MINUTES  CITY COUNCIL HOUSING COMMITTEE Tuesday, November 19, 2024-1 1:30PM City Hall Council Chambers  Members Present: Pamela Holder, Chair, City Council Member  Aaron Baker, Vice Chair, City Council Member Victor Foster, Citizen Member  Members Absent: Mayor Maureen Copelof, Ex-Officio  Staff Present:  Wilson Hooper, City Manager Paul Ray, Planning Director Emily Brewer, Planner Denise Hodsdon, City Clerk  Dean Luebbe, Assistant City Manager/Finance Director  Selena Coffey, Assistant to the City Manager  A. Welcome and Call to Order  Chair Pamela Holderv welcomed everyone and called the meeting to order at 1:30 PM.  B. Certification ofQuorum  Quorum was certified by Assistant to the City Manager Selena Coffey.  C. Approval of Agenda  City Manager Hooper requested that the agenda be amended to switch Item E Fairhaven Meadows Funding Request with Item F Cherry Street Flood Hazard Proposal due to a conflict on Manager Hooper's schedule. Ms. Holder asked for approval ofthe agenda as amended. Mr. Baker moved, seconded by Mr. Foster, to approve the agenda as  amended. The motion carried unanimously. D. Approval of Minutes - September 9, 2024 Meeting meeting as presented. The motion carried unanimously.  Mr. Foster moved, seconded by Mr. Baker, to approve the minutes ofthe. September 9, 2024    E. Cherry Street Flood Hazard Concept  Mr. Hooper presented a concept for leveraging the City's resources coupled with potential partner resources to assist homeowners in elevating their homes after the recent flooding from storm Helene by providing certain survey services. The concept includes the City paying for physical benchmarks and corresponding elevation certificates for eligible properties. This would involve erecting semi-permanent sign poles with markers on them denoting the various elevations. He indicated thatt the typical cost for this survey is estimated at $1,000 per property but this would bel let for bids. The second element oft the concept would involve locating a surveying firm that would provide the City with fixed prices on remaining surveying services a property owner would need to elevate their! home. This would also be bid out to interested firms Mr. Hooper first asked the Committee what they think of the concept and whether the City should offer these services for those who need to elevate and prepare their homes for reconstruction or repairs. Discussion continued with questions about property ownership for the effected homes. Planning Director Paul Ray said thatimpacted homes would need three certificates to elevate, with the first being the most expensive for the homeowner at $1,000. Committee members continued discussion and questions regarding the process for receiving elevation certificates, eligibility criteria for City assistance, funding for the surveys, the potential for floodplain maps changing in the comingyears, the positive implications oft this program by helping homeowners avoid flooding in the future, and questions about individual responsibilities ofhomeowners. As discussions among Committee members continued, members indicated that they were interested in helping homeowners but wanted to ensure that property owners continued to maintain some level of responsibility for ensuring that theirhomes aren't flooded again. Mr. Hooper returned the conversation to the eligible criteria and indicated that there are 100 homes in the respective area and asked ifthe Committee wasi interested in spending $100,000 ($1,000 x 100 homes) to provide the assistance. Mr. Baker agreed that he felt there is value in the City negotiating thei initial surveys on behalf oft the property owners but was hesitant to agree to provide the full $100,000 that mayl be required with the concept as presented. Ms. Holder then shared that she would bei interested inl having the City pay a portion ofthe survey and the property owner paying the remainder (For example: City pay $750 and property owner pay the remaining $250) in order to encourage property owner buy-in. Mr. Hooper had to leave the meeting at 11:53. AM to attend another meeting. Mr. Baker indicated that he would like to consider addinga a step to 1) Negotiate the survey costs and, 2) Potentially assist property owners as Ms. Holder indicated, with the City paying a portion oft the survey and benchmark fee and asking property owners to provide the remainder. Discussion then continued with Mr. Ray and Ms. Brewer sharingi information about potential matching funds to accomplish the project and noting that 50 ofthe 100 property owners impacted are considered substantially damaged. Mr. Luebbe interjected that staff would need to determine thel legality of using public funds for the  to get thel best rates.  Minutes - Housing Committee Meeting November 19,2024  Page2of4    project. Mr. Baker shared that! he is interested in preserving affordable housing and discussion followed regarding the affordable housing definition established byt the  North Carolina Housing Finance Agency. No action or direction provided on the topic. F. Fairhaven Meadows Funding Request Update  Mr. Ray provided background on the affordable housing project, Fairhaven Meadows project, stating that the project was awarded $1.2 million in North Carolina Housing Finance. Agency tax credit funds and $800,000 from the Asheville Regional Housing Consortium. The project was originally planned for 60 apartment units but was reduced to 42 units to cut costs while maintaining the same amount oft tax credits. Mr. Ray shared that they still have a $1.7 million funding gap that to be filled before tax credits expire in March 2025. It was noted that Manager Hooper found another funding lender with Self-Help Credit Union, which has an affordable housing division. They have shown interest and may provide $1 -$1.5 million in financing, reducing the developer's first loan and providing approximately $700,000 toward filling the $1.7 million gap. The developer has reached out to the. Asheville Housing Consortium to determine if there may! be additional funding available for another $425,000 for the project. They should have an answer soon. Ifthey receive these funds, the developer will still need $575,000. Mr. Hooper has reached out to County Manager Laughter to see ifthe County has funding to meet this need. Mr. Ray noted that the City can reimburse thej project for water and sewer tap fees and system development fees through the Housing Trust Committee members discussed the topic briefly and touched on the definition of "affordable housing.' Ms. Holder then asked that staff update the developers hears from  Fund, which amount to approximately $90,000.  the potential funding partners. No action was taken on this matter. G.D DFI Progress Update  Ms. Brewer updated the Housing Committee regarding the Development Finance Initiative (DFI) and shared the dates for the upcoming three community input sessions  on the. Azalea property. These dates are as follows: 1. Tuesday, December 3, 2024 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM  Calvary Baptist Church at the Fellowship Hall, 133 Osborne Rd  2. Tuesday, December 3, 2024 5:30 PM-7:00 PM  Calvary Baptist Church Fellowship Hall, 133 Osborne Rd  Minutes - Housing Committee Meeting November 19,2 2024  Page3of4    3. Monday, December 9,2024 5:30PM-7:00 PM  Virtual Zoom Link: Available aty wwwadipyolorevar.com/DFhousingsndy  Ms. Brewer also noted that DFI will be making aj public presentation to City Council at  their December 2, 2024 meeting. H. Set Date for Next Meeting  Ms. Holder: shared that the next meeting oft the Committee is scheduled for Tuesday,  December 10, 2024, at 3:45PM.  . Adjourn  Ms. Holder asked for a motion to adjourn. Mr. Foster moved to adjourn, seconded by Mr.  Baker. Meeting adjourned at 2:36PM.  Minutes AhamkawE  KAED  Pamela Holder, Sorimittee Chair City Council Member  Assistant to the City Manager XE3  Minutes - Housing Committeel Meeting - November 19,2024  Page 4of4