Alachua County/City of Gainesville
Affordable Housing Advisory Committee Joint Meeting/Workshop
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Gainesville Technology Enterprise Center
2153 S.E. Hawthorne Road
Gainesville, FL
Meeting Minutes
Alachua County AHAC members present: Carl Salafrio; Darlene Pifalo; Don Davis; Gail Monahan; John Brunner; Juanita Biles; Shaun Wasdo; Tim Flanagan.
City of Gainesville AHAC members present: Wayne Castillo; Carol Parker; Juanita Miles-Hamilton; Cynthia Ashford; Obie Spratling, Randy Wells.
Others present: Jackie Richardson, City of Gainesville Housing Division Manager; Teresa Osoba, staff liaison to the City of Gainesville AHAC; Mark Ludlow, services provider to Alachua County AHAC.
The meeting began at 6:05 P.M.
Chairs’ Comments
After members from both AHACs introduced themselves, Randy Wells (City of Gainesville AHAC Chair) discussed his impressions of the general legislative mandate given to Affordable Housing Advisory Committees; he remarked that affordable housing can be included in larger considerations of community building and need not be an isolated issue. Shaun Wasdo (Alachua County AHAC Chair) indicated that overcoming regulatory hurdles for affordable housing applicants and providers would not be an easy task but that he hoped the joint meeting would be an opportunity to hear feedback between the two committees.
City of Gainesville Affordable Housing Issues
Mr. Wells noted that Alachua County is currently undertaking the Evaluation and Appraisal Report (EAR) process and that the County’s AHAC has input into the process; the City’s EAR process, with City AHAC input, will begin next year. At the request of the AHAC, the City’s Planning Department briefly reviewed the mandatory affordable housing issues for review and indicated where several issues are addressed in the Comprehensive Plan and land development regulations. Mr. Wells remarked that there is no measure for the effectiveness of affordable housing incentives; at some point, he would like the City’s committee to develop methods to measure the effectiveness of incentives in the City’s regulations. Accessory dwelling units, although possibly contentious, are an issue Mr. Wells would like to committee to discuss; in the City, such units are either grandfathered in or are illegal. Inclusive zoning is another potentially controversial issue the committee may consider; this issue is indirectly related to reservation of infrastructure capacity.
Mr. Wells remarked that others have noted the design of affordable housing; such housing should not be apparent by its design and should blend in with adjacent neighborhood homes. Certain issues, such as reduction in setback requirements and modification of street requirements, should possibly apply to all housing and therefore make all housing more affordable. Exchanging discussion papers, as suggested by Mr. Wells, would be an effective method for feedback between the two AHACs.
Alachua County Affordable Housing Issues
Shaun Wasdo noted that members of both committees were probably familiar with the eleven mandatory issues for review and asked Mr. Wells what additional issues the City’s AHAC had discussed. Mr. Wells remarked that energy efficiency, property taxes and insurance, utilizing document stamps to finance affordable housing, and down payment assistance were issues raised but not yet thoroughly discussed. At the City’s request, affordable housing issues such as community land trusts and mobile homes may be discussed in the future.
Mr. Wasdo commented on the increasing cost of land that affects builders, the unresolved banking crisis that concerns affordable housing lenders, and the hurdles presented by the SHIP program that impede realtors. He expressed concern with the overall thrust of affordable housing issues and questioned the effect that small-scale efforts may have in enabling lower income households to find affordable housing. Mr. Wasdo noted that the County’s AHAC, in addition to the eleven mandatory issues, has at least briefly discussed energy-efficiency, impact fee relief, fast-track permitting, and development review. He remarked that one issue is the cost of land and how to make land available to builders at a decreased price; land and infrastructure costs figure heavily in the cost of housing.
Issues in Common
Members spoke about affordable housing issues as viewed from builders’ and realtors’ perspectives. Specifically, realtors would like to see seamless coordination of the City’s and the County’s SHIP programs and less stringent inspection criteria for SHIP-assisted units. Mr. Wells indicated that such issues may need to be explored in depth when time permits. On the subject of green building, the comment was made that the City’s 25% reduction in permitting fees for green building construction reduces the overall increased cost of energy-efficient building by approximately 10%. Members discussed the distinctions between energy-efficient owner occupied and rental housing as well as the reasoning for providing energy-efficient upgrades and appliances for rental units.
Mr. Wells suggested that a possible function for each AHAC may be to assist staff in solving problems that arise with housing assistance applications and clients. He also noted, in response to comments from members of both AHACs, that the committees’ scope of responsibilities involves more than making recommendations to improve each jurisdictions’ SHIP programs. Members agreed, at least informally, to circulate each AHAC’s recommendations for the incentives reports due by December 31, 2008.
The meeting ended at 7:10 P.M.