HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes_HOUAB_09.19.2007Housing Advisory Board Minutes, September 19, 2007 Page 1 of 2
City of Georgetown
Housing Advisory Board
Minutes
September 19, 2007, at 3:30 p.m.
Glasscock Conference Room—Georgetown Municipal Complex
300-1 Industrial Ave., Georgetown, Texas 78626
Members present: Hartley Sappington; Chair, John Gavurnik; Vice-chair, Nancy Biggs;
Secretary, Cynthia Anderson, Janis Cowman-Arteaga, Debbie Hoffman, Emily Northrop, Larkin
Tom, Naomi Walker
Members absent: None
Staff present: Jennifer Bills; Housing Coordinator, Elizabeth Cook, Principal Planner
This is a regular meeting of the Housing Advisory Board of the City of Georgetown. The Board,
appointed by the Mayor and the City Council, makes recommendations to the City Council on
affordable housing matters.
Regular Session - To begin no earlier than 3:30 p.m.
Meeting called to order at 3:34 p.m.
1. Consideration and possible action to approve the minutes of the Housing Advisory
Board meeting held on Wednesday, June 20th, 2007.
Motion to approve minutes by Biggs, second by Anderson, minutes approved 6-0.
(Gavurnik, Hoffman, and Walker arrived late.)
Skipped to item 4.
2. Consideration and possible action to recommend Unified Development Code
amendments regarding Housing Variety.
Elizabeth Cook presented a draft copy of an ordinance to incentives housing variety
within new developments. The City Council wanted to get input on the variety
ordinance from the HAB. She explained that the intent of this amendment was to create
diversity of housing type, but does not include an affordable housing requirement. The
purpose of the ordinance is to get developers to create housing variety within new
developments voluntarily by offering incentives. Cook identified possible incentives
such as reduced impervious cover limits, reduced parkland dedication, and setback
reduction. Members of the Board were concerned that by offering these incentives
without requiring an affordable element in the ordinance that future effort to incentivize
affordable housing development would be compromised. Further discussion concluded
that separating this ordinance from affordability issues would not be a good policy to
set. Thus, there was a motion by Walker to support the idea of the housing variety
Housing Advisory Board Minutes, September 19, 2007 Page 2 of 2
ordinance as long as incentives are scaled such to reserve most incentives for those
developments including affordable units. Second by Arteaga. Passed 9-0.
3. Review and discussion on the City of Georgetown Affordable Housing Definition and
Affordable Housing Criteria for Recommendation and Incentives.
Bills presented the proposed definitions to potentially be adopted by Council. The
general definition for Affordable Housing focuses on households making less than 80%
of Area Median Income. Bills further presented more specific definitions for the
different HUD income categories. Discussion was held by the board that the second
category labeled “Fixed Income Housing” was not really appropriate and “Entry Level
Workforce” or “Skilled Workforce” might be better suited. The term Attainable was
also suggested to be used in place of Affordable as a more apt description for the public.
Bills also presented a draft of criteria for receiving incentives or recommendation from
the Housing Advisory Board for affordable housing. The draft document was a product
of the Housing Workgroup over the summer. One of the main criteria of the document
involved trying to mix affordable units with market rate units so as not to concentrate
affordable housing. The Board was going to continue to review the document and give
comments to Bills.
4. Discussion items from Staff:
a. Update on Housing Element of the Comprehensive Plan consultant search.
Bills updated that the search for a consultant was underway. She had posted a
Request for Qualifications, but response had been low, so the RFQ was being
reposted to get a larger pool of consultants.
b. Meeting date for October Board meeting.
Due to conflicts by Bills and other Board members, it was agreed to move the
next Housing Advisory Board meeting to October 24, 2007 at 3:30 p.m.
c. Additional items from Staff.
5. Discussions items from Board members:
a. Additional items from Board members.
Debbie Hoffman announced that she would be holding a meeting to discuss the
future vision for six lots that Habitat for Humanity owns off of Quail Valley Rd.
The lots are adjacent to quadraplex units and she will be looking for input from
community members.
Board adjourned at 5:18 p.m.
__________________________________ _______________________________________
Approved, Hartley Sappington, Chair Attest, Nancy Biggs, Secretary