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HomeMy WebLinkAbout02-17-2017 CAHAB MinutesCommunity Affordable Housing Advisory Board Friday, February 17, 2017 1:00pm, Basement Conference Room 20 E. Olive A. Call meeting to order (Brian Lameres) 1:00pm Present Were:  Brian Lameres  Mayana Rice  Sharon Southhard  Kevin Thane  Kris Keller  Anders Lewendal  I-Ho Pomeroy B. Action Items 1) Discussion regarding questions for Planning Staff on the UDC updates Group discusses a variety of factors to consider in affordable housing from a proposed document provided by Kevin Thane to communicate to Planning Department in an effort to relax the Unified Development Code to provide more affordable housing opportunities. From this proposal, CAHAB constructed a list of supported statements. Topics discussed include: Prohibition on ADUs and allowing ADUs on main level and multiple ADUs on a property as long as parking is considered and compliant to code. Group clarifies that there is no 800sq ft. minimum requirement for cottage homes in the Bozeman code, but there is a 175 sq. ft. minimum per room requirement. Group discusses goal to provide as many options for inexpensive dwelling units as possible. Kris Keller requests that they define what is considered “affordable housing” as a percentage of Area Median Income (AMI).  Thane’s Proposal Suggests homes considered affordable for: o Starter Homes: 60-69% AMI o Basic Home: 70-91% AMI o Moderate Home: 91-100% AMI Group discusses the fact that subdivisions can have strict covenants to meet market demands, but relaxing Unified Development Code to offer lower overhead for builders and developers to pass on cost savings to home buyers. The goal is to remove those UDC requirements which increase the cost of development. Group discusses the requirement for open space and the costs that are associated there, i.e. HOA to maintain shared space. One suggestion is that if there is already a public open space within a certain distance, that that requirement be removed. There is a discussion on the risk of unattractive dwellings and maintaining the character of Bozeman by removing code for external materials if left up to the subdivision covenants. It is pointed out that people will want to uphold the value of their property. Thane suggests allowing the market to be open and without restriction while still offering incentives for affordable housing. Sharon Southhard uses a recent program that no builders took advantage of as an example that builders will pursue profit before focusing on affordable housing. Group discusses programs available to encourage home buyers below a certain percentage of AMI. Sharon Southhard points out that there are no funds available for individuals over 80% of AMI to help make home purchase more affordable. Group discusses removing lot size restrictions to encourage smaller homes on smaller lots when building new developments. Kris Keller points out that there have been studies of increased stress when density is too high in cities. Group discusses relaxing the parking code to allow for on-street parking rather than on-site parking for a one bedroom unit. Both the advantages and challenges are discussed. Group discusses advantages of Cottage Housing community due to the fact that there is no subdivision process required. Mayana Rice points out that Cottage Housing is innovative for Bozeman. Southard points out that there are no FHA approved condominiums within the city at this time. If there were FHA approved condominiums, there would be more funding and financing available to assist home-buyers below 80% AMI. Thane suggests modifying the Cottage Housing requirements to remove some of the architectural and open space requirements. Group discusses the possibility of an impact fee reduction to offer affordable housing. It is determined that the reduction would need to be substantial, which is not realistic, in order to make a large enough difference for the builder. It is suggested that the savings be passed down through property tax reduction. Group continued to discuss the issues with builders being able to sell properties without being concerned about incentives for affordable housing. The community is facing a housing shortage in all tiers. Group discussed the fact that in the Workforce Housing ordinance, the property is only required to remain “affordable” for 2 years and ways the investment to create more affordable housing can be more sustainable long term. C. Adjournment (Brian Lameres) 3:10pm Committee meetings are open to all members of the public. If you have a disability and require assistance, please contact our ADA coordinator, Mike Gray at 582-3232 (TDD 582-2301).