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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1994 09-20 HCM MINUTES OF THE PROCEEDINGS OF THE HOUSING COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF BROOKLYN CENTER IN THE COUNTY OF HENNEPIN AND THE STATE OF MINNESOTA REGULAR SESSION SEPTEMBER 20, 1994 CONFERENCE ROOM B CITY HALL CALL TO ORDER The Brooklyn Center Housing Commission was called to order by Chairperson Robert Torres at 7:00 p.m. ROLL CALL Chairperson Robert Torres, Commissioners Kathleen Carmody, Ernie Erickson, Keith Tuttle, Vince Opat, Maria Olek and Jack Kelly. Also present was Community Development Specialist Tom Bublitz. Commissioners Todd Cannon and Neal Nelson were absent and excused from the meeting. Councilmember Barb Kalligher was also absent and excused from the meeting. APPROVAL OF AGENDA There was a motion by Commissioner Carmody and seconded by Commissioner Erickson to approve the agenda, as submitted. The motion passed. APPROVAL OF MINUTES APRIL 19. 1994 AND MAY 17. 1994, There was a motion by Commissioner Carmody and seconded by Commissioner Opat to approve the April 19, 1994 Housing Commission minutes, as submitted. The motion passed. There was a motion by Commissioner Erickson and seconded by Commissioner Tuttle to approve the minutes of the May 17, 1994 Housing Commission minutes, as submitted. The motion passed. STAFF UPDATE ON HOUSING /COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES, This being the first meeting since the summer recess, the Community Development Specialist stated he would like to report on several housing and community development activities in the City as background information for the commission. The Community Development Specialist reported on the following items for Housing Commission members: A senior housing market study for the City has been completed and will be presented to the City Council at their September 26, 1994 meeting. The purpose of the study was to assess the demand for senior housing in the City and to evaluate the suitability of senior housing for the area along Willow Lane 9 -20 -94 -1- just north of 694 and east of Highway 252. The study projected that Brooklyn Center could support an additional 125 -175 units of senior housing from 1995 to 2000, depending on the level of market rate senior housing construction in the study area, which included several communities surrounding Brooklyn Center. The study also pointed out the site located in the proposed Willow Lane redevelopment area is not well suited for development of senior housing. The study went on to point out the potential for senior housing is greater in the proposed 69th Avenue/Brooklyn Boulevard redevelopment area due to closer proximity to retail and community services. The City Council approved the creation of a housing development and redevelopment district which includes the entire City of Brooklyn Center with the exception of properties in the extreme northeast corner of the City. The creation of the redevelopment district would allow the City to create tax increment financing districts within the larger redevelopment district. Staff is presently working on defining potential tax increment districts within the City for specific redevelopment activities. Housing and rental licensing code enforcement activities have recently been stepped up at the Timber Ridge apartment complex. The City's Housing Inspector has found numerous code violations at Timber Ridge, and it appears the City will be taking legal action with regard to the violations. The Brookdale Ten complex is also under scrutiny by City staff with regard to code violations, however, the level of activity is much less than that at Timber Ridge. Changes are taking place at two rental complexes in the City. The Ponds townhouse rental community has been acquired by new owners and they are in the process of converting the project to a leasehold cooperative. Under this type of arrangement, residents form a cooperative association and are instrumentally involved in the management activities at their complex, including budget decisions, decisions on management companies for the complex, and the screening of new tenants. The Ponds has also changed its name to Unity Place. In addition to the conversion to a leasehold cooperative, the City has approved the issuance of over $5,000,000 for the acquisition and rehabilitation of the project. The issuance of the revenue bonds does not affect the debt capacity of the City. Four Courts Apartments, located just south of County Road 10 and east of Xerxes Avenue North, is being purchased by the Dominium Company. Dominium is proposing an entirely new management system for the project, along with over $2,000,000 in remodeling for the 252 -unit complex. This 9 -20 -94 -2- project has also been approved for up to 7.5 million dollars in revenue bond financing by the City. These bonds, like the bonds for the Unity Place project, do not affect the debt capacity of the City. As follow -up to the Housing Commission's ongoing interest in the COPS program, the police administration has revised the COPS program so that rather than two or three officers dedicated exclusively to the COPS program, the new plan is to have all of the officers in the department become part of the COPS program so that one officer can establish a link with two to three apartment complexes. The Community Development Specialist stated that he would continue to provide information to the Housing Commission on the status of the COPS program in the City. The 1994 first -time home buyer program, called the Minnesota City Participation Program (MCPP), is underway, and again Brooklyn Center is using its mortgage set -aside funds at a rate faster than most communities in the program. The only other two communities in the state using the funds as rapidly as Brooklyn Center are Rochester and Duluth. One advantage to the MCPP is that on November 8, 1994, any unused mortgage funds in any of the participating cities will go into a pool which can be accessed by all cities in the program. The City, through the EDA, is continuing to acquire and remove blighted properties in the City. Currently, properties at 5900 Emerson Avenue North and 6933 Brooklyn Boulevard have been acquired and are scheduled for demolition later this fall. The City has also purchased an office building at 7000 Brooklyn Boulevard. This building is currently occupied, and the plans are to vacate the building through attrition as the tenants leave. In conclusion, the Community Development Specialist indicated that he would like to have the Community Development Director come to a future meeting and discuss the future potential tax increment project areas in the City. Commissioner Erickson inquired whether the City Council received the recommendations of the Housing Commission with regard to the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) deferred loan program for housing rehabilitation. The Community Development Specialist informed the Housing Commission that the Council accepted all of the recommendations of the Housing Commission, including the recommendation against having a residency requirement, the formula for the ten year lien, and the creation of an exterior maintenance standard for housing rehabilitation projects. Commissioner Carmody inquired as to the City's current activity in the area of the housing code, specifically with regard to the recommendations contained in the Maxfield Study for increased code enforcement. 9 -20 -94 -3- The commission discussed issues of code enforcement and references were made to the commission's past review of Point of Sale and Truth in Housing -type ordinances. Commissioner Kelly pointed out that he believes Point of Sale -type ordinances will essentially drive people away from the housing market in Brooklyn Center. He noted that under these types of ordinances people have to correct problems even if they do not sell their house. He noted that once the inspectors gather a list of corrections they can force the owner to correct them, even if the house is not eventually sold at that time. He went further to state he believes the Point of Sale -type ordinance is detrimental to senior citizens and persons who own houses now and will have to do extensive rehabilitation to sell their properties. Commissioner Erickson pointed out to new commission members that the Housing Commission reviewed the Point of Sale and Truth in Housing ordinance approach to code enforcement for over a year, and reviewed ordinances in many suburban communities, in addition to Minneapolis and St. Paul. He explained the Housing Commission, at the end of their review, recommended against any Truth in Housing or Point of Sale ordinances. Commissioner Tuttle questioned whether the lack of a Point of Sale or Truth in Housing ordinance is protecting the seller who is leaving the City and not protecting the new owner who is just moving in. Commissioner Erickson suggested that for the benefit of those members who were not on the commission at the time of the initial review of the Point of Sale and Truth in Housing ordinances, the record of those meetings, including staff memorandums and minutes, should be shared with the entire commission. He added that he would recommend against bringing the consideration of Point of Sale or Truth in Housing ordinances back for reconsideration by the commission. Commissioner Opat inquired as to whether or not the item would be brought back as an agenda item. The Community Development Specialist explained that he would bring the report on Truth in Housing and Point of Sale back as an information item on the agenda. Commissioner Carmody expressed a concern about the apparent elimination of one code enforcement officer position in the 1995 City budget. She explained this would have been an additional position over and above what the City has now. After a brief discussion, the commission agreed that the consideration of the elimination of the CEO position should be brought back as an agenda item for the meeting in October. STAFF REPORT ON IMAGE CAMPAIGN FOR THE CITY OF BROOKLYN CENTER, The Community Development Specialist reported that the Brooklyn Center Chamber of Commerce has initiated discussions among business and community leaders regarding an image campaign for the City of Brooklyn Center. The impetus for considering such a campaign, at least in part, comes from several Minneapolis Star and Tribune articles printed earlier this year, copies of which are included with the commission's agenda information. 9 -20 -94 -4- He explained the Chamber of Commerce has held two meetings to discuss the image campaign, including one meeting where representatives of Brooklyn Park's "Come Home to the Park" campaign met and discussed their activities with Brooklyn Center representatives. Commissioner Carmody explained that she is a member of the task force for the image campaign project. The commission members discussed the past interest on the part of the Housing Commission in an image campaign, along with how the Housing Commission can participate in the Chamber's initiative. Commissioner Erickson suggested that there is a need to get beyond the Brooklyn Center and Brooklyn Park area in terms of an image campaign and to look at the entire north metro area and to address such issues as obtaining the north metro's share of transportation dollars. He pointed out that for the last several years the bulk of transportation dollars have gone to the south metro area and projects in the north metro area go unfinished. Commissioner Tuttle inquired whether the commission could be supportive of the image campaign project without becoming directly involved as a commission. Commissioner Carmody pointed out that a task force is still forming and that, as in Brooklyn Park, the apartments will be a big focus on any image campaign. After additional discussion of the Chamber's initiative, there was a consensus of the commission to monitor the image campaign group and to assess whether or not the commission may have a role in contributing to this group. OTHER BUSINESS HENNEPIN COMMUNITY WORKS Commissioner Opat stated a couple of weeks ago a meeting was held on the Hennepin Community Works program concept. He explained this is a concept developed by Hennepin County to create new green space throughout the county, the purpose of which is to be a positive influence on housing and other types of development. He explained representatives from the University of Minnesota Design Center were at the meeting and explained that this type of program has worked in other parts of the country. He pointed out that one of the issues brought up at the meeting was the possibility of turning Humboldt Avenue from 57th Avenue to Victory Memorial Drive into a parkway. He explained further that to his knowledge groups on the south side of Hennepin County, including Richfield, have already formed around the Community Works concept. Commissioner Opat also pointed out that his brother, Commissioner Mike Opat, has been instrumentally involved in this project, and he offered to ask his brother to attend the next Housing Commission meeting to discuss the concept with commission members. The Housing Commission members all agreed this would be an excellent item for the October meeting. 9 -20 -94 -5- OTHER BUSINESS NEIGHBORHOOD ORGANIZATION Commissioner Carmody suggested commission members consider being the neighborhood contact within their particular neighborhood and to find some way to develop a framework to create interest in their neighborhoods. Chairperson Torres stated that he definitely wants to pursue the expansion of the neighborhood committee similar to what has been created by the Earle Brown Neighborhood Housing Advisory Committee. Commissioner Erickson noted that Commissioner Nelson has expressed an interest in his neighborhood, and much of the focus on concerns for that neighborhood has been in regard to the Brookdale Ten apartment complex and substandard homes in the area, including some fourplexes. The Community Development Specialist noted that the City of St. Louis Park has developed a means of creating neighborhood groups within the City and pointed out that they had initially created a neighborhood commission which covered the entire City and whose role was to create neighborhood groups within each of the neighborhoods in the City. He pointed out that the umbrella commission created a "how to" manual for creating neighborhood groups, including how to conduct meetings, put out newsletters, etc. He pointed out that he could share the document created by the St. Louis Park commission and also invite a St. Louis Park staff person or commission member to attend a future housing commission meeting to review their progress. The Housing Commission continued its discussion of expansion of neighborhood committees and requested the Community Development Specialist to put together the information of the St. Louis Park concept for their information. Commissioner Kelly noted that the commission had discussed numerous items this evening, and he suggested using the November meeting to set priorities for the commission for this year. There was a consensus of commission members to agree that the November meeting should be used to set priorities for the upcoming year. ADJOURNMENT There was a motion by Commissioner Opat and seconded by Commissioner Carmody to adjourn the meeting. The motion passed. The Brooklyn Center Housing Commission adjourned at 8:50 p.m. Chairperson 9 -20 -94 -6- r