as well as apply for project financing. To enable non-profit organizations, community development organizations, and the Housing Authority of Jackson County, and the City of Ashland, to be responsive to opportunities outside of the annual Request for Proposals timeline, the City may reserve a portion of housing trust funds to support pre- development activities. Predevelopment activities undertaken by a community development organization in support of the development of affordable housing including planning, architectural services, engineering services, landscape design, legal services, surveys, appraisals, site clearance and demolition, environmental clearance, and payment of permit application fees may be supported through a non-competitive award of a predevelopment grant that may be required to convert to a loan if the project receives full funding. The City of Ashland is also eligible to utilize the funds reserved for the NOFA process to conduct eligible activities as described in Section 2. For-profit developers are not eligible to apply for Ashland Housing Trust Funds to assist with predevelopment costs. The City may fund through a NOFA process an ongoing down-payment assistance program, rental assistance program, education program, or other programs intended to increase housing opportunities for AshlandÓs low- moderate income residents which are administered by a non-profit or governmental organization. On an annual basis the City shall determine the amount of funds available to be distributed through a NOFA procedure, but in no case shall the amount disbursed through the non-competitive process exceed $20,000 in a given program year. Upon electing to initiate a NOFA the City shall issue notice of the funding availability through publication in the Ashland Daily Tidings and on the CityÓs Website providing 30 days for eligible applicants to submit qualifications for funding. The City shall review all applications received to determine if the applications meet the CityÓs threshold criteria. If the criteria are met then the funds are awarded to, or reserved for, the applicant. Funds available through the NOFA process are awarded on a first come, first served basis, until reaching the annual funding cap. A reserve award granted to an applicant may be rescinded by the City if the applicant does not undertake the activities identified in response to the NOFA in advance of the CityÓs issuance of another RFP or NOFA. Ashland Housing Trust Fund Working Draft: Jan 2008 8 Section 6C. AHTF Grant or Loan Award Threshold and Selection Criteria A. The project involves the rehabilitation, preservation or production of quality, well designed rental or homeownership housing benefiting households earning less than 120% the Area Median Income. (threshold verification Î not ranked) B. If the project is related to the provision of technical assistance to affordable housing providers, the use of Ashland Housing Trust Funds functions to increase the capacity of the organization to specifically address the mission of the AHTF. (threshold verification Î not ranked). C. Ashland Housing Trust funds shall be limited to the minimum amount necessary to complete the project. The lower the percentage of AHTF funds requested, relative to the full project costs, the higher ranking the project shall be given (0-10). D. The project addresses the unmet housing needs as identified in the Ashland Housing Needs analysis or Consolidated Plan. The lower the income level that is targeted, the higher the ranking the project shall be given (0-15). E. The project provides new affordable housing, or new affordability through retention or rehabilitation of existing housing within the City. The greater the number of units provided, the higher the ranking the project shall be given. (0-15) F. The project retains the affordable housing units as affordable. The longer period of time the units remain affordable, the higher ranking the project shall be given (0-15). G. The project addresses energy conservation through the integration of green building technologies in new construction, or achieves greater energy efficiency through rehabilitation of existing housing (0-15). H. The project maximizes partnerships in the community (volunteers, in- kind contributions, cash contributions, multiple organizations involved, etc.) (0-5). I. The project utilizes already existing resources in effective and innovative ways. The project shall not duplicate service provided by another organization (0-5). Ashland Housing Trust Fund Working Draft: Jan 2008 9 J. The agency submitting the proposal has the capacity to carry out the project and has had demonstrated successes completing projects of similar scope (0-15). K. The budget and time line are well thought out and realistic (0-10). L. The project is ready for implementation (0-5). M. If the project includes the acquisition of property, the identified property is currently available for acquisition and the applicant has secured either a purchase option or letter of interest from the seller. If the applicant is also applying for federal funding (Community Development Block Grants or HOME) they should carefully review procurement requirements and limitations before obtaining a purchase option (0-5). N. That relocation of existing residents will be minimized, and when necessary the applicant has included accurate relocation assistance costs as part of the project performa. (0-5) O. The proposal demonstrates that Ashland Housing Trust Funds are the most appropriate funding source, and necessary, for the project. (0-5) P. Additional selection criteria may be developed and included in the annual RFP to best direct AHTF resources toward an identified priority need. Ashland Housing Trust Fund Working Draft: Jan 2008 10 Housing Commission Communication TO: Housing Commission Title: City Council Presentation Date: January 24, 2008 Submitted By: Brandon Goldman, Housing Program Specialist City Council Presentation Summary The Ashland Housing Commission is to provide the City Council with an update on the th activities of the Housing Commission at the February 5, 2008 Council Meeting. Commissioners will be speaking during a 10-15 minute period under the agenda item Presentations and Awards: ÐAnnual Presentation by the Housing CommissionÑ. At th the December 20 meeting of the Housing Commission it was determined that the following Commissioners would speak regarding the accomplishments and ongoing efforts of the Commission: Introduction (Smith) Accomplishments from 2007 Completion of affordable units In 2007 (calendar year) the City increased its affordable housing stock by 15 deed restricted affordable housing units. Additionally the City helped secure land for 13 new affordable units to be built in 2008 by non-profit housing providers. A total of 32 new affordable units were also required of annexations that received approval in 2007. (note these 32 have yet to be built -Verde Village and Willowbrook). Land Use Subcommittee (Ayars) Tenant Rights Ordinance Condominium Conversion Ordinance Buildable Lands Inventory Update Rental Needs Analysis Housing Inventory of all multifamily properties in conjunction with the SOU Planning Issues Class Finance Subcommittee: (Billin) Ongoing development of the Housing Trust Fund October 30th HTF Public Forum. Education Subcommittee (Lewis) Housing Notebook a written resource on Housing terminology, resources, and best practices. This resource was completed with assistance from the joint Council, Parks and Schools Tripartite committee on Housing. Available online at: www.ashland.or.us/housingnotebook Three part RVTV series on AshlandÓs affordable housing needs and solutions First ever statewide live web-cast and RVTV show on Fair Housing law working with the Fair Housing Council of Oregon 2008 Goals & Conclusion (Smith) The following priority goals were identified by the Commission in a goal setting process in July 2007 and forwarded to the Council for consideration, each intended to be completed by December 2008. 1. Collaborate with the City Council and Staff to identify a piece of City owned land to accommodate 25 housing units. and specifically units affordable to a whole range of City employees. 2. Complete the Housing Trust Fund. 3. Complete revisions to the annexation ordinance. In addition to the major objectives noted above, the Housing Commission will continue to undertake other commission activities such as review of the Community Development Block Grant Program, community education and outreach, and working with affordable housing providers, and examine ways to promote the development of needed housing within the community.