2008-02-04 - Laserfiche WebLink

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7 Mr. Peter Kleeman, 407 Hedge Street, said there is strong community support for affordable housing, and it is an investment he is willing to make. He said Council should find whatever the best mechanism is to make a commitment. He encouraged Council to be as bold and general as possible at the start. Ms. Karen Waters, 1014 St. Charles Avenue, Executive Director of QCC, said she also served on the City-County Housing Task Force, CRHA, and is a former PHA Board member. She said she has spent many years studying the issue of housing. She said there is also a need for special needs housing and housing rehabilitation for seniors. She said a dedicated source simplifies where money comes from. Mr. Melvin Grady said if not this ordinance he hopes Council will find something else that works. He said sometimes you have to make a bold change. Ms. Natasha Sienitsky, Nalle Street, supported a dedicated fund which she said will rejuvenate the community and will create upward mobility. She said it will help non-profits plan. She said local dollars are more flexible. She said it will create an important precedent. She said local funds help non-profits leverage other funds. As there were no further speakers, the public hearing was closed. Dr. Brown said that four issues are raised by the ordinance. He said he knows we have a problem with affordable housing, and he strongly agrees that solving the affordable housing problem would solve lots of other problems. He said he is not so sure we can solve the problem. He said he thinks the creation of an affordable housing fund is a great and necessary idea which will be programmed by smart people, and he supports that. He said there is a City/County issue. He noted that IMPACT asked the City to put $2 million into affordable housing, but asked zero from Albemarle County. He said the City has a larger share of the burden and City taxes are higher than the County’s. He said his concern is that the more aggressive action the City takes the less incentive there is for the County. He said we need to engage them to be part of the solution. He said another issue is should we increase the amount we are spending this year. He said the proposal would double the original $5 million, five year program. He said Council needs to discuss that and needs to know if that means there is something we are choosing not to do. He said he wants to know what the trade-offs are. He said he is not in favor of dedicating funds by ordinance. He said the five-year plan should be put on paper. He said we can demonstrate our commitment without an ordinance as we do with the Schools. Ms. Edwards said she was looking forward to the idea of an ordinance because of the commitment it requires. She said if we do what we have always done we will get what we have always got. She said may residents have been underdogs too long. Mr. Taliaferro said he is not against affordable housing, but thinks it should be discussed in the context of the entire budget. He said he thinks it is a regional issue and we need to encourage the County to participate. He said he does not think we will do what we have always done, noting that we made a sizable commitment last year and will be again this year. He said he is not in favor of doing it by ordinance. Mr. Huja said he appreciates comments made by the public, and he thanked the Mayor for putting affordable housing in the forefront. He said that he serves on the PHA and JABA boards and is a part of IMPACT, but since he is not paid he has no conflict. He said he has a long history of supporting affordable housing. He said he agrees we need to work with the region, and need to engage U. Va., Albemarle County and the private sector. He said we need to think of it in the context of the budget. He said it is a question of timing and we need to make decisions thoughtfully during the budget. He said he only heard about this proposal on Tuesday. He said there needs to be a discussion with Council about affordable housing in relation to other issues. He said it is good to have a five year commitment, a plan of action and resources. He said we can adopt a policy by resolution without an ordinance. He said we need a written policy commitment for a certain number of years. He said he is not sure if the proposed funding is the right amount. He said he agrees with Ms. Richards that we need a vision.