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HomeMy WebLinkAboutWHAC Minutes December 2019 approved 1.14.2020New Hanover County-City of Wilmington Workforce Housing Advisory Committee December 16, 2019 Regular Meeting Committee Members Present: Shamonique Brantley, Evelyn Bryant, Brandon Harris, Don Harris, Katrina Knight, Katrina Redmon, R. Frank Smith, Jr., Steve Spain, David Spetrino, Paul Stavovy, Glenda Tate Staff Present: Tufanna Bradley (NHC), Wayne Clark (NHC), Glenn Harbeck (CoW), John D. Joye (CoW), Rachel LaCoe (NHC), Suzanne Rogers (CoW), Rebekah Roth (NHC) Call to Order The meeting was called to order and quorum established at 3:01 pm by Chairperson Evelyn Brant. Approve Agenda Katrina Redmon made a motion to approve to the agenda, which was seconded by Steve Spain and adopted unanimously. Approve Minutes Don Harris made a motion to approve the draft minutes from the October 16, 2019 meeting with the addition of Evelyn Bryant to the list of committee members in attendance. The motion was seconded by Glenda Tate and adopted unanimously. Public Comments No members of the public had signed up to provide public comment. New Business Chairperson Bryant recognized New Hanover County Workforce Housing Planner Rachel LaCoe. Action Item: RFP for Housing Needs Study/Public Opinion Survey Discussion Planner LaCoe provided background information on the Housing Needs Study and Public Opinion Survey, the tentative timeline for the project, and an overview of the feedback received from committee members after their review of example studies and RFPs provided by staff. She led a discussion with board members about items to include the draft RFP scope, which would be provided to the committee for consideration at their January 14, 2020 meeting. In addition to the feedback provided prior to the meeting, the board highlighted the following considerations:  Including benchmark cities/counties, such as Asheville, NC, those of similar land size  Ensuring approved housing projects were included in inventory  Including both rental and for-sale housing  Providing information on housing condition and type of unit (number of bedrooms, mobile homes, etc.) in order to identify current and future needs/gaps  Ensuring a full scope of barriers including development regulations, heir property situations, federal funding requirements, and infrastructure availability  Providing case studies of possible strategies and tools used in a variety of communities  Including qualitative data beyond the survey to provide more in-depth information on context around quantitative data, including information on costs other than rent/mortgage payments (HOA dues, insurance, utilities, etc.) Information Item: Presentation of Proposed City of Wilmington Affordable Housing Opt-In Zoning District Glenn Harbeck, the City of Wilmington’s Director of Planning, Development, and Transportation, provided an overview of a proposed two-step zoning option that could support affordable housing efforts. The proposed district would provide a zoning district where development projects determined to be consistent with the city’s Comprehensive Plan could gain incentives (fee waivers’ priority plan review; or density/height/lot coverage bonuses) in return for providing a percentage of affordable housing or a payment in lieu to a dedicated housing fund. The City of Wilmington Planning Board would be considering the zoning option at their January meeting. Information Item: Presentation of NHC Property Conveyance for Affordable Housing—Wrightsboro Parcel Wayne Clark, the New Hanover County Directory of Planning and Land Use, presented a summary of the county’s property conveyance policy and described a possible conveyance that would be considered by the New Hanover County Board of Commissioners in January. This project includes the rezoning and conveyance of an approximately 15-acre surplus park property in the Wrightsboro area to Habitat for Humanity for constructing up to 47 workforce housing units. The committee expressed general agreement that they were in support of this project. Announcements Chairperson Bryant asked if anyone had additional questions or comments or announcements. Katrina Knight reminded the committee of the Cape Hear Housing Coalition Legislative Breakfast in January. The presentation topics were not yet finalized but would likely include information on housing bonds. Planner LaCoe asked the committee if they would like to staff to compile article links and resources to send out via email, and the committee indicated they would like to receive them. Paul Stavovy announced that the Cape Fear Community Land Trust had a home available for sale on Marsden Avenue. The home could be sold to a household earning below 80% area median income (AMI), and while the home was appraised at $164,000, the cost to the homeowner would be determined based on the amount they were able to pay. Steve Spain provided information on the appraised value of a Habitat for Humanity home on Castle Street that was under 1200 square feet and appraised at $172,000 to provide more context on the cost of new housing for non-profit providers. Adjournment With no further questions or comments, Chairperson Bryant adjourned the meeting at 4:30 PM.