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HomeMy WebLinkAbout06. June 2020 minutes New Hanover County-City of Wilmington Workforce Housing Advisory Committee June 3, 2020 Regular Meeting Committee Members Present: Patrick Brien, Philip Brown, Evelyn Bryant, Don Harris, Katrina Knight, Katrina Redmon, R. Frank Smith, Steve Spain, David Spetrino, Paul Stavovy, Glenda Tate Staff Present: Tufanna Bradley (NHC), Rachel LaCoe (NHC), Suzanne Rogers (CoW), Rebekah Roth (NHC) Call to Order The meeting was called to order and quorum established at 3:05 pm by Chairperson Evelyn Bryant. Approve Agenda David Spetrino made a motion to approve to the agenda, which was seconded by Glenda Tate and adopted unanimously. Approve Minutes David Spetrino made a motion to approve the draft minutes from the March 4, 2020 meeting. The motion was seconded by Katrina Knight and adopted unanimously. Public Comments No members of the public had signed up to provide public comment. New Business Update on Housing Study and Survey Chairperson Bryant recognized Workforce Housing Planner Rachel LaCoe, who updated the committee members. Timeline is still on track for an October draft with a final presentation in October/November with both consultants. Depending on the on-going COVID-19 situation, the consultants may need to adapt the focus groups and timeline. A brief overview on the Bowen National Research portion of the study included:  Clarification of study areas to be the (CSA) New Hanover County, (PSA) City of Wilmington using incorporated city limits, and (SSA) balance of New Hanover County.  A regional assessment will be included to show some level of analysis comparing New Hanover County with adjacent counties.  Housing gap estimates will be run off requested income segments but there may be opportunity to determine what makes the most sense to communicate patterns.  Additional information will be included regarding issues with transportation, impact on schools, storm water, and tree preservation.  Bowen requested a Realtor contact to pull Multiple Listing Service (MLS) data, Don Harris agreed.  Bowen will be contacting some individuals for stakeholder interviews. CARES Act and Other Funding Planner Rachel LaCoe presented grant appropriation information from the NHC Office of Strategy, including the Small Business Grant Program and deadline, along with a brief explanation of the State CDBG-DR Florence funding and CDBG-CV funding opportunities. City of Wilmington Community Development and Housing Planner Suzanne Rogers presented information about the City of Wilmington’s Annual Action plan, including CDBG-CV entitlement funding. A brief discussion followed regarding the City of Wilmington HOP program, including how information is distributed to people and organizations, allocations and opportunities to provide more assistance, including downpayment assistance grant programs. Density and Affordability in New Home Construction Workforce Housing Advisory Committee member David Spetrino with PBC Design + Build gave a brief presentation on how density affects housing affordability. UNC-G Presentation Dr. Steven Sills, Dr. Kenneth Gruber, Mr. Bruce Rich, and Dr. Haiyang Su University of North Carolina Greensboro Center for Housing and Community Studies gave an update on their portion of the study. They are on track for an October/November draft but may need to adjust their timeline depending on the length of the public opinion survey. Mr. Bruce Rich presented his draft stakeholder interview questions to the group for edits. A copy of the edited survey would be submitted to the Committee for their approval prior to release. Announcements Senior Planner Rebekah Roth gave an update on New Hanover County’s UDO process. Planner LaCoe announced that the County conveyed the former Wrightsboro park property to Cape Fear Habitat for Humanity for workforce housing. Ms. LaCoe also announced that the Board of Commissioners approved the sale of 22 FEMA trailers from Hurricane Florence. Ms. Katrina Knight noted that the Workforce Housing Advisory Committee was not aware of the FEMA trailer sale agenda item and made a request that any future items that are sent to the Board of Commissioners or City Council for approval be reviewed by the Committee for their recommendation. After a discussion on the role of the Advisory Committee in discussions of housing related items, Ms. Knight requested that the Workforce Housing Advisory Committee write a letter to the Board of Commissioners and City Council to remind the governing bodies of the Committee’s availability and to request to be informed on any housing related agenda items in order to offer their expertise. Mr. Don Harris made a motion for Katrina Knight to author the letter. The motion was seconded by Mr. David Spetrino and adopted unanimously. Adjournment With no further questions or comments, Chairperson Bryant adjourned the meeting at 5:15 PM.