HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes_HOUAB_03.16.2011City of Georgetown
Housing Advisory Board
Minutes
March 16, 2011 at 3:30 p.m.
New Planning Conference Room —Georgetown Municipal Complex
300‐1 Industrial Ave., Georgetown, Texas 78626
Members present: Tim Todd; Chair, Morris Greenberg, Brad Curlee, Kyle Fisher, Gary A. Leissner,
Patsy Williams, Ron Pergl, Lelena Parkhurst,
Members absent: Clay Woodward, Kyle Fisher
Staff present: Jennifer Bills, Housing Coordinator; Avery Craft, Recording Secretary
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.
The meeting was called to order at 3:35 by Chair Todd.
Agenda
1. Introductions of new board members.
New members Brad Curlee and Ron Pergl are welcomed to the Housing Advisory
Board.
2. Election of Chair, Vice‐chair and Secretary for the 2011‐2012 Housing Advisory Board.
Chair Todd suggests postponing election of offices until the April 20, 2011 meeting,
when all members are present.
3. Consideration and possible action to approve minutes from the February 16, 2011
meeting. Motion to approve the minutes by Leissner. Second by Williams. Approved
7‐0 (Woodward and Fisher absent).
4. Discussion on the history of the HAB and the work on the Housing Element of the 2030
Comprehensive Plan.
Bills related the history of how the Housing Board was created, which began with the
City Council appointed Affordable Housing Taskforce in 2005. The Taskforce came back
to Council in 2006 and recommended that a permanent Housing Advisory Board be
established, a Housing Coordinator staff position created and a long‐range housing plan
be adopted. The first two recommendations were implemented in 2006 and the Housing
Element of the Comprehensive Plan was started in 2008. A finished draft of the
Housing Advisory Board Minutes, March 16, 2011 1
Housing Element was presented to Council in November 2008, but was not adopted.
The board asked Council for direction as to how to get the plan adopted in October 2010.
Council directed the board to review and give detail for the first four policy
recommendations as well as update the demographics and statistics using the 2010
Census data. The board has been working since that time to study and expand those
recommendations.
Bills discusses the basics of the following four policy recommendations:
1. Treat affordable housing as a major policy issue in Georgetown.
Bills states that City Council expects the Housing Advisory Board to make this a
priority.
2. Waive all municipal impact fees and development fees for housing units
affordable to 80% of the area median income and below.
Waiving impact fees and development fees is the sole method the City has at its
disposal to finance affordable housing.
3. Increase the amount of land zoned specifically for multi‐family housing
development.
The City’s planning staff should be asked to identify additional land areas that
would be suitable for higher density residential development and prepare a
report to City Council. This self‐evaluation serves as the foundation for future
amendments to the City’s zoning regulations and zoning map. Once land is
rezoned, developers proposing medium and high density residential
development should understand that their proposals will be reviewed more
favorably if they provide a certain percentage of affordable units in the overall
unit mix.
4. Treat nonprofit and for‐profit affordable housing developers as a special class of
developer.
Whenever a development proposal is presented to City officials that involves an
affordable housing component, it should be identified as such and treated with
special care and attention.
5. Review of 2010 Census data.
Bills states the following key points on the Census:
There were only five Census pieces of information that were released.
1. Total population
2. Total housing units.
3. Occupied and vacant units.
4. Population by one race.
5. Hispanic population.
There has been an slight increase in the Hispanic population in Georgetown.
The City of Georgetown fell below the anticipated 50,000 population, falling at
47,400.
Housing Advisory Board Minutes, March 16, 2011 2
Housing Advisory Board Minutes, March 16, 2011 3
Group quarters (nursing homes, group homes, dormitories, jails, etc.) population
estimates have not yet been released. This means we do not have the average
household population.
1 ½ % more vacant house than we had in the year 2000 due to foreclosures, etc.
Surrounding cities also came up short of their population estimates.
Williamson County was the 2nd fastest growing county in the state of Texas and
there has been tremendous growth since the last Census.
Income data to be released (hopefully) by this summer/fall.
6. Discussion and possible action to create working groups to work more in‐depth to create
basic implementation plans for the first four policy recommendations.
Chair Todd suggests tabling this action until the April 20, 2011 meeting in an effort to
make this item the main topic of discussion at the meeting.
7. Discussion and possible action on future meeting dates.
Board agrees to meet on the scheduled April 20, 2011 meeting.
8. Adjournment.
Motion to adjourn by Williams. Second by Leissner. Approved 7‐0 (Woodward and Fisher
absent).
Meeting adjourned at 4:40 pm.
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Approved, Attest,