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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2023-07-25 VLHA Minutes Vail Local Housing Authority Minutes Tuesday, July 25, 2023 3:00 PM Town of Vai Council Chambers and Virtual on Zoom PRESENT ABSENT Steve Lindstrom Craig Denton James Wilkins Dan Godec Kristin Williams STAFF George Ruther, Housing Director Martha Anderson, Housing Coordinator Missy Johnson, Housing Coordinator 1. Call to Order 1.1 Call to Order - The meeting began at 3:03 p.m. with a quorum present. 1.2 Zoom Meeting 2. Citizen Participation 2.1 Citizen Participation West Vail Resident, Jack Bergey, joined the conversation in person. He is curious what the by the Council recently. Are there any recommendations from the Authority for the Council? Additionally, how many units are on the table to be built in the next 24 months within the Town of Vail? Lindstrom responded that the Authority is also watching for a revised plan to review and react to as well. What came back is additional review of code vs. policy. 3. Approval of Minutes 3.1 VLHA July 11, 2023 Minutes MOTION: Denton SECOND: Lindstrom PASSED: (3 - 0) 4. Main Agenda 4.1 Lowering the Barriers to Delivering Housing Solutions in Vail Presenter(s): Jen Wright, Michael O'Connor and Mike Coughlin The Authority was joined by multiple developers to speak about their experiences, over many years, with the entitlement process. Joined in person were Jen Wright and Mike Coughlin and Authority by Ruther. Coughlin believes that while his experience is based on past history (with development in Vail) it is still relevant. The Town of Vail had created the H Zone district and there was an RFP in which n. They seek projects with linear process that are easy to evaluate and to make decisions. In the case of Middle Creek, Coughlin attended more than 100 public meetings in front of the PEC, DRB, Council and it was a brutal process. There were constantly changing bodies. They would work towards the PEC suggestions and upon the change of PEC members, they shifted plans to accommodate the new members. On the eve of the last meeting with the PEC, the DRB then arrived and denied the plan. Constantly expiring financing had to be refreshed. When the council created the H Zone district, there were 7 council members in favor project) but at final vote it came down to 4:3. It is extremely challenging when the bodies keep changing, the priority and the direction keeps changing. Consistency is critically important when brining developers in, to work with The Town of Vail. Denton is empathetic to the described process based on a more recent experience around a potential Lionshead housing project. He had a similar experience where personal preferences seem to come from boards. Wright spoke about his experiences, more recently, with Lionsridge and others Wright described that when you go through the Town or a County, the review process is a challenge for the developers because the boards bring personal preference, surrounding the complex deals, and they don't have the financial acumen at the planning commission or the council level. The low- income housing is a complex deal and a developer not only works to fit the goals of the town at the RFP or zoning level but financing, timelines and guarantees. An anecdote to consider based on a housing submittal to Eagle County was mentioned. The submittal was 800 pages and it is not out of criticism, but that is what is required and Wright described how burdensome it can be to put your foot in the water. Within the government structure, you almost need a team that works directly with the developer to move the process along through the process of staff and board approvals. You have to do this early in order to manage the process. The complexity, even early on, requires that investment. If you have strong staff, for instance, Ruther is probably stronger and knows more than anyone in the County. In summary, the developers suggest tightening the RFP process in order to attract the right responses and below highlights the variety of points, including for private landowner developments: PEC and DRB - possible screening process regarding experience and knowledge Zoning process - underlying zoning needs to be in place prior to coaxing a developer to the table; take as much uncertainty off the table prior; If the parking requirement is a given, then the developer will determine if it is viable. Overcoming this is a hard question; the current RFQ requires too much up front. Whatever TOV can do to share information early on, they drive the design so much: o Site, soil, debris flow, access etc. o Take the unknowns off the table and the responses will be better. Wright stated that the last housing study was created 2019, pre-covid and now the world has changed and the whole demographics have changed. He suggests to update it. Coughlin acknowledged that when the Town created the H Zone district, it provided for . He suggests that the Town of Vail state what the parking requirement is in the and keep the later negotiation out of it. Wright suggests that effort in the beginning can be more easily served by going with someone you know. An RFP has to do with timing; sometimes you could hear from great developers and sometimes A pre-development process to get major points covered off would be helpful. The role of financing and fees in developer projects, was discussed, as communities consider if there are other ways to approach fees. Following with a list of mentions and/or suggestions: Financing of the fees (Planning fees, building fees, design costs, legal fees, engineering fees, permitting fees) would be helpful to make a project more justifiable. Developers may experience more than $400,000 in fees (2001 pricing) before a yes. Design costs, legal fees, consulting fees, negotiating a land lease, engineering fees, permitting fees are examples. Impact fees paid well in advance (Water & Sanitation) currently have to be paid well in advance of a yes. Suggestion to restructure the fee such as paying the fee(s) for instance, when a certificate of occupancy is filed. Suggest providing a full menu of what to expect in an H Zone District (fees to expect and when, build parameters, parking ratio, access). The town engineers, generally, ought to be involved as a key component to get out of the ground. A municipality could help with the engineering costs and infrastructure costs to bring utilities to the site. Ruther read direct input from Michael O'Conner of Triumph Development: Having direct access to all kinds of Town Staff has been a huge help. Town's DRB process is fantastic because it provides the feedback that you want to hear, provided that it is comprehensive, thoughtful and timely. Areas of improvement - housing projects are already under a very tight profitability. If there was a more iterative process, to work towards the approval it would attract more people to participate in the development process. Everyone wants to hear yes but the 2nd best answer is a timely no Helpful to outline expectations of the town and other local jurisdictions especially around costs. The Town should empower experts within the staff level to make decisions on minor or moderate changes to the plans as long as the intent of the application can be carried out. Ruther summarized by stating that the Authority will make recommendations to the Council around policy thoughts and ideas. Dominic and staff will work together to identify some action and strategies to implement. When the Town adopted the housing policies, Town identified the importance of private sector to make goals a reality. Ruther further acknowledged there are barriers within the Town land use regulations, building and energy conservation codes preventing us from realizing that housing goal. Denton left the meeting at 4:07 p.m. 4.2 Consideration of Variance Regarding Terms of the Altus Vail Deed Restriction: One Family Leasing Two Deed-Restricted Homes Presenter(s): Altus Vail Group Item continued to the August 8, 2023 meeting. 4.3 2023 Q2 Housing Financial Update Presenter(s): Jake Shipe, Budget Accountant Town of Vail Shipe reviewed the Q2 Housing Financial update, as included in the packet, with the Authority including the revenues from the sale of Vail Heights 10 as well as $4,000 in EHU compliance late fees. He additionally reviewed the Vail InDEED deed restriction funds used to date. The VLHA's expenses were reviewed, highlighting professional fees, professional development and bank charges. The VLHA's projected fund balance was shared and the VLHA's balance sheet shows the total cash assets and currently has no liabilities. The VLHA will still be spending funds with the 2023 work plan in wrapping up the project with EPS around updates to commercial linkage and inclusionary zoning and residential linkage. Additional professional services are on contract for policy discussion and the final reporting. 5. Matters from the Chairman and Authority Members 5.1 Matters from the Chairman and Authority Members Presenter(s): Steve Lindstrom, VLHA Chairman Jack Bergey re-joined with a few comments. Bergey commends the group for bringing in the experienced developers. Bergey stated that his experience with PEC and DRB has been good and thinks a lot can be done with affordable housing. He commented the value of other product/materials to considered to be included within the code to really make housing affordable. Williams updated the group regarding her work in progress for a Housing Summit in Big Sky, where Ruther will be a panelist regarding the entitlement process September 12-13. Timber Ridge is moving forward in a methodical direction. Parking and mobility continues to be a topic and some mobility experts will be joining again at the next PEC. The Town is making great progress with CDOT regarding the acquisition of the land. In fairness to CDOT, their primary mission and objective. Godec has read about what is being done elsewhere related to change of policies. Godec is curious if we are following what other municipalities are doing. West Middle Creek RFP went out and based on inquiries, on August 11th, and Monday August 14th we'll prepare feedback to go to Town Council. Ruther has requested that Godec and Lindstrom assist with providing thoughts and feedback to the Town Council. The selection will be on or about September 5, 2023. The Town Manager will share his recommendation with the Town Council. 6. Adjournment 6.1 Adjournment 5:00 PM Motion to adjourn at 4:31 p.m. MOTION: Godec SECOND: Williams PASSED: (4-0) 7. Future Agenda Items Vail Housing 2027 Land Banking Investment Banker Discussion Review Retirement and Remote Worker Policies Review Chamonix Vail Deed Restriction 8. Next Meeting Date 8.1 Next Meeting Date August 8, 2023