CC_Minutes_2010_0726 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home

Regular City Council Meeting Monday, July 26, 2010 Page 7 ties, with all conveniently available in Roseville and closer than if choosing to live in a suburb further out. Councilmember Roe noted that another aspect, besides being close to cultural events, was Roseville's proximity to both downtowns offering a short commute for day-to-day work, making sense as an aspect of part of the green nature of liv- ing in Roseville. Mayor Klausing concurred; and suggested that one of the marketing aspects of- fered by the HRA could be to have realtors address the cost of transportation as part of the realistic cost of housing in Roseville compared to other areas, making housing in Roseville even more affordable. Councilmember Roe advised that he looked to the HRA as a resource for housing in the community taking advantage of specific tools and leveraging those tools to maintain the City's diverse housing stock. Councilmember Roe noted that the HRA was originally created to take advantage of opportunities not necessarily available to cities without an HRA; and recognized past and current creativity and expertise generated by individual members of and corporately by the HRA, offer- ing both ideas and creative solutions. Councilmember Johnson thanked the HRA for the great work they did educating the City Council and public, and identifying areas needing improvement. Coun- cilmember Johnson opined that the most crucial aspect of the HRA was in mar- keting Roseville, and his dependence on the HRA for guidance for that marketing, making note of their ideas for Roseville's viable market for sustainable, small homes to attract young, progressing minds and those thinking green; and opined that the HRA was on the right track and expressed his anticipation of hearing their plans for next year. Chair Maschka noted the HRA's satisfaction with the marketing consultant they'd hired and his work to-date in re-branding the annual Home and Garden Fair and the HRA portion of the City's newsletter; as well as recognizing his unique ap- proach and the checkpoints along the way to determine the impacts and effective- ness of various approaches. Chair Maschka noted the favorable timing of this marketing effort with young adults coming out of college with substantial debt and needing starter homes, which Roseville could offer. Chair Maschka noted that Roseville's housing stock was starting to get in line with average incomes with the average Roseville home available between $180,000 and $225,000, with 3% down for FHA loans at this time, making affordable housing an option for many buyers; and noted the role of the HRA in marketing that information to the public. At the request of Chair Maschka, HRA Member Susan Elkins noted discussion during the HRA's Strategic Planning workshop of work force housing opportuni-