MAMMOTH LAKES HOUSING, INC.
Board of Directors Meeting
Thursday, September 15, 2016
Regular meeting at 6:00 p.m.
Mammoth Lakes Housing Conference Room
587 Old Mammoth Rd.
Minutes
NOTE: In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, if you need special assistance to participate in this meeting, please contact Mammoth Lakes Housing, Inc. at (760) 934-4740. Notification 48 hours prior to the meeting will enable Mammoth Lakes Housing, Inc to make arrangements to ensure accessibility to this meeting. (28 CFR 13.102-35.104 ADA Title II) I.
I. Call to Order 6:03 p.m.
II. Roll Call
Members present: Lindsay Barksdale, Larry Johnston, Jiselle Kenny, Kirk Stapp, Bill Taylor and John Wentworth
Staff Present: Jennifer Halferty, Anita Hatter (for Patricia Robertson)
Public: Ruth Traxler, Town of Mammoth Lakes; Tom Hodges, Mammoth Mountain Ski Area
III. Public Comments
None.
IV. Approval of Minutes from the August 1, 2016 regular BOD Meeting
Bill Taylor provided a clarification on Item IX, paragraph 7, final sentence to read as follows: “Bill Taylor noted that if the Town decides to put the ice rink there, it will determine what portion(s) of Shady Rest the Town could negotiate for.” Moved by Barksdale, seconded by Johnston, unanimously carried to approve the August 1, 2016 minutes, as modified.
V. Approval of Minutes from the August 17, 2016 Stakeholders Summit Series – Second Summit
Moved by Stapp, seconded by Taylor, carried by a 3-0 vote with Barksdale, Johnston and Stapp voting to approve and Kenny, Taylor and Wentworth abstaining.
VI. Approval of Minutes from the September 7, 2016 Stakeholders Summit Series – Third Summit
Kirk Stapp noted that these minutes would be accepted as an information item, as a quorum of the Board was not in attendance.
VII. Board Member reports
Wentworth reported that he and Councilmember Colin Fernie had met with the “Mammoth Voices” group, noting that it was a wide-ranging conversation with nothing specific to report.
Larry Johnston reported that the County Board of Supervisors had adopted its annual budget.
Jiselle Kenny reported that Wild Iris was attempting to expand transitional housing opportunities for victims, noting that it was difficult to find a place to lease at this time for this purpose.
John Wentworth asked for contact information for someone familiar with affordable housing efforts in Jackson Hole, as he would be visiting the area to attend a conference in mid-October.
Lindsay Barksdale reported that friends were being evicted of their current housing rental because the owners were listing the property for transient rental on VRBO. There was discussion of the increase in use of internet listings as opposed to local property management firms, and potential impacts on local housing. Barksdale also reported that she knew of a house for rent in the Knolls for a six month period.
Taylor reported that he was corresponding with a woman from Tuolumne County on the subject of an Article 34 referendum, which authorizes governmental entities to access funds for affordable housing.
VIII. MLH monthly status report
Jennifer Halferty reported that she had met with the Mammoth Voices group at lunch time today, and distributed a copy of the powerpoint presentation she had given. She reported that a grant concept proposal for the analysis of Shady Rest was submitted to the Enterprise Community Partners, and that MLH was invited to submit a complete application. Application is due by the end of October. She noted that she was also exploring a State Farm grant opportunity. She noted that as part of the TOML’s strategy alignment process, the Board meetings would be moved to Suite Z to allow broadcast of the meetings via Granicus. Board consensus was to move the November and future meetings to Suite Z. She reported that the Town and MLH were working together to verify the accurate count of apartments with the Town so as to develop a solid baseline. Ruth Truax, Town of Mammoth Lakes, noted that they were working on getting the data correct, in coordination with Mono County GIS. The current number of apartments is calculated to be 891 units. John Wentworth suggested that those working on the apartment count coordinate with the TOT committee. There was brief discussion regarding the potential benefits of a Mobile Home Park Rent Stabilization ordinance.
IX. Update on the feasibility analysis for workforce housing on the affordable housing parcel/Shady Rest Parcel
Jennifer Halferty outlined the information in her agenda bill, and distributed a conceptual site plan for the Shady Rest parcel. She discussed the opportunities for funding the first phase of the plan, noting that the contribution expected from the Town for a $27,813,597 project was $1,610,000, with a large percentage of the total cost coming from Cap and Trade Funds. She noted that 42 affordable units were proposed for the “Development Area 1”, which falls within the existing zoning on the parcel. There was discussion regarding potential changes to the Tavern Road intersection, the feasibility of the affordable housing project on this site, and the current lack of site control by MLH of the site. Jennifer said she thought the Sierra Business Council could help MLH with the application for funding, should MLH decide to move forward on the project. John Wentworth noted that at the next Council meeting, there would be a proposal for the Council to authorize and fund facilitation of a “Downtown Plan working group” of stakeholders to address the Hart-Howerton plan. He suggested that formation of an EIFD, Enhanced Infrastructure Finance District, could provide needed funding for this project and others. There was discussion of the relationship between Shady Rest and the rest of the downtown planning process; Measure 2002-A funds, current zoning, ownership, and valuation of the Shady Rest Parcel, and the need for certainty on the part of MLH regarding the Council’s commitment to affordable housing on the Shady Rest site in order to proceed. John Wentworth noted that he believed the Council’s position on Shady Rest zoning should be one of the “sideboards” for the larger, working group conversations on the Downtown Plan. MLH and Town staff will develop a “white paper” on the Shady Rest parcel and zoning for the joint study session between the Council and the Board on October 19, to allow for clarification of the Council’s position.
X. Review and discussion of a Stakeholder Summit Series on affordable workforce housing
Jennifer Halferty outlined some of the “takeaways” from the series of meetings, noting that Evan Russell of the Mammoth Lakes Foundation was interested in providing a long-term lease on a portion of the college’s property in order to produce housing for professors and other workforce members. She noted that a “community land trust” might be a good model for such uses, and that she would be attending a conference that addressed this mechanism. Kirk Stapp noted that many local agencies had the need for employee housing and that continuing discussions with the agencies regarding opportunities to work together should occur. There was discussion about the lack of quality housing for agency executives; the difficulties some agencies have found in managing units for their own employees, resulting in their selling their units; the desire of employers to have MLH administer housing for their employees, and the prohibition against using public funds in a way that discriminates on the basis of who one’s employer is; the lack of financial incentive for developers to build moderately-priced housing; the need for good quality long-term rental stock; the feasibility of locating long-term rentals away from transient uses; the potential for “slum-lord legislation”, liveability standards, and the costs of enforcement; the lack of participation by Hispanics in the Summit meetings, and the need to engage the community. Jennifer Halferty noted that she was looking for Hispanic individuals to serve as an informal subcommittee on housing issues.
XI. Review, discuss and possibly make a recommendation to the Mammoth Lakes Town Council on the TOML Strategic Alignment Milestones – Competitive Profile of How TOML can Access Housing Capital for Rehabilitating and converting Existing Housing Stock to Affordable Housing and A Competitive Profile of How the TOML can Access Housing Capital for New Construction
There was discussion of the two reports, and how the Board could best communicate its highest priority needs to the Council. The Board members stated that the highest priority need was securing and moving forward on affordable housing on the Shady Rest parcel. There was discussion of the limitations of funding sources to purchase individual condominiums and rehabilitate them for affordable housing stock. Rehabilitation of existing condo housing stock is not available under existing funding sources. There was discussion of two maps showing the totality of vacant land with the appropriate zoning, and the ownership of such land. Another map, showing the location of “affordable” condominium projects that might be available for locals’ acquisition and apartment complexes that might be competitive for existing funding sources, is in the works. Staff is developing criteria for such “affordable” units, based on a unit price up to $399K and a HOA fee of $521 or less. John Wentworth suggested that this information be incorporated into the GIS database. He suggested that the Board emphasize the need for unrestricted locally generated dollars for affordable housing purposes. It was the consensus of the Board that this item come back for further review at its regular October meeting.
XII. Council Member recap for the Town Council meeting.
Report out on the stakeholders meetings; needs, resources, follow up.
Results on financial feasibility study on the Shady Rest parcel.
Timeline and milestones of the Competitive Reports
Board meetings to move to Suite Z and be captured by Granicus starting in November.
XIII. Adjourn
The meeting was adjourned at 8:31 p.m.