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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1997 09-16 HCM MINUTES OF THE PROCEEDINGS OF THE HOUSING COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF BROOKLYN CENTER IN THE COUNTY OF HENNEPIN AND STATE OF MINNESOTA REGULAR SESSION SEPTEMBER 16, 1997 CONFERENCE ROOM B BROOKLYN CENTER 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, Vice- Chairperson Ernie Erickson, Commissioners Jonathan Carter, Lloyd Deuel, Henry Yang, Mark Yelich and Donald Arm. Also present were Council Liaison Kay Lasman and Community Development Specialist Tom Bublitz. Absent from the meeting were Commissioners Todd Cannon and Michael desParois. APPROVAL OF AGENDA There was a motion by Commissioner Erickson and seconded by Commissioner Deuel to approve the agenda, as submitted. The motion passed. APPROVAL OF MINUTES MAY 20, 1997 Commissioner Erickson noted a correction in the May 20, 1997, Housing Commission minutes on page 3, and pointed out that the seconder of the motion on page 3 of the May 20 minutes should be Commissioner Yelich and not Commissioner Erickson. There was a motion by Commissioner Erickson and seconded by Commissioner Deuel to approve the May 20, 1997, Housing Commission minutes, as corrected. The motion passed. Chairperson Robert Torres noted he believed the commission should enforce attendance more strictly and commission members concurred, noting it was important to attend and participate in the commission if you are appointed. The Community Development Specialist noted Todd Cannon had called him earlier and left a voice mail message, noting he had been in an auto accident and expressed an intent to resign from the commission. The Community Development Specialist noted that Mr. Cannon will recover from the accident, but it would be difficult for him to attend meetings on a regular basis during his recovery. 9 -16 -97 -1- Chairperson Robert Torres noted the attendance at the Housing Commission meeting by Ms. Jessica Ness, a social work student from the University of Wisconsin at River Falls who was in attendance to observe the commission's meeting this evening. Chairperson Torres also noted the addition of Mr. Donald Arm to the Housing Commission. Mr. Arm was recently appointed to the commission, and he noted he has been a resident of Brooklyn Center since 1961, and is currently president of the Brooklyn Center Lions Club. UPDATE AND SLIDE PRESENTATION ON 53RD AVENUE DEVELOPMENT AND LINKAGE PROJECT The Community Development Specialist presented a number of slides to the commission which showed the interior condition of the housing acquired as part of the 53rd Avenue Development and Linkage Project. Commissioner Erickson inquired as to the status of the redevelopment activities for the 53rd Avenue Development and Linkage Project, and specifically whether an RFP had been sent out. The Community Development Specialist replied that preliminary discussions have been held with developers and that no developer has been recommended at this point. He noted developers have responded to an RFP sent out by the City, but discussions are preliminary at this point. He noted residents in the area of the 53rd Avenue Development and Linkage Project will be involved in the process at some point, but the City Manager and City Council will determine this at a later date. Chairperson Torres inquired as to how the information regarding the process would be made available to residents. Councilmember Lasman stated she thinks the City would follow past models used in previous projects, which would include mailings to residents and public meetings. Commissioner Erickson pointed out that in one past street project on 65th Avenue North, it was the City's policy to mail informational pieces to residents two blocks either side of the project area. Commissioner Yelich commented that the slides showing the deterioration and state of disrepair of many of the properties in the 53rd Avenue Development and Linkage Project were disturbing, and inquired as to why these problems were not dealt with earlier. The Community Development Specialist noted many of the properties along the project area on 53rd were a focus of code compliance based on the exterior of the properties, such as junk vehicles and other code violations. He noted this code enforcement effort would not necessarily lead to an inspection of the inside of these properties. He pointed out the condition of the interior of the properties was due in part to a situation where the age and value of the homes did not warrant a significant capital investment of the homeowners. As a result, many of the repairs done to the interior of these homes along 53rd were done by the homeowners themselves and in some cases were not done properly and, in fact, resulted in decreasing the value of the property. 9 -16 -97 -2- He noted inspectors would have to have a significantly compelling reason to enter into the properties, and while there were code violations on the interior of the properties, there was no way inspectors could have known this, especially since permits may not have been pulled to do some of the repair work done by homeowners. In summary, he concluded that the age and condition of the housing along 53rd led to a situation where capital investment was simply not a justifiable expense, based on a return on the value of the property. With regard to redevelopment issues related to the 53rd Avenue Development and Linkage Project, Chairperson Torres noted development of the south end of Bellvue Park should be a priority in the redevelopment of this area. Commissioner Erickson commented that the original plan for Bellvue Park was that it be a neighborhood park with a "tot lot and more intense recreational activities were not a part of the plan for the park. The Community Development Specialist noted he would keep commission members informed of any meetings regarding the redevelopment activities along the 53rd Avenue Development and Linkage Project area. REPORT ON TIME OF SALE ORDINANCE The Community Development Specialist noted the 53rd Avenue Development and Linkage Project had demanded the vast majority of his time over the spring and summer months, and he had not been able to work on the Time of Sale ordinance. He also pointed out that Clay Larson, the City's Building Official, had taken a new position in another city in June and that he was now working with David Fisher, the Acting Building Official. He noted he and Mr. Fisher had met with the Community Development Director and the goal was to develop an outline of an implementation plan for the Time of Sale ordinance to be presented to the City Manager and subsequently presented to the Housing Commission at their October meeting. OTHER BUSINESS Commissioner Deuel noted he lives in the northeast quadrant of the city and is concerned about crime in that area. Additionally, he commented that the people in his neighborhood have expressed an interest to him to locate the new police station in this neighborhood along Humboldt Avenue. He added he would like to see the station built on the vacant land along Humboldt, which is currently owned by the City and located on the west side of Humboldt, across from 67th Avenue North. Councilmember Lasman noted the City is still exploring various sites, including the site next to the current City Hall, so that services such as copying, janitorial, etc., could be shared. She noted the decision to locate the facilities would likely be an economic one. Commissioner Deuel commented he believed a freestanding police station would be a benefit to the northeast neighborhood. The commission discussed the development of the police station on the Humboldt site. 9 -16 -97 -3- Commission members inquired as to the potential redevelopment options for the site along Humboldt Avenue. The Community Development Specialist noted the property was initially bought to deal with substandard and foreclosed rental properties. He noted the land had formerly been occupied by apartments that had been foreclosed upon by the Department of Housing and Urban Development. He noted that expansion of the industrial park had been one of the options for this area, but more land would need to be acquired to make this option feasible. Commissioner Yelich brought up the issue of police procedures and long -term policing strategies. He noted a freestanding satellite station may be more effective and efficient in getting officers out into the community. He noted that it seems like all the squad cars are stored at the police station on Shingle Creek and it appears that most of the calls start from this location. Commissioner Erickson inquired as to the status of the City's deferred loan rehabilitation program. The Community Development Specialist explained that the program currently follows the Hennepin County guidelines which provide for a 30 -year lien on loan repayments. He noted the program had gone from a five -year to a ten -year lien and now is following the County's program of a 30 -year lien. He noted the changes had occurred over the years, in part due to the decreasing amounts of federal dollars available for the programs. He pointed out the 30 -year lien is an effort to recapture funds to maintain the pool of funds available for future loans. He also noted the Council has directed staff to develop a program to use Community Development Block Grant funds to write down the interest rate for the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency Fix-up Fund loan program. He pointed out the MHFA Fix-up Fund loan provides up to $15,000 per property in the form of a loan with an interest rate that floats between 2 -8 depending on income. He noted CDBG funds would be used to write down this interest rate to make it more affordable. Councilmember Lasman pointed out that the Council's intent in writing down the MHFA Fix-up Fund loan program was to in effect make more rehab dollars available in the city. ADJOURNMENT There was a motion by Commissioner Erickson and seconded by Commissioner Deuel to adjourn the meeting. The motion passed. The Brooklyn Center Housing Commission adjourned at 8:45 P.M. Chairperson 9 -16 -97 -4-