Agenda - Council Work Session - 03/26/2013

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CC Work Session Meeting Date: 03/26/2013 By: Kathy Schmitz, Administrative Services Title: Consider Work Plan to Finalize Housing Assistance Policy Background: In 2012, the City Council directed Staff to begin drafting a Housing Assistance Policy. As the City continues to receive requests for assistance related to housing developments, a policy would benefit in reviewing whether these projects meet the goals and implementation strategies of the City. The policy does not create new funding for housing programs, but establishes a policy for reviewing housing assistance requests. The policy would be used to review projects that request assistance such as: 1. Tax Increment Financing (TIF) 2. Grant Funding such as Metropolitan Council, Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) 3. Utilization of the Anoka County Housing and Redevelopment Authority (ACHRA) Staff had anticipated bringing this topic first to Work Session. However, due to pending applications and availability of Work Session times, Staff is forwarding this topic to this agenda to discuss a workplan for completing the policy, but not specific feedback on the framework or weighting of individual factors. As the process unfolds, Staff will need some time to properly balance scoring and test projects for feasibility of the Policy. The current draft, which is the framework for the policy, intentionally leaves out actual scores. As the City begins to place weight to individual metrics, it assumed at this time that each scoring category and each housing type carry an equal weight. The next step in the process will determine if any of these categories or housing types are desired to carry priority. Notification: No notification required. 2. 1. Observations /Alternatives: Staff recommends that the City Council forward the framework to the Planning Commission and Economic Development Authority for review and recommendation. In addition, the City Council could form a three (3) person ad hoc sub - committee comprised of one (1) member each from the City Council, Planning Commission, and Economic Development Authority. The current need to complete the draft are policy level questions that Staff needs feedback from the City Council or advisory board. The review sub - committee could provide an effective format to receive the feedback necessary to complete the draft. Furthermore, it is recommended that this policy be reviewed by area housing developers for feedback as to the market viability of the policy. In addition, Staff anticipates reviewing with other housing professionals, such as Staff at Anoka County Community Development that have experience administering housing programs. At this stage, the intent of the discussion is intended to answer IF this is the proper framework for moving forward. The policy is organized into two (2) categories: 1. Minimum Thresholds (all projects must meet this criteria) 2. Ranking Thresholds (ranking multiple proposals; gaging quality of projects) Minimum Thresholds In terms of minimum thresholds, this category provides a baseline review that all Applications must successfully meet. The minimum thresholds are directly tied to the City's Housing Action Plan, which is part of the 2030 Comprehensive Plan. Within the plan, there are multiple goals and several implementation strategies. It is intended that the Applicant must describe how the project will successfully achieve one of the existing implementation strategies adopted by the City Council.