TETON COUNTY-DRIGGS-TETONIA-VICTOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING TECHNICAL ADVISORY GROUP MEETING MINUTES. MEETING DATE: Wednesday, November 1, 2017

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1 TETON COUNTY-DRIGGS-TETONIA-VICTOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING TECHNICAL ADVISORY GROUP MEETING MINUTES MEETING DATE: Wednesday, November 1, 2017 MEMBERS PRESENT: Carol Barker, Brady Bardull, Peter Boogaard, Todd Cedarholm, Megan O Brien, Josh Thulin, Lauren Young OTHERS PRESENT: Doug Self, City of Driggs; Shawn Hill, VARD; Julia Tellman, Teton Valley News; Josh Wilson, City of Victor. Administrative Items Members reviewed the advisory group s structure and purpose and were provided information regarding Idaho s open meeting and ethics in government laws. Members established that the regular meeting schedule for this advisory group will be the first Wednesday of each month at 4pm. Communications Shawn Hill of Valley Advocates for Responsible Development spoke to the advisory group about a community housing trust opportunity. Mr. Hill suggested reviewing the experience in Jackson/Teton County WY as well as Blaine County. Mr. Hill also suggested that a good model to consider was for a housing trust to be utilized to pursue development and a housing authority or government would manage deed restrictions and inventory. Shawn Hill reviewed the Jackson Hole Land Trust s model, which is to buy land and place a ground lease on the land, where the buyer will purchase the home, but lease the land from the trust, which provides revenue to develop more housing. Shawn Hill stated that VARD is looking into forming a community land trust in Teton County, Idaho and could start such an effort under its existing 501c3 status. Mr. Hill added that land acquisition would be the first goal and that it is limiting its search for land to the city limits and within ¾ of a mile from a START bus stop. Todd Cedarholm noted that one lesson from Jackson is that multi-family is the only way to build economically at this time.

2 Housing Supply Plan Discussion Doug Self reviewed a draft work plan (see attached staff report). Advisory group members shared their observations on opportunities for addressing affordable housing needs in the community: First/Last/Deposit Loan Program Ms. O Brien stated that the Community Resource Center would like to see a First/Last/Deposit loan program developed and noted that in Jackson, such a program has been established to assist low income households with paying first and last month s rent and the rental deposit. There was discussion about how to organize such a program, who would manage it and how it would be funded. Josh Thulin suggested that the employers in the service industry, as an example, should be paying more towards their employees housing needs. Doug Self noted that the City of Driggs recently established affordable housing as a category for use of local sales tax revenue. Mr. Thulin stated that he supported use of the sales tax, as opposed to property tax, because visitors help pay to address the impacts they have. Rental Availability Josh Thulin stated that The Ponds has had vacant rentals every year and agreed to share occupancy data with Megan O Brien for inclusion in the rental inventory database. Megan O Brien stated that rent restricted units in Teton Valley have at least a 6-month waiting list. Ms. O Brien added that she analyzes the number of units available and the salary required to afford those units and that this recent data was included in the staff report. Lauren Young stated that her experience in moving recently to Teton Valley was that housing was scarce and priced higher than cost of living databases suggest. Transit Josh Thulin noted that transit is a big factor within the housing equation and that transit needs to run later and on the weekends if it is to meet the needs of the service industry workers. Doug Self stated that START will be conducting a commuter survey in the next month and has recently met with TRPTA and Grand Targhee to discuss options for expanding transit routes and schedules in Teton Valley. One option that TRPTA is planning to apply for grant funding for is to run a fixed-schedule service between Tetonia and Victor, with multiple stops along Hwy 33. Doug suggested this could serve areas such as the area off of Lupine Ln in Victor and the Fox Creek park & ride. Short Term Rentals Members observed that many housing units have been converted to short term rentals. Josh Wilson noted that a new Idaho law prevents communities from prohibiting short term rentals, but there are probably options available for managing the impacts on the community. Revenue Sharing and Regional Partnerships 2 of 6

3 Members discussed the need to engage with Teton County, Wyoming in addressing housing and transportation needs in Teton County, Idaho considering the large number of Wyoming workers that are forced by cost of living to reside in Teton County, Idaho. Habitat for Humanity Todd Cedarholm presented information on the Greater Teton Area Habitat for Humanity organization and programs. Mr. Cedarholm stated that this affiliate considers Victor and Driggs part of its area and is interested in starting something in Teton Valley. Mr. Cedarholm stated that Habitat for Humanity is an ownership model and that it all starts with acquiring the land, which is held by the organization and leased to home owners under a ground lease for each home. In Jackson, land for all of the projects has been provided by the housing authority. Mr. Cedarholm stated that none of the Habitat for Humanity home owners can qualify for a conventional mortgage. Buyers have to contribute 500 hours of sweat equity and a $15000 down payment and then they are responsible for the mortgage. Mr. Cedarholm stated that there are 25 homes currently in Jackson and none have ever been foreclosed on. Mr. Cedarholm stated that the money for building the homes comes from donations and gifts and in-kind donations, such as lumber and other materials. He added that labor typically comes from volunteers and the owners. Mr. Cedarholm stated that the organization has come up with several affordable designs and that the 1300sf 3BR home is the standard model. Mr. Cedarholm stated that these are typically built in 4- unit buildings, adding that the recent Alpine, WY project had a construction cost of $145 per square foot. Mr. Cedarholm suggested that it shouldn t take a lot of work to put together the organizational infrastructure in Teton Valley to make the program work. Mr. Cedarholm stated that in finding a land donation, the organization would need to figure out who would own the land, which Habitat for Humanity could lease back. Doug Self suggested looking at the Gemstone subdivision and possibly replatting a portion for a Habitat for Humanity project. Mr. Self added that the development had existing roads and all utilities. Megan O Brien asked what else Habitat for Humanity would need from our community to get started. Mr. Cedarholm stated that a staff member dedicated to Teton Valley would probably be needed and in addition to, when it comes down to building, they would needed a volunteer coordinator and 1-3 construction professionals. Mr. Cedarholm stated that someone would need to manage the mortgage as well. Doug Self asked if there can be any restrictions on the applicants as far as employment type and location, such as public service employees in Idaho. Mr. Cedarholm responded that this is not possible under their program, that the selection is based on need families are the highest on that ranking and then there is an income requirement, typically around $50,000 for a family of three. 3 of 6

4 Mr. Cedarholm stated one obstacle would be fundraising for a Teton Valley project and whether Teton County Wyoming donors would help fund a Teton Valley project. Mr. Cedarholm stated that the Greater Teton Habitat for Humanity Executive Director, Kendra Heimbuck, would like to come over to talk with this advisory group and discuss how to get started. Carol Barker asked about the status of the Idaho Falls Habitat for Humanity program and the private donation that had been earmarked partly for work in Teton County, Idaho. Doug Self responded that Teton County was last on the priority list for the Idaho Falls program and that it would be quite some time before they were read to work on a project in Teton County. Weatherization Program Brady Barkdull stated that due to our climate, utility bills were a significant cost and that there were ways to increase building efficiency and decrease cost. Todd Cedarholm stated that Habitat for Humanity pursues high efficiency and receives many donated materials to keep the cost down in such things as insulation. Megan O Brien noted that the Low Income Housing Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), which is run through the Eastern Idaho Community Action Partnership, has a waiting list of 3 years, which can be a long time for a renter. Ms. O Brien suggested that a faster program for simple improvements such as window weatherization could be developed and perhaps funded by the cities and/or county. Ms. O Brien stated that Rebuilding Together is an interesting program for reconstruction assistance. Todd Cedarholm noted that Habitat for Humanity cannot work on rental homes, only homeowner s homes. Ms. O Brien stated that there is a high rate of homeownership in Teton County, Idaho. Mr. Cedarholm added that assistance for senior homeowners in reconstruction assistance would be a good target. Josh Thulin stated that there was a program in Jackson called Good Sense that paid the difference in insulation costs in order to achieve a higher R-value and suggested that the advisory group should reach out to the utility company to find out about that type of incentive. Ms. O Brien stated that the Fall River Rural Electric Cooperative s Helping Hands program has been wonderful and that type of insulation incentive program would save the utility money. Location of Housing Members discussed that locations where there is existing infrastructure should be the priority, but noted that downtown properties were prohibitively priced. Members also discussed that affordable units should still support the rural character of the community and be aesthetically acceptable to the community. Nonprofit Housing Developers / Low Income Housing Tax Credit Program Megan O Brien suggested that there was no need to reinvent the wheel on most of these strategies and that the group should look to engage existing resources. Ms. O Brien stated that Jay Doman, Director of Eastern Idaho Community Action Partnership, had expressed interest in building an affordable housing complex in Teton County, Idaho 4 of 6

5 and that the LIHTC makes such projects cost-effective for these organizations. Doug Self noted that Mr. Doman from EICAP would be attending the December advisory group meeting. Mr. Self stated that organizations such as EICAP also typically want the land to be donated. Land Availability for An Affordable Housing Development Mr. Self noted that finding land was key for multiple strategies. Josh Thulin stated that he may have some leads on land. Megan O Brien stated that the county may own land that they could donate near Hatches Corner. Members agreed that this area was not supported by existing infrastructure and zoning and therefore would not be cost effective, but noted that the county could sell the property to support a land acquisition fund. Josh Thulin stated there were plenty of multi-family lots available, but they weren t necessarily cost-effective. Affordable Housing Regulations Incentives Josh Thulin stated that he had helped create the housing credits in Jackson, which funds affordable housing through mitigation on new development and allows housing developers to sell credits to others who have a mitigation requirement. Members discussed one of the pitfalls in Jackson was that housing mitigation was required on the same site as the development being mitigated and that the costs were often unusually high because of the expense of the land and the need to fit the style of the mitigation units in with the rest of the development. Low Hanging Fruit / Discussion Re-Cap Megan O Brien reviewed options for immediate action and other topics from the discussion: First/Last/Deposit Loan Program o Megan O Brien stated she would look into whether and how the Community Resource Center could administer such a program. Ms. O Brien stated she would talk to One22 in Jackson to determine how the program runs and how it could best be set up in Idaho. o Doug Self stated that the City of Driggs has already created a dedicated sales tax budget line for affordable housing that could be used to help fund this program. o Doug Self noted that the Teton County Idaho Housing Authority has $13,000 of funding held by the Idaho Housing and Finance Association that possibly could be used for this program as well. Employer funded housing Sales tax dedication for housing Identifying who needs affordable housing and whether there should be any prioritization based on contribution to the community Transportation issues Short term rentals regulation Habitat for Humanity Focus on multi-family units Weatherization program Reconstruction program 5 of 6

6 Donated land Housing credits/incentives Donations Public shower access for homeless individuals a. Doug Self mentioned the old Ford Garage (now the Trailhead building) as a possibility b. Doug Self stated the City of Driggs is looking at developing, through an Idaho Parks & Recreation grant, an RV park at Lions Park, that could include a shower. Task Assignment Everyone Review Teton County GIS parcel and zoning maps to begin identifying suitable parcels for affordable housing projects Megan O Brien Contact One22 to learn more about the First/Last/Depost program Todd Cedarholm Talk with Kendra Heimbuck about when she could meet with the advisory group. Doug Self Talk with IHFA about the use of the $13,000 in funds held. Doug Self Look at City of Driggs funding to see what is budgeted this year, if any, for affordable housing Not assigned establish a mechanism for accepting donations and a solicitation program Peter Boogaard inventory vacant and deteriorated properties that could be acquired for low cost and renovated or cleared for new multi-family development. Doug Self Look into use of Alta, WY mitigation funds in Teton Valley (ID or WY) to buy land for affordable housing Meeting Adjourned at 4:45pm 6 of 6