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Home My WebLink About2023-11-01 Agenda NEW HANOVER COUNTY PLANNING & LAND USE AGENDA COUNTY-CITY WORKFORCE HOUSING ADVISORY COMMITTEE | Meeting Government Center Multipurpose Room 136, 230 Government Center Dr. November 1, 2023 –3:00 PM Minutes I.Call to Order Establish Quorum 2II.Approve Agenda 5III.Approve Minutes October 4, 2023 5IV.Public Comments 60V.NewBusiness Information Items o Cape Fear Housing Coalition Education & Advocacy (Presenters –Amy Davis & Liz Carbone, Cape Fear Housing Coalition) o New Hanover County Comprehensive Plan Updates (Presenter –Rebekah Roth, Planning Director) Discussion Items o Housing Needs Assessment o New Hanover County Workforce Housing Services Program RFP Debrief o Annual Committee Meeting & Work Calendars 30VI.OldBusiness Discussion Item o Committee 2024 Report & Presentation Overview of Previous Report & Presentation, Status of Recommendations & Work Progress Updates Discussion of Draft Report Template Identification of Anticipated Presentation Dates Discussion of 2024 Recommendations 10 VII. Staff Updates County o GAP Rental Assistance Pilot Program Report Out City 5VIII.Announcements Purpose: The Committee shall be organized for the purpose of developing a comprehensive workforce housing study, workforce housing opinion study and public awareness campaign, support for increasing equitable access and the supply of workforce housing that is affordable; informing the Appointing Authorities and other organizations of their findings; and making recommendations, in an advisory capacity, to the AppointingAuthorities and other organizations, as necessary. NEW HANOVER COUNTY PLANNING & LAND USE AGENDA COUNTY-CITY WORKFORCE HOUSING ADVISORY COMMITTEE | Meeting Government Center Multipurpose Room 136, 230 Government Center Dr. November 1, 2023 –3:00 PM IX Adjourn Attachments: DraftOctober 4,2023,MeetingMinutes Purpose: The Committee shall be organized for the purpose of developing a comprehensive workforce housing study, workforce housing opinion study and public awareness campaign, support for increasing equitable access and the supply of workforce housing that is affordable; informing the Appointing Authorities and other organizations of their findings; and making recommendations, in an advisory capacity, to the AppointingAuthorities and other organizations, as necessary. NEW HANOVER COUNTY-CITY OF WILMINGTON WORKFORCE HOUSING ADVISORY COMMITTEE October4, 2023| REGULARMEETING Committee Members Present: Erica Barnett,Sharm Brantley, Liz Carbone, Tom Gale, Krysti Keser, Eric Knight, Katrina Knight, Morgan Moskal, Frank Smith, Paul Stavovy NHC Staff Present:Tufanna Bradley, Katie Burket, Rachel LaCoe, Sarah Lipkin Sularz, Jessica Loeper, Theo McClammy, Rebekah Roth, Andrew Zeldin City of Wilmington Staff Present:Travis Henley, Chianti Johnson, Suzanne Rogers Call to Order Themeeting was called to order at3:04pmby Chairperson Brantleyandaquorum was established. Agenda Approval and Minutes Ms. KrystiKeser made a motion to approve the meeting agenda, seconded byMs. LizCarbone. The motion was approvedunanimously. The committee approved two amendments to the draft minutes from September 6, 2023: The draft minutes reported:“Cape Fear Housing Coalition members recently participated in a discussion with representatives of the New Hanover County Endowment regarding a potential proposal for the current grant cycle. The goal of the proposal is funding for a housing trust fund which would serve as apilot project. Ms. McKenzie would like to start the conversation about this type of funding model, without Cape fear Habitat necessarily being the team lead. There has been political support for public-private partnership in the past and this could be a good opportunity for collaboration among housing stakeholders in the community.” Ms. Knight suggested: “Cape Fear Habitat for Humanity hosted a recent discussion with a representative of the New Hanover Community Endowment regarding a potential proposal for the current grant cycle. A potential proposal would be in the vein of capacity building, exploring the creation of a Housing Opportunity Fund (HOF) for our community. The Fund would serve as a vehicle for both revolving loans and grants for the production and preservation of affordable housing and be able to receive both public and private contributions. Any related proposal would be submitted under the auspices of Habitat, with the effort overseen by a broader group of stakeholdersand hopingto accomplish the chief unresolved recommendation put forth by every City/County housing committee that has convened for more than the last decade. The prospect of inspiring and facilitating increased public-private partnership through an established, well- funded Housing Opportunity Fund has been well-received by elected officials in recent years.” 1 The committee agreed to the following amendment: “Cape Fear Habitat for Humanity hosted a recent discussion with a representative of the New Hanover Community Endowment regarding a potential proposal for the current grant cycle. A potential proposal would be in the vein of capacity building, exploring the creation of a Housing Opportunity Fund (HOF) for our community. The Fund would serve as a vehicle for both revolving loans and grants for the production and preservation of affordable housing and be able to receive both public and private contributions. Any related proposal would be submitted under the auspices of Habitat, with the effort overseen by a broader group of stakeholders.” The draft minutes reported: “CFCLT is prepared to buy some of their properties but has not discussed specifics with them yet.”Mr. Stavovy suggestedand the committee agreed to the following amendment: “CFCLT is actively pursuing the purchase of several of their properties and is prepared to commit to several more.” Ms. Carbonemade a motion to adopttheSeptember 6, 2023 draft minutesas amended, seconded by Mr. EricKnightand adopted unanimously. Public Comments None. New Business Morgan Moskal, with Customers Bank, was introduced as a new City appointee to the committee. Action Item: Discuss Annual Report Update New Hanover County staff discussed the plan to present a condensed Annual Report update to City Council and the Board of Commissioners this winter to better align with budget cycles. Staff shared that the presentation is not expected to occur until January 2024. The group reviewed and discussed the five recommendations that the committee included in its full Annual Report presented in April 2023.The committee was asked to givefeedback onthe annual report update to staff by the November meeting. Committee members discussed the Cape Fear Realtors’ Affordability Gap Report as an example of an effective reporting tool. Committee members expressed a desire for local elected officials to advocate for affordable housing through state legislation. The committee requested information about the county and city legislative priorities process. Staff indicated they would contact the county/city legislative liaisons and acquire information about the process for sharing input with the elected officials and the timelines. Staff provided information aboutthetimeline and key dates to request resources for updating the Housing Needs Assessment. 2 County staff gave information about the Comprehensive Plan and invited feedback from the committee in the coming months. Staff announcedthat the New Hanover Community Endowment is preparing to announce funding decisions in early December. Projects funded by the Endowment may help to fill gapsor meet needs related to the work of the committee. Mr. Tom Gale suggested discussingthecriteria and priorities for the next Workforce Housing Services Program RFP cycle in the next few months rather than waiting until the spring. Staff reported that the FY24 RFP recommendations would be presented to the Board of Commissioners on October 16, 2023. Feedback from the committee and the BoC would be helpful toimproving the next round of proposals. Several housing reports were discussed. Staff agreed to send copies of the reports and online linksto the committee. These reports included the Workforce Housing Advisory Committee 2023 Annual Report, the Cape Fear Realtors Affordability Gap Report, and the City of Wilmington’s Comprehensive Annual Performance Evaluation Report. Information Item: Presentation of the 2022-2023 Comprehensive Annual Performance Evaluation Report (CAPER) - Suzanne Rogers, City of Wilmington Ms. Suzanne Rogers presented a summary of the City’s CAPER, including housing-related highlights through June 30,2023 and a demographic summary of beneficiaries of the City’s housing programs. Committee members asked for clarification on the criteria for the City’s rehabilitation loans. Ms. Rogers noted that qualifying activities generally include roof, HVAC, and plumbing repair, weatherization, and can include paint, flooring, etc. in certain cases. For the Rental Rehab Incentive Loan program, themaximum loan amount is 90% of $200,000, which has 0%interest for a20- to 30-year term. Landlords must agree to a 20-year affordability period, where rent is capped at the HOME high rent level for first 4 units rehabilitated with this funding andcapped at the HOME low rent level for investments beyond 5 units. Ms. Knight said that it would be helpful to see data over several years to identify trends in spending and investments. The committee discussed the potential value of an onlinetool that listed local housingresources that could be searched by income leveland other eligibility criteria. Staff Updates County: Staff reviewed the Workforce Housing Services Program status. There were7 proposals received fora total request of$6.6 million. The review team has determined their 3 th recommendations,and they will be presented to the Board of Commissioners at the October 16 meetingat 9am. All are welcome to attend. Staff also provided an update on the third year of the Gap Rental AssistanceProgram. There are60 clients eligible to receive assistance for the third year. Staff will present a demographic summary of program participantsin November. City: None. Announcements Good Shepherdlaunched a new homelessness prevention initiativethis weekin partnership with Port City Unitedfocused in impact zones. There are resources for financial assistance and case management for about 40 families,up to $4,000 per family, and they will focus on families with childrenat risk of evictionorbehind onrent. This effort is in collaboration with landlords who must agree to stall eviction for 3 monthsif they participate in this program. th The Cape Fear Housing Coalition is hosting aWills Clinic onWednesday, October 11.The attendee list is full,but residents are encouraged to continue to sign up as they intend to contactwaitlisted participants in the future to share resources. The Cape Fear Community Land Trust isexpected to complete constructionon a new home in the next month. Construction began in May. Adjourn Ms. Carbonemade a motion to adjourn the meeting,secondedby Mr. Knight. The meeting was adjourned at4:15PM. 4