Affordable Housing Plan

1. Affordable Housing Plan Community Workshops November 12, 2008

2. Presentation Overview • Introductions • Background • Why create an affordable housing plan? • Partners • Process • Definitions • Needs Assessment Summary • Rental Gap • Home Ownership Gap • Recommendations • Goals and Objectives • Five-Year Action Plan!

3. Why create an Affordable Housing Plan? • Housing prices have increased faster than wages, decreasing the relative affordability of the housing market. • Employee-recruitment and employee-retention efforts are challenged by high housing costs. • Low and median income workers find themselves priced out of single family homes, and many are unable to find lower priced rental units in good condition. • In 1996, the Utah legislature passed a law that requires all communities to adopt an affordable housing plan that addresses the current need for affordable housing, as well as needs looking at least five years into the future.

4. Interlocal Housing Task Force Partners • City of Moab • Grand County • Housing Authority of Southeastern Utah • Rural Community Assistance Corporation (contracted consultant)

5. Process • 2006: Interlocal Agreement approved among City of Moab, Housing Authority of Southeastern Utah, and Grand County to jointly fund the Affordable Housing Plan. • August, 2007: RCAC facilitated public workshops to gather anecdotal information from stakeholder groups regarding affordable housing problems and to gauge community perception. • August, 2007: Initial housing market assessment created byJames Woods, Director of the Bureau of Economic and Business Research, David Eccles School of Business, University of Utah. • February, 2008: RCAC and Interlocal Housing Task Force developed theNeeds Assessment that showed the affordable housing gap in different income and housing type categories. • March, 2008: RCAC facilitatedDraft Affordable Housing Needs Report and public workshopswhere participants had a chance to express their opinions on a variety of possible approaches and filled out surveys about the different tools explained in the workshops. • November 12, 2008 Interlocal Housing Task Force presents the Draft FIVE -YEAR ACTION PLAN for public input!

6. Needs Assessment Definitions Area Median Income (AMI) = Income for an area used to calculate eligibility for certain affordable housing programs. One half of the incomes in the area are above this amount and one half are below. Each year the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) determines an AMI for every county in the United States.  For 2008 the HUD amount in Grand County is between $47,000 and $49,000 for a family of four.

7. Definitions Affordable Housing: Housing thatconsumes no more than 30% of gross annual household income, particularly for households earning less than 80% of AMI. Rental housing costs include rent and utilities. Ownership housing costs include mortgage, taxes, insurance, utilities and home owner association fees.

8. How great is the Need?

9. What are RCAC’s Recommendations? • Acquire and maintain policy maker commitment to Housing Plan implementation • Appoint Housing Task Force • Improve land use • Increase available housing resources • Develop new units • Preserve and maintain the existing affordable housing inventory • Institute deed restriction programs • Public education

10. What are the Five-Year Goals? • To achieve secure, affordable, decent housing opportunities for area residents. • To achieve adequate housing opportunities to allow the community to recruit and retain a skilled workforce. • To achieve creation and retention of housing stock affordable to very low, low, moderate, and moderate to 120 percent of Area Median Income (AMI) households. To assess on a continuing basis the gaps among housing stock, housing needs, and what households can afford in order to revise the objectives of the Affordable Housing Plan. 5. To establish and participate in programs to reduce household operating, rehabilitation and construction costs.

11. What are the Five-Year Objectives? • Provide 8 rental units of transitional housing for homeless. • Provide 55 rental units to very low income households. • Provide 22 unitsto lowincome households ( 10 for purchase and 12 rental). • Provide 124 units to moderate income households ( 114 for purchase and 10 rental). • Promote and establish energy efficiency and other programs, policies and regulations that lower the ongoing costs of housing. 6. Analyze the housing needs of moderate to 120 percent income households. 7. Coordinate with and involve multiple community and outside agencies in developing affordable housing solutions.

12. 5 -Year Action Plan! Your input is important!

13. 1. 501c(3) Community Land Trust • 501c(3) Community Housing Dev. Organization • (CHDO) 5 -Year Action Plan! 3. Deed Restriction Guidelines Coordinate between City and County Determine target populations Create mechanism for administration

14. 4. Affordable Housing Stock Preservation • mobile home rental to ownership program • replace dilapidated units • incentives to rehabilitate • tax abatement on rehabilitation • 5. Land Use Code Changes to Encourage Affordable Housing • develop mixed-use ordinance • allow for transfer of development rights • develop affordable housing overlay zone • allow for additional incentives • Develop acceptable guidelines and locations for increased density and decreased requirements for affordable housing projects • allow for infill development 5-Year ActionPlan

15. 6. Building Construction and Design Guidelines • encourage walkability for new projects • implement green building standards / incentives. 5-Year Action Plan • 7. Affordable Component in New Development • Linkage fees • Affordable housing overlay zone • 8. Development Costs Reduction • Guidelines for fee deferrals / subsidies • Offer affordable housing subsidies

16. 9. Employer Assisted Housing Programs • Establish down payment funds • Develop employer requirement for provision of affordable housing • 10. Local Affordable Housing Resources • Voluntary real estate transfer assessment • Establish affordable housing fund 5-Year Action Plan • 11. Land Resources • Develop land bank • Purchase properties for affordable housing • Pursue land donations • Identify City and County underutilized land • Develop Process Streamlining • a) Priority building permit process • b) Review of other jurisdictions • c) Planning process facilitator

17. Housing Task Force • a) Create Housing Task Force • b) Perform annual review of housing gap • c) Develop needs assessment for > 80% AMI • d) Provide ongoing progress reports • 14. Housing Counseling • Promote and facilitate housing / financial counseling programs • Provide housing counseling • 15. Public Education Campaign • Determine target audiences • Provide workshops and brochures for builders and developers • Provide information to public about policy changes • Provide interactive workshops and feedback opportunities 5-Year Action Plan

18. 16. Public / Private Partnerships • Identify possible partners • Promote energy efficiency programs with resource providers • Promote voluntary real estate transfer assessment programs with developers • Promote low-interest loan programs for energy efficiency upgrades 5-Year Action Plan • 17. Household Maintenance • Promote energy efficiency programs • Implement water conservation rate structure • Provide public information about how to reduce household costs • Promote low-interest loans and incentives for improvements.

19. Thank you! Please refer to the website for additional information: www.moabcity.org/housingplan PUBLIC COMMENT ACCEPTED UNTIL DECEMBER 15