HomeMy WebLinkAbout2006-05-15 Transcription
May 15, 2006
May 15,2006
Council:
Staff:
City Council Work Session
Page 1
City Council Work Session
6:30 PM
Bailey, Champion, Correia, Elliott, O'Donnell, Vanderhoef, Wilburn
Atkins, Bootlrroy, Dilkes, Franklin, Helling, Long, Rackis, Voparil
TAPES: 06-43 Side I and Side 2; 06-44 Side I
Housinl! Discussion: Scattered Site Recommendations
Wilburn:
O'Donnell:
Wilburn:
Champion:
Wilburn:
Bailey:
Champion:
Wilburn:
Bailey:
Wilburn:
Let's go ahead and get started. We had set aside tonight to continue with the
housing discussion, specifically the Scattered Site Recommendations. We had
planned on, I don't know that we had finished the discussion that you and Steve
had planned on doing, but, ok, I guess it was my hope that we could take an hour
and a half tonight to just specifically work through those recommendations from
the Scattered Site Housing Taskforce, and it might also behoove us, I think, since
side conversations can happen very quickly with this issue in particular, that
maybe we might want to start with recommendation #1 and just work our way all
the way through. Does anyone, everyone ok with that?
Fine.
If you have that packet with the Recommendations, it lists the trends first and
then the recommendations start on page 4 of 8 on that information packet of
April 27th.
I'm missing page 4.
I'll share with you.
I think I have an extra page 4, Connie. Maybe I have your page 4.
Igofrom3t05.
I'll share.
Connie, here's 4.
Just to get us going, maybe I'll just read through their general policy objectives
and, rather than have a deep discussion in the beginning about the policy
objectives, why don't we dig into specific ones? General policy objective #1,
Iowa City should strengthen its commitment to assisted housing and increase
opportunities for affordable housing generally, and #2, Iowa City should adopt
should adopt a scattered site policy to ensure a fair share distribution of assisted
housing throughout the community. I'm going to ask that we, again, hold off on
those general ones and start discussing with #3, but keep those first two in mind
as we work our way through this. Objective #3, the City should launch a
campaign to educate the community about the importance of affordable housing,
the impact of allowing the status quo to continue, and the degree to which
This represents only a reasonable accurate transcription ofthe Iowa City City Council
meeting of May 15, 2006.
May 15, 2006
Elliott:
Wilburn:
Elliott:
Wilburn:
Elliott:
Champion:
Elliott:
Champion:
Elliott:
Wilburn:
Champion:
Elliott:
Wilburn:
Elliott:
Wilburn:
Bailey:
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housing and development decisions must involve all segments of the community.
And I'll just open the floor up, just walk each other through your reaction to that
specific policy objective. Initial reactions?
We were just talking, not long ago, and one of the things the Council has not
done in recent years is whenever we pass a zoning ordinance, whenever we pass
a zoning change, when we adopt something with zoning or requirements,
objectives for building and developing, it seems to me one of the things we
should look at is what does that do with cost of housing. Because I would
assume that a major portion of any ordinances and zoning requirements we've
adopted in recent years have increased the cost of housing. Now I may be wrong
on that, but I would suggest that might be true.
Ok, and how does that relate to #3, Bob?
Pardon?
How does that relate to objective #3? Launching a campaign to educate the
community about the importance of affordable housing.
We're a part of the community, and we need to be educated that what we do
impacts the cost of housing.
I disagree with you.
We're not a part of the community?
No.
You all right, Steve?
Go ahead, Connie.
I forgot what I was saying. I mean we did include some things in our new zoning
codes that would make affordable housing easier to develop, so, I think we're
trying to do things that will make affordable housing easier and cheaper to build.
I'm just saying that as a part of considering any change or any ordinance, that we
ought to consider what does this do? Does this have any impact on the cost of
housing?
Ok.
And I may be wrong.
And what are others' reactions to a campaign to educate the community about the
importance of affordable housing.
#3 on its face my first response to that is the City the best entity to do that? In
other communities that's often been an economic development organization such
This represents only a reasonable accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council
meeting of May 15, 2006.
May 15,2006
Correia:
Bailey:
Wilburn:
Bailey:
Champion:
Bailey:
Wilburn:
Atkins:
Wilburn:
Atkins:
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as a Chamber, and then, what would be the outcomes, or the suggested outcomes
of such a campaign? Because an education campaign without outcomes is, well,
an interesting exercise.
I think, I mean I think it's important to have education as part of any campaign
around affordable housing. Again, I think there are probably some elements that
the City is already involved in, in terms of I know the Housing Authority does
education, some of what the Housing Commission does involves education, and
there are other non-profits that are doing education. I think that one of the
hopeful outcomes of doing education campaigns would be to combat the not-in-
my-backyard; so I think you could set up outcomes of the frequency at which
neighborhoods, when presented with affordable housing development, either
support or fight against that.
So it would suggest that if this was something that we actually took on, that it
would have very clear and measurable outcomes to the extent that that is possible
with an education campaign.
I agree that I think that a discussion about the City and the City Council's
objectives related to that campaign would be a portion of that. It would seem to
me that there are other players, whether that would be called economic
development or any other issues, that that would be an important distinction to
make as part of that education campaign.
So maybe the question to ask is who are our partners with this education
campaign, if we were to move forward with that.
You know, I think the last sentence of that kind of says that to (can't hear) - the
degree to which housing and development decisions must involve all segments of
the community. We do have some groups in the community who are getting very
interested in this problem, which could be a great asset for us as far as education,
significant groups behind the idea.
And modeling that.
Steve, which, in thinking of the product that the Housing Authority has put out
related to the housing programs that we currently operate through the housing
unit, when you look at this in terms of City staff, do you see that broadening in
terms of some type of campaign that Council might put forth, or are there are
departments that should be involved, other than the Housing, or?
What, the word that jumped out at me on #3 was campaign. Campaign to me
implies a deliberate effort, that we're actually going to go out and try to convince
people of something.
Whatever that might be.
Whatever the something might be. With respect to the partners, those that share
similar interest with the City Council, with respect to the issue of housing, there
certainly would be players, but what about those that do not? So, when I thought
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meeting of May 15, 2006.
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about this, I kind of jumped ahead to the methodology, how would I do this?
That little affordable housing brochure that we gave you is really quite well done.
There is lots of good information, but the circle of people that read that kind of
information is rather small. And I think that's campaigning, that's getting that
information out. As I was saying as I thought about methodology I went
immediately to our neighborhoods, and we have an information network
established within our neighborhoods. How do we get, we, not the collective we,
the City we, effect on their agenda. You know, many of them are babysitting
lists, swapping recipes and just having fun, and that's ok, that can be a very
effective neighborhood association, but we have other that deal with far weightier
issues, those particular pressures that are occurring. So when I think about
campaign I think about something that's pretty serious stuff that we might be
getting into.
Wilburn: It would seem to me that part of that deliberate action would encompass, sort of
in the direction that Bob was going with this right out front, part of that education
campaign would be here's the outcomes the City hopes to, here's the points with
these educational activities the City hopes to accomplish would be some
consensus as to this is what the City has got. It may be, it might be that here's
why affordable housing is important, and here are ways that the City, through our
zoning code or whatever, that we feel that we have accomplished that.
Atkins: When you say it's important, and I would also add, I think we have to be very
candid about this issue, we also have to convince people it's nothing to be afraid
of. And I, there are folks in neighborhoods that are going to be nervous about the
potential for introducing affordability, whatever that means, into a particular
neighborhood. And what we can't afford it they hunker down on us, because if
we have a broad policy that we have already assumed that housing is a policy of
this legislative body, and that we're going to deal with it, you are going to run
into a variety of interests that are out there.
Champion: The other thing that could be, that could be a real part of educating the public is
the press. I guess, I don't know how you could get them to be more involved. I
know that there have been positive editorials about the need for affordable
housing, but they don't do much reporting about it. And that little pamphlet that
we got.
Correia: From the Housing Trust Fund? This one?
Champion: Yes. No.
Vanderhoef: No.
Correia: Housing Authority. Oh, annual report, that more than the pamphlet.
Champion: I mean, if we could get the press to take segments of that and write a little series
about it, because there is incredibly valuable information in that, and I know that
people that I talk to that were really impressed by that weren't even aware of all
the problems, how much money you had to make to buy something in Iowa City.
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meeting of May 15, 2006.
May IS, 2006
Elliott:
Bailey:
Elliott:
Bailey:
Correia:
Elliott:
Correia:
Bailey:
Elliott:
Bailey:
Atkins:
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So, they could be a great ally, and I don't know how you get them to do that, but
they're not very good about talking up for us to do something.
One of the things that you have in campaigns usually is an objective, a goal,
something concrete. At the present time we're talking about the concern about
affordable housing and the need for assisted housing without getting to the nitty
gritty. For instance, there have been some statements made with which I would
disagree of that. I think an example was at the meeting the other night, that a
person who accepts a first-year job with the school district as a teacher. And the,
another person who takes a first-year job with the fire department, together they
wouldn't have a combined income that would be appropriate for purchasing a
house that would be called affordable. To me, I think using illustrations like that,
I'm not sure they're counterproductive, but they don't address it. For instance,
how many of us were able to buy a house when we first started on our career? I
think it's reasonable that you anticipate someone will rent until they can afford to
buy, and I think we need to set, for instance, what kind of percentage of assisted
housing do we think is appropriate for Iowa City. We have never addressed that.
We talked about meeting needs, but we need to address some objectives and
goals and we have not done that.
When you said assisted housing just then, you meant assisted and not affordable,
right?
Some sort of subsidized, financial subsidy for rental, usually.
Ok. Got it. I was just checking.
I don't think that's what we're talking about though, overall.
No, but we're talking about a campaign, and I think just to say we need
affordable housing and rental assistance doesn't get at the nitty gritty of what do
we want to put out to the community. What specifically are we shooting for, and
we'd like you to buy into it. Will you? Or won't you?
Well, oh, I think those types of nitty gritty things are once you decide you want
to do some type of education campaign, then you hash all of that out then,
deciding that level of detail at this point.
Right. And generally I would say once we have made some decisions, an
education campaign regarding those decisions and our objectives, I would go
along with something like that.
And that was my reference to the campaign, that when we do get developing a
campaign we need to have some goals and objectives.
Right.
.
I think for a campaign to be successful it has to be outcome-oriented. I mean if
the campaign is simply to educate, that is, we know the information is on the
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meeting of May IS, 2006.
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City Council Work Session
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street and folks have a general understanding. Or is it actually something that
you're going to measure, some hard and fast x number of units.
Bailey: Well, you know, with an education campaign your measurables would probably
be changes in attitudes, knowledge, blah-blah-blah-blah - I mean that would
typically be your measurable.
Wilburn: That gets at the so what.
Vanderhoef: Well, the goal though, is if you're going to say we're going to produce x number
of units, that's the goal, so the measurable is if.
Bailey: Not with your education campaign though.
Vanderhoef: But that's part of what you have to educate on.
Correia: I think that would be part of the goal for education campaign, is you want the
public, the community to understand that the programs that we might support,
Council might support, and the policies that are going to increase affordable
housing production are worthy for them to support rather than fight.
Bailey: Right. That's your education campaign versus your other activity. Your
measurables are level of support, not number of units you've created, for an
education campaign.
Vanderhoef: Now we're not sure we're going to get to what you're talking about though,
Regenia.
Correia: But that could be a
Vanderhoef: measurable part of it.
Bailey: Well I don't think there's any point in, well, it's just a bias, there's no point in
mounting activities, that cost, that use resources, if you can't, don't have specific
outcomes and can't measure those outcomes.
Wilburn: Without digging into logistics of an education campaign, is there interest in
pursuing some sort of campaign once we decide what that would look like, put it
on the table. It sounds like there are
Bailey: Yeah, yeah, I think.
Vanderhoef: I think we sort of got the cart in front of the horse in talking about a campaign,
until we've gotten through some of the other nitty gritty.
Atkins: Well, read the language carefully - campaign to educate. It seemed to me the
taskforce was making a very deliberate statement that the community simply is
not well informed on these issues as they should be. That's information.
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meeting of May 15, 2006.
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City Council Work Session
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Bailey: And these specifically suggest the topics of the campaigo, but if we decided to do
nothing, we would probably need a campaigo to educate as to why.
Atkins: Doing nothing is a legitimate policy.
Bailey: Right, but I think we would need some talking points to communicate that with
some measurables of understanding with the community.
Vanderhoef: I was thinking about what you were talking about, partners and using the press
and so forth. I think it may well be our job to create some of those editorials. And
whether they come from the Housing Authority or one from the Housing
Authority, one from the Commission, perhaps one from the realtors. Those are
the kinds of people that, certainly we've gotten them from our religious
community on a certain segment more on the Shelter House kind of thing,
emergency housing than affordable housing, but I suspect that they would talk
about this and perhaps look at a broader picture than just Shelter House. So they
might work with some sort of an editorial.
Champion: I think they plan on being involved, Dee.
Bailey: Well, and additionally, we've all done this, once we make some decisions,
having some of us meet with the editorial board and discussing that, so it's really
clear, would be a natural as well.
Elliott: I think there's a whole lot of interaction that needs to be taken with Chamber and
the Housing Fellowship and the builders and any other number of people before
we get to the place where we have any kind of campaigo with specific goals and
objectives and requesting support. So, I'm in favor ofthis, but I see this as quite a
way down the road. We have a lot of homework to do before we get to any kind
of campaigo.
Wilburn: Well I think part of, I think part of what I hope we can make do, or get to tonight
is just to yes, no, yes, no. And then later on it's taking the yesses and seeing
where we go.
Correia: And I do think that we shouldn't discount that we have a lot of expertise in the
community, both within the City that are doing a lot of stuff already, and in the
community, both at the Chamber and homeowners and non-profit world, that
we're not starting from ground zero.
Elliott: You bet.
Wilburn: Let's move on to #4. The City should enlist other municipalities, as well as the
county and area school districts, for purposes of collective action to address
affordable housing and services. The issues of housing and poverty cannot be
solved by the City alone. And reactions?
Elliott: Has this ever been brought up at JCCOG? Not since I've been on. I think it
would be good to know. I have a pretty good handle on what some other
communities think, but we haven't gotten them on board.
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Bailey: We did it at the joint.
Correia: We did at the joint meeting.
Bailey: That's where we chose to do it, to begin the discussion.
Elliott: I don't remember. Oh, to begin the discussion.
Bailey: Yeah, Andy did the presentation - because that more actively involves the school
district.
Atkins: I saw two issues in this one. Enlisting other municipalities - that in itself can be a
reasonably complex undertaking, getting another jurisdiction to buy into, in
effect, to agree with your policies or at least not obstruct policy. Secondly, when
they choose to participate, that is they get enlisted, that means that they are going
to be sharing in the issues associated with housing. That in effect political
boundaries disappear; when you're dealing with the issue you, I think we
generally do that for example with our voucher program, political boundaries.
But the issue that I found in here was the issues that housing and poverty. And
the and poverty - it took me back. Issues of housing can not be solved by the
City alone, I think we agree with that, but I was trying to think how the poverty
issue - I understand how it fits in, it just didn't seem to fit with this particular.
Champion: Well they're talking about affordable housing, I mean that's, too me that's not,
affordable housing doesn't have a lot to do with poverty. Poverty is usually
assisted housing or assisted rental, and I think you need to separate those two. I
think it's important for the public that they're separated.
Atkins: And see I have trouble doing that Connie, because when I hear affordability and
housing, housing to me means shelter and getting someone's ability to get
shelter, whether it's you own a home, whether it's you have a voucher, I mean
whatever - I have a very broad definition of affordable housing. I think many
folks simply say affordable housing is the cost of production. I'm saying that
folks will say that, and I have a very broad definition when I'm thinking about
affordability and housing. Which, the primary goal of housing is sort of like
nourishment - we want to feed them, we want to get, you know, we want to get
you shelter, and how can we make that more affordable so we can do that, some
with assistance and some without. It's just a very broad, I have a very broad
defmition, I'm not convinced that others do.
Vanderhoef: I think there's a perception out there and somewhat I get tangled in this
perception all along too. And that is affordability for that 50% and less of median
income that need assistance, additional assistance, and then there's more of what
Bob had mentioned earlier about saying there's no affordable housing for that
two workers in a family that are professional and still have not reached the ability
to purchase their own home. And I think what I hear in the general community is
that when people talk about affordable housing they're talking about those
working folk with professional occupations and they still can't afford in our
community.
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meeting of May IS, 2006.
May 15, 2006
City Council Work Session
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Correia: But I think it's beneficial to talk about, to include all of that in a discussion
around affordable housing, because there are issues with young professionals
who can't afford to buy a home in Iowa City and so then they want to buy a
home, and they can afford something in North Liberty or Cedar Rapids or
Riverside or somewhere else, and then we loose the potential of those persons in
our community, who are traveling in to work possibly or going elsewhere, so.
Vanderhoef: I understand that, but what I'm saying is I think there's two conversations out in
our community, and one of them is about that group.
Correia: Right, yeah.
Vanderhoef: And they're saying that if the median cost of a house in Iowa City is $185,000.00
that's not affordable however they look at it, and what they're trying to do is talk
about in terms of if I hire somebody at the bank who will move up at some point
in time but I want them to live in this community, and if we look at all of the
things that we've been hearing about from Richard Florida and the vibrancy and
so forth of our community, then that may be the target we really want to hit first.
Correia: I don't know if we're ready to decide first or second or who we should
Wilburn: Ifwe could back off, if we could back up from that, excuse me Amy, the basis of
this bullet is about drawing other municipalities into the conversation. Before we
get into what we're going to draw them into, I, Ijust don't know, I'm stuck with
that point.
Correia: I, can I just, well I just, for this one, I see the value of communicating with other
municipalities. I'm not necessarily sure enlisting.
Atkins: It's a strong word.
Correia: It's a strong word, and so we really only have jurisdiction over our own city and
its ordinances, laws, and efforts - I think it's valuable to make sure we're in
communication through the joint meeting and JCCOG so that other
municipalities know what we're doing and maybe that would be beneficial, but
enlisting seems a little bit.
Atkins: That's a strong word. And we also have to make it very clear to these other
municipalities what our policies might be, and one of the policies I keep hearing
is home ownership - that's the ultimate goal, to get people to buy their own
homes. Well, home ownership is not only shelter, it's also gathering wealth, and
if we're going to advance a policy, the policy is we want as many people to own
their own homes. Out of all of these policies, then we need to make sure we
communicate that effectively to other municipalities. That's where we're going
with this.
Champion: That would be the dream.
Atkins: Is that a realistic dream?
This represents only a reasonable accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council
meeting of May 15, 2006.
May 15, 2006
Elliott:
Atkins:
Correia:
Atkins:
Champion:
(laughter)
Atkins:
Champion:
Wilburn:
Champion:
Atkins:
Wilburn:
Atkins:
Elliott:
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I think Connie's - Connie's word is right. We have to remember after all, we are
talking about the American dream, not the American right.
. I understand. But we say that somewhat in a cavalier fashion, that home
ownership. Well, home ownership is more than just the acquisition of shelter.
That's a real important part of it, is the roof is over your head. It also allows folks
to create wealth. And I'm another municipality, I'm going to be real curious
about what your interests are.
But I also think it's related to affordable rental housing, because one of the ways
that you are able to afford a home is that you can save in your, that you're only
spending 30% of your adjusted income in housing costs in rental so that you're
able to save and accumulate. There may be other programs needed to - mortgage
packages that aren't assisted through the city or whatever - so I think that does
relate.
You're going to bring around a lot of municipalities if you've got a down
payment assisted program. There not going to get too excited about some of the
down side, about affordability in housing, because the goal is get you in a home-
ownership position, which means the value of that fixed asset is going to grow.
And you find shelter for yourself, but you also begin to establish wealth over the
long haul.
So far, in our history.
Where we are right now, that's the way it works. Our affordability in housing
program is much more than that. Much more.
Yeah, it is.
And I go back to, and what you ended the other statement with is, you can inform
other entities what you're doing, but until we wrestle through what it is we're
going to do. I also don't hear, I don't hear lots of other conversations with other.
I don't.
Will another municipality have the same discussion and debate we're having
right now?
And they haven't been.
And they haven't been.
My understanding is, several of, at least one or more of the other municipalities
are not interested at least to the extent to which we are. And I think we should not
criticize them, we should simply say that's a fact.
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meeting of May ]5, 2006.
May 15,2006
City Council Work Session
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Wilburn: Yes, it is.
Elliott: They have different priorities.
Wilburn: Yeah, I agree.
Vanderhoef: It looks to me like, we keep flipping back and around and Steve, I'll have to tell
you, you're dropping in goals. And this is exactly what I'm talking about. It's
almost like we need to identify goals in a progression - shelter at the basic need.
Then come with shelter at the 30% ofthe adjusted income, shelter that allows us
to accumulate wealth, moving towards the next step of maybe assisted purchase,
or purchase on their own. So, somehow, to mention a whole progression like this,
that's the way I look at it, and then it's ok, what can we do with each step of the
progression, because we have folks sitting at every single level of that
progressIOn.
Champion: But we (can't hear)
Correia: But Dee, I think that's what this report is about. It's about that we want to
respond to the issues at that progression. Part ofthe problem is that we don't
have enough beds to, shelter.
Vanderhoef: I understand that.
Correia: Right, and part of that is how will we, this report is what can we do to scatter
housing across the range of those housing types around the community. What are
the policy recommendations that this taskforce has brought to us for us to discuss
to decide what we're going to do.
Vanderhoef: I understand that. But if we set out the progression and add what steps we, action
plan steps that we will do within each one of them, then we've got something to
put out there and say this is the whole package of what we're doing. We're not
excluding any group of people for housing.
Correia: Yes. That's what we've been - exactly.
Vanderhoef: So if we have action steps under each level so we can say no, we're not putting
all of our efforts on just this part of the problem, we're putting these efforts at the
various stages.
Correia: Right. I see what you're saying. Well, I think that, that's what we hope to come
out of what we decide out of some of these recommendations, I mean, because.
For example, the first one, the campaign to educate the community about the
importance, if that was something that we were are going to move forward in, we
could identify action steps to respond to each of those need-issue areas that you
just listed.
Wilburn: And I would agree with that.
This represents only a reasonable accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council
meeting of May 15, 2006.
May 15, 2006
Elliott:
O'Donnell:
Correia:
O'Donnell:
Correia:
Wilburn:
Elliott:
Correia:
O'Donnell:
Correia:
Elliott:
Bailey:
Correia:
Bailey:
Correia:
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I think before we go any further it's interesting to note what a terrific job the
taskforce did. Look at what, we have these laid out, specifically laid out if front
of us. We've spent a half-hour going through two of then now. They did a terrific
job on this, to give us some ground work from which to start.
But the bottom line to number four is, we're talking about enlisting other
municipalities to help. The only thing you can do is solicit, help
And communicate, exactly.
and communicate with them, ask 'em about interests; 1 mean, that's all you can
do. And it says right at the bottom one city can't do it alone.
Right.
All right. Well let's get some more reaction to number five. The City should
make land available for emergency and/or transitional housing throughout the
community. The City should neither encourage nor support additional transitional
or emergency housing within census block group 18-2. At present, 41 percent of
all transitional housing, and 69 percent of all emergency housing, is located
within census block group 18-2. The new Shelter House facility will result in the
location of 100 percent of all emergency housing within census block group 18-
2. (The recommendation is not intended to impact plans for the new Shelter
House facility. The Taskforce recognizes the difficulty to date associated with
finding a location for the new shelter.) So the City should make land available for
emergency and/or transitional housing throughout the community.
Do we know what the definition of transitional housing is? Or at least are we
agreed on it?
I can tell you the definition that
Temporary home.
Temporary, up to two years, includes support services. There's a supportive
services component, most of the federal funding for transitional housing has a
time limit for participants.
So we're agreed on that definition.
That is the definition.
That is the definition.
I have a question. I saw on some of the other readings that we have 64 shelter
beds. I'm assuming that's emergency. What's our inventory of transitional? Do
we know? I mean, I'm sure we know, Ijust don't know.
I'm looking at him.
This represents only a reasonable accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council
meeting of May 15, 2006.
May 15, 2006
Bailey:
Wilburn:
(laughter)
Bailey:
Long:
Bailey:
Correia:
Long:
Bailey:
Long:
Correia:
Bailey:
Atkins:
Bailey:
Atkins:
Bailey:
Champion:
Bailey:
Elliott:
Bailey:
Correia:
Bailey:
City Council Work Session
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And he's counting, I can see his eyes go up.
I thought his eyes were just rolling.
You though he was passing out.
Just off the top of my head, I think there's around 60.
60 transitional, and that 60, is that 60 for, I read that somewhere, and it sticks in
my head. 60 for shelter beds and 60 transitional- that's our inventory.
And that includes.
Actually it might be closer to 72 for that total.
Transitional?
Yes.
And that includes like Successful Living and HACAP?
Ok. Thanks.
Steve, we'll put a memo together, just
I've been really curious about the inventory.
Steve will take care of that.
Thank you.
And who benefits on it, some of them are very specific, I would assume (can't
hear)
Right. And well, that's something I've always wondered is - we have such
specificity in SILO services, I know this is off topic, sir.
At least she said sir.
I thought it would help. We're so specific, but is there any way that we can look
more broadly at that inventory and have a broader use in inventory. And I know
I've talked with some of you about this, and I know part of this is linked to
funding streams, but is there any way to redirect or change the direction of
funding streams when necessary.
You're not going to change your direct HUD
It's like a hose, and you point it in a different direction.
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May 15, 2006
City Council Work Session
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Vanderhoef: Give me ao example.
Bailey: If for example, you're homeless and your first presenting condition is domestic
violence, you would typically go to the domestic violence shelter. Their funding
is linked to that, service of victims of violence, but, for example, let's say, let's
say you're presenting domestic violence, they're full, is there another way to
direct the funding stream so you can stay in aoother, let's say our inventory isn't
full, just domestic violence, is there another way to direct funding streams so you
would have shelter in another emergency shelter location?
Elliott: Greater flexibility you're talking about, within that?
Bailey: And I know that the SILOs come from funding streams, but is there anything that
we can do locally that will enable us to better use our inventory, or are we
maxing out our inventory? I don't know that, because there was some talk years
ago that, for example, DVIP was understaffed, therefore they weren't always
using all their capacity. Is there a way to ensure that we're using capacity, I don't
know.
Wilburn: To maximize what existing.
Bailey: Yeah. If we have this inventory, how do we maximize use to meet the need?
Because we've been told that the need is much greater than the inventory of, for
example, emergency shelter. Is there a way we cao maximize our use of the
inventory? Because these are assets, so we're not, I don't know if we are or not.
Vanderhoef: There was discussion at one point in particular with DVIP of whether they could
use those beds for others, but there wasn't ever aoy funding that came with it to
create the staff that they needed for that.
Bailey: Right. And I guess my question is not ifbut what would it take, and if we find
out what would it take is a big giaot mountain that we cao't possibly climb,
neither can those agencies, that's fine. But is there something within the realm of
possibility to make sure that we're maximizing our inventory?
Wilburn: Do you think that might be a rhetorical question that we need to have staff dig
into the.
Bailey: That would meao it isn't rhetorical.
Atkins: My gut reaction is let's ask the question and see what the response is from the
agencies that are providing it. Steve's making a note of that now.
Bailey: Well, and my question is, am I making a faulty assumption? Are we maximizing
our use of the inventory and then the question goes away.
Wilburn: It's a good question because then the answer to the City making laod available is
well, either we're not because we're trying to maximize existing housing stock.
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May 15, 2006
City Council Work Session
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Elliott: For instance, something such as Steve's memo of April 24, where it says total
license rental permits - no, no, authorized vouchers and number of active
vouchers. Now that's a different breed of cat, but we're still talking, isn't that
what you're getting at, Regenia?
Bailey: Well, I was specifically referring to
Elliott: How much under capacity are we in various segments and are they too specific,
that we cannot have the flexibility that would allow us the maximum use of those
facilities.
Bailey: Right. And it could be simply a funding stream specificity that we cannot
address.
Vanderhoef: That's what this one is, that Bob's talking about.
Elliott: I use that only as an example.
Bailey: But, for example, if we were to take that farther, I would suggest that if we find
out that we are at maximum capacity and we choose to make more land available
for emergency and transitional housing, that we move forward in the most
flexible manner possible, to make sure that it's not specific.
Wilburn: And what does that, does that mean the City buying land to sell to anyone, what
does that mean?
Bailey: I don't know. You know, I don't know the status quo, so it's hard for me to say
what we need to do.
Wilburn: No, no, no - staff is going to try and answer that question. But if the case is yes
indeed, it is maximized out, should the City make land available? By what
mechanism?
Correia: There are some - oh.
Vanderhoef: I'd like an update also on that single-room occupancy
Atkins: SRO (can't hear)
Vanderhoef: That, I know that there was some ownership change.
Correia: Successful Living.
Atkins: Yeah.
Vanderhoef: In there.
Atkins: Over on Dubuque.
Vanderhoef: Yeah.
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Bailey: It's living transitional, right?
Correia: No, it's more. It's transitional? Ok.
Bailey: Trying to get my terms right.
Vanderhoef: It is, because they can stay for a couple years.
Elliott: I think the major thing we're talking about is maximum flexibility, right? So that
of the facilities available for various types of housing needs, let's have as great a
flexibility as is possible, is that kind of what you're getting at?
Bailey: Well, and, because it's my understanding that trends in emergency housing
change.
Elliott: Yeah, right.
Atkins: Steve, come here a second. I just want to make sure.
Bailey: You can even sit at the table.
Atkins: So I understand. The word that struck me the most was the land - it implies
purchase.
Wilburn: That's what I was getting at, yeah.
Atkins: Emergency housing, this is going to come off wrong, so forgive me, is the
lowest. I mean, that's when people are in crisis. The next step up is transitional.
What's the next step?
Correia: Permanent.
O'Donnell: Ownership.
Correia: No, not necessarily ownership: rental, affordable
Bailey: Affordable rental I mean.
Correia: No time limit.
Bailey: Dee's continuing, she said.
(all talk - can't hear)
Wilburn:
There's too many conversations going on and the transcriptionist will not be able
to get this.
Bailey:
You knew that would happen.
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May 15, 2006
City Council Work Session
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Wilburn: Yes, 1 did.
Correia: Oh. Well, Mike, transitional is specific to, provided by a service provider. Sure,
some people, you might live in rental housing in transitional while you're waiting
to buy a house, but this is linked to
Vanderhoef: Funding.
Correia: Wel1, specific service. General1y, people who live in transitional housing also are
receiving services based on some need that they have - trauma, a caseworker, a
service provider - so the next step up would be independent.
Bailey: The next step along -let's, I mean, let's recognize (can't hear)
Correia: Ok, the next step along, yes, you're right.
Elliott: It would be nice if we could come up with some nomenclature we could al1 agree
on. For instance, transitional housing, the next step is not permanent housing, the
next step would be some form of intermediate
Correia: No. Permanent just means not linked to a service.
Elliott: Yeah, but permanent,
Bailey: How about independent.
Elliot: Rental assistance is certainly not permanent housing. There's no way rental
assistance should be called permanent.
Bailey: How about independent. - that is to say, not
Correia: Not linked to a service.
Bailey: Not linked to a service of working with a caseworker, but you're living on your
own with, we could, with or without assistance, but the next is some kind of
independent.
Correia: HUD would say, the federal government would say that a voucher is permanent
housing.
Champion: Yes.
El1iott: Wel1, I'm not willing to say that's permanent. I'm not willing to say that the, that
any government owes anyone permanent assistance for permanent housing.
Champion: That's not what they mean by it.
Elliott: Permanent is, well, we learned that in employment, you don't say that anything is
permanent. Permanent means in perpetuity.
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meeting of May 15, 2006.
May 15, 2006
Correia:
Atkins:
Wilburn:
Atkins:
Dilkes:
City Council Work Session
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As long as it's needed. Well sure, if you don't meet the eligibility requirements,
or you don't qualify anymore, you do something against the rules of housing.
Housing can be permanent.
And without getting, and without getting stuck into rhetorical question about
labels, can we go back to that issue about making land available, which is what
this was about.
That's a, the way I read that, that's a deliberate decision to appropriate money for
the purchase of acquiring land. Whether you inventory it, make it part of some
subdivision, whatever the circumstances are, using
I, that's not how I
(cut off - end of tape)
Dilkes:
Wilburn:
Atkins:
Dilkes:
Wilburn:
(laughter)
Making that land available, it's not necessarily implying that the City is going to
purchase it.
That was my question. What are the dimensions ofthis?
And I saw this as purchase, Eleanor saw this as, for example, legislating it.
Well, given that they're focusing.
I'm sorry, can you back away from the mic a little bit?
Dilkes: I'm loud enough without the mic. Given that the focus here in #5 is on avoiding a
concentration in a specific area, I think that then leads to an interpretation of the
first sentence as being making land available by whatever means, whether it be a
purchase or whatever
Vanderhoef: Zoning.
Dilkes: There are places to put this housing that doesn't violate any City zoning
ordinance or whatever.
Champion: They're talking about an inclusion (can't hear)
Dilkes: That's how I read it. No?
Bailey: No.
Wilburn: Not necessarily.
Vanderhoef: If you're in an RS-5, for instance, then you can't have zero lot lines or whatever,
except on the comers and those kinds of things, so that excludes small lots, some
This represents only a reasonable accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council
meeting of May 15, 2006.
May 15, 2006
Wilburn:
Bailey:
Wilburn:
Bailey:
Wilburn:
Bailey:
Wilburn:
Bailey:
Atkins:
Bailey:
Dilkes:
Elliott:
Atkins:
Dilkes:
Atkins:
City Council Work Session
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zero lot lines and that kind of stuff, so that's where the zoning in an RS-5, if you
start talking about inclusionary zoning, then you'd have to make some exceptions
into that zone to make it happen.
Well, it's importantto
Well, but, sorry. Go ahead.
at least understand if there are enough Council members interested in pursuing
making land available by whatever the consensus decides that is, to that would
have to be part of the education campaign for the public. Because part of the
question about Shelter House is I had citizens telling me that well the City should
just buy a space and give it to Shelter House and, so I think that it's important to,
and just sitting here we have several ideas of.
Well, I'm willing to step off a cliff here. At this time, I'm not willing, when it
comes to purchasing and making available, giving - let's say that, to do that. I
mean, if we're going with the purchasing definition at this time, I wouldn't say I
would be willing to do that. And the reason I would say that is, we have other
services in this community, other non-profit organizations that could also benefit
from us giving them land, and why this and why not that? If we would decide
that this was an absolute priority, perhaps my opinion would change, but at this
time.
Well, I don't think that's stepping off the cliff.
Felt like it.
That was my response to some of the folks, is that there are other non-profits
that, if you the public think that the City should do that, then the City should have
done it for several other agencies who ended up.
So in so far as purchase.
It says to make land available, and it's very specific, for emergency and
transitional.
Right.
Throughout the community.
Yeah.
I understand.
Not a specific site, but throughout the community.
It says for emergency and transition. They specify specifically what the intent
was for securing these lands, whether it be by purchase or zoning.
This represents only a reasonable accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council
meeting of May IS, 2006.
May 15, 2006
Elliott:
O'Donnell:
Correia:
Atkins:
Long:
Atkins:
Champion:
Bailey:
Atkins:
Bailey:
Correia:
Bailey:
Correia:
Champion:
Bailey:
Atkins:
City Council Work Session
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Zoning. It could be zoning. And by the way, if we wonder what they mean, we
do have the Chair of that taskforce here, if we're wondering what they meant.
I read it as, as a City purchasing. The City should make land available. I don't
know how I should interpret that. And #6 follows up, we should commit
resources. I mean, to me it was clearly, we make land available. How can we do
that? We do it through zoning or we purchase it.
Yeah.
Well, we've got it just recently by, where did the money come from, for, Steve,
for shelter? HOME or CDBG?
CDBG.
Ok. CDBG, $230,000.00 was given to the shelter so they could buy their piece of
property.
You're correct.
But they had to find the land. We did not make that land available to them.
Oh yeah. The City didn't get it. We facilitated them during the process.
Right. That's the resources there.
I think that there's some interesting efforts in other communities with land
banking, that if one of the barriers isjust the purchasing of the land, I don't kuow
that this is necessarily specifying we should give land. It's to help facilitate land
if giving resources and having agencies or housing providers go out and fine the
land is a barrier, is a land banking initiative something that the City is, could
invest in, and then sell the land. So it wouldn't be that we're giving land away. I
mean, I think that there are other models of.
And I was just trying to move the conversation along by crossing off
Yeah, right.
I agree. You kuow, #2 in the general policy - I know we're not supposed to
discuss those - is to ensure a fair share distribution of assisted housing
throughout the community. They're talking about a scattered site policy, and you
can't do a scattered site policy without zoning. So I think this whole sentence
really means through zoning, to make it possible for these different agencies to
create emergency (can't hear)
So a broader opportunity for emergency and transitional housing to be located in
different zones in our community.
And I saw it purchasing ofland in a variety of neighborhoods throughout the
community.
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May 15, 2006
Champion:
Atkins:
City Council Work Session
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(can't hear)
Weill didn't say
(laughter - can't hear)
Correia:
Atkins:
Dilkes:
Elliott:
Wilburn:
Elliott:
Correia:
Atkins:
Wilburn:
Correia:
Wilburn:
Champion:
Wilburn:
Correia:
Champion:
Atkins:
Bailey:
Correia:
You didn't say what?
That's the way 1 interpreted it.
Maybe we could find out what the drafters thought it meant.
Yes. lfwe're wondering, he's here.
I'm going to go ahead and ask if Matt will come forward. But keep in mind, that
taskforce no longer exists. Ok? lfwe want to reactivate them, that's a different
issue, but I'll ask him to come express his opinion as to what that group meant.
I don't see what difference it makes ifit's existing. He is the person who knows
more about these recommendations than any other person on the planet.
I also think that each ofthem are open to interpretation, within all of the
members. They're not specific enough
Yeah, you know, I was going to say.
The whole committee, I'm sorry, go ahead Amy.
I just think they're not specific enough to necessarily know what member A and
member B thought this should mean. They could have all, however many
members there were, could have all thought each of these things, and so, I don't.
And so my point is that whole taskforce, which does not exist, is not here, and he
would be speaking on his interpretation of that, so.
And I (can't hear)
Matt, do you want to come forward?
What did you say? And
I (can't hear) for the reason you just said. His interpretation could be totally
different from everybody else on the committee.
I like Matt, but I'm not so sure that Matt has, this interpretation is yours.
This is a referendum on Matt.
Right, that's our job, to come up with.
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May 15, 2006
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Atkins:
And Matt might say, no, I meant purchase. Oh ok, so what. It's what you think.
Elliott:
Hi, Matt.
Atkins:
Hi, Matt.
Hayek:
It sure is fun to see you guys struggle with this.
(laughter)
Hayek: I don't know what I can add on this particular issue. I can only speak from what I
recall from this portion of our deliberations, and my recollection is that we didn't
really care how that objective was met, whether it was buying land and providing
it to emergency or transitional or using existing City-owned land and providing it
for rezoning.
O'Donnell: Thanks a lot, Matt.
Wilburn: Yeah, thanks.
Vanderhoef: We're all right.
Hayek: Don't read too much into the verb enlist. I think we meant, we were addressing,
the, not enlist, make land available. We were addressing the end goal, not
necessarily the means to get there.
Wilburn: Ok. Thank you.
Correia: Thank you.
Atkins: So everybody was right.
Hayek: Yes.
Wilburn: Yes.
O'Donnell: Boy, do I feel good.
(all talk - can't hear)
Wilburn:
And I'm not implying that any shenanigans on his part, but the fact is that that
committee is not there, they're all not here, and so, and different members have
been speaking from their own experience and opinion since then in the
community, and just in fairness to everyone.
Elliott:
And that would be no different than any staff member. Would we have to call all
the staff members to see what a staff member says is the consensus of the staff in
Planning and Zoning or.
This represents only a reasonable accurate transcription ofthe Iowa City City Council
meeting of May 15, 2006.
May 15, 2006
Wilburn:
Elliott:
Wilburn:
Atkins:
Wilburn:
Atkins:
Correia:
Atkins:
Correia:
Dilkes:
Correia:
Dilkes:
Correia:
Champion:
Bailey:
Correia:
Champion:
Bailey:
Champion:
Bailey:
Wilburn:
City Council Work Session
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But the staff exists now and the taskforce does not.
I think they are all alike.
But they don't exist for the purpose that we assigned them anymore. Ok - #6.
Can I make a comment?
Go ahead.
I don't think he answered the question that encourage support transitional.
He didn't.
That's an important question, and one, throughout this whole report, very
specific.
Right. Are there, Eleanor, are there fair housing implications for saying that
certain types of housing that might benefit certain groups of people cannot be
located in certain areas?
It depends on what distinction you're making.
Ok.
There are some protected classes that would be covered by fair housing and
others that aren't. Generally being low-income is not a protected class within the
fair housing act.
Ok.
Well, I think the reason this whole thing got started is that we were all in favor of
some kind of scattered housing. That's why we got this taskforce together.
It's before my time.
It's before my time, too.
It was?
This has been going on for quite some time.
God, you've been here forever.
Sometimes it feels like it, but no, I have not.
And actually, I was not necessarily interested in it, but 1 was willing to hear, have
the group get together and discuss the issue. Because there were so many issues
being tied to the purpose of scattering the housing around that I wasn't really
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May 15, 2006
City Council Work Session
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willing to commit without knowing what the bottom-line purpose was of
scattering, of scattering housing around.
Correia: Well, I certainly think it makes sense for some types of housing like emergency
shelter, transitional, to be somewhat close to certain things.
Wilburn: Bus line.
Correia: Bus line, services, jobs, things like that, so I wouldn't necessarily think that
having emergency shelter location, you know, all the way somewhere where it
wasn't close and convenient to those things wouldn't make sense. I mean, I think,
that's something to consider.
Wilburn: I agree.
Bailey: It's hard to disagree with that.
Elliott: I am certainly in favor of the scattered site process, and, as a matter of fact, I
would broaden it to include more than a census block. I would not be in favor of
including any more assisted housing in areas, in school districts where schools
are already overcrowded and in trouble federally.
Wilburn: Well, actually, and actually Bob, even that, that statement, if a young person, for
whatever reason, ends up in a shelter next to whatever school, they can get, if
they live in the community, they can continue at the school they've been going
to, so that doesn't necessarily impact.
Elliott: No, but I'm talking about we have rejected plans for assisted housing in areas
that we deemed already overcrowded, and I think we did the right decision.
Bailey: The majority of the Council has rejected.
Correia: The majority, yeah.
Elliott: We, we are all.
Bailey: I just want to be clear that not all of us agree with that, that's all.
Vanderhoef: What we have done is, we've looked at them as individual cases, so we recently
approved, HCDC brought us one and said, would you accept a house or a grant
to, I think it was the Housing Fellowship. But the reason the censuS tract was off-
kilter was because of the high senior population in the homes out by Scott
Boulevard, so it left an impression that it was low-income and so forth, but when
we looked at where the population and the age of the population, it had nothing
to do with the school.
Correia: Right, because, and I also think that, that, some assisted, affordable home
ownership was included in some of these numbers, and many of the families that
are in those homes do not qualify for free and reduced lunch, so we have.
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meeting of May 15, 2006.
May 15, 2006
Champion:
Correia:
Champion:
Correia:
Champion:
Correia:
Champion:
Correia:
Champion:
Correia:
Champion:
Correia:
Champion:
Bailey:
Correia:
Bailey:
City Council Work Session
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So they wouldn't be listed.
No, that, those, those were units that were listed as assisted that were included in
the data to say so many assisted units in a census block, which includes those
units which aren't really what we're.
I think, Amy, the thing that we were looking at, I mean what I was looking at,
when I first talked about this, was the amount of kids in individual elementary
schools on free and reduced lunch. So those people that you're talking about
would not be included in that number, because they don't qualify for free and
reduced lunch.
No but, there was no linking, the school didn't tell us, of the kids on free and
reduced lunch, so many lived in assisted units in that census block.
Oh no, we don't have that.
Right.
We don't have that at all.
Right. And I would say there's way more kids on free and reduced lunch than
there are assisted units, and part of the issue that contributes to their family
struggling and not able to get stable housing is, their stabilize their family in the
neighborhood and the schools is because there isn't assisted housing or
affordable housing. And when I've talked to teachers at Grant Wood, a bigger
issue for them is they have so many kids coming in and out during the year, that
start
Exactly.
But that has nothing to do with that the kids are on free and reduced lunch, it's
that they're not stable in housing, and so they have to move in and out.
Well, I would venture to say with Mark Twain and Grant Wood that's very true.
The transition of students is unbelievable. I know that Mark Twain has a 50%
turnover every single year - now that's pretty horrible.
Right, I think that's because
And I think that's because of mobility in and out ofIowa City.
That's because of affordability.
No, I don't necessarily, I think that has to do with affordability.
I think that they're looking for affordability. Housing stability is often linked to
housing affordability.
This represents only a reasonable accurate transcription ofthe Iowa City City Council
meeting of May 15, 2006.
May 15, 2006
Correia:
Bailey:
Correia:
Bailey:
Elliott:
Bailey:
Elliott:
Bailey:
Correia:
Elliott:
Bailey:
Elliott:
City Council Work Session
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And I think educational ability or performance is based on stability. If you have a
kid that's in a school long term and they, you know, on with the kids and the
teacher, that they're going to.
So that might suggest that not, or in those districts that have a lot of transition,
that increased affordable housing in those districts might improve housing
stability and therefore enrollment.
Education.
Yeah, educational stability.
Tell me what you mean by affordable housing thought. See, to me, when you mix
up affordable housing and rental assistance, you're really clouding the issue,
because we were talking about families having rental assistance and then you've
branched to affordable housing, which to me is all together different.
I'm not clouding the issue to me, I'm (can't hear) If families don't have to
constantly seek a different place to live because they no longer can afford where
they are living, for whatever reason, whether it's rental, or the mortgage goes up,
or whatever it is, that causes a lot of housing instability, people moving around.
And you can have the argument that in these districts where children's
performance seems to be lower than in other elementary schools in town, if there
was greater housing stability, that is to say if people could afford to continue to
live there throughout the school year, that there might be better performance in
the school.
They can, but they don't. That's where there's a (can't hear)
What do you mean they can but they don't?
Bob, they don't because
There's an inordinate number of rentals that are receiving assistance, and the
people receiving that assistance are coming in and out with great regularity. And
so.
And why would you suggest that they're coming in and out with great, I would
suggest that that's part of afford ability, the housing, the family structure changes,
somebody loses ajob, somebody moves out, there's a divorce, something like
that. Why would you suggest that they're moving in and out of those districts?
Because they come here, they, and I hate to use that because it looks like you're
grouping people, and I, but there are an enormous number of people who come
here and have, and we do the right thing, I think, we provide a great deal of
financial assistance to people who need it, to have rental housing. A lot of that is
in school districts and the people, many of them, the teachers can tell you this,
they aren't there on Fridays and Mondays because the family is going back to
Chicago. They have rental assistance and they bring in people who stay for
awhile and different people come in and out.
This represents only a reasonable accurate transcription ofthe Iowa City City Council
meeting of May 15, 2006.
May 15, 2006
Bailey:
Elliott:
Bailey:
Correia:
Elliott:
Correia:
Bailey:
Elliott:
Bailey:
Elliott:
Bailey:
Elliott:
Bailey:
Elliott:
Bailey:
Elliott:
Bailey:
O'Donnell:
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And so why would the kids be moving in and out of schools? I'm not tracking
with you, I'm sorry. I'm probably just losing focus.
People are coming here from places where they're unable to find housing, rental
housing, mainly, that they can afford. They're coming here because we can assist
them financially.
So once they
Bob, can Ijust interrupt for a second? People are coming here because we have,
because they want to make a better life for themselves and their kids and we
You bet.
We have good education, we have jobs, and while I think there maybe a certain
percentage of families with the characteristics that you're talking about, that
certainly cannot be broadly assumed to be the experience of all of the kids on
rental assistance in these neighborhoods.
What I'm not following is if there was affordable housing, why would I take my
two kids and move away, ifI could continue to afford the housing throughout the
year? I'm assuming that they're moving because something changes in their
financial situation and they can no longer afford to live in that district.
All I can tell you is I've talked to the people that are on the front lines of this, and
that's teachers and administrators, and that's what they say is happening.
What do they say is happening? You know, I didn't get that.
People are coming from places where they don't have a chance.
Right, but once they find affordable housing, why wouldn't they keep it here?
And ifthey come here they can get assistance for rent.
Right, right.
They come here first of all, some of them, many of them are coming, probably
most of them, in a very serious attempt for a better life for themselves, for their
children.
So they get rental assistance.
Some are coming for other reasons.
In the Mark Twain district they get rental assistance and they get, in the Mark
Twain district. Now tell me why they move, they leave.
I don't think that's a point we're taking. Bob's just relaying (can't hear)
This represents only a reasonable accurate transcription ofthe Iowa City City Council
meeting of May 15, 2006.
May 15, 2006
Bailey:
Elliott:
Bailey:
Elliott:
Champion:
Bailey:
Champion:
Bailey:
Champion:
Elliott:
O'Donnell:
Champion:
O'Donnell:
Wilburn:
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No, but I'm not understanding why there's lack of housing stability.
Talk to the teachers and administrators and they'll tell you that many of them are
routinely not here on Friday, not here on Monday, because they go back to
Chicago.
But that's not what Connie said.
I don't know.
(can't hear)
She was talking about moving in and out of schools
Exactly.
throughout the year, not missing a lot of
And they don't, they come here for a better life. What they really come here for
is jobs. Because they get advertisements in big city newspapers for, I don't blame
them for coming here, I'd come here too. But they come here for jobs. And my
favorite story about that is when Coral Ridge Mall advertised within a 500 mile
area, and the casino is doing the same thing too, people come for a job, and
everybody gets it, they come here for the resources when they get here. And they
come here, and they should, we have to help them find a place to live, and
usually the ones that are leaving is the ones who want to go back to their families
where they came from because they didn't get the job. But the number of
population at Shelter House doubled when the Coral Ridge Mall advertised for
jobs, and we're going to have the same problem when this casino does the same
thing. And so, people come here for jobs. They don't come here for a better
opportunity. I mean, they come here for a better opportunity - they come for
jobs. It's a misconception that they're coming here for social services.
Well.
I think that's part of it. I think the educational system is second to none here. I
think many people for that, and I think (can't hear) is a huge point.
It is.
Well, that includes a better job, includes school.
I looked at the Crisis Center and the feedback program - they survey every year
when they do, once a year. Both how long folks have been here and what brought
them to the area. And, these are rough figures: roughly 55% of the 45 to 4700
households that came to the food bank last year, roughly 50 - 55% had been in
Johnson County for longer than 3 years. So it's a combination of folks coming
from outside and your neighbor.
This represents only a reasonable accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council
meeting of May 15, 2006.
May 15, 2006
Champion:
Wilburn:
Bailey:
Champion:
Bailey:
Correia:
O'Donnell:
Correia:
Bailey:
Champion:
Bailey:
Champion:
Bailey:
Champion:
Wilburn:
Correia:
Elliott:
City Council Work Session
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That's a good thing to know.
And the reason that they came here was job, education or health care. That was
the majority of reasons for all of those, just to know.
So the question that I want to go back to, not to confuse the point, is this housing
stability within districts - that, one, a scattered site approach may benefit the
schools, but it also seems if housing stability is linked to a school performance,
that housing stability is something we should aim for.
You know, I think there's, I can't argue with you. You've got to be absolutely
right. The problem is, educationally, that we can have housing stability mixed
throughout the City and not congregate it in an area. Where we've, you know,
you know what I'm saying? Housing stability doesn't have to be in the Mark
Twain school district. Housing stability can be
But if we're seeing a higher level of instability in a particular area, shouldn't we
have an objective to have greater housing stability? I mean, maybe I'm missing a
point.
Yeah. And I do think that another issue is
(can't hear)
Yeah, I think that's an important point, because housing stability can be greater
indicator or help towards education attainment than looking at whether someone
is on free or reduced lunch. It's not necessarily so much
So, I mean, to flip
No, you're right.
To flip some of the question on its head, if these schools are struggling, we
should also at the same time be looking at housing stability within that
elementary district.
Housing stability should be available throughout the whole community. That's
my whole point.
Right. But it's apparently not in these districts.
And it's not anywhere else, either.
I think we're getting at a fundamental question.
Yeah.
Data.
This represents only a reasonable accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council
meeting of May 15, 2006.
May 15, 2006
Wilburn:
Correia:
Champion:
Correia:
Wilburn:
Correia:
Bailey:
Correia:
Champion:
Correia:
Champion:
Elliott:
Bailey:
Champion:
City Council Work Session
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Back when we, just appointed this committee to look at, I think that was part of,
what I was struggling with was, if you're going to do it, do you do it everywhere,
and what's the purpose, what's your motivation, what is the benefit of making it
available across the community as opposed to areas where.
Well, can Ijust say
Because it's been proved education-wise, that kids do better - kids from low-
income and high-income all do better when they're mixed. It's a proven
educational statistic. (can't hear)
Yeah, and
I'm not arguing with that. I just think there was different people's motivation.
I think there's a couple issues
We can't impact that part because we can not determine school districts for
housing.
Right, because I think there's an issue in terms of if we're looking at census
tracts, in that in some census tracts there's really no ability to build anything new.
Yeah.
So it would be, because the census tract is built. So it becomes either purchasing
and converting and whatever that might be. And then you have to look at other
census tracts where it's growing, and that's where there is development is
occurring, and so would you categorically want to say, in a certain census tract,
you're not going to consider some type of development without first weighing
the, on its merits. Would this benefit this census tract, this neighborhood.
What I'm hoping is, is this is, I see this little dream here, ok? Just what I see as
going
Dream a little dream.
Is this your "I have a dream" speech?
I grew up in a mixed neighborhood. I live in a mixed neighborhood. I'm an
idealist about tbat - I think it's fantastic, ok? I'm very much interested in
education for children. It's the only way to get people out of poverty is to get
them educated. And we are, because we're not educating a lot of poor people,
we've enslaved them economically and they're never going to get out of it.
Because I know kids do better in mixed economic groups, my dream would be
that, when we get done with this by this fall we have homebuilders here, we have
everybody here who will give us some ideas on how we can do this scattered site.
I know they're willing to help us. I've been told the Homebuilders' Association
is going to help us with this problem. So, I would see, not a year, maybe 10 years
down the line, maybe 15, because I think when you look at cities you have to
This represents only a reasonable accurate transcription ofthe Iowa City City Council
meeting of May 15, 2006.
-----_..-~----~,._--_._..__.__._,_.~-_.._--'_._-_._._--..--------"
May 15, 2006
Correia:
Champion:
Correia:
Champion:
Correia:
(laughter)
Champion:
Bailey:
Elliott:
Bailey:
Elliott:
Champion:
Bailey:
City Council Work Session
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look at long term, that we really have to get housing throughout all of our
community. And that once you have stability in housing, I totally agree we'll
have stability for where you are living and those kids then go on to the same
school, teachers know them, they know their problems, they know how to deal
with them, they get the help they want, they're not always going to a different
school where everything has to start from scratch. So my dream, and I don't
know how we got away from this, this is the old way how cities were developed.
When Iowa City was developed it was all mixed housing. In the town I grew up
there was all mixed housing. Most small towns are mixed housing and people do
better in those situations. When we got to zoning, where we have places that only
have $500,000.00 houses and other ones where we only have rental assisted
apartment - I don't know how cities got to that point. But it hasn't worked
anywhere - Chicago, St. Louis, Kansas City - and it's not working here.
Right. Well, I think the one difference between when you were growing up and
now is there's a lot more economic inequality and disparity between
There always has been the poor.
There always have, but there hasn't been such the disparity between that.
Oh, what about the Egyptian times, come on!
I'm talking about the United States.
I mean, come on, this is nothing new.
Yeah, we could quote the Bible here.
Well, I think Karin has pointed out, not so subtly, that the staff has some data that
may be beneficial to us and perhaps there are times when we should hit a point
like this and I think that's what you're getting at Ross, is that we've given them
plenty of more, 1/2 hour more talk than they need to provide us with data that
could answer some of these questions. Because Regenia and I were talking about
many this and many that and what do we think and what do the teachers say, and
hopefully there's some data that will provide some information there.
But. No. What I was suggesting is the original question - that there's a couple
different ways to look at housing stability. One is to not put any more assisted
affordable in particular census tracts, and another is to look at what we have there
and see if we can get to stability. So, there are many ways to frame this question.
And I'm assuming that would be helpful.
If we could find out why people are leaving.
Yes.
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May 15, 2006
City Council Work Session
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Champion: That would be a very valuable thing to know. 1 agree with you. 1 don't know how
you find that out.
Bailey: 1 don't know, and 1 don't know if the school has that information or if that was
something that was discussed. I don't remember reading that discussion in the
minutes of the taskforce.
Correia: And I, well I think that is, that is one area, of enlisting the school district in this
conversation and I think with some of their resources and services with Family
Resource Centers, for example, that they are getting a handle on, of when people
move in, why, and that might be something that we can start
Bailey: And there might not be trends, I mean, it might just
Wilburn: Can you talk to Lane to find out, Steve?
Champion: (can't hear) information.
Bailey: I think that would be really helpful, because ifthere's something that we can do
that would help address that.
Atkins: Could you frame the question for me?
Bailey: Why
Wilburn: Do they, does the school district collect any data on why people leave the district
or why they move here?
Bailey: Mid-year.
Champion: It might be the specific school.
Wilburn: Do they
Bailey: The moving in and out of schools is, I guess.
Champion: I'm not sure they're moving in and out of schools
Bailey: In the district?
Champion: Right
Vanderhoef: Leaving the district
(all talk - can't hear)
Vanderhoef: Are they leaving the district
Champion: Or are they leaving (can't hear)
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May 15, 2006
City Council Work Session
Page 33
Vanderhoef: Or are they moving to a different school that might earmark a housing.
Bailey: During the school year, I don't have any concern of any
Correia: You can probably capture it the other way, because when people leave, you
might not have the chance to talk to them.
Bailey: Oh, that's true.
Correia: But when somebody comes in the middle of the year you can talk to them and
say where were you before and why are you here now. Find out Steve, ok.
O'Donnell: Look, it would be nice if we could figure out if they're leaving or are they
transferring to another school. That would be good.
Correia: Yeah, if they can.
O'Donnell: That would be interesting for us to have.
Elliott: Ross, I've got to go to the bathroom.
(laughter)
Bailey:
Wilburn:
Bailey:
O'Donnell:
Champion:
Bailey:
O'Donnell:
Wilburn:
(laughter)
Champion:
Wilburn:
Break time.
Hold on a second before you walk off. 6:30, 7:30, 8:00 is an hour and a half
discussion.
I would suggest that we add a bit more time to this.
I don't think so tonight.
Oh I think we should.
I think we should.
I can't stay past 8:00. I had planned for an hour and a half.
Again, my hope is as we move through this was that we would take, and I'm not
talking about tonight, but that we would take the nurnber of discussions that we
needed to get through them. It's been a very rich discussion so far this evening.
Especially on this last particular issue. We've got Connie taking us back to
Egyptian times.
That was Amy's fault.
Oh, there you go. How many of you would like to allocate a little more time
tonight?
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May 15,2006
City Council Work Session
Page 34
Champion: I would.
Bailey: I would.
Vanderhoef: I would.
O'Donnell: I can not do it tonight.
Wilburn: Ok. All right. Why don't we, let's take 10 minutes and then we'll get out of here
at 8:30.
Bailey: That's optimistic.
Wilburn: We're getting out of here at 8:30.
Bailey: I've got work to do.
Wilburn: Way to crack the whip, Ross.
(Break - O'Donnell left meeting)
Champion:
Wilburn:
Correia:
Wilburn:
Atkins:
Wilburn:
Atkins:
Champion:
Wilburn:
Correia:
Oh, we're two minutes late!
#6.
So did we decide anything to #5?
I think we're going to temporarily leave #5, because.
#5 was too hard.
That was too hard. The City should. Steve, you're going to get some information
that we asked on #5?
Yes, yeah. I think we understand what you want, so we'll get together. Yes we
will.
If anybody can.
#6. The City should commit resources to encourage future assisted housing to be
placed in underrepresented census block groups identified by the fair share
matrix provided with these recommendations. This means committing additional
funding (i.e. beyond current expenditures and beyond the CDBG/HOME funding
stream from HUD) to providers of assisted housing to offset the increased cost of
developing housing in such areas. Does anybody need anything explained from
that one, and, or just reactions to it?
Well, I support it.
This represents only a reasonable accurate transcription ofthe Iowa City City Council
meeting of May 15, 2006.
May 15, 2006
Champion:
Correia:
(can't hear)
Correia:
Bailey:
Champion:
Atkins:
Correia:
Elliott:
Atkins:
Correia:
Bailey:
Elliott:
Atkins:
Champion:
Atkins:
City Council Work Session
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Why would there be increased costs in developing a house in census blocks that
aren't represented?
1 think certain, certain areas of the City have higher land costs. I think it's mainly
due to the cost of the land, but I could be wrong.
Say it again? And covenant restrictions.
And covenant restrictions.
Well, I think we should get rid of all of them.
Whether it's covenant restrictions, and you have to consider topography. One of
the reasons of the popularity of the southeast part of town is the flatness. It's just
easier.
Easier to develop, so it's less expensive to develop.
As an illustration, one of the discussions we had this year of the City putting up,
was it City or Habitat? It was on a location where the topography required greater
expense for the foundation work.
No.
Longfellow.
Longfellow. That duplex.
Was that it? Yeah, you're right, the cost and the topography. I don't know where
we're going to come up with additional funding.
When it says committing additional funding, I would one, caution you on
anything for the general fund, but I would advise you that our general debt
position is very healthy, I mean, which would allow borrowing, if you were
going to capitalize a project. But operational money, I just don't think they're
there without hindering your budget deliberation, but capitalizing you could do.
If, right, you could capitalize. The other thing I also think we can look at is back
to the zoning, providing land. Is that when we meet with developers and all these
people, who probably have better ideas than we have, is that we could do some
inclusionary zoning and. We could do it like we did on the east side of town and
like we've done in a lot of new developments, where we've allowed apartments
and things like that on the outside of the development and along arterials. I mean,
we did a really good job of mixing our housing a little bit, that way, by allowing
our, whatever that single-family unit is, the zone code.
You're doing fine.
This represents only a reasonable accurate transcription ofthe Iowa City City Council
meeting of May 15, 2006.
May 15, 2006
Champion:
Elliott:
Correia:
Elliott:
Correia:
Champion:
Bailey:
City Council Work Session
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Ok. To allow multiple housing along the edges or it could be in the middle of the
development. You could do like the Peninsula did, with some affordable 'assisted
housing in the middle. These are the kinds of things that I think the
Homebuilder's Association can help us decide if it's feasible, and some good
ways to do that. So, if we could provide all future development some type of
affordable housing, and one of the best things that is happening to us in terms of
affordable housing right now, not assisted housing, because that's what we're
going to have to have inclusionary zoning for, is, there's a huge glut of expensive
houses in town, and maybe we finally have reached the point where the buyers
aren't there, and they're going to have to build something other than $500,
000.00 houses. And they are, I know they are, but we do have a huge amount of
very expensive houses on the market right now, and so that may be a real benefit
to our affordable housing needs and our new zoning, which is going to allow
smaller lots. So we can have more affordable housing. Because people have to
pay to build what they can sell. And if really expensive homes aren't selling, then
maybe we'll get some, you know, new developments for affordable housing,
which we can allow through inclusionary zoning, along the outskirts. I think
that's worked very well. Even the neighborhoods that complained about that
zoning on the east side of town, the ones I can think of, aren't complaining now
that it's up. Because it doesn't really detract from their neighborhood and it
provides (can't hear)
I agree with you
Well, I
Excuse me, go ahead.
Well, I was just going to, I think there are other ways some communities have
been creative with funding, funding partnerships with Housing Trust Funds, in
terms of dedicating certain percentage of revenue from TIFs, and other ways to
sort of increase investment and utilizing those non-profit partners like we utilize
with our economic development with ICAD or our tourism with the CDB. I think
there might be ways of exploring how we can.
Well, I'm certainly willing to talk about it.
Well and this makes an assumption, or we seem to be making an assumption here
that we're talking about building. And one of the things, and if this is too far
afield, I'll just save it for another time, one of the things that we could also
consider is extreme lead abatement in our current housing stock. In our
neighborhood we have quite a few houses for sale. Some of these are rentals that
may continue to be rentals. Some of these are single family homes that have been
turned into rentals and could be recaptured for single family market. And we
have a fairly mixed, on the Northside I think it's a fairly mixed neighborhood,
and that might be a good location to put some affordable, assisted, and I think we
should look at current housing stock and look at what we could do to also make
that usable in this way. And lead abatement would, I think, be the first concern of
older housing stock.
This represents only a reasonable accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council
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May 15, 2006
Elliott:
Bailey:
Elliott:
Atkins:
Bailey:
Atkins:
Bailey:
Elliott:
Atkins:
Champion:
Atkins:
Champion:
Correia:
Bailey:
Correia:
Elliott:
Bailey:
Correia:
City Council Work Session
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You're using more safety now. Earlier you were going to jump off a cliff, now
you're just going far afield.
I'm already off the cliff - I landed.
I agree with that and, kind of, we're on the periphery of what this is all about, but
Connie especially mentioned some things about location, and I think that when
you come to rental assistance and affordable housing, transportation has to be an
integral part of those decisions, and, for instance, I get concerned when we put
assisted living and affordable housing in places like the Peninsula, where
therefore then the City is kind of de facto saying we have to run City buses out
there. So we already need City buses elsewhere, now we have to run them to the
Peninsula, and I think we need to be careful when we come to locations.
And I also remember the extent of the type of the housing, I expect Peninsula
folks are going to be eligible for SEATS anyway, Bob.
Some of them.
They'll probably get covered, able to get around.
Hope so.
Hope so.
You picked the type of housing, and that case was all seniors and handicapped
folks.
It's possible for the City to have a land bank, and
You don't want a (can't hear) I know you are. Habitat is.
You see, if the City bought land, or we owned some land, not the cute little bus
station - if we owned some land, we could do, we could sell it to a developer to
create an affordable or a low-income house and we could keep ownership of the
land, and when that house is sold we could be paid back.
A land trust, yeah, I think it's also similar with land banking, I mean I think that
ties in with making land available. There's a lot of different ways we could do
that.
Well, so there are a lot of different approaches that we can
Yeah.
They buy the home but not the land.
Right.
In a community with a community land trust, yeah.
This represents only a reasonable accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council
meeting of May 15, 2006.
May 15, 2006
Atkins:
Elliott:
Champion:
Elliott:
Champion:
Atkins:
Bailey:
Champion:
Correia:
Atkins:
Correia:
Bailey:
Correia:
Atkins:
Correia:
Bailey:
Correia:
Wilburn:
Bailey:
Correia:
City Council Work Session
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And I assume you also want to make sure you fold it in, using Habitat, I mean
Fellowship - all those folks that are involved in this.
Oh yeah.
Oh yeah.
They have almost an equal role sitting here at the table.
But they have to have the money to buy the land.
Yeah.
Or to do the lead abatement, or to do the, whatever they see as the market,
because they're the ones.
Because they can do more of housing if they get more land.
Seems like there are many different ways we could commit resources. We could
capitalize, use our, we've done that before, currently working on that, so that's
something we could continue to do or step up.
We do rehab, for example, targeted areas, but we can do that.
Yeah, rehab, expand that
We could expand that or do different initiatives - we're specifically looking for
impact in this area.
Right.
On a limited basis, she can also borrow from the utility.
Well I'mjust sort of trying to recap sort of, this is what I'm hearing
So we can go to #7.
Well, I don't know, I just, there are ways to commit resources either through
capitalizing, using our leveraging ability to loan out lower interest rates to non-
profit developers, we could identifY non-general fund ways of dedicating revenue
to non-profit partners to leverage others, similar to ways we do in other.
I was just going to say that I too would support looking for resources that it'll be
just trying to determine what mix is going to, you know, that's a budget time
question.
Well, I'm really interested in exploring our, looking at possibilities.
Yeah.
This represents only a reasonable accurate transcription ofthe Iowa City City Council
meeting of May 15, 2006.
May 15, 2006
Atkins:
Elliott:
Franklin:
Atkins:
Wilburn:
Atkins:
Wilburn:
Franklin:
Atkins:
Franklin:
Atkins:
Franklin:
Bailey:
Correia:
Franklin:
Atkins:
Wilburn:
Correia:
Wilburn:
Correia:
City Council Work Session
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I just, before we leave this point, a quick question for Karin and Eleanor
simultaneously is that we have to be cautious it's not an exaction.
Pardon me?
What?
That you take money for development purposes.
You've got to talk to, Karin, you've got to come up here.
The microphone.
Sorry, Karin.
I didn't hear you saying that you're talking about taking money from developers.
I'm thinking like TIFs - that was mentioned.
No, TIF you could.
You think we can do that.
mmm hmm.
Some communities use that.
Dallas, Dallas County, yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
#7. If the City commits sufficient resources to scatter assisted housing without
causing a reduction in current rates of supply, it should not support additional
assisted housing census block groups identified as significantly overrepresented.
Ifwe commit resources to scattered housing and it doesn't effect supply, then
don't support more assisted housing in census blocks that are overrepresented.
I think that.
That gets back to what you were saying earlier.
I think there's an issue with that in terms of if some of the issues are related to
burdening schools, if there's an assisted unit that wants to go into census block
that we've determined is overrepresented by this and it's for elderly housing,
does that mean we can't do that? And if we do that in that situation but not allow
housing for families that have children, is that?
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May 15, 2006
City Council Work Session
Page 40
Elliott: I think you have to use some common sense on things like this that you are
talking about. There are different kinds of housing for people, whether that it's
based for elderly or whether it is family oriented, that sort of thing. I think that
putting ecumenical housing or, what is it, capital housing, in a school district
where there seems to be an inordinate amount of transitional students would not
seem to be .any hazard.
Correia: That's what I'm saying. If we #7, then that would say we can't do that.
Bailey: Well, and I have to go back to what I was saying earlier.
Vanderhoef: We've got covenant kinds of housing and non-covenant kinds of housing. The
senior housing tends to be covenant to the building, to those units.
(cut off, end of tape)
Vanderhoef: You're talking about children otherwise, but still, a case by case.
Correia: So then we wouldn't have
Vanderhoef: By census tracts.
Wilburn: Eleanor, what were you going to add?
Dilkes: I don't think there's anything preventing you legally from having a matrix that
excludes the elderly housing, if your focus is on, you know, family housing,
schooling, things like that.
Correia: So do these numbers of numbers of assisted units in any census block include
elderly housing?
Dilkes: Yes.
Elliott: I would think so.
Correia: So do we have to take that out if we're really going to be determining whether
something is?
Champion: Also Amy, was it a housing fellowship that came to us, going to build a house in
Mark Twain district, about a year and a half ago or two?
Bailey: Yes, and the majority voted.
Champion: No, we voted they could do it, because it was a home ownership program, which
is, I think.
Bailey: Was it Habitat?
Atkins: I think it was through Habitat.
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Champion: Oh, am I thinking Habitat? I can't remember.
Elliott: I think that was not too long ago, Connie.
Champion: It wasn't that long ago, but that was going into one of those census blocks, but it
was, what you call, stability housing.
Bailey: Housing stability. And that's, and that's what I have to go back to. I can't agree
with doing this if, ifby putting additional assisted housing in a census block
previously identified as over-represented provides housing stability for students
in that school district, then I'm not sure that this, that works.
Vanderhoef: That matrix.
Correia: Right.
Sailey: So the means won't meet our ends, so I can't agree with this statement.
Correia: The means, right, 'cause if these numbers include both elderly and disabled,
which would sometimes include children, so I'm going to say elderly and home-
ownership assisted units that we're saying is, you know, provides housing
stability, than maybe these numbers don't really act adequately. If those were out
of here, what would that percent be?
Bailey: Then I think we have to decide our objective, and if we're meeting our objective
by putting additional assisted housing in those census blocks, then set this aside.
Elliott: To me there's a possibility that the opening phrase is one that is, something that
it's a premise I'm not willing to agree with. I think it determines what they mean
by the current rates of supply. Does that mean the current number of entities
available, or over the past 10 years the current additional number of such
facilities that are built? Because I cannot believe that if we have a scattered site
agreement, I think that's going to reduce the number of units that are available.
Champion: No, it's going to increase it, because it's not going to reduce the ones that are
already there.
Elliott: No - the number of additional units. Ifwe've been adding say, lOa year or so, I
think that number will probably be decreasing, because that has taken place on
the premise that much of the property is in a lower property value area, and we're
saying that quite a bit of it is lower property value because there have been so
many units in there and if you go to higher property values, you're going to have
fewer economically feasible situations where you can provide that assisted rental
assistance housing.
Champion: We don't know that for sure.
Elliott: We don't know it, but I think it's a premise that is, at the very least, questionable.
Bailey: I'm not sure I understood you.
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meeting of May 15, 2006.
May 15, 2006
Elliott:
Correia:
Champion:
Elliott:
Champion:
Elliott:
Bailey:
Elliott:
Bailey:
Correia:
Bailey:
Elliott:
Correia:
Champion:
Wilburn:
Champion:
Wilburn:
Champion:
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No it says if the City commits sufficient without causing a reduction in current
rates of supply. I think there's a strong possibility that if we have a strong
scattered site, and this isn't against it or for it, I'm just saying it seems to me a
fact, that it is going to be de facto decrease the increasing number of such units
that are available.
Which is why they said
It could actually increase them, if it became part of a zoning plan, it could
actually increase it.
That could be, but I think it's a premise that is at the very least questionable.
We don't know.
That's what I'm saying - it's at the very least questionable.
He questions the premise. Let's leave it at that.
She's making fun of me.
I am not.
Well, I guess I'm not willing to say that we should not support additional housing
units in census blocks, sort of categorically without having context of.
I'm not either.
I think every situation should be addressed individually, just as we said yes
when it was owner occupied, yes when it's elderly housing, no if it's going to be
a 12-plex for families.
Well, but we might say yes in some situations.
We could say generally. I want to say generally, I'm not, I don't have support for
additional assisted housing in those census blocks, but I'm willing to reconsider
in certain situations - I can be happy with that.
Stalemate. My reaction to it is I fear if the City is not going to work to, whether
it's either enable or at least approve housing in other parts of the community, if
you're not going to allot somewhere, you should allow it somewhere.
(can't hear) allot it somewhere.
But, well, if that happens then that's great, but depending on the Council, may
not.
Ifwe can't get something going like a scattered site idea, then you're going to
have to rethink it all anyway.
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Wilburn: Well, all I'm saying is that you know, however long it may take to, by whatever
mechanism, whether that's scattered site you know or whether that's inclusionary
zoning or whatever policy might come up, there may be a different set of seven
sitting here by the time that comes to fruition.
Champion: (can't hear) probably going to be a whole different set of seven.
Bailey: Probably be a nine member Council by that point.
Champion: I love #8 - it's going to be easy.
Wilburn: That's what we thought about #7. #8: The City should encourage affordable
housing within the private market. This may involve changes in zoning and code
regulations; permitting smaller lot sizes, row housing, and the like; and exploring
creative approaches to housing and development policy.
Vanderhoef: I think that was addressed in the zoning code.
Wilburn: That's what we tried to do.
Bailey: Can I ask a question?
Correia: We did it.
Elliott: You just did.
Wilburn: I wasn't going to go there, but go ahead.
Bailey: Oh please. (can't hear) Do we have a sense of - once again, I'm going to ask an
inventory question - but do we have a sense of the number of houses that we
have in certain cost ranges in the community now and what's currently being
built? I mean, do we have a sense of status quo and benchmark?
Champion: A lot of that was in that (can't hear)
Vanderhoef: I think it comes out more in the report that we got from the realtors.
Bailey: Ok.
Elliott: Do you mean total houses in the community, or only those houses that are
involved with
Bailey: No, no I would mean total quote affordable that would be in relationship to what
we would consider in the cost range.
Vanderhoef: Well, the report that you get from the real estate, we get a median kind of price
and then they do, fairly often, a check with the market of how many are for sale
and that's where we've noticed
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Bailey: Right, so we have an idea of what the median cost of a house is in Iowa City
which we've already seen, but do we have a sense of how many houses we have
at
Elliott: How many.
Vanderhoef: We have a sense of how many are available for sale.
Bailey: Houses on the market.
Atkins: Weill would think we just run the MLS, we were thinking (can't hear)
Bailey: So we have a sense with this, that it's a different housing market this year, but do
we have a
Vanderhoef: Well, they can run that or give you an idea of how many were sold under
$100,000.00, how many were sold in the $125,00.00 to $100,000.00 and so forth.
Bailey: Right.
Correia: Can't we get information from the assessor on?
Champion: Sure.
Atkins: I think we want to measure the activity.
Correia: Oh, you're talking about activity or are you just talking about
Bailey: Well, because some
(all talk - can't hear)
Vanderhoef: Some of them don't go on the market forever.
Correia: Our house was affordable.
Wilburn: Just going to go back to what Connie just said, I think the zoning code was, that
was our hope or attempt to get that to happen.
Atkins: Did you want some MLS stuff?
Elliott: Is that what you're getting at, Regenia? Just how many, do we have?
Bailey: Well, what's the scope of availability, and what's the scope of the quote the
problem, and maybe I'm not asking the right question. I know what median is,
it's.
Vanderhoef: The scope of the problem as I sort offollowed it over the years is there are very
few houses that come on the market at $100,000.00 or less.
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Champion: Oh, very, very few.
Vanderhoef: And now it's more like under $]25,000.00.
Correia: Barns.
Vanderhoef: There are very few of those that turn over - they are already in housing programs
or they are people that are there to stay for the duration.
Champion: And houses that are in the $]25,000.00 to $ ]50,00.00 to $ ] 75,00.00, they stay
in the market about two days, usually.
Vanderhoef: Turnover is rapid.
Bai]ey: Ok, so maybe that's (can't hear) median income price.
Vanderhoef: One of the things I'd like to look at even more, in that we've done it a time or
two, only with the affordable dreamhouse, but as developers bring us projects
and we know they're going to be building you know, whether it's 40 units or in
their total big picture they're going to be doing maybe 150 units over 2 or 3
years, is seeing how we might purchase up front and then make these homes
available for sale through the affordable dreamhouse kind of program. I think
that.
Correia: I think some communities have done that - I think Cedar Rapids did that for
awhile.
Vanderhoef: Well, we've done several here,
Correia: I mean buying, and
Vanderhoef: And then we can sort of target those prices, and if they're being built at that
point, the amenities within the unit, the square footage may be there, but the
amenity inside the unit may be slightly different than some of the other units -
whatever, to keep the affordability price in there. So that program I have been
very pleased with.
Champion: That's a good idea, that's a really good idea.
Vanderhoef: And that's how we can enroll some of our developers, number one. And number
two, make sure that there just built like everybody else's in the neighborhood
and, unless the people who buy them choose to say they were assisted in one way
or another, they remain anonymous. But we can put an affordabi]ity resale on
them like we have done and don't allow windfalls and that kind of stuff. Prorate
out. And that's a program I would, and whether it's for land bank or what it is,
how, what different ways we might work on that, but working on it in the front
end is where I'd like to go.
Wilburn: So those are some other ideas beyond the zoning code to encourage affordable
housing. #9?
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May 15, 2006
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Correia: It's 8:30.
Wilburn: Urn. In can recap, there seems to be interest, energy in #3 for some type of
educational campaign if we could come to an agreement about where we'd be
heading with that. There seemed to be interest in #6, committing resources to do
that. And there were some other ideas that just came out about #8 in terms of
encouraging affordable housing. The other items we were looking for more
information on, based on the absoluteness of the statement. People may not be
willing to commit towards pursuing that. Unless I missed agreement upon any of
the other areas, is that pretty fair we're willing to.
Champion: I though we had some agreement on #6.
Wilburn: Committing resources, yeah, #3 and #6.
Elliott: Are you talking about committing financial resources?
Correia: #6, yeah.
Wilburn: Resources.
Bailey: We talked, we agreed resources.
Elliott: Yeah, financial resources.
Champion: Some of them were financial.
Atkins: Yeah.
Elliott: I just, I would be very hesitant about additional financial resources. We have
significant concerns about public safety and committing financial resources for
other things.
Champion: We're talking about different money.
Correia: Different money, not.
Bailey: Talking about debt (can't hear)
Elliott: It's money, it's taxpayers' money, and, as a matter of fact, when you're talking
about that money, you're talking about increased money because you have to pay
interest on it. So, we're talking about more expensive taxpayers' money.
Wilburn: Ok.
Vanderhoef: Yes, certainly.
This represents only a reasonable accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council
meeting of May 15, 2006.
May 15, 2006
Correia:
Elliott:
Bailey:
Correia:
Wilburn:
Bailey:
Wilburn:
Atkins:
Bailey:
Atkins:
Elliott:
Wilburn:
Elliott:
Correia:
Wilburn:
Elliott:
City Council Work Session
Page 47
I just want to clear something up with that. When we're talking about capitalizing
and providing low-interest loans, the City is not going to eat that money. It will
go to a developer who then will pay that back and that interest back.
Loans? I would be
Yeah, that's what I wrote down, was capital (can't hear)
Yeah, we're not, that's not going to the taxpayer
And that goes back to what Connie said, we had talked about resources.
That's where the agreement kind of went away, the modifier of resources.
Otherwise, I guess the next work session we can pick up.
The 23'" will be full.
That's right before the meeting.
We'll only have a couple hours.
Ross?
Yeah?
One thing - I would just ask of the people that are here, this is not being
broadcast, so the people that are here, I hope the Council would be interested, but
if the Council isn't interested, I certainly would be interested in reactions.
Anyone who has reactions to the discussion we have, I think we could benefit
from your input, because there's a wide range of interests just among the few of
us, and I think we could benefit if you care enough to write to us, and say here's
my reaction to some of the discussions I heard.
And we had discussed, yeah.
Before we close, too, just to add on to what you said, Bob. People always have
the opportunity at our next Council meeting or public comment to bring it up.
They can approach us individually, they can email. We had talked about, once we
move through this, some type of community discussion, town meeting, that type
of thing, and the other thing I want to point out to those who are present, who are
either just interested or did work on this set of recommendations, the, we realize
you put quite a bit of work into these and we're not trying to discount the work or
insult the work that you did, but each of these recommendations, beyond just us
understanding what your intent was, this is a political body and there are political
consequences for us choosing or not choosing to adopt anyone of these. And so,
I would just ask you to bear with as we continue to work through these and
decide which we are going to do.
We're finding what a difficult job they really did.
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May 15, 2006
City Council Work Session
Page 48
Wilburn: Yeah.
Bailey: Do we want to set another special meeting for this, or will it go to our June 5th
work session?
Champion: I won't be here.
Bailey: Did we change?
Correia: I don't think we're meeting June 5th; I think it's June 12th. Yeah, it's the next.
Wilburn: June 12th is when we moved it to. I'll just put that up for Council. Did you want
to set aside another special work session to go through this?
Elliott: In June?
Bailey: This works well, actually.
Champion: (can't hear)
Vanderhoef: If we were looking at another special, actually that June 5th looks good, otherwise
I, I'm.
Correia: Connie can't be here.
Vanderhoef: Oh, you can't be?
Bailey: That's why we moved the meeting.
Vanderhoef: Sorry. Ok.
Bailey: (can't hear) in June?
Vanderhoef: Pardon me?
Bailey: I didn't hear you.
Vanderhoef: Oh, I was just looking at my travel schedule for summer out of town meetings
and stuff.
Champion: It doesn't have to be a Monday night.
Wilburn: The 15th.
Elliott: June 15th?
Wilburn: That's a work session.
Champion: I have June 12.
This represents only a reasonable accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council
meeting of May IS, 2006.
May 15, 2006
Correia:
Elliott:
Wilburn:
Bailey:
Wilburn:
Elliott:
Champion:
Wilburn:
Champion:
Atkins:
Champion:
Atkins:
Vanderhoef:
Wilburn:
Champion:
Correia:
Bailey:
Correia:
Elliott:
Champion:
Dilkes:
Bailey:
City Council Work Session
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June 15th is a work session.
No.
Oh, I'm sorry, I was looking at May, sorry.
Yeab, because Thursday, really can't have the meeting.
The 12th and 13th.
Yes.
Let me propose something.
Go ahead.
If, why don't we do the work session June 12th, discussing this housing, and
combine the two again on the 13th? We don't have heavy scheduling on the
summer do we?
You have a number of projects you have to do - transit is your big one, coming
up on the 3"'.
Yeab, but that's before this.
Well, will you decide it that night? Don't look at me that way?
The 3'd.
I'm sorry, you're suggesting the 12th just do this?
We devote the work session to housing and we combine the two on the 13th like
we're doing next week.
And the 13th you're saying we would start early, do.
We would start early. Yeah I like that.
Yeah.
5:30?
And maybe we could put the work session items on the 12th also, with the idea
that we'd continue unto the next day, just in case after and hour and a half of this
we're wanting to move on? Can we do that Eleanor, legally, even though we
might not get to them?
Yeah.
That would be a good idea.
This represents only a reasonable accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council
meeting of May 15, 2006.
May 15, 2006
Wilburn:
Correia:
Wilburn:
Elliott:
Bailey:
Elliott:
Atkins:
Bailey:
Champion:
Bailey:
Wilburn:
Dilkes:
Bailey:
Dilkes:
Champion:
Atkins:
Elliott:
Bailey:
Atkins:
Elliott:
Bailey:
Correia:
Champion:
Wilburn:
City Council Work Session
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Ok. So the 12'" move to earlier.
The 12'" stay, but the 13'" earlier.
I see.
What time?
5:30.
5 :30 is fine.
12'" remains 6:30.
Yes.
That makes better use of our time, so we don't have to find another date.
I agree with you. That's a good idea.
Yeah. Well done.
Can I, Ijust need - I've got one question because Marian isn't here, and I know
I'm going to get an email of what you all said.
Tonight.
Tonight. As I understand the discussion, there is a majority of you who support
committing additional resources, but you are continuing to discuss the issue of
whether those will be limited to certain areas or not. Correct?
Correct.
I'm going to try to write a summary memo of what you just. I'll make certain.
I disagree with it already.
We know. No surprise.
1'll write a summary, like a one or two pages you can work from.
Good. That would be helpful.
Where we are at this point.
Good.
Great. That was good.
Thank you everyone.
This represents only a reasonable accurate transcription ofthe Iowa City City Council
meeting of May 15,2006.