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What were the housing-related concerns that were raised? Participants' concerns can be cluster under the catego- ries of housing affo�dability, rental property, planning and regulation, and communications between atit• City and residents. Common themes emerged under each category and they are listed below. Housing Affordability 6 Rising property taxes make it difficult to finance home maintenance proj ects. �� Many newly constructed homes are not affordable to seniors and lower-income families. � High-quality, affordable homes are not being built. Rental Property � There is an increasing number of owner-occupied houses being converted to rental. •.• A lack ofregulation (or code enforcement) of rental property in the areas of maintenance, occupancy numbers, and social behavior. This creates conflicts and reduces the levels of control people feel they have and pride in their neighborhoods. Planning and Re�ulaEian �'� Guidelines are needed to ensure that new home design and developments are compatibility with the character ofthe existing neighborhood. �} New construction is being built at higher densities than currently exits. � More plannzngis needed for off-siteimpacts of new construction, e.g. drainage, flooding, and in- creased traffic. C�,ntn�an.i�{l�ns'i�E'L5i L'YIl �.Jfu �n� re�ici�nt� �. i',t•�i '•ti :.� � fiL7 :' ;'t �tic�T `��'t]:•:�; f i�� u-.l ,,�j �� ;1 I ti��4'�']- opment proposals, who to contact about concerns, nor how to act on things thatmatter to them. �� Residents would like more information about ac- tions in response to their complaints, especially re- garding Code Enforcement. What other concerns were raised? Several non-housing concerns were raised at different points in the Dialogue. They have been grouped into categories and included below. County Road B � Deferredmaintenance has led to poor and unsafe road conditions. •.• The planned closing of the intersection at Hwy 280 willmake access less convenient. General Trafiic Conditions v'� '�'here is a growing amount of traffic on city streets, which is disruptive to residents. �� There are traffic-engineering hotspots, e.g. Good- will and County Road B at Sz�eiling, that need im- proved safety for pedestrians and vehicles. � Trafficmanagementfor new developments needs longer-range planning and coordination with other development nearby. Safety and Crime -� There seems to be an increase in crimes being committed around the motel near the car dealer- ships. What can the City do to respond to these issues? � Develop a comprehensive, citywide vision to guide development '�• Develop City goals for affordable housing and new development f* Strengthen City Codes that address housing; allo- cate resources to enforce Codes; inform residents about Codes and enforcement actions �'� Develop accountability measures and actions for secondary impacts of new development, such as drainage and flooding •«* Improve communications with citizens What can citizen do to respond to these is- sues? � Become more actively informed about and in- volved in Code enforcement, planning new devel- opment �` Communicate views and opinions to City Council members � Participate in Crime Watch efforts �� Organize citizens concerned about County Road B and contact County What action ideas were participants will- ing to support? Ten (10) persons indicated that they could personally suppart one or more of the issues solution ideas/projecis discussed. They included: :* Code Enforcement (6 persons) � Keeping Cty Rd $�Hwy 280 intersection_ open (4 persons) � Citywide housing plan that included affordable housing (3 persons) -? Increasing citizen participation (2 persons) '3 Improving road maintenance (2persons) *:• Reducing crime (I person) � Improving accountability for drainage impacts from new development (1 person)