HomeMy WebLinkAbout2013-04-24 Housing PACKET
Ashland Housing Commission
Regular Meeting Agenda
April 24, 2013: 4:00 – 5:45pm
Council Chambers-1175 East Main Street
1. (4:00) Approval of Minutes (5 min)
March 27, 2013
2. (4:05) Liaison Reports discussion (15 min)
Liaison Reports
Council(Pam Marsh)
Staff(Linda Reid)
General Announcements
3.(4:20)Public Forum (5 min)
4.(4:25) Normal Avenue Plan Update (25 min)
Brandon Goldman-Long Range Planner
5.(4:50)Student Survey Results (15 min)
Evan Lasley
6. (5:05) CDBG Action Plan Review and Approval (15 min)
Linda Reid- Housing Program Specialist
7.(5:20)Landlord-Tenant Brochure (10 min)
Barbara Barasa
8.(5:30)Rental Registry update and discussion (10 min)
Ayars, Gutman, Barasa
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9.(5:40)May 22 2013 MeetingAgenda Items
Commissioner items suggested(5 min)
Quorum Check – Commissioners not available to attend upcoming regular meetings
should declare their expected absence.
10.(5.45)Upcoming Events and Meetings
Next Housing Commission Regular Meeting
4:00-5:45 PM; May 22, 2013
11. (5:45) Adjournment
In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, if you need special assistance to participate in this meeting, please contact the
Community Development office at 541-488-5305 (TTY phone is 1-800-735-2900). Notification 48 hours prior to the meeting will
enable the City to make reasonable arrangements to ensure accessibility to the meeting(28 CFR 35.102-35.104 ADA Title 1).
ASHLAND HOUSING COMMISSION
DRAFT MINUTES
March 27, 2013
CALL TO ORDER
ChairRegina Ayars called the meeting to order at 4:00 p.m. at Council Chambers located at 1175 East Main St.
Ashland, OR 97520.
Commissioners Present:Council Liaison
Regina AyarsPam Marsh
Michael Gutman
Barb BarasaSOU Liaison
Evan LasleyAndrew Ensslin, absent
Staff Present:
Commissioners Absent:Linda Reid, Housing Specialist
Ben Scott Carolyn Schwendener
Ayars announced that Ben Scott has accepted a new job and has resigned from the Commission because he will
be doing a lot of traveling. There is a new candidate who has submitted an application and should be appointed
shortly.
Ayars read a document addressed to the Commission Chairs and staff from Mayor Stromberg. The reason for the
letter was to inform the Commissioners about the new guidelines for the Council Liaisons and Commission Chairs
for the upcoming year. The purpose is to be more flexible with the Council Liaison attendance and to turn over the
responsibility opportunity of reporting to the Council to the Commission Chairs. The issues that the Mayor has
been concerned about are; two many assignments for Councilors, too many meetings to attend, Councilors not
attending the meetings to which they are committed, and Councilors not making reports to the Council about their
assignments. The Mayor’s solution is to remove the expectation that Councilors will attend all meetings of their
Commissions. Councilors’ will be available to their Commissions to consult and attend when requested and when
feasible.
Pam Marsh introduced herself as a new member to the City Council and expressed how happy she is to be a
Liaison with this group.
The Commissioners asked Marsh how she wanted to participate in the Housing Commission and if she planned on
attending the meetings. Marsh conveyed that her intent is come to the meetings for at least a few minutes to check
in with the Commission. Marsh is the manager of the Ashland Community Food Bank and announced they are
starting an evening shopping event which is scheduled for the fourth Wednesday of the month at 5:00 p.m.
coinciding with the Housing Commission meeting. She is working on the coordination of this event and organizing
volunteers. Marsh will always be available by phone but is also working on clearing her schedule in order to be
able to attend the Commission meetings. Reid will move the Liaison reports up in the Agenda in order to allow
Marsh to be able to report in before leaving the meeting.
.
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APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Gutman/Lasley m/s to approve the minutes of the February 27, 2013 regular Housing Commission meeting. Voice
Vote: All AYES; minutes were approved as presented.
PUBLIC FORUM
No one spoke
STUDENT FAIR HOUSING SURVEY REVIEW
One of the Housing Commission goals for 2013 is to incorporate students into the Fair Housing Ordinance. Lasley
is working on preparing a Student Fair Housing Survey. Currently he has three questions on the survey;
Do you believe you were denied housing because you were a student? Have you ever experienced
discrimination in your housing opportunities because you were a student?
Do you believe you have been asked to pay a higher deposit fee because you were a student?
Would you support an initiative to make students a protective class to prevent discrimination against
students living in Ashland?
Lasley explained that last year when the Commission reviewed the Fair Housing Ordinance the Commissioners
discussed the possibility of including students as a protected class. The Commissioners first wanted more input
from the students. The goal is to receive back a couple hundred responses. This survey will be given to ASSOC for
approval and then distributed mainly to those who live off campus. The survey will be sent out to the student’s email
accounts. It was suggested to print some copies and hand them out during registration. It was also suggested to
request the age of the person taking the survey and perhaps changing the word “student” to “student status.”
Lasley will include a comment space. Reid will inquire about putting the survey in the May issue of the City Source
which goes out in the utility bills.
Lasley/Ayars m/s to approve the three Fair Housing Survey questions that Lasley presented adding two more; Age
and Do you live in Ashland. Voice Vote: All AYES, motion passed unanimously.
Lasley announced that his term will be ending on April 30, 2013. He will not be reapplying because he will be
traveling. If Lasley has left before the survey results are compiled the SOU Liaison Andrew Ensslin will report the
results back to the Commission.
LIAISON REPORTS DISCUSSION
Reid – After the last Housing Commission meeting with the CDBG recommendations the City received a letter from
HUD that said to expect a five percent reduction in the allocation of funds. Reid did say that she has not yet
received confirmation on the actual amount they will receive. The Council Communication and the
recommendation from staff had to reflect that reduced amount. The Housing Commission recommendation was
the same due to the fact they didn’t have the HUD information at the time of review but the staff recommendation
has been altered. Staff requested that the Ashland Food Bank receive the total allocation they asked for and the
remaining balance go to the Ashland program.
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The City Council will review the recommendations at their Tuesday April 2 meeting.
Marsh – Marsh explained that the Homeless Steering Committee was an Ad Hoc Committee appointed for one
year and then extended for a second year. As the Committee is coming to a close they still have issues they would
like to address though it doesn’t make sense to continue an Ad Hoc Committee for years. Marsh will be suggesting
to the Council to look at a change in both the Housing Commission and the Steering Committee that would create a
Housing & Human Services Commission. The idea being that there is a range of issues around housing but the
primary emphasis would be on housing and homelessness. The Human Services part gives us an opportunity to
address issues surrounding poverty stated Marsh. It appears that most of the members on the Homeless Steering
Committee are open to joining this merger and are supportive for further discussion.
The proposal is that the committees spend the next six to twelve months discussing this idea. The first step is that
the proposal goes before the City Council Study Session on Monday at 5:30 at 51 Winburn Way. The main
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concern of the Housing Commission is that they may lose their focus of Housing because the issues around the
human services are more acute and have to be dealt with immediately. There was a fear those would soon take
priority over housing issues.
SUN VILLAGE UPDATE
Ayars pointed out that another Housing Commission goal for 2013 was the preservation of Affordable Housing in
Ashland. The list of facilities that came up for renewal was quite small. Ayars contacted those properties and
found out that all of them with the exception of Sun Village (twelve units on North Main) were planning on
maintaining affordability on a short term basis. Ayars and Reid met with the property owner of Sun Village and
discovered she has owned the property for thirty years and maintained it under section 8. She is burned out and
interested in selling it. Her asking price is One million dollars. At one point the Housing Authority of Jackson
County was interested in purchasing it but did not have the available finances. The units will be expiring in April and
all the tenants have been given their vouchers though none have given their notice. She did not raise the rent but
will do so to market rate if and when the current renters move out.
RENTAL REGISTRY
Ayars saw an ad in the Daily Tidings from Donna Lane at SOU. She has a business graduate program and was
soliciting for survey projects. Ayars sent Donna an email inquiring if a rental registry was something her students
might be interested in doing. As it turns out they have lots of people interested in using the students and
consequently have developed an interview process. Interviews will take place next Wednesday from 6:00 pm until
9:00 p.m. Ayars scheduled an appointment for 7:40 p.m. She asked the Commissioners for some help with
determining what it is the students would do for the rental registry.
Ayars looked at some of the rental registry programs in other Cities as well as spoke with Louise Dix who worked
on the City of Medford Rental Registry Program. Dix is also on the Homeless Task Force. Dix suggested looking at
the City of Gresham’s program which has a much better program than Medford. After reviewing the websites for
both Cities Ayars acknowledged that this program requires a great deal of code compliance and the City of Ashland
does not have a full time code compliance officer. Councilor Marsh acknowledged that there is talk about
requesting a code compliance officer as an add package on the budget.
The City of Medford’s program is called a Residential Rental Registration program positioned as health and safety
for the tenants. One of the reasons for the program was to develop and maintain a City Wide data base identifying
housing inventories throughout the city. The program was also designed to assist the City with emergency services
and public safety agencies by notifying property owners about any potential hazardous situations and prevent them
from happening in the future. In order to be a healthy, safe and livable somebody needs to inspect those properties,
stated Ayars.
Reid said that Medford intended to have inspections. Medford’s Housing Commission had a joint committee with
police, fire, and planning that was called the Problem Properties Committee. The Committee met monthly to
discuss properties in town that had issues. One of the reasons for establishing the rental registry was in order to
get contact information of absentee landlords. Reid said she was not sure if the Committee is meeting any longer. It
is a requirement that all landlords register though it is voluntary and difficult to enforce.
The City of Gresham has a more extensive program than Medford with two code compliance officers and an
administrator. Their program was established in 2007. The properties with five or less units are inspected once
every three years and those with five units or more are inspected annually.
Ayars emphasized that she would still like to see the City of Ashland move forward on trying to establish a rental
Registry though realizing it is quite an undertaking. She again proposed the question; How could we involve this
group of students to help with the project or perhaps it is not appropriate for us to use them at this time? The
Commission discussed the idea of using business license registry as an avenue. It was also mentioned that the
Fire Department does fire safetyinspections and maybe could combine efforts for inspection. Marsh reminded the
Commission to define a clear objective including what it is you want to achieve.
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At the conclusion of the discussion the Commissioners agreed they were not quite ready to have the students help
this year with a survey for the Rental Registry. Ayers will cancel her appointment.
VACATION RENTAL UPDATE AND DISCUSSION
Reid gave a brief update on the Vacation Rental process. The Planning Commission made a recommendation to
the Council with changes they thought should take place. After the Council discussed it they requested some
clarity regarding the recommendation that the Housing Commission submitted. The Council would like more
information regarding the loss of long term rentals though Reid conveyed this is difficult information to track. The
Housing Commission was concerned that long term rentals would convert to Vacation Rentals because it’s more
lucrative which would then create a loss of rental properties. Housing Commission has the goal to maintain
affordable housing for the citizens of Ashland.
The Council moved to approve the initiation of amendments to the Ashland Municipal Code related to short-term
rentals that incorporate the recommendations forwarded to the Council by the Planning commission, and further
direct staff to prepare amendments to Chapters 4, 6 and 15 of the AMC, as necessary, to ensure that taxation and
licensing issues are appropriately address. Made an additional motion to eliminate the Planning Commission
recommendations to include a Downtown District element, retain the current standard for distance from an arterial
requirement, and have the ordinance not include a cap on specific kinds of facilities.
The planning staff will draft the ordinance and bring it back before the Planning Commission and probably again to
the Housing Commission.
APRIL 24, 2013 MEETING AGENDA ITEMS
Quorum check – Marsh will be absent, everyone else will be there.
Lasley will give an update on the student survey results
Barasa will be putting together a Landlord tenant rights brochure
Goldman will discuss the Normal Avenue Plan
UPCOMING EVENTS AND MEETINGS
Next Housing Commission Regular Meeting
4:00-5:45 PM; April 24, 2013
ADJOURNMENT - The meeting was adjourned at 5:40.m.
Respectfully submitted by Carolyn Schwendener
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Memo
DATE: 04/24/2013
TO: Housing Commission
FROM: Brandon Goldman, Senior Planner
RE: Normal Neighborhood Master Plan Update
Background
On May 23rd, 2012 the Housing Commission was first presented with an update regarding the Normal
Avenue Neighborhood area planning process at the initiation of the Transportation Growth Management
(TGM) funded project. The objective of this master planning project is to better integrate transportation
and land use planning and develop new ways to manage growth in order to achieve compact pedestrian,
bicycle, and transit friendly development. In the period following the last Housing Commission
meeting on this topic a considerable amount of work has been done on the plan and this update is an
opportunity to keep th
Plan Area
The 94 acre constitutes the largest remaining area of residentially designated land within Ashlands
Urban Growth Boundary that is suitable for medium- to high-density development, which remains
largely vacant or redevelopable. Because of
Regional Plan and the City and commitment to focus on innovative land use strategies, rather than future
, the long term planning and development of the Normal Avenue neighborhood takes on a
Project Objectives
The Normal Avenue Neighborhood Plan is intended to guide future changes to the 94 acre area in a way
that will support a compact neighborhood form, accommodate a variety of housing types, connect a
system of greenways, protect and integrate existing creek corridors and wetlands, and enhance mobility
for area residents through establishing safe and direct walking and bicycle routes while helping to build
a foundation that supports future bus service in the area.
As outlined in the Intergovernmental Agreement approving the TGM grant, this neighborhood planning
effort is intended to address the following objectives:
Increase efficiency in the use of land through concentration of housing in a centrally located area
within the City UGB planned for future urban development;
Achieve a development pattern that results in a balanced, multi-modal transportation system that
enhances opportunities for walking, bicycling or using transit in areas planned for transit service;
Delineate housing, neighborhood serving commercial, open space, public space, and green
infrastructure improvements in a manner that provides for preservation and enhancement of creeks
and wetlands;
Develop new illustrative conceptual architectural and site plans for the Project Area consistent with
Transportation and Growth Management objectives.
Department of Community Development Tel: 541-488-5305
51 Winburn Way Fax: 541-552-2050
Ashland, Oregon 97520 TTY: 800-735-2900
www.ashland.or.us
Design a local street grid for the Project Area including connections to existing and planned streets,
pedestrian, and bicycle facilities outside the Project Area to more fully integrate the Project Area into
the City transportation system;
Provide for pedestrian and bicycle routes and facility improvements within the Project Area that will
provide safe access to local schools;
Provide alternatives to, or delay the UGB;
Reduce emissions that contribute to climate change through changes to transportation or land use
plans that reduce expected automobile vehicle miles traveled;
Provide an implementation strategy that includes supporting the Comprehensive Plan and updated
TSP amendments, form based codes, and design standards; and
ommission
(PC) and City Council (Council).
Plan Development
To inform the development of the draft plan a series of "frameworks" have been examined which
identify and illustrate opportunities within the project area relating to five components of the
neighborhood design including infrastructure, mobility, sustainability, openspace and greenways, and
housing and land use.
materials for this update, and the remaining frameworks are available online at
www.ashland.or.us/normal plan.
Property owners, and neighborhood residents have been active in the design of the concept plan itself
th
through participation in design charrette from October 23-25, 2012.
A number of Housing Commissioners were in attendance during a this charrette process. Following the
charrette the design team has been developing a more refined layout for the street networks in careful
consideration of the natural features, topography, property lines, existing development within the area,
and the short and long term phasing of the plan. Specifically an effort has been taken to delineate land
use designations to accommodate needed housing types and to provide a road network that could access
the readily developable portions of the project area while being be primarily served by East Main Street
and Clay without requiring a rail crossing expansion at Normal Ave.
Over the next few months Staff and the Planning Commission will be working through the remaining
grant the City will provide an update to the City Council and Commissions to discuss potential revisions
to the consultant provided documents to ultimately develop the final plan and code revisions.
Upon completion of this project the Normal Avenue Neighborhood Plan and codified implementing
ordinances will provide a framework for the orderly development of the area. Annexation of the plan
area is not proposed as part of this master planning effort and as such each future development
application will still be required to submit a formal application for their individual proposals.
Annexations are considered Type III planning actions which are subject to public hearings before the
Planning Commission and City Council for approval. Such applications would be evaluated for
consistency with the Normal Avenue Overlay land use and adopted street dedication maps, and would
be subject to ordinance requirements set forth in the land use code including the criteria for annexation.
Attached:
Land Use and Transportation Conceptual Design
Housing and Land Use Framework
Conceptual Design Illustration
Department of Community Development Tel: 541-488-5305
51 Winburn Way Fax: 541-552-2050
Ashland, Oregon 97520 TTY: 800-735-2900
www.ashland.or.us
Normal Ave. Neighborhood Plan Area
Conceptual Illustration presented 2/26/2013
The above illustration is intended to communicate a general vision for the development of the plan area
under the initial concept plan, and not as a precise representation of expected building sizes or
placement. Further refinements to the draft plan are anticipated.
land
dle
hool
School
Grounds
er
City Park
tary
ol
Cemetery
02004006008001,000100Feet
Normal Ave. Neighborhood
Proposed Land Use
NA-01 (single family)
NA-02 (multifamily low density -cluster housing)
NA-03 (multifamily - high density)
Park and Openspace
Draft 2/26/2013
Introduction
Thepurposeofthehousingandlanduseframeworkistoillustratealternativesfortheconcentration,
densityandtypesoflandusesandhousing.Thisframeworkandtheincludedillustrativeplans,buildson
theworkcompletedformobility,greenwayandopenspace,infrastructureandsustainable
neighborhoodframeworks.Inaddition,thisframeworkislargelybasedonworkcompletedbythecityof
Ashlandforthebuildablelandsinventoryandthehousingneedsanalysis.
ExistingConditions
TheNormalAvenueneighborhoodissituatedbetweenEastMainStreettothenorthandtherailroad
trackstothesouth,ClayStreettotheeastandtheAshlandMiddleSchooltothewest(Figure1).
Currently,the94acreareahasamixofComprehensivePlandesignationsincludingsinglefamily
residentialandsuburbanresidential,andispresentlyoutsidetheCityofAshland(City)citylimitsbut
withintheCityUrbanGrowthBoundary(UGB).
Thisareaconstitutesthelargestremainingareaofresidentiallydesignatedlandthatissuitablefor
mediumtohighdensitydevelopmentwhichremainslargelyvacantorredevelopable.Theplanarea
contains35propertiesranginginsizebetween0.38acresupto9.96acres.Thereare26property
ownerswithintheplanareawith
anumberowningmultiple
parcels.Residentialdevelopment
intheplanareahashistorically
beenlowdensityrural
residentiallargelotsinglefamily
homesconsistentwithJackson
County(County)zoningstandards.
Singlefamilyhomesonlarge(up
to2acre)lotsarepredominately
locatedalongEastMainSt,orin
thesouthwestcorneroftheplan
areaadjacenttoNormalAve.
Existingdevelopmentswithinthe
planareainclude21Singlefamily
homesonindividuallotsandfour
religiousinstitutions.Actively
farmedpropertiesinclude
approximatelysevenacreswith
Figure1.StudyArea
theremainderofthevacantlands
keptlargelyinanaturalstate.
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LandUsesLikelytobeDevelopedintheNormalAvenueArea
Thissectionexplainsthetypesoflanduseslikelytobeindemandwithinthestudyarea.
Housing.ThemostsuitablelanduseoftheNormalAvenueareaishousing.Housingmakessenseforthe
areabecausethepopulationandnumberofhouseholdsinAshlandareexpectedtogrowinthecoming
decades.Despitethefactthathousingconstructioncontinuestostruggleinmanyareas,Ashland
remainsapopularlocationforretireesandfamilies;theareaissurroundedbyresidential
neighborhoodsandresidentialamenitiessuchasschools,parks,commercialareas,andnaturalareas;
theareaisrelativelyclosetoemploymentcentersincludingdowntownAshland.Finally,housingis
supportedbythe/źƷǤƭcomprehensiveplandesignationandzoning;andhousingisthepreferreduseby
currentresidentsofthearea,basedonasurveyconductedbytheCity.
Becauseof!ƭŷƌğƓķƭpositionintheGreaterBearCreekValleyRegionalPlanandtheCityandƩĻŭźƚƓƭ
commitmenttofocusoninnovativelandusestrategies,ratherthanfutureͻŭƩƚǞƷŷğƩĻğƭͲͼthelong
termplanninganddevelopmentoftheNormalAvenueneighborhoodtakesonagreatersignificance
towardmeetingtheĭƚƒƒǒƓźƷǤƭfuturehousingneeds.
Thus,frombothpolicyandmarketperspectives,housingmakessense.Asdescribedinmoredetail
below,awiderangeofhousingwillbepossibleonthesite,includingsinglefamily,attachedhousing
suchastownhomes,apartments,senior,student,andaffordablehousing.
Retail.TheNormalAvenueareaisaweaklocationforretail.Ifanyretailisbuilthereatall,itwillbeona
smallscale,suchasacoffeeshoporsinglerestaurant.Suchasmallretailcornerispossible,butnot
ƦƩƚĬğĬƌĻΓŅƚƩmostlandownersanddevelopers,simplybuildinghousingwillbeeasierandmore
profitable;whereasmostretailusesarefinanciallyinfeasibleandwillstruggletogainfinancing.Thisisa
weakretaillocationbecause:trafficvolumesthroughandbytheareaarelow;mostretailwillgravitate
towardsmorecentrallocationsonAshlandAvenueandSiskiyouStreets,wheretrafficvolumesand
visibilityaremuchhigher,andlargerpopulationshaveaccesstoretailers;andanumberofbarriers
(traintracks,schoolstothewest,andstreams)willpreventeasynavigationtoandthroughthesite.
Futureresidentsshouldbeabletomeetmostoftheircommercialneedsatanexistinggroceryanchored
centerandotherretailonAshlandAvenue,lessthanhalfamileaway.
Finally,severalreligiousinstitutionshavebeenbuiltatthenorthernborderoftheareaalongNorthMain
Street.Thesesitesareprobablythebestcommercialsiteswithinthearea(duetohighervisibilityand
access),butwillbeunavailableforretaildevelopment,atleastfortheforeseeablefuture.
Office.Officespaceishighlyunlikelytobeindemandonthesite.Whitecollaremploymentgrowth,and
thereforedemandforofficespace,isslowinAshland;demandfornewofficespaceismorelikelytobe
developedinmorecentrallocationsservedbymajorarterialroads,andnearexistingemploymenthubs
suchasthedowntown.AnexceptionisSouthernOregonUniversity,coveredbelow.
Industrial.!ƭŷƌğƓķƭcomprehensiveplancallsforindustrialdevelopmenttotakeplaceintwoother
areasofthecitythatarenotparticularlyclosetothesubjectsite.Industrialdeveloperstypicallylookfor
flattopography,largesites,lowcostland,easytransportationaccess,andseparationfromresidential
landuses.Thesubjectareahasuneventopography(duetostreamsandwetlands)andissurroundedon
mostsidesbyhousing.
Civicandinstitutional.Sometypesofdevelopmentarenotdirectlydrivenbyprivatesectordemandand
development.Theseincludecivicuses(suchaslibraries,policestations,etc.),schoolsandhigher
educationalfacilities,andmedicalandhospitalfacilities.Whilethesetypesofusesmaybepossiblein
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thestudyarea,asofthewritingofthismemorandum,wehavenotbeenprovidedwithanyreasonto
believethatpublicagenciesorinstitutionsarestronglyconsideringsitingfacilitiesinthearea.
Religiousinstitutions.TherearefourreligiousinstitutionsalreadylocatedwithinthesubjectğƩĻğΓğ
considerablenumbergivenitslargelyundevelopednature.Thispatternistypicalinareaslocatedwithin
UrbanGrowthBoundaries(UGB)butoutsideofcityboundaries,wheredevelopmentstandardsprohibit
urbandevelopment,butallowchurchesandtemples.
LocalandNationalDemographicTrends
Thissectionsummarizeslocalandnationaldemographictrendsthatareexpectedtoaffecthousing
demandintheNormalAvenuearea.Theinformationisdrawnfromthe/źƷǤƭNormalAvenueExisting
ConditionsReport,HousingNeedsAnalysis(HNA),andAshlandBuildableLandsInventory(BLI),and
fromLelandConsultingDƩƚǒƦƭownresearchandanalysis.
!ƭŷƌğƓķƭpopulationisexpectedtogrow,albeitrelativelyslowly,inthecomingtwodecades.
Populationandhouseholdgrowthdrivedemandfornewhousing;withoutgrowth,therewillbeno
housingdemand.Between2010and2030,theBLIprojectsthattheĭźƷǤƭpopulationwillgrowby3,256,
orabout1,604newhouseholds.Thisrepresentsanaverageannualgrowthrateof0.75ƦĻƩĭĻƓƷΓğĬƚǒƷ
onehalfthegrowthrateofJacksonCountyasawhole(1.4percent).
Intheory,thereisadequatelandwithintheĭźƷǤƭcurrentboundariestoaccommodatethedemand
fornewhousinginthenexttwodecades.Populationprojectionsanticipateupto1,604newhousing
unitswillbeneededbytheyear2030,whiletheBLIshowsacurrenthousingcapacitywithincitylimits
of1,883newdwellingunits.
Nationally,Millennialsorͻ9ĭŷƚ.ƚƚƒĻƩƭͼareafastgrowingpopulationgroup.AlongwiththeBaby
Boomers,theƓğƷźƚƓƭotherlargepopulationgroupistheMillennials,nowagedapproximately15to35.
Thisgroupwillbemovingintotheirownhousinginthecomingdecadeandisexpectedtowant
relativelysmall,affordablerentalunitsthatareindiverseandwalkableneighborhoods.Whiletherewas
nogrowthinAshlandinthisgroupinthepastdecade,ifAshlandfollowsnationaltrends,thereshould
befuturedemandforthistypeofhousingproduct.
Oldersegmentsofthepopulationaregrowingfast,whileothersegmentsaregrowingslowlyornotat
all.AsFigure2belowshows,thenumberofAshlandresidents55to74yearsofageincreased
significantlyfrom2000to2010.Thecitylostpopulationinthe35to54agegroup,whilemostotherage
groupsremainedaboutthesame.WhilethesedynamicsareuniquetoAshland,theyalsoreflectthe
nationwidetrendtowardsamuchhighernumberofolderAmericansastheBabyBoomers,thelargest
generation,ages.SinceAshland,duetoitsclimateandsmalltowncharm,isapopularretirement
destination,theagingtrendwillbeevenmorepronouncedhere(thecitywasnamedoneofthetop25
retirementdestinationsnationallybyCNNin2010).Housingforseniorswillbeverymuchindemand
andwillbethebiggestdriverof!ƭŷƌğƓķƭoverallhousingmarket,sinceitiswherethelargestnet
changeinpopulationisoccurring.
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Figure2.!ƭŷƌğƓķƭPopulationbyAgeGroup,2000to2010
Source: Adapted from Housing Needs Analysis, 2012.
HousingTypologies
AnumberofnationalandregionaltrendsareobservableintheAshlandmarket.Thissectionwilladdress
thosetrends,discusshousingtypologiesthataresuitableforthestudyarea,andassessthefeasibilityof
newhousingtypes.
MultipleDemographicGroupsAreSeekingSmallerHousingTypesandHousingDiversity.Seniorswill
increasinglydrivethemarketandbelookingforsmallerhousingandmorediversity.Thisisalsotrueof
renters,millennials,andmiddleandlowerincomehouseholds.Severalnewsstoriesillustratethistrend.
AccordingtotheMailTribute,ͻWğƓJohnsonandhusband,Terry,movedfroma2,400squarefoothouse
intoa1,800squarefoothomeandit'saperfectfit,shesays.TheJohnsonsareamongthegrowing
numberofemptynesters,retirees,andotherswhohavediscoveredtheupsideofdownsizing.Folksare
tradingtheirtwostorysprawling,clutteredfamilyhomesforsinglestory,energyefficientdwellings,
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tidytownhouses,compactcondominiumsandgatedĭƚƒƒǒƓźƷźĻƭ͵ͼInfact,localentrepreneursare
buildingnewbusinessesbasedonthetrend.GaryStamps,arealestateagentwithWindermerein
MedfordstartedJuniorMoverinlate2011,amovingcompanyspecificallyfocusedonhelping,ͻƦĻƚƦƌĻ
whoaremovinginandoutofonebedroomandtwobedroomapartmentsandcondosandretirement
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centerswithinJackson/ƚǒƓƷǤ͵ͼ
Nationwide,homebuildersarereactingtothenewnormalinsimilarways.Builder magazinedescribes
theshiftasfollows:ͻƚinnovateourwaythroughthehousingcrisis,builderswillhavetoofferideas
thatreflectthesocialandfinancialrealitiesofAmericanstoday.Thatmeansfinetuningdesigntooffer
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ͻŷĻUpsideof5ƚǞƓƭźǩźƓŭͲͼTammyAsnicar,MailTribune,May31,2007
2
5ƚƓƷneedabigmovingtruck?IfǤƚǒƩĻrelocatinglocally,JuniorMoverwillmoveyouƷŷĻƩĻ͵ͼGregStiles,MailTribune,December14,2011.
4
moreĭŷƚźĭĻƭΓźƓthiscasesmartlydownsizingtomeetamutuallybeneficialpricepoint,whilestill
3
preservingthesenseofspacethatsuburbanbuyersĻǣƦĻĭƷ͵ͼ
Figure3,below,showsthechangingsupplyanddemandforhousingtypesnationwide.Likemany
markets,thehousingmarketchanges,andwilloftennotchangequicklyenoughtosatisfynewdemand.
Suchisoftenthecaseduringsloweconomictimes,whennewhousingproductisnotbeingdeveloped.
SuchcircumstancesemphasizetheimportanceofmasterplanningtheNormalAvenueandotherareas.
Insodoing,thecommunity,Cityleaders,anddevelopmentexpertscandevelopaplanwhichmay
facilitateatransitionfromthepreviousmarkettothenew.Developersandinvestorsreducetheirrisks
bydevelopingaproductthathasbeensuccessfulfortheminthepast.Whatthedataandnational
trendssuggestisthatthedemandforthepreviousproduct(conventionallotswithdetachedsingle
familyhomes)isdiminishing.
Figure3.Demandin2035forResidentialUnitsinthelargestfourmetropolitanareas,comparedtosupplyfor
2010
Despitethechangingdemand,between2001and2011,80percentofthepermitsissuedinAshland
werefordetachedsinglefamilyhomes.Thisisnotablesinceitisthesamedecadeduringwhichthe
seniorpopulationwasexpanding.Therefore,theevidencesuggeststhat,forthemomentatleast,older
Ashlandresidentsarestillchoosingsinglefamilyhomesoversmaller,lowermaintenancedwellingssuch
astownhousesandcondominiums.Thismaybepartlytheresultofalackofalternativehousing
typologiesthatbettersatisfytheneedsofAshlandhouseholds,butmaynotyetbedeveloped.
TherearemorerentersinAshlandcomparedtothecountyandstate.Abouthalf(51percent)of
Ashlandresidentsownhomes,whiletheotherhalf(49percent)rent.Thishomeownershiprateismuch
lowerthanthecounty(63.3percent)andstate(63.8percent)rates.Thisisprobablyduetothehigh
numberofcollegestudents(atSouthernOregonUniversity),andthehighcostofhousinginAshland.Yet
between2001and2011,only20percentofthepermitsissuedinAshlandwereforattachedhousing.
Assumingthatrentalhousingisnotprohibitedbyregulationorthemarket,weexpectareversiontothe
3
ArchitectMichaelL.Woodley,ͻIğƌǝźƓŭitğƌƌͲͼCherylWeber.Builder,September2012
5
mean.Asmuchas35percentormoreofallhousinginthecomingdecadescouldbeforrentalhousing,
basedoncounty,state,andnationalaverages.
!ƭŷƌğƓķƭhousingisexpensivecomparedtolocalincomes.AmajorthemeoftheHNAisthatthecost
ofhousinginAshlandhasbeenquitehigh,evenduringtherecession,andisunaffordabletoalarge
shareof!ƭŷƌğƓķƭresidents.Forexample,in2011,afterfouryearsofdecreasinghomesaleprices,the
averagesalespricewasapproximately$285,000,whichisonlyaffordableto23.8percentofthe
populationearningmorethan$75,000peryear.TheaveragehomepriceinAshlandin2007,atthepeak
ofthehousingboom,was$438,750.Thissuggestsseveralforcesthatmaybeimpacting!ƭŷƌğƓķƭ
housingmarket:
WealthiscomingintoAshlandviaretireesandothersrelocatingtothecity,ratherthanbeing
generatedthroughjobslocally.
TheeffectivelandsupplymaybelowerthanthesupplycalculatedbytheBLI.Iflandsupplywas
asadequateandelasticassuggestedbytheBLI,housingpricesshouldbemoreaffordabletoa
largersegmentofthepopulation.Therefore,itispossiblethatasignificantamountoflandis
beingkeptoutofthebuildablesupplybecauseitisstillinuse(forexample,asyardspace),
controlledbyabsenteeowners,orownersareholdingoutforhigherpricesinthefuture.
ManywhoworkinAshlandmaybechoosingtoliveinMedfordorelsewhereinJacksonCounty
totakeadvantageoflowerhomeprices.
Inanyevent,theHNAandBLIstudiesshowasignificantneedforhousingthatisaffordabletomiddle
andlowerincomehouseholds(withannualincomesof$75,000andbelow).Whilepublicpolicymay
dictateagoaltoprovidehousingforhouseholdsofallincomesinAshland,higherincomehouseholds
willtendtooutbidlowerincomehouseholdsforhousesandlandintheabsenceofclearandeffective
publicsectoractionsandincentives.
ComparableDevelopments
Inthissection,wewillsharedataandanecdotesrelatedtosomewhatrecentlyconstructedhousing
types,bothinAshlandandelsewhere.Thissectionprovidesfurtherindicationthattherearenational
trends(e.g.aging)andlocalcontext(lackofaffordablehomes,higherratesofrenters)whichcontribute
toachanginghousingdemandintheNormalAvenueNeighborhood.
SeveraldevelopmentsinAshlandandelsewhereinJacksonCountyillustratethedemandforsenior
housing,andtherangeofhousingthatseniorsarelookingfor.TwonotableprojectsareTwinCreeksin
CentralPoint,andMountainMeadowsinAshland.TwinCreeksisalargenewcommunity(230+acres)
thatearneditsbuilder,VisionHomes,theOregonSmallBuilderoftheYearAwardin2007.Asshownin
Table1,thecommunityplancallsforarangeofhousing(includingsinglefamily,cottages,townhomes,
andmultistoryapartments)aswellcarefullydesignedparkspaceandplannedretailwithinanew
urbaniststreetnetwork.Stackedandattachedhousingtypescomprise62percentofallhousing.Onlya
thirdofallhousingisexpectedtobesinglefamily.
Table1.PlannedHousingMix,TwinCreeksCommunity
6
Housing TypeDus%
Single Family 33%460
ADUs (Cottages) 8 26%
Row Homes 12%162
Apartments or Condos700 50%
Total 100%1,404
MountainMeadowsisanotherretirementcommunitylocatedjustminutesawayfromtheNormal
AvenueArea.ItoccupiesasimilarlandscapetoNormalAvenueinthatitissurroundedbysomefarms
andopenspace,streams,andveryclosetoI5.LikeTwinCreeks,MountainMeadowscontainsamixof
detachedandattachedhousing(clusteredhousingandapartments)withinanewurbanistinspired
streetnetwork.
NeitherĭƚƒƒǒƓźƷǤƭplanshouldnecessarilybetransferreddirectlytoNormalAvenue,however,the
attributesoftheseandotherhousingprojectsreflectsomeofthekeyfeaturesthatseniorswillbe
lookingforinhousinggoingforward.First,theywillseekmorediversityintermsofsizeandscale,with
manyoptingforsmallerattachedlivingspacesandlowermaintenanceliving.Second,theyareseekinga
communitythatoffersopportunitiestowalk,accessretailandservices,andconnectwithpeoplewithin
andoutsideoftheiragegroup.
CottageCourtyards
AnincreasinglysuccessfulhousingproductfordevelopersintheNorthwestisCottageCourtyardsor
PocketNeighborhoods.Thishousingtypehasbeenespeciallyprofitableinmarketswhereaffordable,
safe,andsecurehomesaredifficulttoattainforfirsthomebuyers,andseniorswhowishtodownsize.
Smallonetotwostorycottagesrangingfromaslittle
as500to1,200sq.ft.aregatheredaroundcommon
greens,courtyards,orcarlessgreenways(asdepicted
inFigure4).Thesecommongreensfunctionasshared
commonopenspaces.Inturn,theindividualprivate
lotsareverysmall,sometimeslittlebiggerthanthe
housewithmodestyards.Thistypeofdevelopment
requireslessinfrastructurethanstandardhousing
developmentssinceroadsarereplacedbysmall
commongreens.Autoaccessiseitherfromarear
alleywaybehindeachcottage,oragroupedparking
courtorrowofgarageswithinclosewalkingdistance
ofeachcottages.
Additionalcommunityamenitiesareoftenaddedto
thecommonspace,suchasacommunitybuilding,an
outdoorfireplace,benches,andgardens.
CottageGreendevelopmenthasbeenintroducedin
urbanaswellassuburbanand
Figure4ExamplesofCottageGreens
ruralmarketstoresounding
7
success,especiallyintheSeattleandPugetSoundregion.TheCottageCompanyhasintegratedsuch
housingdevelopmentsinvariousjurisdictionsthroughoutthePugetSound.Seabrookonthe
WashingtonCoast(designedbyLaurenceQamar,TownPlanningCorp.)hasalsotransitionedduringthe
20082012recessiontoCottageCourtyardhousingasastrategytoweatherthenationalhousing
downturn.Thishasenabledthedevelopertoreduceinfrastructurecosts,reducepurchaseprices,and
meetagrowingmarketdemandforsmalleraffordablehomesforyoungfamilies,singles,seniors,and
couples.
ThedevelopersofSeabrook(Figure5)ontheWashingtonCoastreport,ͻhǒƩsweetspothouseprice
rangeisfromUpper200'stomiddle400'sthesedays.Weuseanupgradesystemtoletpeoplefeellike
theygetthebestbasevalueandthendecidetoupgradewithintheircomfortƩğƓŭĻƭ͵ͼSomeofthe
mostsuccessfulcottageshavebeenЊЏxЋЏͲtwostories,andtwobedrooms.Thesitesarejustlarge
enoughtoallowanoptionalgroundfloorbedroomadditionasanupgrade.
Figure5SeabrookRecentDevelopment
Localproposalsfordevelopmentwithinthestudyarea
Asamorelocalexample,in2010and2011,preliminaryplansweresubmittedtotheCityfor
developmentoftheCalvaryBaptistchurchsite.Theplanwasforthe"AshlandVillageApartments"
8
whichincluded183apartmentunitsona10acreparcel.Thoughthedevelopershavenotyet
proceededwithaformalapplicationfordevelopmentoftheApartments,itdoesprovidesomeevidence
thatfinanciers,designersanddevelopersareproposingnewhousingtypesinAshlandandevenwithin
theNormalAvenueNeighborhoodstudyarea.TheAshlandVillageApartmentsplananticipated
annexationintotheCityatamultifamilyzoningdensityandwouldhaveutilizeddensitytransfersΑ
essentiallytransferringthedevelopmentpotentialfromfloodplainsandWaterResourceProtection
zonesintothebuildablelandonsite.With32affordableunitsΑtherelateddensitybonuseswerealso
usedtoincreasethecapacityofthesite.Therewere5buildingsproposed,acommunitybuilding/club
houseandfourapartmentbuildingsat42,77,24,and40units).
TheunitsintheApartmentbuildingweresmallerthanthesurroundinghousesandsmallerthanother
developmentsinAshland.Many,135,werethreebedroomunitsintendedforyoungfamilieswho
cannotaffordadetachedsinglefamilyhome.Therewerealso24studiounits,ahousingtypenotfound
withinornearthestudyarea.Thethreebedroomunitsweretorangebetween1250and1448square
feet.Thetwobedroomunitswere899squarefeet;andthestudiosonly486.
Anotherpreliminarydevelopmentproposal(preapplication)lwassubmittedtotheCityforlandswithin
thestudyareabackin20032004.Thisconceptplanincludedatotalof240unitsincludingtownhomes,
detachedsinglefamilyhouses,andcondominiums.Theplanincludedgaragesoffofalleysandother
featurestoenableahigherdensitydesign.Therewereaffordableunitsincludedyieldingthedesignersa
densitybonus.Theplanincluded51singlefamilyhouses,95townhouses,and94condominiums.
Inconclusion,thereshouldbedemandforawiderangeofhousinginAshlandinthecomingtwo
decades,thoughtheoverallnumberofunitsindemandwillberelativelymodest(about80dwelling
unitsperyear).Newresidentswilldemandhousingineachofthecategorieslistedbelow.Thislist,and
thehousingmixesdescribedlater,respondtobothpolicyandmarketconsiderations.Theyareintended
tomeetboththeneedsof!ƭŷƌğƓķƭcurrentandfutureresidents,andthedevelopmentĭƚƒƒǒƓźƷǤƭ
needtobuildfinanciallyviableproducts.Thetypesofhousingindemandintheareaare:
Seniorsshouldbelookingforarangeofhousingtypes,includingsinglefamilyhomes,
townhouses,cottagehousing,andlargerfacilitiesthatcombinehealthcarewithhousingsuchas
assistedliving.
Singlefamilyhomesshouldcontinuetobeindemandfromseniors,families,andothers,based
ondemonstratedhistoricdemandinAshland.
Millennialsanduniversitystudentswillseekoutaffordablerentalapartmentsandurbanliving
options.However,mostuniversityhousingwillprobablybeaccommodatedoncampus.
Affordablehousingoptions,particularlysmalllotsinglefamilyhomes,attachedhousing,and
apartmentswillbeinhighdemandiftheycanbemadeavailable.
Liveworkhousingispossible,butshouldbeverylimited.Developershavefoundthatlivework
residentsprefermainstreetsandarterialswithrelativelyhighpedestrianorautovolumes,and
visibility,anditisnotevidentthatanystreetsinthisareawillhavethesequalities.
Assumingsupportivezoning,mostofthesehousingtypeswillbeindemandwithintheNormalAvenue
area.Anexceptionishigherdensity,mixedusemidrisehousingforMillennials,whowouldlikelyprefer
toliveclosertothecollectionofrestaurants,retail,andactivityindowntownAshland.
Figure6belowshowsallofthehousingtypesdiscussedhere.Alargegreencheckmarkindicatesthat
thehousingtypeisdefinitelysuitablefortheNormalAvenuearea;asmallercheckmarkindicatesthe
typeissomewhatsuitable,butshouldbebuiltinlimitedquantities.
9
Figure6.HousingTypesandSuitabilityforNormalAvenueArea
Single FamilySingle FamilyCottage
Large LotSmall LotHousing
•3 -6 du/acre•8 -12 du/acre •10 –20 du/acre
•(> 5,000 sflots)•(< 5,000 sflots)
TownhomesGarden Mixed-Use
ApartmentsMid-Rise
•10 -25 du/acre
•20 –35 du/acre•40-80 du/acre
10
Live
Senior Affordable Student/
Work
HousingHousingFaculty
Housing
•Typically a
•Density •Density
part of a
variesvaries
•Density
larger
varies
development
BuildableLandsandDevelopmentProjection
AsTable2shows,theCityofAshlandcalculatesthatthereareatotalof94acresoflandintheNormal
Avenuearea,ofwhich38.7acresareundevelopableand55.3acres,or59percentofthetotal,are
buildable.Thisratioofnetbuildabletogrossisslightlylowerthantypical,butreasonablegiventhe
amountofwetlands,streams,andalreadydevelopedpropertiesinthearea,aswellastherightofway
andparksthatwillneedtobeaddedastheareaisdeveloped.Thisinformationandothertablesbelow
relyonthe/źƷǤƭBLIandExistingConditionsreports.
LelandConsultingDƩƚǒƦƭbuildablelandsevaluationwascompletedinordertoprovideasecondlook
orͻƩĻğƌźƷǤĭŷĻĭƉͼontheassessmentalreadycompletedbytheCity.Ingeneral,thisanalysisconfirmsthe
earlierwork.
Table2.GrossandNetBuildableAreas
AreaAcresPercent
Gross Area94.0100%
Less Unbuildable
Streams and Wetlands
Developed Properties
Unbuildable Properties
ROW
Parks
Subtotal38.741%
Net Buildable55.359%
Source: City of Ashland.
11
ThetwodifferenttypesofzoningintheareaareSingleFamilyResidential,whichallowshousing
developmentbetween4.5and6.0dwellingunitsperacre,andSuburbanResidential,whichallows
between7.2and9.0dwellingunitsperacre.Howeverdensitybonusesareavailableforaffordable
housing(upto35%),energyefficiency(15%),majorrecreationfacilities(10%)andcommonopenspace
(10%)withacumulativemaximumofa60%increaseinbasedensity.Asaresultthemaximumdensity
onthesiteundertheexistingdesignationscouldrangefrom7.2to11.5unitsperacre.Therefore,the
densityofdevelopmentrealizedintheareacan,andprobablywill,varyfrompropertytopropertybased
ontheapproachofeachpropertyowner,developer,andarchitect.Thisanalysisassumesthatthe
currentzoningremainsasis.Obviously,iftheareawasrezonedtoallowlowerorhigherdensity
housing,theamountofhousingthatcouldbebuiltcouldchangedramatically.
Thisanalysisassumesthat,whilethedevelopmentstylesanddensitiesonindividualpropertieswillvary,
anaveragedensitywillberealizedacrossallpropertiesofsimilarzoning.Thisaverageiscalculatedas
halfwaybetweenthelowestdensityallowedbycode,andthehighestdensityallowedwiththe
affordabilitybonus,roundedtothenearestwholenumber.Theaveragealsohappenstobethesameas
thehighestdensityallowedwithouttheaffordabilitybonus.
Table4showsthenumberofpropertiesbyzoningandthetotalnumberofdwellingunitsthatcouldbe
accommodatedatfullbuildout,assuminga100percentͻķĻǝĻƌƚƦƒĻƓƷƩğƷĻͼ(i.e.,allvacantand
partiallyvacantpropertiesareredeveloped).Partiallyvacantpropertiesarethosethatarecurrently
occupiedbyhousing(largelotestatesandruralsinglefamilyhomes)andreligiousinstitutions,butstill
haveareathatcouldberedeveloped(yards,naturalareas,farmland,parkinglots,storage,etc.).Under
thisscenario,428dwellingunitscouldbebuiltintheNormalAvenuearea.
Table4.NumberofPropertiesandDwellingUnits
Zoning andNumber ofBuildableAverageDev.Dwelling
Develompent StatusPropertiesAreaDensityRateUnits
Single Family Residential15 22.6 134
Vacant 39.8 100%586.0
Partially Vacant 12.89 100%766.0
Developed 3 - - -
-
Suburban Residential 2032.8 294
Vacant 17.97 100%1619.0
Partially Vacant 14.99 100%1339.0
Developed 3 - - - -
Undevelopable 1 - - - -
Total 3555.3 428
12
Source: City of Ashland, and Leland Consulting Group.
Ifsomepropertiesdonotredevelopcompletely,however,lesshousingwouldgetbuilt.Forexample,if
only60percentofthepartiallyvacantpropertiesaredeveloped,theareawouldaccommodate345
housingunits.Itisprobablyrealistictoassumethat,duringtheplanningtimeframeforthisproject(the
next20years),notallofthepartiallyvacantlandwilldevelop,andthattherefore,thetotalamountof
housingthatcouldbebuiltissomewherebetween345and428units.Thisisverymuchinlinewiththe
/źƷǤƭforecastof346dwellingunits.
Inmakinglongtermforecasts,somepublicagencieshavefounditusefultothinkintermsofaͻƩğƓŭĻͼ
ratherthanͻƦƚźƓƷͼforecasts;forexample,therangebetweenabout340and430dwellingunits.A
rangeforecastacknowledgesthatitisverydifficulttopredictpreciselywhatwilltakeplaceoverthe
longterm,buteasiertobeconfidentaboutarangeofoutcomes.Further,arangeforecastrecognizes
thatvariouspublicandprivateactions(forexample,connectinganimprovedNormalAvenuethrough
thissite,orincentivesforredevelopment)affectoutcomes.IftheCitywantstoreachoneendofthe
range,itcanpursuedifferentstrategies.tƚƩƷƌğƓķƭMetrogovernment,forexample,usedrange
forecastsinitsrecentUBGexpansionplanningwork.
Theamountofbuildablelandsandpatternoffuturedevelopmentwillbeexploredfurtherasthis
planningprocessproceeds,especiallyduringthecharrette,whereplannersandstakeholderswilldesign
transportationnetworks,parks,andconceptualbuildinglotlayouts.
Basedonthesebuildoutassumptions,theNormalAvenueareawouldcapturebetween22and27
percentofallof!ƭŷƌğƓķƭhousingdemandduringthenext20years.(TheBLIprojectsdemandfor1,604
newdwellingunitsinAshlandduringthistime.)
HousingMix
Residentialcommunitiestodaytakemanyshapes.Inpastdecades,newsuburbanneighborhoodswere
relativelyhomogenousareasmadeupofsmallvariationsonasinglehousingmodel.Today,inresponse
toamuchgreaterdiversityofhouseholds(seniors,moresingles,couplesandsingleparenthouseholds,
etc.)andhousingpreferences,newresidentialcommunitiesofferadiversityofhousingtypes.Orenco
Station,anawardwinningresidentialcommunityinHillsboro,Oregon,isagoodexample.Itnow
includessinglefamilyhomes,attachedhomes,townhouses,apartments,condos,andmixeduse
buildingsrangingindensityfromfourto40unitsperacre.PortionsoftheOrencoStationcommunity
featuresinglefamilyhouses,onmoderatelysizedlots,inasomewhatconventionalpattern.Elsewhere,
two,three,andfourstoryapartmentsareavailable.BeforetheplanningforOrenco,neitherHillsboro
noranynearbycitieshadamasterplannedareawithsuchamixanddiversityofhousingtypes.Inorder
toconstructthemix,thezoningordinancerequiredamendment,allowingforskinnystreets,slight
setbacks,alleyloadedgarages,andotheraccommodations.
IntheNormalAvenuearea,theCityofAshlandcanachieveitsgoalsforhousingdiversityandaccommodatinga
growingpopulationbyallowingarangeofhousingtypes.Table5showsonewaythatarangeofhousingtypes
couldbeaccommodated.(NotethatforthesakeofsimplicitythistableonlyconsiderstheareazonedSuburban
Residential.)Table5.IllustrativeHousingMix(SuburbanResidentialAreaOnly)
13
Density
Housing TypePercentDev.Total
LowHighModel
of AreaAreaUnits
Single Family - Large Lot 3 6 6 12% 3.9 23
Single Family - Small Lot 8 12 8 54% 1 7.7 141
Cottage 10 20 1020% 6.6 65
Townhomes 10 25 1210% 3.3 39
Garden Apartments 20 35 204% 1.3 26
Mixed Use Mid Rise 40 80 600% - -
Total100%32.8 294
Average Density for all Housing Types 9.0
Source: Leland Consulting Group.
TheaveragedensityoftheareaunderthisbuildoutscenarioisninedwellingunitsperğĭƩĻΓƷŷĻsame
astherecentlybuiltneighborhood(adjacenttothestudyareaandsouthofCreekDrive)thatincludes
onlysinglefamilyhomes.Thisisjustoneillustrativeexampleofhowarangeofhousingtypescanbe
accommodatedatNormalAvenue.Thisscenarioassumesapredominanceofsinglefamilyunits,and
resultsinalownumberoftotalunitscomparedwiththeidentifiedgoalsofthe/źƷǤƭgrowth
managementstrategies.
Affordability
Asdiscussedaboveandinthe/źƷǤƭDraftHousingNeedsAnalysis,housinginAshlandisnotaffordable
tomanyofitsresidents.TheCityshouldconsiderarangeofstrategiesinordertoincreasehousing
affordability,including:
Keepingtheexistingdensitybonusforaffordableunitsinplace,andtherequirementsthatitbe
utilizedfornewlyannexedareas.
Considerusingthe/źƷǤƭCommunityDevelopmentBlockGrant(CDBG)andHousingTrustFund
programstoincentivizeaffordablehousingdevelopmentinthestudyarea.
AnnexlandthatisnowintheUGBtotheCity.TheNormalAvenueareaissuchanopportunity.
ConsiderrezoningsomelandthatisnowSingleFamilyResidentialorSuburbanResidentialtoa
residentialzonethatallowssomewhatmoredensityandhousingdiversity.Manyneighborhoods
builtintheearly20thcenturyincludesinglefamilyhomeareasof12ormoreunitstotheacre,
andmultifamilystructuresthatareconsiderablydenser.Again,thisincreaseshousingsupply
andwilldecreasecost.
Lookforstrategicareaswherealloweddensitycanbeincreasedto15,20,or30unitsperacre.
Theseshouldbeareaswithgoodaccesstocommercialservices,jobs,andmultimodaltransit;
otherwise,theybecomeͻƦƚķƭͼofdensitythataredisconnectedfromtherestofthecityand
generatemoretrafficthanisnecessary.TheremaybesomeareaswithintheNormalAvenue
areawhereincreaseddensitycouldbeallowed.
Makesureparkingrequirementsarereasonable,especiallyformediumandhighdensity
projects.Forexample,aseniorcouplelivinginatownhomedevelopmentoftenhasonlyone
car.Requiringtwospacesmayincreaselandacquisitionorbuildingcostsunnecessarily.When
thereisnotacompellingreasontodootherwise,considerlettingthemarketdecidehowmuch
parkingisright.
Lookforwaystoredevelopinfillsitesinthecitybyofferingdevelopmentincentivessuchas
lowerimpactsfees(systemdevelopmentcharges)forinfilldevelopment,taxabatementfor
14
achievingcertainoutcomes,orhelpingpropertyownerstoevaluateandremediatebrownfield.
TheCityalreadywaivessystemdevelopmentchargesfornewaffordablehousingdevelopments.
Andforaffordableunitsplannedwhichexceedtherequirednumbersofaffordableunits,
CommunityDevelopmentandengineeringfeesarewaived(seeCityofAshlandResolution2006
13.Thoughthestudyarea,therewillnotbebrownfieldredevelopment,andmuchofthearea
willbeentirelyredeveloped.Buttheremaybeopportunitiesformodestinfillamongthelarge
lotresidenceswhichremain.
PartnerwithlocalaffordablehomebuildersandCommunityDevelopmentCorporations(CDCs)
tobuildaffordablehousing.Theseorganizationsshouldbeveryknowledgeableabout
developingandmanagingaffordablehousingthattakesadvantageofpublicandprivatefunding
sourcessuchasCDBG,HOMEInvestmentPartnership,LowIncomeHousingTaxCredits(LIHTC),
fundingfromstateagenciessuchastheDepartmentofHumanServices(DHS),HUDsources,and
others.
15
DevelopmentScenarios
BasedontheinformationanddatapresentedaboveandtheworkcompletedintheotherFrameworks,
theconsultantteamcreatedtwodevelopmentscenariosforthestudyarea.Thesescenariosaremeant
toillustratethetypeofdevelopmentthatcouldoccuronthesitebasedontheconsultantƷĻğƒƭ
preliminaryresearch.Thefirstdevelopmentscenarioillustratesdevelopmentthatisallowedunderthe
existingComprehensivePlandesignationsforthesite,SuburbanResidentialandSingleFamily
Residential.ThesecondscenariowasconstructedusinghigherdensityComprehensivePlandesignations
thanarecurrentlyassignedtotheparcelsinthestudyarea.TheseComprehensivePlandesignations
CromanMillΑNeighborhoodCentral(CRNC),NorthMountainCentral(NMC)andNorthMountainΑ
Multifamily(NMMF)arefoundinotherareasoftheCityandareusedasanexampleofhowexisting
CityrequirementscouldbeappliedtotheNormalAvenueNeighborhood.Thisexerciseismeanttoshow
howdifferentdensitiesmightbedevelopedonthesiteandshouldbeonlyusedtoexhibitwhatis
possibleonthesite.
Whilethetwodevelopmentscenariosareonsimilarblockpatterns,thetypesofunitsdevelopedunder
eachwouldbemuchdifferent.Forthehigherdensityalternativethedevelopmentmightincludegarden
styleapartmentsandtownhomeswhilethelowerdensityalternativewouldincludeahigherproportion
ofsinglefamilyhomes.However,manywouldbeonsmallerlots;andtherewouldalsobesome
townhomesandduplexes.
DevelopmentScenarioProcess
WestartedwithalayoutforblocksandlotsthatarecompatiblewithtypicalAshlanddetachedsingle
dwellingneighborhoods,consistingof50by100footlots.Thestreetlayoutroughlyrespondstothe
MobilityFrameworkandGreenwayandOpenspaceFrameworks.However,grossdensityrequirements
wereusedtoassesstotalbuildout,whichwasthencheckedagainstthedraftconceptsforlotlayout.
Therearetwodevelopmentscenariosarticulatedbelow.ThefirstisbasedontheexistingCity
ComprehensivePlandesignations.However,otherassumptionshavealsobeenmaderegarding
annexation,densitybonuses,etc.Theseassumptionsaredescribedbelow.Thesecondscenario
includesamorevibrantmixofunitsandhigherdensities.
Infillhousingtypeswereappliedtothe50x100footlotmodule,referringtotheHousingTypesAnalysis
describedabove,andthosehousingtypesidentifiedasbeingmostfeasibleforthisareaofAshland,
accordingtothefollowing:
Center:4unitsperlot,withhousingtypesrangingfromhigherintensitytownhomesandgarden
apartments.
General:24unitsperlot,withhousingtypesrangingfromlowerintensitytownhomes,cottage
housing,smalllotsingledwellingsandduplexes.
Edge:12unitsperlot,withhousingtypesrangingfromsingledwellings,duplexesandsingle
dwellingswithattachedordetachedaccessorydwellingunits.
TheComprehensivePlanAlternativeappliestheaverageunitsidentifiedintheHousingTypesReport,at
9dwellingunitsperacreforSuburbanResidentialareas,and6dwellingunitsforSingleDwelling
Residentialareas(seeUnitCountsTableAlternativeACompPlan).TheCityhasanumberofwaysfor
densitybonusestobeachievedbydevelopers.Section18.88.040oftheCitycodedescribesanumberof
incentivesandamaximumdensitybonusof60%.Bonusesareavailableforcommonopenspace,energy
efficiency,andfortheprovisionofaffordableunits.Ashlandrequiresapercentageofunitsbeaffordable
16
forannexationstobeapproved.Becauseofthelikelihoodofannexationpriortodevelopment,the
requiredbonusdensityallocatedforaffordablehousingunitswilllikelyincreasethedensityofthestudy
area.Forallresidentialannexations,aplanshallbeprovideddemonstratingthatthedevelopmentof
theentirepropertywillultimatelyoccurataminimumdensityof90%ofthebasedensityforthezone,
unlessreductionsinthetotalnumberofunitsisnecessarytoaccommodatesignificantnaturalfeatures,
accesslimitations,etc.BasedondevelopmentdatagatheredbytheCity,developmentsofthissort
couldbeexpectedtoincreasethedensityfromthebasesallowedfrom15%to25%.Forthepurposesof
scenarioplanning,anaverageof20%bonuswasassumed.
Asshowninthetable,thisAlternativeyields312units.TheHighDensityResidentialComprehensive
PlanAlternativeappliesresidentialdesignationsfromCromanMillandNorthMountainNeighborhood
Overlays.UsingCMNC,NMCandNMMFdesignations,unitcountsapproximatelymatchedupwiththe
modularinfillapproachdetailedfortheAlternativeabove.Asshowninthetable(AlternativeBComp
PlanHighDensityResidential),thisAlternativeyields657units.Dwellingunitsperacrewereconverted
tounitsperlotforthesecalculations.
AlternativeAΑ/ƚƒƦƩĻŷĻƓƭźǝĻPlandesignationsinStudyArea
17
AlternativeAΑExistingComprehensivePlan
Suburban|9du/acreSingleFamily|6du/acre
Assumed20%densitybonus,
MixofduplexesandothertypesonbothSuburbanandSingleFamilydesignatedlots.)
BasedonGross(buildable)acreageincludingroadsandopenspace,excludingwater
resourceprotectionzonesof69acrestotal
BlockUnits,SuburbanZoneUnits,SingleFamilyZoneTotalUnits
A20
B14
C107
D17
E7
F155
G315
H26
I25
J15
K22
L17
M
15761218
SUBTOTAL
Optionallots
U37
W16
X10
Y20
Z11
SUBTOTAL375794
TOTALUNITS,ALLLOTS312
18
AlternativeBΑHigherDensityResidential(Lotlinesareforillustrativepurposesonly)
19
AlternativeBΑHigherDensityResidential
Center|perCMNC@3.44unitsper5,000sflotGeneral|perNMC@
2.30unitsper5,000sflotEdge|perNMMF@1.38unitsper5,000sf
lot
ALTERNATIVEB
BlockLots,CenterLots,GeneralLots,EdgeTotalLots
A16
B11
C14
D14
E6
F4102
G410
H813
I614
J57
K18
L122
M
SUBTOTAL838211176
UnitsTotalunits
units28618915489
Optionallots
V7
W13
X8
Y16
Z9
SUBTOTAL467
UnitsonoptionallotsTotalunitson
optionalblocks
units15810168
TOTALUNITS,ALLLOTS
657
20
ScenarioAnalysis
ScenarioAdescribesamixofhousingtypes,withalargeproportionofdetachedsinglefamilyhouses,
mixedwithduplexesandafewtownhomes.Whilefairlydenseandefficient,itwouldnotmeetthe/źƷǤƭ
statedgoalofhelpingtoaccommodate20yearsofnewgrowthwithintheexistingAshlandurban
growthboundary,consistentwithTheCityof!ƭŷƌğƓķƭcommitmenttotheGreaterBearCreekRegional
Plan.ScenarioB,whichmixesbothmultifamilyandsinglefamilydevelopmenttypescreatesahigher
overalldensityandhighernumberofunitswhichwouldmorecloselyalignwiththe/źƷǤƭgrowthgoals.
21
FINAL ACTION PLAN: ONE YEAR USE OF FUNDS
Program Year 2013
(July 1, 2013 – June 30, 2014)
Prepared for:
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
By:
The City of Ashland
Department of Community Development
Planning Division
Ashland, Oregon
One Year Use of Funds
Action Plan for CDBG Funds
Program Year 2013
Mission Statement
The following mission statement is taken from the City of Ashland’s current Strategic Plan.
H OUSING
The City has a responsibility to ensure that proper amounts of land are set aside to
accommodate the various housing needs in the City, and that its land development ordinances
are broad enough to allow for variation in housing type and density.
E CONOMY
The City seeks to provide opportunities for a variety of economic activities in the City, while
continuing to reaffirm the economic goals of Ashland citizens. Economic development in
Ashland should serve the purpose of maintaining and improving the local quality of life.
S OCIAL AND H UMAN S ERVICES
To ensure that all people in Ashland live in a safe, strong, and caring community, the City seeks
to enhance the quality of life and promote self-reliance, growth and development of people. To
these ends, the City will strive to provide resources and services to meet basic human needs.
Executive Summary
The City of Ashland is an Entitlement Community. The city anticipates an annual allocation of
$156,255 in Community Development Block Grant funds for Program Year 2013 (July 1, 2013-
June 30, 2014) by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
This document, the CDBG Action Plan for Program Year 2013 describes the project(s) that the
City will undertake and the manner in which the project(s) are consistent with the priorities of the
Five-Year Consolidated Plan. Within this document is a table summarizing the projects to be
funded by CDBG dollars in Program Year 2013 (page 3).
The City Council has identified that a total of $125,004 in available grant funds, is to be awarded
to four projects: $16,607 to St. Vincent de Paul-Home Visitation Program for emergency rental
and security deposit assistance, $6,831 to Maslow Project for outreach and case management
for homeless youth enrolled in the Ashland School District, and $14,566 to Living Opportunities
to remodel the exterior of their ACES employment building and the balance of the funds is to be
awarded to the Ashland Emergency Food Bank to acquire the building which they currently
lease, pending further fundraising efforts.
City of Ashland
CDBG Action Plan for Fiscal Year 2012
Page 2
The table provided below shows the projects awarded CDBG funds in Program Year
2013:
CDBG Funded Projects for Program Year 2013
Project ID Recipient Activity Name Location CDBG # Households or
Organization Funds Persons Assisted
Annually
2013-1 City of Ashland CDBGCity Wide $31,251 city wide
Administration
(Consolidated Plan
Goal 14)
2013-2 St. Vincent De Home Visitation City Wide $16,607 15 low income
(Consolidated Plan PaulProgram-Homeless households
Goals 6.1, 6.2 & prevention
8.2)
2013-3 Maslow Project School Based $6,831 Approx 35-99
City Wide
Services for homeless youth
(Consolidated Plan
Homeless Youth (aggregate)
Goals 6.1)
Ashland
2013-4 Food Bank $87,000 3,750 individuals
City Wide
Emergency
(Consolidated Plan Building($87,646 in
Food Bank
goals 6.1 and 8.2) Acquisition Prior years
carryover funds
2013-5 LivingRenovations to $14,566 28 Special Needs
City Wide
(Consolidated Plan Opportunities AshlandClients
goal 14.1) Community
Employment
Center (ACES)
Self-Evaluation
Since 2010, the City has funded a variety of activities including affordable housing projects,
respite care for special needs populations, and emergency assistance for households at risk for
homeless. In Program Years 2008 and 2009 the City awarded funds to the Housing Authority of
Jackson County (HAJC) for public facilities improvements in support of a large scale affordable
housing development. The development known as Snowberry Brook was completed in spring
of 2011 and all 60 units were leased to qualified low-income households shortly thereafter. This
large scale affordable housing development allowed the City to meet its most challenging goal
identified in the 2005-2009 Consolidated Plan of providing 55 new units of affordable housing.
In the 2011 Program year the City awarded grant funds to ACCESS, Inc to acquire a piece of
property on which to develop six units of housing affordable to households making 60% of the
Area Median or less. Currently this project is under construction and is expected be completed
in late spring of 2013 and fully leased by summer of 2013. The completion of this development
will work toward meeting the Consolidated Plan sustainability of decent housing (DH) goal 3.1.
In 2010 the City awarded funding to Ashland Supportive Housing (ASH) to rehabilitate an
existing single family housing unit to be used as a respite care center for peoples with
City of Ashland
CDBG Action Plan for Fiscal Year 2012
Page 3
disabilities. ASH’s respite home opened in the fall of 2011, the completion of this respite home
assisted the City in meeting Consolidated Plan Availability/Accessibility of Decent Housing (DH-
1) goal 1.2; assisting 14 individuals in receiving services that improve general welfare and self-
reliance. In the 2012 Program Year, the City funded an interior remodel of Living Opportunities’
Ashland Community Employment Services Center. This activity allowed the City to meet
numerical goal established in the Consolidated Plan under Availability/Accessibility of Decent
Housing (DH-1) goal 3.1 assisting non-profit organizations that provide support services for
special needs populations. Lastly, the City has funded the St. Vincent De Paul-Home visitation
program for the previous three years running. This program works with the homeless and
households at risk of homelessness offering resources and assistance to stabilize the
households and move them back to self sufficiency. The SVDP Home Visitation Program is
administered by an all volunteer staff, so all program funds go directly to assist participants.
The SVDP program has assisted the City in meeting Availability/Accessibility of Decent Housing
goal 1.1 assisting non-profit organizations that assist homeless and at-risk populations with
housing and other services. This goal aims to assist 150 individual and families per year and
the SVDP program along with the City’s contributions to the Project Community Connect Event
work to meet that goal. In Program year 2012 the City also awarded funds to the Maslow
Project which seeks to provide outreach, case management, and resources to homeless youth
enrolled in schools, this activity also serves to meet the goal established in DH 1.1. The
outcomes of these programs and the activities funded in the current program year will be
reported in more detail in the 2012 CAPER.
City of Ashland
CDBG Action Plan for Fiscal Year 2012
Page 4
Citizen Participation
th
A Public hearing was held on February 27 2013 to consider comments on the potential uses of the 2013
CDBG allocation. Additionally at that meeting the Ashland Housing Commission reviewed the
applications submitted for CDBG grant awards. After opening a hearing to solicit comments about how
the City should apply the CDBG funds (no public testimony was provided), the Housing Commission
forwarded an award recommendation to the City Council. The City Council held a public hearing on April
nd
2 2013, at which time the CDBG applicants testified during the public hearing and the Council selected
award recipients.
th
The Housing Commission held a public hearing on April 242013 to elicit comments on the draft Action
Plan and provide recommendations for potential changes. The public comment period on the 2013 one-
thth
year Action Plan began on April 19 and ran through May 20.
All meetings are noticed in the Ashland Daily Tidings, and posted on the City of Ashland website. The
th
availability of the draft plan was also posted on the City of Ashland web page on April 19, 2013 and an
Adobe Portable document (PDF) of the Action Plan was available for download throughout the public
comment period.
A legal notice notifying the public of the availability of the draft Action Plan and the comment period was
th
published on April 19 2013 in The Ashland Daily Tidings.
As of the date of submission no comments have been received.
Sources of Funds
There are several available private and public funding sources to assist developers of affordable housing,
area non-profit service providers, and organizations that assist at risk and low-income populations. This
section provides an overview of the potential funding sources for projects or services provided to the
aforementioned populations. Only the programs and resources most likely to be utilized by organizations
providing services to City of Ashland residents or that provide area wide benefit will be included in this
narrative. The City of Ashland is an Entitlement Jurisdiction for Community Development Block Grant
funds. Most other resources are provided on a competitive basis through state or federal programs.
1)Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program
CDBG funds are an entitlement received by the City of Ashland based on a formula allocation. The City
expects to receive $156,255 in formula grant funds for fiscal year 2013. The eligible uses of these funds
permit the city to provide direct funding for community development projects such as streets, sidewalks
and other public infrastructure in low-income neighborhoods. The City of Ashland also awards funds to
agencies and organizations that provide housing and related services to low to moderate income and
special populations through a competitive process that requires a 10% match. Similarly CDBG funds
often allow the grantees to leverage substantial resources from state and federal funding sources. The
City of Ashland has instituted a 15% set aside for public service projects that benefit low to moderate
income populations and homeless, at-risk and special needs populations.
Total Fiscal Year 2013-2014 resources expected to be available for allocation in this program year
Expected 2013 Community Development Block Grant Fund $ 156,255
Remaining Balance of 2012 CDBG funds $ 87,646
City of Ashland
CDBG Action Plan for Fiscal Year 2012
Page 5
The funds identified above represent both federal and local CDBG resources available for allocation to
eligible activities. The City intends that 100% of these funds will be invested in or support the delivery of
activities that primarily benefit very low, low, and moderate income persons. This table does not reflect
funding sources provided by federal, state, and local resources outside of the CDBG program which may
be utilized in projects and services that help to meet goals identified in the City’s five year Consolidated
Plan. The City has not received program income from the Housing Rehabilitation Loan program since
2007. The cumulative total comprised of pay-offs received since the close of fiscal year 1997, the year
that the first Home Rehabilitation Loan program was awarded a City of Ashland CDBG grant, is $49,217.
Three projects were completed in PY 2010 expending all but $46 of the program income. For fiscal year
2013 the Housing Authority of Jackson County does not expect to receive any program income from the
City of Ashland’s Housing Rehabilitation Loan Program. Program income derived from Housing
Rehabilitation Loan repayments are only eligibly for use in further Housing Rehabilitation Loan projects
2)Home Program
The City of Ashland is not currently a participating jurisdiction for HUD’s HOME funds. Some local
developers of affordable housing are eligible to apply to Oregon Housing and Community Services
Department which allocates funds based on a statewide Consolidated Plan.
3)Low-Income Energy Assistance and Weatherization
ACCESS, Inc. serves as the CAP agency providing service to all of Jackson and most of Josephine
County. ACCESS, Inc. receives U.S. Department of Energy funds which are distributed through Oregon
Housing and Community Services. These funds are used to provide low-income households with help in
paying their energy bills and weatherizing their homes. Furthermore, the City of Ashland owns and
operates the Electric Utility; the City is in the unique position to assist very-low income households in
meeting their energy needs, specifically during the winter months when energy costs and use are
highest.To this end the City targets assistance to Low-income Ashland utility customers who need help
to pay their heating bills over the course of each winter. Applicants must have an active electric utility
account with the City and the Applicant’s household income may not exceed 125% of the Federal
Poverty Guidelines. The City of Ashland also offers a Senior and Disabled Discount on electric usage
charges. Last year the cumulative total the city provided out of the general fund toward this program was
$76,312.11 serving 396 households.
4)Low-income Housing Tax Credit Program
The Federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credit Program assists both for-Profit and non-profit housing
developers in financing affordable housing projects for low-income families and individuals. Some local
developers of affordable housing are eligible to apply to Oregon Housing and Community Services
(OHCS) Departmentwhich allocates funds based on a statewide Consolidated Plan. The Housing
Authority of Jackson County completed a 60 unit housing project financed with tax credits and ACCESS,
Inc is currently utilizing OHCS funding to build a six unit complex on land purchased with City of Ashland
CDBG funding.
5)Exemptions from Local Property Taxes
Non-profits that provide services for low and moderate income persons are often eligible for exemptions
from local property taxes. ACCESS, Inc. and the Housing Authority of Jackson County are two such
entities.
City of Ashland
CDBG Action Plan for Fiscal Year 2012
Page 6
6)Homeless Populations
Oregon Housing and Community Services receive federal and state resources to be used to support
services benefitting homeless populations. These funds include: Emergency Housing Account,
Emergency Shelter grants, State Homeless Assistance Program, Shelter plus Care, and Supplemental
Assistance for Facilities to Assist Homeless populations. Additionally, under the Federal Continuum of
Care program administered by HUD, local governments and agencies can apply for federal funding for
programs and services to prevent and combat homelessness. The Jackson County Continuum of Care is
an annual recipient of McKinney Vento funds. The City of Ashland does not directly receive any funds to
assist homeless persons or persons at risk of becoming homeless, and there is no longer a local
organization that provides services to homeless populations; however City of Ashland residents can
access available services, programs and funds through ACCESS, Inc. the regional CAP agency that
serves Jackson and Josephine Counties. Similarly, many non-profit agency’s that provide housing or
support services for homeless populations are eligible to apply for funds through Oregon Housing and
Community Services or through the Jackson County Continuum of Care.
7)Public Housing Assistance-Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program
The Housing Authority of Jackson County is the local provider of HUD funded housing programs such as
the Housing Choice Voucher program and the Public Housing program. The Housing Authority also
operates a Family Self sufficiency program for families receiving federal housing assistance. The family
self sufficiency program offers an Individual Development Account program that provides a three to one
savings match to promote self sufficiency through furthering education, providing down payment
assistance for homeownership and the promotion of micro-enterprise. Currently the Housing Authority
receives approximately 1390 Housing Choice Vouchers for all of Jackson County. Just over 100 of those
vouchers are provided to City of Ashland residents.
8)USDA Rural Development Mutual Self Help Home Loans/SHOP
The Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development offers several loan options to assist low to moderate
income households attain homeownership. In recent years the City of Ashland has awarded Rogue
Valley Community Development Corporation (RVCDC) CDBG funds to help leverage funds and initiate
two Self help homeownership projects that utilized funds from Rural Development programs.Rogue
Valley Community Development Corporation has utilized Self Help Ownership Program (SHOP) grant
funds awarded to Community Frameworks from HUD on these projects. Similarly USDA Rural
Development also offers low-interest loans and grants to assist low to moderate homeowner’s complete
health and safety repairs on their homes. RVCDC went out of business in 2011 and the remaining land
trusted properties that they owned were sold to Neighborworks Umpqua. Neighborworks Umpqua is also
eligible to utilize SHOP funds and also offers several federal and state programs in Douglas County.
9)City General Fund Grants
The City of Ashland offers two types of grants, Social Service Grants and Economic Development
Grants. The City’s Social Service Grant program allocates approximately $118,000 annually to help fund
public service agencies and organizations providing essential safety net services for City of Ashland
residents. The City’s Economic Development Grant program provides over $150,000 in grants annually.
10)Land Donation/Systems Development Charge Deferrals/Fee Waivers
City of Ashland
CDBG Action Plan for Fiscal Year 2012
Page 7
In recent years the City of Ashland has offered city owned land to developers of affordable housing
through a competitive RFP process to assist in buying down the land costs thereby encouraging the
development of affordable housing. In program year 2008 the City traded four City owned properties
valued at $1.7 Million to assist in acquiring land for the purpose of developing an affordable housing
project in conjunction with the Housing Authority of Jackson County and yet to be identified developer(s)
of affordable housing. The City of Ashland also provided $620,000 in direct contribution from the General
Fund in order to assist with this acquisition. The City offers incentives to private developers and
affordable housing developers by deferring Systems Development Charges and waiving Community
Development Fees for providing ownership and rental units priced for low and moderate income
households. These incentives result in the non-collection of funds that would otherwise contribute to the
City’s General Fund.
Summary of Specific Annual Objectives
The Action Plan allocates $125,004 in new 2013-2014 CDBG funds. The funds will be used to support
the following activities:
Emergency Rental and Utility Assistance- St. Vincent De Paul-Home Visitation Program was awarded
$16,607 in public service funds to provide emergency rental and utility assistance to qualified
households.
Outcome Statement:Availability/Accessibility of Decent Housing
Case Management for Homeless Youth- Maslow Project –School Based Services for Ashland
Homeless Youth was awarded $6,831 in public service funds to provide outreach case management and
resources to homeless youth in the Ashland School District.
Outcome Statement:Availability/Accessibility of Economic Opportunities and Decent Housing
Renovations to Employment center for peoples with Disabilities-Living Opportunities-ACES
employment Center renovation was awarded $14,566 in Capital Improvement funds to complete
renovations to their employment center that serves peoples with disabilities.
Outcome Statement:Availability/Accessibility of Economic Opportunities
Acquisition of a Building to permanently House the Food Bank- The Ashland Emergency Food Bank
was awarded $87,000 in 2013 CDBG funding (added to a reservation of remaining funds from the 2012
in the amount of $87,646 for a total of $174,646) to acquire the building that the food bank currently
occupies and leases from Peoples Bank of Commerce.
Outcome Statement:Availability/Accessibility of Decent Housing
Program Administration-$31,251 will be used for general program administration.
City of Ashland
CDBG Action Plan for Fiscal Year 2012
Page 8
Table 3-A
Summary of Specific Annual Objectives
Outcome/Objective
SpecificProjects Year to be Expected Actual
Performance Indicators Percent
Obj. # (CDBG Funded) completed NumberNumber
Specific Annual Objectives
DH-1 Availability/Accessibility of Decent Housing
DH-1.1 Provide assistance to non-Home Visitation Number of households 2013
15
profit organizations that assist Program St. Vincent at risk of homelessness
the homeless and those at De Paul that have received
risk of homelessness, provide services designed to
transition assistance to the improve health and
homeless and help prevent safety, and counseling.
homelessness.
HUD Matrix = 05 Q
DH-1.1 Provide assistance to non-School Based Number of homeless or 201335-99
profit organizations that assist Services for Homeless at risk youth that have
the homeless and those at Youth-Maslow Projectreceived services
risk of homelessness, provide designed to improve
transition assistance to the health and safety, and
homeless and help prevent counseling.
homelessness.
HUD Matrix = 05D
DH-1.1 Provide assistance to non-Ashland Emergency Number of Families and 20133,000+
profit organizations that assist Food Bank Permanent Individuals assisted with
the homeless and those at Location Acquisition food and resources.
risk of homelessness, provide
transition assistance to the
homeless and help prevent
homelessness.
HUD Matrix = 17C
DH-1.3 Availability/Accessibility of Decent Housing
Provide assistance to non-Ashland Community 2012
DH-1.3 1
Number of group
profit organizations that Employment Center
homes or other
provide support services for Remodel-Living
supportive housing
extremely low and low-Opportunities
developed for the
income special needs
elderly, individuals
populations.
with special needs.
HUD Matrix=14E
Outcome measures
In addition to the table above, included in this submission is Table ‘3C’ (OMB 2506-0117) for each of the
activities receiving CDBG funds for the 2013 program year. Within the 3C tables the City has indicated
the Objective and Outcome categories and incorporated the identification of the CPD outcome statement
as an Objective number.
City of Ashland
CDBG Action Plan for Fiscal Year 2012
Page 9
Allocation priorities and Geographic Distribution
The City of Ashland is a small entitlement community with limited resources to apply to CDBG funded
activities. As the City of Ashland primarily uses CDBG funds to assist projects that seek to create or
retain affordable housing (these priorities are noted in Housing Goals 1-3 in the City’s 2010-2014
Consolidated Plan). The City aims to utilize CDBG funds to benefit the greatest number of households
as opposed to a direct application of funds to a particular neighborhood as part of a revitalization
strategy. With a limited number of applications received for CDBG funds the City has not had to further
delineate a spending priority based on location as selection criteria in evaluation of proposals. However,
as land values are slightly lower in designated low-moderate income census block groups the City is
often in the position of making awards to acquire property or rehabilitate housing in such neighborhoods.
The jurisdiction has no plans to dedicate a percentage of CDBG funds to any one area.
For a number of years the City has struggled to retain existing and create new affordable rental housing
units. An insufficient quantity of new affordable rental housing units have been built within the City in
recent years, this has been attributed to the high cost of land, which despite the recent economic
downturn continues to remain higher (decrease at a lesser rate) than that of the surrounding cities in
Jackson County. The goals specified in the 2010-2014 Consolidated Plan that aimed to provide services
to homeless, at-risk, and special needs populations have suffered due to the lack of support services for
homeless populations within the City. The loss of the Interfaith Care Community of Ashland, who was the
sole provider of homeless support services (aside from meals and the City’s Emergency shelter program
which only operates in extreme weather conditions), has had a severe impact on the amount of
homeless, at-risk and special needs populations that the City has been able to provide assistance for.
Homeless populations and those at risk of homelessness still have access to regional service providers,
most of which are located in and around the City of Medford approximately 13 miles from Ashland,
however, there is no system in place to track the services provided by the numerous agencies by locality
or without duplication. The 2010-2014 Consolidated Plan established the goal (6) of providing support
services for homeless prevention and transition. The goal further states that services that are part of a
comprehensive approach to improve the living conditions of clients are a priority. The City received three
proposals in 2013 which will assist the City in addressing this goal.
Annual Affordable Housing Goals
Goal 1: To increase the supply of affordable rental housing for extremely low-, low- and moderate-
income families. Where possible, give funding priority to those projects that will provide benefits to
residents with the lowest incomes.
Goal 2: To increase the homeownership opportunities for extremely low-, low-, and moderate-income
households. Where possible, give funding priority to those projects that will provide benefits to residents
with the lowest incomes.
Goal 3: To maintain the existing affordable housing supply. Where possible, give funding priority to
those projects that will provide benefits to residents with the lowest incomes. Also, give funding priority to
those programs which retain the units as affordable in perpetuity, or recapture the rehabilitation costs for
further use in Ashland.
During the 2013 CDBG Program Year the City of Ashland expects one affordable housing project to be
underway. Access, Inc. has purchased a parcel of land on which to develop six units of affordable
housing utilizing funding from the State Consolidated Funding Cycle. This project is underway and is
expected to be completed within this program year.
City of Ashland
CDBG Action Plan for Fiscal Year 2012
Page 10
Needs of Public Housing
The City of Ashland does not own or operate any public housing within the City. Additionally, the
Housing Authority of Jackson County which serves the Ashland area in this regard does not currently
own or operate any Public Housing units located within the city. The Housing Authority has no proposed
Public Housing projects within the Ashland City limits for the 2013 CDBG program Year.
Homelessness and other Special Needs Populations
Goal 6: Support services for homelessness prevention and transition. Where possible, give funding
priority to services that are part of a comprehensive approach that improves the living conditions of
clients. Safety net services or services that meet basic needs shall only be funded with CDBG dollars if it
can be demonstrated that clients receiving those benefits are part of a program that will eventually help
them obtain self-sufficiency.
Goal 7: Encourage the development of emergency and transitional housing for homeless families with
children and/or individuals.
Goal 8: To support housing and supportive services for people with special needs. People with special
needs include the elderly, the frail elderly, persons with developmental disabilities, persons with physical
disabilities, persons with severe mental illness, persons with alcohol or other drug dependencies and
persons with HIV/AIDS or related illness.
For Program Year 2013, the City has awarded public service funds to the St. Vincent De Paul, Home
Visitation program in an effort to prevent homelessness. The city has also awarded funding to Maslow
Project to provide wrap around services, case management and resources to homeless youth enrolled in
the Ashland School District. Further, the City has awarded the Ashland Emergency Food Bank funding to
purchase the building that they now occupy, in order to secure a permanent location. The city continues
to support regional service providers through the City of Ashland’s general fund social service grants to
organizations that provide services to homeless, at-risk, and special needs populations. As mentioned
previously, community volunteers and local faith based organization organize emergency shelters in
churches and public buildings on a weekly basis and in times of extreme weather conditions. Further,
populations needing assistance not offered locally have the ability to access a variety of safety net
services through ACCESS, Inc, the regional provider of Community Action Programs, as well as other
social service providers located in Medford and surrounding areas. The city continues to partner with
other governmental jurisdictions, agencies and organizations, in an effort to address homelessness and
other special needs populations. The city continues to be an active member in the Homeless Task
Force, a sub-group of the Jackson County Community Services Consortium, and Jackson County’s
Continuum of Care administrating body, to address the needs of the homeless on a regional scale, and
make referrals to the appropriate agencies when necessary.
Each year the Homeless Task Force conducts a one night homeless survey, through a coordinated effort
of Task Force members, emergency shelters, social service agencies, and organizations that provide
support services to homeless and special needs populations. This annual survey allows jurisdictions and
agencies to track the progress, or lack of progress in addressing the issues of homelessness in the
region as well as to recognize gaps in services. The city may attain a percentage of the goals as outlined
in DH1.1 -1.3; assistance and support services for special needs and homeless populations, (3 group
homes, 3 individuals, and 400-500 homeless individuals receiving services county wide) through support
of Maslow and St. Vincent de Paul’s program, through the use of City of Ashland general funds in the
form of Social Service grants to area organizations offering services to at-risk, homeless, and special
needs populations, and through staff’s work with the Homeless Task force and the City’s involvement in
the Project Homeless Connect event, a one day event to provide outreach, services, and resources to
homeless and at-risk populations.
City of Ashland
CDBG Action Plan for Fiscal Year 2012
Page 11
The City does not specifically prioritize activities that focus on serving the needs of chronically homeless
populations. However, Jackson County’s Ten-Year Plan to end homelessness, a document created and
carried out by the Jackson County Homeless Task Force, of which the City of Ashland is an active
member, does prioritize several strategies to address the needs of the chronically homeless throughout
the region. The six strategies identified by the Ten Year plan provided action steps to end chronic
homelessness. These action steps include; promoting the housing first model, providing coordinated and
consistent case management, increase financial assistance/incomes for those who are the most
vulnerable, provide life skill training, and coordinate discharge planning. Lastly, the Ten-Year plan
prioritizes the development and increase of emergency and transitional shelters, and permanent
supportive housing options open to those with the lowest incomes.
In 2011 the City Council adopted the goal of appointing an ad-hoc committee to make recommendations
to the City Council by December 31, 2011 about how the City and partner organizations can work
together in the long run to address the needs of homeless people and to reduce homelessness in the
community. In their first year, the Ad Hoc Committee the City helped to install a porta-potty behind the
downtown plaza to offer restrooms for the homeless and others after the community restrooms have
closed. The City in partnership with the Chamber of Commerce has purchased donation drop-boxes, the
proceeds of which will be administered by the Ashland council of the Society of St. Vincent De Paul to
assist homeless populations meet their needs and work toward self-sufficiency. In April of 2012 the Ad
Hoc committee received a renewal of their charge to continue their work on partnering with area non-
profits around the creation of a day use center and to foster an ongoing community dialog around
homelessness.
Racial/Minority Populations
According to the 2000 Census there were no block groups where 20% or more of the population is
comprised of racial or ethnic minorities. Consequently the City does not intend to direct any 2013 CDBG
funds to any one block group for this purpose. The City does however intend to direct resources toward
furthering fair housing and implementing the recommendations identified in the 2008 Analysis of
Impediments to Fair Housing Choice. Specific actions the City is currently undertaking include;
partnering with the City of Medford in support of a fair housing education and outreach coordinator
position serving southern Oregon. To this end the City has provided $1,500 in funding out of the Housing
Program/General Fund budget for this purpose. The Fair Housing Coordinator will bring fair housing
trainings to targeted groups identified in the AI. The City also continued its support to the Center for
Non-Profit legal services through City General Fund Social Service Grants, regional coordination of fair
housing activities to better meet the needs of the citizens while utilizing regional resources more
efficiently. Lastly, the City of Ashland’s Housing Commission is working on implementing
recommendations identified in the AI, including adding students as a protected class under the City’s Fair
Housing Ordinance.
Barriers to Affordable Housing
Goal 4: Remain aware of the barriers to affordable housing in Ashland, and where it is within
the City’s ability; take steps to overcome such barriers.
Education and Outreach is a significant role of the Housing Commission and such activities often have
the benefit of not just disseminating information, but collecting information as well. Such a dialogue
within the City facilitates an awareness of the barriers to affordable housing and highlights mechanisms
available to address such barriers. In the 2013 CDBG program year the Housing Commission will
continue its ongoing efforts to produce informational material to raise awareness and understanding of
issues that surround affordable housing. Specifically, the Housing Commission has selected as an
annual goal education and outreach to landlords and tenants. The Housing Commission has created a
Finance Sub-Committee to work toward identifying a permanent funding source to support the Housing
City of Ashland
CDBG Action Plan for Fiscal Year 2012
Page 12
Trust Fund. The Housing Trust Fund Ordinance was adopted in late 2008 in an effort to promote the
development of affordable housing by assisting developers in overcoming the barriers of land and
development costs when developing affordable housing.
The City of Ashland Housing Commission, Planning Commission, and City Council have initiated an
examination of regulatory barriers and land use ordinance barriers to the promotion and development of
affordable housing. Similarly, the Housing Commission and city staff continue to research and implement
incentives to promote the development of affordable housing.
Anti-Poverty Strategy
Goal 13: To reduce the number of people living in poverty in the City of Ashland.
Goal 14: Promote and support activities in the community that improve or provide access to economic
opportunities for extremely low- and low-income residents of Ashland.
The Housing and Community Development Act of 1992 requires communities to include in their
Consolidated Plan a description of an anti-poverty strategy. This strategy takes into consideration factors
over which the City has control. The City of Ashland has limited resources for addressing the issues
involved in reducing poverty and improving the self-sufficiency of low-income residents. Affordable
housing is one of the factors directly related to poverty that the City of Ashland does have some ability to
influence. In addition, the City supports housing, social service, and economic development programs
targeted at the continuum of care needs of the homeless. For the 2013 year the City Council identified
several goals to work toward reducing poverty within the City including:
· Minimize the incidence and impacts of homelessness
· Provide opportunities for those who are struggling to thrive and not just survive in Ashland
· Increase the number of internet-based businesses by 50% in two years
· Investigate land-use and funding strategies that provide affordable and workforce housing units
· Support and assist foundational relationships with community partners
· Establish a permanent jobs commission
· Encourage private development of affordable housing options
Goals 13 and 14 of the five year consolidated plan target reducing the number of people living in poverty,
to this end the City adopted a Living Wage Ordinance in 2001 that stipulated that all employees,
contractors, or recipients of city grants or funds must meet minimum living wage requirements adjusted
annually to the Consumer Price Index. The Living wage ordinance continues to provide the benefits of a
higher wage scale for all people working to provide the City with services, or working on City funded
projects. Similarly economic development grants funded through the City’s General Fund provide
support for non-profit organizations that create living wage employment opportunities and fund programs
that provide job training for low-income, at-risk and special needs populations as well as supporting
humanities and the arts. The City of Ashland completed an Economic Development study to increase the
number of living wage jobs located within the city by promoting the expansion, retention and relocation of
local and national businesses.
The City of Ashland provides funding to agencies that address the needs of low income and homeless
residents through a Social Service Grant program. The goal of this program is to improve living
conditions and self sufficiency for residents by meeting such basic needs as food, shelter, clothing,
counseling and basic health care. The goal is carried out by providing funds in excess of $100,000 every
other year to various area agencies whose focus meets one or more of these targeted needs. Similarly,
the City of Ashland’s utilities department through the Ashland Low-Income Energy Assistance Program
(ALEAP) provides reduced cost energy bills and bill payment assistance to qualifying low-income, elderly,
City of Ashland
CDBG Action Plan for Fiscal Year 2012
Page 13
and disabled residents in an effort to reduce cost burden. Both of these programs are paid out of the
City’s General Fund.
An Affordable Housing Committee was formed in 1990 and reconvened in 1994 to search for ways to
provide economical housing in Ashland. In 1995 a formal Housing Commission was formed. The
Housing Commission has endeavored to create policies that will allow additional housing opportunities
for low- and moderate- income Ashland households.
Lead-Based Paint
Goal 12: Assure activities assisted by the City are conducted in compliance with state and federal
laws that apply to lead-based paint hazards, and the information distributed about lead-based
paint is in compliance with current state and federal laws.
The City of Ashland is acutely aware of the dangers posed by lead based paint poisoning. In goal 10 of
the five year Consolidated Plan, the city prioritized the goal of assuring that CDBG funded activities would
be in compliance with all state and federal laws regarding Lead Based Paint safe work practices in
federally assisted projects in an effort to reduce the number of housing units containing Lead Based Paint
Hazards and thereby reduce the number of children affected by lead based paint poisoning. The city
provides information regarding lead based paint hazards in the home, and information regarding lead
based paint safe work practices as requested. Lastly, The Housing Authority of Jackson County hosts
periodic Lead Based Paint Safe work practices training and certification which benefits local contractors
and the general public. The City of Ashland’s Housing Program Specialist is certified in lead based paint
safe work practices. The City sponsored housing rehabilitation program utilizing program income has the
potential to involve issues of lead based paint. The City has in the past and will continue to ensure that
lead testing and clearance is completed on any federally funded project involving a structure built prior to
1979.
Monitoring
The City of Ashland employs a full time Housing Program Specialist to oversee the Community
Development Block Grant program, the City of Ashland’s affordable Housing Program, and to work with
the City of Ashland’s Housing Commission in identifying the City’s housing needs, foster knowledge of
those needs and promote the development of needed housing types. The Housing Program Specialist is
responsible for monitoring the City’s progress in meeting the stated goals and objectives set forth in the
five year Consolidated Plan annually, and to ensure that CDBG awards and the yearly Action Plans are
developed to meet the intended goals. Specifically, the development of housing that is affordable to low,
moderate, and extremely low income households will be quantified each year. Throughout the year each
new unit that is developed, through grant assistance or through the private market to meet regulatory
requirements, will be deed restricted to ensure a period of affordability (typically 30 years or greater), The
development of both rental and owner occupied affordable housing will be compared to the targets
established in the Consolidated Plan and subsequent years CDBG awards will be targeted to those types
of housing that are not keeping pace with projections.
City staff will complete an Annual Performance Evaluation Report which will quantify both housing and
homeless accomplishments after the conclusion of each program year. Housing accomplishments will be
broken into the outcome and performance measure categories identified in the 5-year Consolidated Plan.
The success of the Ashland CDBG program, SDC deferral program, Accessory Residential Unit
development, and Land Use requirements and incentives for affordable housing, will be examined and
presented to the Ashland Housing Commission for evaluation. This information will inform potential
modifications to existing or future programs to meet the goals outlined in the Consolidated Plan. The
City of Ashland
CDBG Action Plan for Fiscal Year 2012
Page 14
information contained in the Annual Performance Evaluation Report will assist in informing the CDBG
award selection process undertaken in February-April of the following year.
Sub-recipient Monitoring-The City of Ashland, as the grantee for CDBG funds, will monitor the sub-
recipients on a quarterly basis. The Housing Program Specialist maintains a close working relationship
with the City’s CDBG sub-recipients. One benefit of being a small entitlement community with a limited
grant amount is that the City typically provides only one or two awards per program year. This enables
City Staff to closely follow the progress of CDBG projects and maintain open communication with Sub-
recipients.
The City is committed to ensuring that CDBG funds are used as specified in State and Federal
regulations through: public and City Council monitoring, through public hearings, staff evaluation, annual
evaluation of the priorities set forth in the Consolidated Plan, periodic site visits and program evaluations,
financial monitoring, record keeping, and financial and beneficiary reporting requirements.
The City requires recipients of CDBG funds to provide a project timeline with benchmarks for completion
which is incorporated into the Sub-recipient Agreement for use of CDBG funds. The City remains in
regular contact with each sub-recipient throughout the project’s development to monitor their
accomplishments to ensure they are meeting the projected benchmarks, and to provide ongoing
guidance on CDBG regulations.
For currently funded projects in development, at a minimum the City CDBG administration staff will meet
with each sub-recipient’s designated representative to review their project’s accomplishments and
investigate any failures to meet anticipated benchmarks at quarterly intervals. If deemed necessary, the
City of Ashland CDBG administrative staff will conduct a formal monitoring visit to evaluate the following
items as they relate to CDBG funded projects. If at any point the City CDBG administration staff
determines a project is failing to move forward the sub-recipient will be required to complete a Corrective
Action Plan as described below.
Financial management-The extent to which program participants account for and manage financial
resources in accordance with approved financial management standards. Additionally this criterion
relates to the amount of potential monetary exposure to the City, and the Department of Housing and
Urban Development.
Analysis to include assessment of:
Amount of current/total funding obligated and/or expended
Audits and/or Investigations
Staff experience with CDBG
History of performance
Physical asset maintenance and operation-The extent to which HUD-funded physical assets are
maintained and operated.
Analysis to include assessment of:
History of Performance
Condition of HUD funded physical assets
Use of facilities or physical assets in conformance with CDBG regulations
Management-The extent which the program participant has the administrative capacity to carry out
CDBG requirements.
Analysis to include assessment of:
Experience level of Key staff particularly as it relates to CDBG funded activities
Program History including performance indicators
Reporting consistency
City of Ashland
CDBG Action Plan for Fiscal Year 2012
Page 15
Satisfaction-Extent to which clients express satisfaction or dissatisfaction with the delivery of the
program services.
Analysis to include assessment of:
Types of program activities
Complaints or compliments received
Services-Extent to which HUD program participants effectively and efficiently deliver
services to the intended beneficiaries/clientele.
Analysis to include assessment of:
Types of program activities
Accomplishments
Timeliness
Project development including timing benchmarks
Corrective Action Plan-If the activities funded with CDBG dollars are not being accomplished in a timely
manner, as set forth in the sub-recipient agreements the City of Ashland may issue a written notice
requiring the submission of a corrective action plan that is subject to the approval of the City. The City
shall provide the sub-recipient 14 days, or such time as City deems appropriate, to develop a corrective
action plan that is acceptable to the City for correcting the problem. At a minimum, the corrective action
plan must include;
(1) A written performance measure to be implemented by the Sub-recipient that corrects the specific
area(s) of noncompliance and how performance measure will be established and executed by the Sub-
recipient’s organization, including subcontractors and;
(2) Designates the person with authority within the Sub-recipient’s organization charged with the
responsibility of accomplishing and monitoring compliance.
Acceptance of the Corrective Action Plan by the City will establish the curative period necessary to bring
the project into compliance. If the Sub-recipient has not submitted a corrective action plan that is
acceptable to the City within the specified time frame or does not implement or complete the corrective
action plan within the specified time frame, the City shall proceed with other enforcement remedies as
outlined in the Sub-recipient Agreement.
Coordination
Goal 5: To provide institutional structure and intergovernmental cooperation.
The City of Ashland’s Housing Program Specialist will continue to provide institutional structure as well as
examine and implement expanded opportunities for intergovernmental cooperation. City of Ashland Staff
will continue to; work with providers of public, private and assisted housing in an effort to promote the
development of affordable ownership and rental housing; with social service agencies to maintain,
expand, or bring needed services to homeless, at-risk, and special needs populations, and with other
municipalities and government entities to coordinate services to avoid duplication and serve the identified
needs of low-income populations throughout the region. City staff will provide technical assistance about
City programs, regulatory requirements and incentives as well as the CDBG program to area non-profits
and social service providers. The staff will also continue to work closely with and offer support to the City
of Ashland Housing Commission.
The Southern Oregon Housing Resource Center provides a clearing house for housing related resources
within Jackson and Josephine Counties. It is a collaborative effort between county governments, Access,
Inc., the Housing Authority of Jackson County, and several municipalities including the cities of Medford
and Ashland. The Housing Program Specialist sits on the Board of the Southern Oregon Housing
Resource Center (SOHRC) to assist in regional coordination of their housing related efforts. Currently
the SOHRC is working on capacity building and coordination around fair housing issues and activities.
City of Ashland
CDBG Action Plan for Fiscal Year 2012
Page 16
The City of Ashland’s Housing Program Specialist continues to be active with the Jackson County
Homeless Task Force, which coordinates the efforts of city and county governments, social service
agencies, federal agencies, and non-profit organizations to address affordable housing and homeless
issues on a regional level. The Homeless Task force is also the Continuum of Care administrator for
McKinney-Vento funding for the region.
The City of Ashland established a Housing Commission to address issues relating to housing
accessibility and affordability within the City. Serving in an advisory capacity to the City Council on
housing related issues, the Housing Commission is charged with the review and recommendation on all
CDBG related activities undertaken by the City. The Housing Program Specialist is the staff liaison to the
Housing Commission and works closely with that body in disseminating information regarding fair
housing and the needs of the community with regard to housing. Similarly staff and the Housing
Commissioners act as a conduit between the residents and the city government allowing for public input
and participation on issues of affordable housing and the CDBG program.
City of Ashland general funds help to support coordination activities undertaken by the Housing Program
Specialist and are also utilized to contribute toward CDBG program administration as well as staff support
of non-profit organizations and intergovernmental cooperation.
Program Benefit and Location-Low/Mod Benefit
In the 2012 program year all CDBG funded activities, 100% of the intended beneficiaries are to be
qualified as extremely-low, low or moderate-income or reside in a predominantly low to moderate income
census block group. With a limited number of applications received for CDBG funds the City has not had
to further delineate a spending priority based on location as selection criteria in evaluation of proposals.
However, as land values are slightly lower in designated low-moderate income census block groups the
City is often in the position of making awards to acquire property or rehabilitate housing in such
neighborhoods.
Impediments to Fair Housing and Fair Housing Activities
Goal 9: To affirmatively further fair housing.
An Analysis of Impediments (AI) is a review of impediments or barriers that affect the rights of fair
housing choice. It covers public and private policies, practices, and procedures affecting housing choice.
Impediments to fair housing choice are defined as: any actions, omissions, or decisions that restrict, or
have the effect of restricting, the availability of housing choices, based on race, color, religion, sex,
disability, familial status, or national origin.
The AI serves as the basis for fair housing planning and provides essential information to the city of
Ashland as well as local housing providers, lenders, and housing advocates. The City Contracted with
the Fair Housing Council of Oregon to undertake an update to the AI during the 2008 CDBG program
Year. In June of 2009, the draft AI was presented to the City of Ashland Housing Commission. The final
Draft of the AI was completed in September of 2009. In the 2010-2014 Consolidated Plan the City has
identified a plan for corrective actions the city may need to address to remove impediments or barriers
that exist in the community that have an affect on the housing choices of its residents based on the
recommendations asserted in the 2008 Analysis of Impediments.
The Fair Housing Council of Oregon continues to offer annual training workshops for social service
agencies on fair housing issues, as well as offering a fair housing hotline for all Oregon residents to seek
assistance regarding issues of fair housing. The City of Ashland partnered with the City of Medford and
the Fair Housing Council of Oregon in 2007 to create four separate webcasts targeting realtors, landlords
City of Ashland
CDBG Action Plan for Fiscal Year 2012
Page 17
and tenants, housing advocates, and architects in an effort to provide fair housing education and training
to those populations. The City of Ashland provides a link to one of these fair housing web casts filmed by
RVTV on its website. The City’s of Ashland and Medford continue to work together to bring more
advocacy and information to the Southern Oregon region and better coordinate regionally toward building
capacity for an increased local fair housing presence.
The City of Ashland’s Social Service Grant program offers annual support to the Center for non-profit
Legal Services to advocate for tenants rights and offer advice on issues of fair housing.
Underserved Needs
The City of Ashland in its five year Consolidated Plan has identified far more needs within the community
than its limited resources can meet. Consequently, the City has prioritized those needs through a ranking
system which targets limited CDBG funds to those projects that offer the most benefit to those
populations with the greatest need, i.e. long term affordability targeted to extremely-low, and low-income
populations.
Some underserved needs are supported through programs funded out of the City of Ashland’s general
fund, such as Social Service and Economic Development grants to area non-profits, safety net service
providers, agencies that offer support services to homeless, at-risk, and special needs populations, as
well as helping to support medical services for low-income populations. Many of these providers address
goals identified in the City’s Consolidated Plan which could not otherwise be met with the City’s limited
CDBG funds.
In recent years the City has worked to create incentives and regulations designed to promote and protect
affordable housing. Incentives for both non-profit developers of affordable housing as well as private
developers to build affordable ownership and rental housing such as SDC deferral, community
development fee waiver and density bonus programs have served to create affordable units without
relying on CDBG funds. Similarly, the City has adopted regulations that promote the retention of
affordable housing types (such as the condo-conversion ordinance), and further the development of
needed housing types (such as the annexation and zone change ordinances). Without such programs
the City could not expect to meet the goals as outlined in the five year Consolidated Plan.
Community Development
Goal 10: To provide safe and convenient access to alternative transportation routes in extremely low-,
low-, and moderate-income neighborhoods.
Goal 11: To make City facilities easier and safer to use for people with disabilities.
Goal11.1:Make accessibility improvements to city-owned facilities.
In 2010 the City awarded $27,623 in CDBG funds to the Public Works Department to complete public
facilities improvements in designated low to moderate income census block groups. This activity will
assist the city in obtaining the community development goals identified in the five year consolidated plan.
This activity will serve to provide safe and convenient access for all City of Ashland residents including
those residents with special needs. Further, this project may assist in fostering alternative transportation
through the improvement of bicycle and pedestrian connectivity to needed services. Staff expects this
project to be completed in the 2012 program year.
Strategy Implementation
The following is a listing of the goals and strategies that will be implemented in the 2013-2014 Program
Year. Each strategy is followed by the activity that will implement the goal and strategy. Where
appropriate, the activity is followed by the proposed accomplishments of the activity for the year.
City of Ashland
CDBG Action Plan for Fiscal Year 2012
Page 18
Goal 6: Support services for homelessness prevention and transition. Where possible, give funding
priority to services that are part of a comprehensive approach that improves the living conditions of
clients. Safety net services or services that meet basic needs shall only be funded with CDBG dollars if it
can be demonstrated that clients receiving those benefits are part of a program that will eventually help
them obtain self-sufficiency.
Objective 1.2-Provide assistance to non-profit organizations that assist the homeless and those at
risk of homelessness, provide transition assistance to the homeless, and help prevent
homelessness.
Location:Citywide/low income benefit
Sub-recipient: St. Vincent De Paul Home Visitation Program
Funding: $16,607
Outcome: Number of homeless, or households at risk of homelessness that have received services
designed to improve health and safety, and counseling.
Availability/Accessibility of Decent Housing (DH-1)
Activity Description: St. Vincent De Paul Home Visitation Program was awarded $14,000 in CDBG grant
funds to provide emergency assistance to households threatened with eviction and utility disconnection.
St. Vincent volunteers will work with staff to provide resources and counseling to improve conditions.
Location:Citywide/low income/special needs benefit
Sub-recipient: Maslow Project
Funding: $6,831
Outcome: Number Homeless and at risk youth provided with case management and resources.
Availability/Accessibility of Suitable Living Environment (SL-1)
Activity Description: Maslow Project’s School Based Services for Ashland Homeless Youth was awarded
$10,000 in public service funds to provide outreach case management and resources to homeless youth
in the Ashland School District.
Location:Citywide/low income/special needs benefit
Sub-recipient: Ashland Emergency Food Bank
Funding: $174,646
Outcome: Number of families and individuals who receive nutrition assistance.
Availability/Accessibility of Decent Housing (DH-1)
Activity Description: The Ashland Emergency Food Bank was awarded $87,000 in 2013 CDBG funding
(added to a reservation of remaining funds from the 2012 in the amount of $87,646 for a total of
$174,646) to acquire the building that the food bank currently occupies and leases from Peoples Bank of
Commerce.
Location: Citywide/low income/special needs benefit
Sub-recipient: Living Opportunities
Funding: $14,566
Outcome: Number of peoples with Developmental Disabilities
Availability/Accessibility of Decent Housing (DH-1)
Activity Description: Living Opportunities was awarded $20,000 to complete renovations to the Ashland
Community Employment Center that serves peoples with disabilities.
City of Ashland
CDBG Action Plan for Fiscal Year 2012
Page 19
Table 3C
Consolidated Plan Listing of Projects
Jurisdiction’s Name: City of Ashland
Priority Need
Homeless Prevention-Emergency Services
Project Title:
St. Vincent De Paul Home Visitation Program
Description:
Public Service Activity: Emergency Rental and Security Deposit Assistance.
Objective category:Suitable Living Environment Economic Opportunity
Outcome category: X Availability/Accessibility Sustainability
Location/Target Area:
City Wide
Funding Sources:
Objective Number Project ID
CDBG $16,607
DH-1.1IDIS ID 2013-2
ESG
HUD Matrix Code CDBG Citation
HOME
05Q570.201E
HOPWA
Type of Recipient CDBG National Objective
Total Formula
LMC570.208a -LMC
Assisted Housing
Start Date Expected Completion Date
PHA
July 1, 2013 June 30, 2014
Other Funding -
Performance IndicatorsAnnual Units
#of homeless or at risk City of Ashland
15-20
households receiving services
RD Loans
Total
Local IDUnits Upon Completion
2013-2
The primary purpose of the project is to help: X the Homeless Persons
with HIV/AIDS Persons with Disabilities Public Housing Needs
City of Ashland
CDBG Action Plan for Fiscal Year 2012
Page 20
Table 3C
Consolidated Plan Listing of Projects
Jurisdiction’s Name: City of Ashland
Priority Need:
Homeless Prevention-Emergency Services
Project Title:
Maslow Project-School Based Services for Ashland Homeless Youth
Description:
Outreach and Case management and resources to homeless youth in Ashland School District
Objective category:X Suitable Living Environment Economic Opportunity
Outcome category: x Availability/Accessibility Sustainability
Location/Target Area:
City Wide
Funding Sources:
Objective Number Project ID
SL-1.1IDIS ID 2013-3
CDBG $6,831
HUD Matrix Code CDBG Citation
ESG
05 D 570.201 (e)
HOME
Type of Recipient CDBG National Objective
HOPWA
LMC570.208(a) -LMC
Total Formula
Start Date Expected Completion Date
Assisted Housing
July 1, 2013 June 30, 2014
PHA
Performance IndicatorsAnnual Units
Other Funding - SHOP
#of homeless or at risk
35-99
City of Ashland (SDC)
households receiving services
RD Loans
Total
Local IDUnits Upon Completion
2013-3
the Homeless Persons with HIV/AIDSPersons with Disabilities Public Housing Needs
The primary purpose of the project is to help:
City of Ashland
CDBG Action Plan for Fiscal Year 2011
Page 21
Table 3C
Consolidated Plan Listing of Projects
Jurisdiction’s Name: City of Ashland
Priority Need
Homeless Prevention-Emergency Services
Project Title:
Ashland Emergency Food Bank Permanent Location Acquisition
Description:
Acquisition of the foreclosed building which the AEFB currently leases from the bank
Objective category:Suitable Living Environment Economic Opportunity
Outcome category: X Availability/Accessibility Sustainability
Location/Target Area:
City Wide
Funding Sources:
Objective Number Project ID
CDBG $174,646
DH-1.1IDIS ID 2013-5
ESG
HUD Matrix Code CDBG Citation
HOME
01570.201
HOPWA
Type of Recipient CDBG National Objective
Total Formula
LMC570.201a -LMC
Assisted Housing
Start Date Expected Completion Date
PHA
July 1, 2013 June 30, 2014
Other Funding - SHOP
Performance IndicatorsAnnual Units
#of families and individuals City of Ashland (SDC)
3,000
receiving nutrition resources
RD Loans
and other resource
Total
assistance.
Local IDUnits Upon Completion
2013-5
The primary purpose of the project is to help: X the Homeless Persons
with HIV/AIDS Persons with Disabilities Public Housing Needs
City of Ashland
CDBG Action Plan for Fiscal Year 2012
Page 22
Table 3C
Consolidated Plan Listing of Projects
Jurisdiction’s Name: City of Ashland
Priority Need
Support Services for special needs populations.
Project Title:
Living Opportunities ACES Center exterior remodel
Description:
Ashland Community Employment Center exterior remodel
Objective category:Suitable Living Environment Economic Opportunity
Outcome category: X Availability/Accessibility Sustainability
Location/Target Area:
City Wide
Objective Number Project ID
Funding Sources:
DH-1.1IDIS ID 2013-4
CDBG $14,566
HUD Matrix Code CDBG Citation
ESG
14E570.202
HOME
Type of Recipient CDBG National Objective
T he
HOPWA
LMC570.208a -LMC
prima
Total Formula
Start Date Expected Completion Date
ry
Assisted Housing
July 1, 2012 June 30, 2013
purpo
se of
PHA
Performance IndicatorsAnnual Units
the
Other Funding - SHOP
#of group homes or other
1
projec
supportive housing City of Ashland (SDC)
t is to
developed for the elderly, help:
RD Loans
X the
individuals with special
Homeless Persons with HIV/AIDS
needs.
Persons with Disabilities Public Housing
Local IDUnits Upon Completion
Needs
2013-4
City of Ashland
CDBG Action Plan for Fiscal Year 2012
Page 23
ONE-YEAR ACTION PLAN EXPENDITURES
Description of Activities
Direct Grant Assistance to Capital Improvement Projects: $189,212
Public Service : $ 23,438
Program Administration: $ 31,251
Delivery of technical assistance, maintenance of program
compliance, preparing and submitting reports to HUD regarding
program activities, management and monitoring of grant financial
and sub-recipient activities, compliance with federal and local
public participation plans, planning and delivery of fair housing
activities, and fostering relationships with area non-profit
organizations, affordable housing developers, and social service
agencies.
Program Administration Total $ 31,251
Program Income
Home Repair Program $ 46
Program Income Total $ 46
TOTAL PROGRAM EXPENDITURES $ 243,901
City of Ashland
CDBG Action Plan for Fiscal Year 2012
Page 24