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<br />City Council Regular Meeting - 09/11/06 <br />Minutes - Page 12 <br /> <br />proposed multi-family units didn't meet eligibility requirements. <br /> <br />Mr. Moser noted that initial goals of the development included an <br />affordability component with City staff encouraging that goal; <br />however, as density continued to decrease at the increasing <br />demand by the neighborhood and City Council, meeting that goal <br />became more difficult, and Mr. Moser advised that, until tonight's <br />meeting, he had not been aware of the DEED Grant requirement. <br /> <br />Discussion included price points of proposed units and revisions <br />to proposed plans; HRA criteria for gap financing and price points <br />for affordable housing; and land use costs. <br /> <br />Councilmember Pust clarified that the HRA was not holding the <br />$100,000 for this project; and if the town home component had <br />been included, it would more likely have qualified for a DEED <br />Grant. <br /> <br />Councilmember Maschka sought additional sources for clean up <br />funds; with Mr. Colton responding that the developer may request <br />Tax Increment Financing (TIF) assistance to assist with clean up <br />costs. Mr. Colton noted that the City Council had engaged former <br />property owners for their assistance with cost-sharing <br />contamination clean up costs; and short of litigation, the former <br />owners were accepting no responsibility. Without clean up <br />assistance, Mr. Colton projected that the project would continue to <br />sit vacant. <br /> <br />Councilmember Ihlan expressed concern that this information was <br />just coming to the City Council's attention at this late date, <br />making it difficult to make policy judgments; and opined that she <br />was not convinced that there wasn't a way to make one of the <br />units an affordable housing option. <br /> <br />Mr. Moser opined with confidence that, from his experience in <br />land and development costs, and given the contention of the <br />neighbors for larger, more costly homes, it was obvious that there <br />was not a qualified neighborhood affordability component. Mr. <br />Moser further opined that the developers had attempted to be <br />accommodating to various expressed concerns, but to try to take <br />this plan and make an affordable housing component was not <br />