Workshop Item - Elizabeth Showalter, Community Development Specialist
Title
Affordable Housing Discussion
Background
This is the first of two workshop sessions on affordable housing.
Affordable housing has been a topic of interest for the City Council for specific development proposals and as a general topic in the community and region. Staff also regularly receive inquiries from developers who are considering building new affordable housing in Blaine, and would like to be able to provide better guidance on the willingness of the City to provide financial assistance. Lastly, staff is looking to ensure there is common understanding on affordable housing goals and implementation strategies among the members of the City Council.
Public financial assistance is a critical component to any affordable housing project based on the revenue and financing structures of these types of developments. The ultimate goal of the workshops is to provide a policy direction of what type of financial support the City is willing to provide, under what circumstances it is appropriate, and to determine what housing programs, if any, the City should pursue to achieve its housing goals.
Topics for the first session are:
1. Introduction to affordable housing.
2. History of Blaine’s recent involvement in affordable housing projects.
3. Summary of assets and deficits in Blaine’s housing market.
4. Overview of the housing goals adopted in the Comprehensive Plan.
Topics for the second session are:
1. Follow-up to additional information needed from session one.
2. Examples from other cities for housing policies and programs.
3. The developer perspective on affordable housing.
4. Input from the Council on policy for new affordable housing development:
a) Where does the Council want to see affordable housing in Blaine?
b) Preferences for affordability level, target market, size, design, etc.
c) Interest in various financial tools.
5. Input from the Council on housing programs to achieve broader housing goals.
Staff Recommendation
This first session is primarily informational. Staff is interested in hearing what additional information would be helpful in formulating an affordable housing policy and making program decisions. Council initial feedback on prioritization of housing goals and problems is requested.
Attachment List
PowerPoint Slides