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Home My WebLink AboutCAC 2019-02-07 AgendaFebruary 7, 2019 CITIZENS ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND AFFORDABLE HOUSING THIRD FLOOR CONFERENCE ROOM, CITY HALL 7:00 P.M. AGENDA 1. Call to Order 2. Approval of November 1st Meeting Notes 3. Presentation - Downtown Hotel (5th/B St) – Geoff Forner 4. Project Updates a. East Francisco/Hampton Inn b. Marin Square c. Whistlestop/BioMarin d. Northgate Walk e. Others 5. Economic Development and Affordable Housing Goals for 2019 6. Public Comment on Non-Agenda Items 7. Annual Election of Officers 8. Suggestions for future agenda items 9. Adjournment Citizens Advisory Committee for Economic Development and Affordable Housing (CAC) City of San Rafael Third Floor Conference Room, City Hall November 1, 2018 Meeting Summary Notes CAC Members Present: Bill Carney, Kati Miller, Gladys Gilliland, Glenn Koorhan, William O’Connell, Andrew Naja-Riese, Andrea de la Fuente, Mari Jones, Dirck Brinckerhoff City Staff Present: Danielle O’Leary, Simon Vuong Members of the Public: Steve Hartounian, Don Magdanz Guest Presenters: Peter Stackpole, Ross Guehring, Andrew Hening 1. Call to Order: Chair Carney called the CAC meeting to order at 7:03 pm. 2. Approval of October 4th Meeting Notes: Approved as submitted. 3. Presentation – Northgate Walk Mr. Stackpole, of LCA Architects, and Mr. Guehring presented updates on the Northgate Walk project at 1005, 1010, 1020, and 1025 Northgate Drive, which proposes to demolish the existing commercial building and gas station and build 3 new 4-story, residential condo buildings. The Four Points Sheraton hotel is staying, but many hospitality functions are being replaced. 136 units are proposed on two sites, with a mixture of market rate, affordable, and senior housing. Now in its fifth year of project planning, the Northgate Walk project has undergone multiple iterations in response to considerable public comment. Each condo building would have a courtyard, its own amenities, and share some amenities with the Four Points Sheraton. Generally, the architects shared that community feedback focused on having a less urban, less dense project, which resulted in a 40 percent reduction (91 units) from the original proposal. The sites are zoned for 313 total units. In total there would be 28 ‘affordable’ units. Community feedback also requested an expansion of walkways and open spaces at the sites. Additional traffic from more residents at the sites is expected to increase peak hour traffic by 54 trips, which the Planning Department says will keep intersection levels of service acceptable. CAC members discussed what is driving the number of units and what strategies can be employed to increase the number of units. The speakers responded that they are driven by political pressure to reach a project that can be approved. Overall, the CAC recommends more units and are disappointed in the process, and particularly by the reduction of senior units. There is growing attention to the housing shortage in San Rafael, yet there continues to be opposition from surrounding neighborhoods for this project. The CAC has previously written letters to the City Council requesting support for more units. The site and building design are scheduled to be reviewed by the Design Review Board on January 23, 2019. 4. Presentation - Sources of Income Protection and Related Housing Options: Andrew Hening, Director of Homeless Planning and Outreach, presented an overview of ‘sources of income’ protection for renters, and an update on strategies to address housing and housing affordability. Mr. Henning stated that the City is following the lead set by the County on rental protections by considering a policy that renters who use housing vouchers or 3rd party rental vouchers cannot be discriminated against. Renters pay one-third of their income towards the rent, with the balance of rent funded by subsidies. Mr. Henning also described the mandatory mediation process where an increase in annual rent by at least 5% triggers mandatory non-binding mediation between the tenant and landlord, if requested by the tenant. CAC members asked about rent control, and Director Hening stated that the City is not considering “full blown rent control”. According to Director O’Leary, staff to enforce rent control is difficult. CAC members also discussed just-cause evictions and economic evictions, where an increase in rent is so substantial that it forces a tenant to move. CAC members mentioned situations with abusive tenants, making it important to engage in a thoughtful process about just-cause evictions. The City is seeking additional data on the real causes of evictions. A member of the public shared his positive feedback as a landlord in renting to Section 8 tenants and the reliability and consistency of receiving rent checks from the government. He has an extremely positive experience with renting to tenants who benefit from Section 8 housing. 5. Presentation – Affordable Housing Financing Options CAC Member Andrea de la Fuenta presented an overview of financing mechanisms to pay for the development of affordable housing. In the past, low-income housing was specifically created through public housing; however, that is no longer as common. The largest tools are bonds and tax credits. Low-income housing tax credits are used as leverage for tax-exempt bond financing. The Bay Area is home to a variety of 501(c)(3) non-profit affordable housing developers, and often times they will partner with other for-profit developers. Ms. de La Fuenta walked the CAC members through the complexity of tax credit programs, and the added state standards in place in California. CAC members expressed their appreciation for Ms. de La Fuenta’s presentation and recommended that her Powerpoint presentation be shared with the recent developers who have presented at CAC meetings. 6. Project Updates a. Transit Center: Director O’Leary and Chair Carney shared updates on the downtown area transit center project. During the most recent public forums, the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District presented the same four station options, along with the “5th option” that Steve Kinsey had shared with the CAC. The takeaway from the forum is that all five options are still being considered and that the Environmental Impact Review will examine all of them. There are community concerns about buses under the freeway, and more generally concerns about taking away parking for commuters. The CAC discussed what are the “must-haves” in the project, mentioning the need for 17 bus bays.. The CAC believes further discussion is needed about alternatives to the Whistlestop building. CAC members also felt that it is important to improve conditions under the freeway, whichever alternative is selected. The CAC will again send the same letter it has previously shared with the Council, prior to the District’s November 19 deadline for comments. b. General Plan Progress: No updates. c. Other Projects: Director O’Leary announced there is an on-line survey for community feedback on the development of the San Rafael Market Hall on 4th Street. 5. Public comment on non-agenda items: None 6. Suggestions for future agenda items: None 7. Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at 9:07 pm. Respectfully submitted by Andrew Naja-Riese CITIZENS ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND AFFORDABLE HOUSING Annual Election of Officers for 2019 The first meeting of the year the Citizens Advisory Committee on Economic Development and Affordable Housing selects Officers to serve for a one (1) year term. The Committee shall select from among its members a Chair, a Vice-Chair, and a Secretary. Chair - The Chair shall be the Chief Officer of the Committee and shall preside at all meetings. He/she shall be an ex-officio member of all sub-committees and shall have the general powers and duties usually vested in the office of Chair. Vice-Chair - The Vice-Chair shall assume the office of Chair in the absence of the Chair. Secretary - The Secretary shall keep or cause to be kept at the principal office of the Committee a book of Minutes of all meetings and record of attendance of all members. The Secretary shall also keep or cause to be kept such other records as shall be directed by the Committee. Current Officers Chair - Bill Carney Vice-Chair - Glenn Koorhan Secretary - Andrew Naja-Riese *Please notify Economic Development staff directly if you wish to run for an Officer position, including a position you currently hold*