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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHousing & Redevelopment Authority Minutes 03-24-2011APPROVED MINUTES PLYMOUTH HOUSING AND REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY MARCH 24, 2011 PRESENT: Chairman Jeff Kulaszewicz, Commissioners Paul Caryotakis, Bob Stein and Jim Willis ABSENT: Commissioner David Miller STAFF PRESENT: Housing Program Manager Jim Barnes and Office Support Specialist Laurie Lokken OTHERS PRESENT: Grace Management Representative Jody Boedigheimer 1. CALL TO ORDER Chairman Kulaszewicz called the Plymouth Housing and Redevelopment Authority meeting to order at 7:00 P.M. Chairman Kulaszewicz asked that an additional item be added to the agenda. He asked that Housing Program Manager Barnes give a basic outline of Hennepin County programs that are used in conjunction with HRA programs. Housing Program Manager Barnes added the item under New Business, item 3. D. 2. CONSENT AGENDA A. Approve HRA Meeting Minutes from February 24, 2011. B. Plymouth Towne Square. Accept February 2011 housing report. C. Vicksburg Crossing. Accept February 2011 housing report. MOTION by Commissioner Willis, seconded by Commissioner Caryotakis, to approve the consent agenda. Vote. 4 Ayes. MOTION approved unanimously. 3. NEW BUSINESS A. Vicksburg Crossing. February 2011 Marketing Report. Grace Management Representative Boedigheimer reported that two deposits have been received for affordable units with scheduled move in dates at the end of April. She said there was a lot of response from the Plymouth News article at both locations. She said that she reviewed eight applications for Plymouth Towne Square; unfortunately, most applications were for one bedrooms when applications for two bedrooms are what is needed. She said that there were three showings over the weekend at Vicksburg Crossing. She said that a few people that called Approved Plymouth Housing and Redevelopment Authority March 24, 2011 Page 2 ended up going over to Plymouth Towne Square because of the affordable rate there. She said that an Open House is scheduled for the evening of April 12th. She said that even though the projected number of units is down, we are generating revenue because we budgeted to be full in the affordable units with more vacancies in the higher paying units and the reverse is occurring. Housing Program Manager Barnes said that the average rent at Plymouth Towne Square is $525 per month and rents for the affordable units at Vicksburg Crossing have been set at $730 per month. He said that the difference in rent structure is one of the reasons why we are seeing more vacancies at Vicksburg Crossing. Chairman Kulaszewicz said that there were a number of years where the waiting lists were so long. Commissioner Caryotakis said that we have two buildings that are in competition and right now there is only enough demand for Plymouth Towne Square. Housing Program Manager Barnes said that it isn't that there is more of a demand for Plymouth Towne Square but rather people are choosing to go on a wait list and live where they currently are as opposed to leasing immediately at Vicksburg Crossing. He said that they may be in a rental situation where it's less than $730 per month or they may be subsidized by some other housing program. Grace Management Representative Boedigheimer added that there have been a number of applicants who have rents that are below $400 per month and who may be subsidized. She said there were several applicants that are in their own homes and may or may not have to sell them. She said that it makes a difference in calculating the rent at Plymouth Towne Square for an applicant with higher income and no assets versus an applicant with a lot of assets and lower monthly income. B. Plymouth Towne Square & Vicksburg Crossing Resident Surveys. Commissioner Willis asked about the comment made about the grounds maintenance working privately for the manager. Grace Management Representative Boedigheimer responded that the independent contractor employed to mow the lawn and plow the driveway also had a private contract with the former manager for her private residence while her husband was ill. She added that this same person wrote the comment about how the landscape company doesn't know what they are doing and that they are terrible. Commissioner Willis asked about comments made about garage door openers and how long people stay with residents. He asked if there is a policy of permitting other people to use garage parking. Housing Program Manager Barnes replied that we have never allowed other people to rent out a parking stall or park in the garage. He said that up until two months ago, we used to allow family members who were continually picking up/dropping off their parents and bringing supplies to them to have a garage door opener where they could come in, out of the elements, to load/unload. He said that policy was being abused. He said there was a five to ten minute parking requirement where they were allowed to park and they were parking there for an hour to two hours at a time. He said that this caused problems for our maintenance staff. He said that this survey was completed prior to this change. Approved Plymouth Housing and Redevelopment Authority March 24, 2011 Page 3 Commissioner Willis asked about the comment for dog accidents in the hall and elevator. Grace Management Representative Boedigheimer responded that a policy could be set where they would be required to carry their pet outside or put them in a wagon or something. Commissioner Willis asked if there is an extra surcharge to have a pet. Housing Program Manager Barnes replied that there is a pet deposit of $250. Grace Management Representative Boedigheimer added that there isn't a monthly fee. Commissioner Willis asked if pets are limited to dogs and cats. Housing Program Manager Barnes responded that they are not and that birds are included. Commissioner Stein asked if the size of dogs is limited. Housing Program Manager Barnes replied that they are limited to 25 pounds or less. Grace Management Representative Boedigheimer added that she estimates that there are about six dogs at Vicksburg Crossing and four dogs at Plymouth Towne Square. She said that Plymouth Towne Square has more cats with approximately eight or nine. Commissioner Willis said that he understood why somebody would like a pet; however, it's the issue of the care of them from a sanitation standpoint. He said that it is not appropriate if the pet is a dog and it makes noise, which disturbs others in the building. Grace Management Representative Boedigheimer responded that if a complaint is received, the resident is notified and after two complaints they have to do something to alleviate the complaint, which could include getting rid of the pet. She said that this has happened in the past. Commissioner Stein asked if the $250 pet deposit is enough. Grace Management Representative Boedigheimer replied that there is also a $500 damage deposit that covers replacement of items that are beyond normal wear and tear and they would be billed if the cost was greater than their deposits. Commissioner Stein asked about a comment that transportation is not available and if the residents are aware of Dial -A -Ride. Grace Management Representative Boedigheimer responded that there are notices posted and that a reminder is included in the newsletter to residents from time to time. She said that this resident is looking for us to provide them with transportation. Chairman Kulaszewicz asked when an HRA meeting had last been held at the facility and if residents have suggested that they meet there again. Housing Program Manager Barnes responded that they met at Vicksburg Crossing two years ago. Grace Management Representative Boedigheimer added that residents always enjoy when they meet at their facility but it's not first on their mind to get them there to hear their requests. She said that there are newer residents now who want to participate and volunteer so residents who have been there three to four years are stepping aside. She said that there is not a resident council at Vicksburg Crossing and there has been no interest expressed in having one. Chairman Kulaszewicz asked if there have been any more requests received from residents to enhance their stay there. Housing Program Manager Barnes replied that there are always requests coming from residents. He said that one request is to address the "wind tunnel" effect Approved Plymouth Housing and Redevelopment Authority March 24, 2011 Page 4 on the patio. He said it would be very expensive for us to try to address this issue. He said that there are other legitimate requests and we keep a list of them so that when this building starts financially performing, we can consider addressing these issues. He said that for this year at Vicksburg Crossing, we are looking at putting a handicap button on the garage service door into the elevator lobby. He said that from time to time, residents have expressed an interest in storage units. He said that there is not enough storage in the units themselves at that building. He said that for future marketability, we are working with the building department to approve some form of storage design in one of the downstairs maintenance rooms for a reasonable cost that we could rent out. He said that we would need an upfront outlay of money to get them built and then over time, we would make that money back. Chairman Kulaszewicz stated that would enhance the property. Commissioner Willis asked if there is storage in the basement area, off the garage. Housing Program Manager Barnes responded that there is not. He said that there are some individual rooms on each floor but there are not nearly enough. He said that some of the units, for whatever reason in their design, did not have a lot of extra storage. He said that the walk-through closets were intended to be great for storage but that they are being used more as a regular closet. Grace Management Representative Boedigheimer added that one of the biggest problems is that the apartments that have the least amount of storage are the biggest, most expensive units. She said that there are only 26 or 27 storage spaces on the three floors. She said that they counted and ranked which units are the worst and there are close to 60 units that do not have adequate storage. Commissioner Stein asked if there is room for storage in front of parking stalls in the garage. Housing Program Manager Barnes replied that there is. He said that a type of prefabricated unit that could be installed to the walls has been priced out at $60,000 for all of the stalls. Housing Program Manager Barnes responded to Commissioner Stein that we have 70 parking stalls. He added that these are prefab lockers that are all mesh, which are required by the building department. He said that the bid received was for 3 feet by 4 feet units. Commissioner Stein requested that a copy of this bid be sent to him. Housing Program Manager Barnes confirmed for Commissioner Stein that the building's occupancy designation does not allow for the underground garage to be used for any storage. He said that it is an issue that the building department is trying to look at to allow something that is noncombustible and mesh/opened so that if something were to ever start on fire, the sprinkler systems could put them out. Grace Management Representative Boedigheimer added that they did not know how well those storage units would work. She said that if a resident had that designated parking spot, they would get that storage space; however, that may not be the resident that needs the storage. Commissioner Willis suggested that they could rent storage space separate from the car space. Chairman Kulaszewicz suggested that they could set up options for renting car spaces with and without storage units or for storage units that may be allowed to be created in a maintenance room. Approved Plymouth Housing and Redevelopment Authority March 24, 2011 Page 5 Commissioner Stein asked if there is adequate storage at Plymouth Towne Square. Grace Management Representative Boedigheimer replied that they do have one locker per apartment. Commissioner Caryotakis suggested that for $60,000, they could build a separate building for storage. Commissioner Caryotakis asked about comments that were made about smoking and how we are doing with the non-smoking policy. Grace Management Representative Boedigheimer responded that we are fine in the buildings. She said that it has been reported that at Plymouth Towne Square there are visitors who might smoke in their car. She said that our grounds became smoke free on January 1 st. She said that when it thaws enough, signs will be put up at parking lot and sidewalk locations. Chairman Kulaszewicz stated that he thought all city property was designated smoke free. Housing Program Manager Barnes said that he believes it is just city parks. Grace Management Representative Boedigheimer reminded Commissioner Stein that it was decided to make the whole property smoke free. She provided an overview of the current policy. Commissioner Caryotakis stated that we want stability in our tenant base. Housing Program Manager Barnes said that the reason behind making the entire campus smoke free was that many other communities, nation wide, are going that route as well. He said that a lot of people were not adhering to the 25 feet from an entrance door policy. Chairman Kulaszewicz asked if there is a garden spot at Vicksburg Crossing. Grace Management Representative Boedigheimer confirmed that there is and that they love it. She said that both properties have garden plots and depending on how many residents are interested, depends on what size plot they end up getting. Commissioner Stein asked if there are ever complaints of stealing. Grace Management Representative Boedigheimer replied that does come up but that residents usually share their crops. C. Plymouth Towne Square & Vicksburg Crossing Wait Lists. Housing Program Manager Barnes gave an overview of staff report. Commissioner Willis asked if any of the preferences were written by the HRA. Housing Program Manager Barnes responded that they all are. He said that we have to be careful that our preferences do not violate any fair housing laws. He said that when they were created, it was difficult to have preferences because HUD viewed that as somewhat discriminatory because the population of Plymouth is predominately white. He said that HUD would have made the argument that we were discriminating if we only had preferences that said they had to be a resident of Plymouth. He said that it has not been an issue and it has become less and less of an issue with the new census as the city is becoming more diverse. Approved Plymouth Housing and Redevelopment Authority March 24, 2011 Page 6 Chairman Kulaszewicz asked that if the applicant is required to be 55, does that mean that the other residents of the unit can be under 55 (such as, can you have your granddaughter move in with you). Housing Program Manager Barnes responded that a grandchild cannot move in and that is a policy the Board has made. He said that you actually could under the federal statute that governs this; however, for consistency reasons, the HRA chose to say that everybody had to be at least 55 years of age or older. He said that way we wouldn't have issues of adult children living with them. He said that it was more for continuity of administering the buildings. Chairman Kulaszewicz asked what would happen if you were a 60 year old applicant with a 54 year old spouse. Housing Program Manager Barnes replied that they would need to come back when both spouses are at least 55 years of age. He said that has not been an issue for leasing units but it would be brought back to the Board about changing that if it did become an issue. Commissioner Stein asked if background checks are completed on felons. Housing Program Manager Barnes confirmed that we do background checks. Grace Management Representative Boedigheimer added that Plymouth has crime -free housing with pretty stringent requirements. Housing Program Manager Barnes said that it is modeled after the Section 8 rules and regulations. Commissioner Willis stated that is important for the rest of the tenancy. He said it is designed to protect the greater community good in this particular managed property. Chairman Kulaszewicz asked how rules are written for a situation like an 80 year old parent with a 50 year old handicapped person living with them. Housing Program Manager Barnes replied that under the federal guidelines they could live there but it's a specific building choice whether you want to designate that everyone in the building has to be 55 years of age or older or not. Chairman Kulaszewicz asked how the rules would be written then to keep out the grandchildren living with the grandparents. Housing Program Manager Barnes responded that we simply state that all residents must be 55 years of age or older in our admissions and occupancy handbook. He said that we are allowed to do that under the federal regulations. He said that federal regulations state that at least 80% of your units need to be rented to persons that are 55 years of age or older so you could have, in concept, a mixed age building. He said you could lease to families under the age of 55 as long as you had a certain percentage that are 55 years of age or older. Commissioner Willis added that was an original requirement by the city when Plymouth Towne Square was being promoted and developed. He said that the rates are so heavily subsidized that we figured they would be lower income people. He said that parents of children who lived here became empty -nesters and didn't have much in assets. He said that it is about a $2,500 per unit subsidy that is paid for by the city taxpayers. Chairman Kulaszewicz stated that trying to make an exception for some certain situation would hinder the entire concept. Commissioner Caryotakis stated that the goal here in setting up these lists is to make sure that we have an applicant pool to draw from in order to quickly fill any vacancies. He said that we have Approved Plymouth Housing and Redevelopment Authority March 24, 2011 Page 7 changed strategies over time, depending on supply and demand. He said that in some cases we have had too many people apply and we restricted the lists. He said now we have a lot of people for the one -bedroom units at Plymouth Towne Square but not quite enough on the list for the two-bedroom units. Grace Management Representative Boedigheimer said that is because of our occupancy standards. She said that we require two people to live in a two bedroom at Plymouth Towne Square or they pay the full market rent. Grace Management Representative Boedigheimer confirmed for Commissioner Stein that an internal waiting list will always take preference over going to the external waiting list. She said that there is not currently an internal waiting list. Commissioner Stein asked if any of the people that came before the Board last year regarding rent increases had moved to a one -bedroom unit or inquired about the possibility. Housing Program Manager Barnes stated that the residents know that they can request an internal move and they have chosen not to move from a two- bedroom to a one -bedroom to lower their rent. Commissioner Stein stated that was really interesting. Housing Program Manager Barnes stated that a name can come up three times and then they are off the list but that does not stop them from reapplying. He said the current policy is that after three strikes, a name is moved to the bottom of their category list. Commissioner Willis stated that he appreciated the report and that it was very informative. D. Hennepin County Programs. Housing Program Manager Barnes stated that once a year, Hennepin County sends the city and HRA a letter restating the fact that we have a cooperation agreement to allow the county to offer all of their housing and economic development programs within our city. He said that it is an ongoing cooperation agreement that doesn't expire unless one party elects to end the agreement. He said that they just notify us that it is our annual renewal so that we don't have to go through creating a new cooperation agreement every year. Housing Program Manager Barnes stated that it gives them permission to be able to offer their programs in Plymouth, such as, an owner occupied rehabilitation program, lead abatement programs that we can piggyback onto our rehab program, an accessible ramp program, affordable housing incentive fund program, the HOME federal housing program, an environmental clean up fund, some economic development funds and a bond fund. Commissioner Caryotakis asked if we periodically refer residents to the county for these programs. Housing Program Manager Barnes responded that we do. He said that we do not have a lot for economic development, so we do refer them over to the county or see if the state has a program that will work for their particular situation. He said that from time to time, we will work with the county on their rehab programs and he participates on both of their selection committees for their affordable housing fund and their HOME program. Approved Plymouth Housing and Redevelopment Authority March 24, 2011 Page 8 4. OLD BUSINESS A. Election of Officers. Chairman, Vice Chairman, Secretary. Housing Program Manager Barnes reported that he received an email from Commissioner Miller stating his support for Jeff Kulaszewicz as Chairman and that he would be willing to serve as Secretary. Commissioner Stein nominated Commissioner Kulaszewicz as Chairman. MOTION by Commissioner Caryotakis, seconded by Commissioner Willis, to approve Commissioner Kulaszewicz as Chairman. Vote. 4 Ayes. MOTION approved unanimously. Commissioner Stein nominated Commissioner Caryotakis as Vice Chairman. MOTION by Commissioner Stein, seconded by Commissioner Willis, to approve Commissioner Caryotakis as Vice Chairman. Vote. 4 Ayes. MOTION approved unanimously. Chairman Kulaszewicz nominated Commissioner Miller as Secretary. MOTION by Chairman Kulaszewicz, seconded by Commissioner Willis, to approve Commissioner Miller as Secretary. Vote. 4 Ayes. MOTION approved unanimously. 5. ADJOURNMENT MOTION by Commissioner Stein, seconded by Commissioner Caryotakis to adjourn the meeting at 8:00 p.m.