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Regular City Council Meeting <br />Monday, September 08, 2008 <br />Page 22 <br />had informed her that the owner was at least a year away from any kind of com- <br />pliance, and that they hadn't qualified for at least a year. The speaker further <br />noted her conversations with Senator Marty and his comments concerning this <br />type of tax credit only serving to take money from a small pool of bond money for <br />affordable housing in metropolitan cities, and put that money into the pockets of <br />developers. The speaker related specific incidents and experiences of residents; <br />addressed the high turnover; and expressed concerns with the owner's manage- <br />ment firm, Kingwood Management and past issue of which she was aware. <br />The speaker opined that residents had lived in a construction zone for over a year, <br />and the results of their inconvenience were increased crime; increased police <br />calls; neighbors unfamiliar with each other; and lack of response from Kingwood <br />Management to expressed concerns of the rental community. The speaker asked <br />for the City's assistance, stating, "this is my home." <br />Mayor Klausing suggested that individual Councilmembers provide their specific <br />questions to staff for follow up; that the agreement be reviewed by staff; the status <br />of the application to the MHFA be reviewed; and information requested of the <br />developer by Councilmembers and/or staff be directed to staff to forward to the <br />City Council for further review; with staff providing the findings of their investi- <br />gation to the City Council for further discussion. <br />Mr. Jones clarified the process, based on the City Council as bond issuer and the <br />MHFA as writer of the qualified application plan; the previous preliminary de- <br />termination as to the amount of credits when the bonds were issued; and the pend- <br />ing final determination when the project is placed in service, upon completion of <br />the renovations and costs identified. Mr. Jones advised that the first phase had <br />been completed; but the second and final approval phase was yet to come, with <br />renovations anticipated for completion late this year or by the end of January. <br />Further discussion ensued regarding administering and monitoring processes; ad- <br />ditional information on how other cities monitor compliance, and their specific <br />thresholds, and their experiences in issuing this type of bond. <br />Mayor Klausing suggested defining immediate questions related to this issue; and <br />then referring the broader policy discussion to the H1tA, as to whether restrictions <br />should be imposed on more difficult or complex projects; the consequences of <br />fewer such projects; with those issues defined upon further review of the informa- <br />tion on this specific project. <br />Mr. McGillis noted that they had anticipated normal turnover, similar to most <br />rentals, at 50% annually, which would have facilitated rehabilitation in a timelier <br />manner allowing for release of those units for rental to other tenants. However, <br />Mr. McGillis noted that they had not experienced that anticipated turnover; and <br />that information received on the level of qualified tenants from previous owners <br />