Loading...
01. January 2021 minutes New Hanover County-City of Wilmington Workforce Housing Advisory Committee January 6, 2021 Regular Meeting Committee Members Present: Sharm Brantley, Patrick Brien, Tom Gale, Don Harris, Katrina Knight, Katrina Redmon, Frank Smith, Steve Spain, David Spetrino, Paul Stavovy, Glenda Tate, Lori Wainright Staff Present: Joe Donohoe (NHC), Rachel LaCoe (NHC), Thom Moton (CoW), Suzanne Rogers (CoW), Rebekah Roth (NHC) Call to Order The meeting was called to order and a quorum was established through roll call at 3:03 pm by Chairperson David Spetrino. Approve Agenda Mr. Tom Gale made a motion to approve the agenda, which was seconded by Mr. Don Harris and adopted unanimously. Approve Minutes Ms. Sharm Brantley made a motion to approve the draft minutes from the December 2, 2020 meeting. The motion was seconded by Mr. Paul Stavovy and adopted unanimously. Public Comments None New Business Update on Housing Study and Survey Chairperson Spetrino recognized Workforce Housing Planner Rachel LaCoe. Ms. LaCoe provided an update of two components of the Comprehensive Housing Study. Bowen National Research portion of the study:  Bowen completed the initial rough draft of the Housing Need Assessment Study  Staff members have received comments from Committee members and stakeholders  Ms. LaCoe returned stakeholder feedback to Bowen to incorporate into the next draft of the Housing Need Assessment Study  A second draft of the study, including the results from the UNCG survey, is expected in early February  Representatives from Bowen National Research will presenting at the February 3rd WHAC meeting UNCG portion of the study:  UNCG is reviewing the results of the survey and assembling a draft report  Ms. LaCoe shared a few initial maps from the UNCG survey report  The results from the UNCG survey will be included in the second update of the Housing Assessment Study  Representatives from the UNCG Center for Housing and Community Studies will be presenting at the February 3rd WHAC meeting Housing Work Plan Outline Ms. LaCoe provided an update on the Housing Work Plan Outline. Phase 1:  January WHAC Meeting: Work Plan and Subcommittees  Organize Stakeholder Focus Groups Phase 2:  February WHAC Meeting: Bowen/UNCG Presentation  Review Draft Reports and Submit Comments  Technical Stakeholder Groups Phase 3:  March WHAC Meeting: Review Recommendations  Stakeholder Feedback and Comments of Recommendation  Subcommittee Review Phase 4:  Finalize Work Plan  Release of Final Report and Adopted Housing Work Plan There was a brief discussion about the timeline of the work plan. Ms. LaCoe indicated that the work plan outline sets flexible targets to give the Committee more time to prepare the final report. It is expected that the final report will be ready in early Spring. Ms. LaCoe shared work plan examples from the Town of Apex, the City of Atlanta, and the City of Greensboro. Chairperson Spetrino opened the floor for discussion on the example work plans. Committee members discussed selecting target audiences, the effectiveness of concise executive summaries, the benefits of providing a variety of policies and recommendations, and the possibility of creating an interactive website to host the final report. Work Plan Themes and Subcommittees Ms. LaCoe shared possible work plan themes and possible subcommittees based on four general strategy recommendation areas.  Land Use Policies: How can the City/County use their land use regulations and zoning authority to indirectly support the production and preservation of affordable housing?  Programs: Establishing new programs and modifying/expanding existing programs.  Funding: New sources of local funding (dedicated tax, bonds, general funds) and leveraging existing federal/state funding.  Advocacy and Education: Conducting public education campaign tied to work plan’s release, in partnership with other community organizations. There was as brief discussion about the establishment of subcommittees, subcommittee topics, and potential subcommittee members. Announcements Ms. Knight and Ms. Rogers provided an update on the Cape Fear Housing Coalition Legislative Breakfast. This event will occur on January 28, 2021 from 8:30 A.M. - 10:00 A.M. Mr. Spain shared information about the recent valuation trends of Habitat homes. Adjournment With no further questions or comments, a quorum was established through roll call. Chairperson Spetrino adjourned the meeting at 4:00 PM.