MAMMOTH LAKES HOUSING, INC.
Board of Directors Meeting

Monday, October 5, 2015
6:00 p.m.

Mammoth Lakes Housing Conference Room
587 Old Mammoth Rd.

Minutes

I.    Call to Order

II.    Roll Call
Members: Bill Taylor, Kirk Stapp, Larry Johnston (arrived at 6:20 PM), Colin Fernie
Members absent: Lindsay Barksdale
Public: Sandra Moberly, Planning Manager
Staff: Jennifer Halferty and Patricia Robertson

III.    Public Comments
There were no comments from the public.

IV.    Approval of Minutes from the September 8, 2015 regular BOD Meeting
Bill Taylor made a motion to adopt the minutes as presented. Colin Fernie seconded the motion. The motion passed 2-0. Kirk Stapp abstained.

V.    Board Member Reports
There were no Board member reports.

VI.    MLH Monthly Status Report
Jennifer Halferty noted that she has been in touch with two potential candidates for the open Board position left by Tom Mazaitis. They are Yvon Guzman Rangel and Heather Anderson. She will ask them both to submit a letter of interest. Jennifer Halferty mentioned that she attended a Manufactured Housing convening in Sacramento where there was discussion on new funding opportunities for non-profit organizations to purchase mobile home parks.

VII.    Review and discuss the Town of Mammoth Lakes Town Council NGO Strategic Alignment Refinement Exercise
The Board discussed the NGO Strategic Alignment Refinement Exercise. Kirk Stapp mentioned that he thought a fundamental component of the 2025 Vision Elements was missing, which was government services including response time of the police, permit processing, asphalt replacement, snow removal, etc. Since ultimately there would be a discussion of prioritization he asked what the Town’s goal in terms of service level would be.

Bill Taylor noted that he thought the Vision Elements were very high level and slightly generic. He wanted to know what the components of each one were and what does it take to achieve them. From a housing standpoint, he emphasized, that it means we must have locals and what does it take to make that happen?

Jennifer Halferty explained that housing should be more direct and explicit since it is an integral part of the 2025 Vision. Larry Johnston agreed and stated that the Vision Elements should clearly state what we mean. Additionally, he agreed that having a fabric of policies and goals that support our Vision is what helps to make an organization successful for grants, etc.

A.   There was consensus to add a more specific Vision Element related to housing.

B.   There was consensus to add “homes for the workforce” as an item under the Core Value – Safe Vibrant Inclusive Community.

C.   Under Strategic Priority D. Implement a Comprehensive Community Plan, there was consensus to:

  1. Add a housing element to the Updated 2016 Commitment
  2. Remove the word “creation” from the Purposeful statement
  3. Consolidate the four 2025 Major Goals into two, more descriptive goals
    1. Continued availability and affordability of a variety of types of homes for local community members.
    2. A residential workforce neighborhood of at least 172 homes at Shady Rest Tract.

D.   Under Strategic Priority F. Diversify Economic Development, there was consensus to:

  1. Add a 2016 Commitment item – g. Support workforce housing for a viable economy
  2. Use the term “home” instead of “housing amenities” under Purposeful
  3. Add bullet point to 2025 Goals – Provide stable, affordable homes to those working jobs within the diversified workforce

E.   The Board discussed concerns, issues, and obstacles. Bill Taylor mentioned that a lack of money and land were constraints. He also noted that external impacts on housing price trends and high construction costs in Mammoth (due to the cost of materials as well as seismic and snow load requirements), affect the ability to implement the housing priorities.

VIII.    Review proposal and possible staff direction to secure a facilitator for MLH’s next strategic planning session
The Board discussed the proposal and directed staff to schedule the strategic planning session for November 2015. The Board approved the selection of Michael Ward.

IX.    Discussion of the Shady Rest Tract
Kirk Stapp gave a brief history of the parcel. He explained that the Affordable Housing Overlay was a result of The Trails development workforce housing mitigation, about 31 years ago. He noted that likely, the only way that the parcel will be developed is if the Town purchases it. He stated that with the new Housing Ordinance and the lowered mitigation fees, coupled with the lack of land for affordable housing, meeting the Town’s need in the future is only going to become more difficult.

Bill Taylor mentioned that if the Town could get an appraisal based on the current zoning, then 2002A funds could be used for debt service. He agreed that there was minimal appropriate land available.

Colin Fernie asked about the college site and if there were plans for affordable housing there. Kirk Stapp answered that there had been discussions in the past but that there may be language restricting the permitted uses to educational purposes only. Perhaps faculty housing would be appropriate, but that the Town’s Nexus Fee Study showed that more than 90% of the new jobs created by development would be low-income jobs. Jennifer Halferty noted that the site was not appropriate for low-income households who rely on being close to services and amenities. MLH has learned this through the Aspen Village Apartments which are less popular than the apartments closer to the center of town because of their remoteness.

Sandra Moberly said that she has met with Mark Carney and there are some ideas of what could be done with the site, but no application has been submitted yet. If there was an application for a General Plan Amendment, there would be public outreach and meetings with MLH before the ultimate decision went before the Town Council.

Bill Taylor explained that there is a lot of outside funding that MLH could leverage for the site such as tax credits and CDBG, especially considering there is no infrastructure. Jennifer Halferty went on to mention that Cap & Trade funding now has a Rural Set Aside which could also work on this site due to its location. Bill Taylor thought it was a great opportunity and could give the Town the ability to make change for the community.

There was staff direction to research how much an appraisal of the site would cost.

CLOSED SESSION

X.    Pursuant to Government Code Section 54957, the Board will hold a Closed Session to discuss the status of the Executive Director

Announcement of action taken in closed session: Kirk Stapp moved to proceed with changing from a company medical policy to a benefit reimbursement plan. Larry Johnston seconded the motion.
The motion passed 4-0.

XI.    Adjourn