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MINUTES OF THE HOUSING COMMITTEE December 2, 2019 East Conference Room Present: Councilmembers Anderson, O’Malley & Rader so Present: Councilmember Bullock, Planning Director Bryce Sylvester, Program Manager Al Mary Leigh&Deputy Clerk Lascu taking minutes Call to Order: 5:00 p.m. AGENDA RESOLUTION 2019-08 - A RESOLUTION to take effect immediately provided it receives the affirmative vote of at least two thirds of the members of Council, or otherwise to take effect and be in force after the earliest period allowed by law, amending Ordinance No. 58- 04, adopted July 6, 2004, for the purpose of fostering the investment and development of affordable housing in new multi-family and mixed-use construction projects in Community Reinvestment Area (CRA) #1, which is the citywide CRA. (referred to Housing Committee 11/4/19) Program Manager MaryLeigh gave an overviewof the new builds and propertyacquisitions that the city has overseenas one component of its affordable housing strategy. 19 homesin a variety ofLakewood neighborhoods have been acquired, rehabbed, and sold since2010. The properties were usually received through an expedited foreclosure process. The city sold or transferred vacant parcels it acquiredbased on what made sense for the specific street and neighborhood it wasin. Some were sold to neighbors for sideyards and other were transferred to a partner via RFQ process. Director Sylvester requested that Council give Resolution 2019-08 a vote out of committee, as some projects in the pipeline are waiting for the Lakewood CRA to be amended. Ms. Leigh outlined steps 1 through 7 of the city’s affordable housing action plan, highlighting various uses for federal CDBG and HOME funds that the city has applied to projects. Step 8 of the plan involves the Community Reinvestment Area (CRA), which was created by federal legislation but is governed by state of Ohio regulations. All CRAs and TIFs are reviewed annually by the Tax Incentive Review Council (TIRC), which is a county level organization that works with the city to examine what deals are working. Annual oversight of the CRA is driven by the Ohio Revised Code (ORC). Councilmembers asked why the Planning Department chose not to target certain areas of the city. While both targeted and citywide areas were considered, the citywide one was chosen because it is a more equitable option for developers, eliminates the possibility of missing out on CRA opportunities, and itdoes not break off certain neighborhoods from benefitting from the provision. Councilmembers expressed their support of the tool and stated how it could distinguish Lakewood from other communities.