Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout08-09-2023 YPC Agenda Packet DEPARTMENTOF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT Joan Davenport, AICP, Director Planning Division Joseph Calhoun, Manager nd 129 North Second Street, 2Floor, Yakima, WA 98901 ask.planning@yakimawa.govwww.yakimawa.gov/services/planning/ypc/ CITY OF YAKIMA PLANNING COMMISSION Yakima City Hall Council Chambers nd Street, Yakima, WA 98901 129 N 2 August 9, 2023 3:00 p.m. –5:00 p.m. YPC MEMBERS: Chair Jacob Liddicoat, Vice-Chair Lisa Wallace, Charles Hitchcock Leanne Hughes-Mickel, Mary Place, Colleda Monick, and Frieda Stephens City Council Liaison: Soneya Lund CITY PLANNING STAFF: Joan Davenport (Community Development Director),Lisa Maxey (Admin Assistant) Joseph Calhoun (Planning Manager), Eric Crowell (Senior Planner), Connor Kennedy (Assistant Planner), Eva Rivera (Planning Technician), Irene Linos (Temp. Department- Assistant I) AGENDA I.Call to Order II.Roll Call III.Staff Announcements IV.Approval of Meeting Minutes of July 26, 2023 V.New Commissioner Introduction – Charles Hitchcock VI.HAP Implementation Update VII.Public Comment VIII.Other Business IX.Adjourn Next Meeting: August 23, 2023 The meeting will also be recorded and posted on the Y-PAC website. Visit the Yakima Planning Commission webpage for more information, including agenda packets and minutes. City of Yakima Planning Commission (YPC) Meeting Minutes City Council Chambers July 26, 2023 Call to Order Vice-Chair Wallacecalled the meeting to order at 3:06p.m. Roll Call YPC Members Present:Lisa Wallace, Mary Place,Frieda Stephens,Leanne Hughes- Mickel, Colleda Monick YPC Members Absent:Chair Jacob Liddicoat, Charles Hitchcock Staff Present:Joseph Calhoun; Planning Manager;Connor Kennedy; Assistant Planner, Eva Rivera, Planning Technician;Soneya Lund, City Council Liaison Staff Announcements–Planning Manager Calhoun announced the following: Text Amendments were effective on Sunday,July 23. Comp Plan Amendment Rezone hearing will bescheduled for August 23. Introduced new Assistant Planner, Connor Kennedy. June 28, 2023,Meeting Minutes–It was motioned by Commissioner Placeand seconded by Commissioner Hughes-Mickelto approve the meeting minutes of June 28,2023,as presented. The motion carried unanimously. Public Meeting to receive comments on the 2023 Annual Action Plan –JoanDavenport, the Community Development Director for the city, presented the 2023 AnnualAction Plan, a required document for HUD.She compared this report to anapplication to HUD indicating how the money would be used.She provided the commission with copies of a summary report and went over the projects that will be funded and projects that have been done. She explained the improvements done to the Washington Fruit Community Center.Vice Chair Wallace asked how the community gets informed of the money available for funding. Director Davenport answered the city is working on marketing the program. She concluded by asking Vice Chair Wallace to open the meeting for public comment. Vice Chair Wallaceopened the public comment session.The following attendees provided public comments: Julia Nelson –2600 Birch St. A new resident ofthe Yakima area. Started off by agreeing with the report focusing on housing and questioned if there were any programs that help individuals maintain stable housing. Alvira Perry –2300 Birch St. Has been living in Yakima for 15 years. She shares the same opinion as Julia Nelson that there should be more consistency in providing assistance to individuals in maintaining their homes. She discussed the construction of two new housing developments on Fruitvale and 16th Ave and Jerome, which are intended for agricultural workers. She expressed her concern about the lack of housing for those with a fixed income. Additionally, she shared her experience living in Camp Hope. Director Davenport clarified that the two housing projects Ms. Perry referred to are oriented toward families with a family member who works in agriculture. –Wallace closed the public comment. -1- Housing Permit Statistics-During the second quarter of 2023, Calhoun provided the commission with an update on permit tracking. From 2017 to June of this year, a total of 2,487 units have been permitted, which is 39% of the 2040 target. As of June, 197 units have been permitted this year. Since August 2021, 488 permits have been finalized and 975 units being permitted. As of June 2023, 125 units have received certificates of occupancy. Public Comment–None Other Business–Calhoun asked the commission about any future topics they’d like more information on. Adjourn–A motion to adjourn toAugust 9, 2023,was passed with aunanimous vote. The meeting adjourned at approximately 3:45p.m. Chair Liddicoat Date This meeting was filmed by YPAC. Minutes for this meeting submitted by: Eva Rivera, Planning Technician. -2- City of Yakima Planning Division August 9, 2023 –Yakima Planning Commission Housing Action Plan Implementation Update 1.Background The City of Yakima Housing Action Plan (HAP) was adopted by Council in June, 2021. Funded by a WA State Dept of Commerce grant, the HAP was developed to support and encourage new housing production to provide more housing choses and address local housing needs. The HAP contains six primary objectives: A.Encourage diverse housing development within existing neighborhoods. B.Create and preserve affordable homes. C.Create homeownership opportunities for low-and moderate-income households. D.Support housing options that meet the diverse needs of older adults. E.Address the needs of those struggling with homelessness. F.Protect against displacement and poor housing conditions. From these objectives, 37 strategies were created for implementation. Acknowledging that the development and creation of housing is not solely a city effort, these strategies are divided into ‘City’ of ‘Partner’ lead categories. The City is identified as lead on 21 of the 37 strategies. 2.Planning Commission/Planning Division Lead TheYPC/Planning division has been identified as lead for the following six HAP strategies, which were the starting point for implemented code changes to 16 sections of the YMC–in the Zoning, Subdivision, and Administration of Development Permit Regulations Ordinances. Two rounds of text amendments have been processed through the Planning Commission/City Council Ordinance process. These changes were reviewed and revised through study sessions (over 20), public notification process, and public hearings (2 each at YPC and City Council). 1. Update city regulations to remove barriers to innovative housing types. LEADTIMELINEINVESTMENTEFFORTOBJECTIVES AffordabilityHousing SupplyHomeownership CityPartner$$$$ Older Adult OptionsStabilityAnti-Displacement Added Tiny Homes, Tiny Home Communities Modified ADU requirements Updated land use table uses and levels of review Allow certain residential uses to apply for a Binding Site Plan Clarified and reduced some development standards 7. Create design standards for multifamily and mixed-use development. LEADTIMELINEINVESTMENTEFFORTOBJECTIVES AffordabilityHousing SupplyHomeownership CityPartner$$$$ Older Adult OptionsStabilityAnti-Displacement Added Special Development Standards for Mixed-Use Building and Downtown Business District Multifamily Development o Applies to new development and redevelopment projects city-wide, along with newmultifamily development in the Downtown o Reduced level of review if special development standards are met Ratio of residential to commercial Parking Façade –entrances, windows, blank walls, equipment Setbacks 8. Improve permitting and environmental reviewprocess. LEADTIMELINEINVESTMENTEFFORTOBJECTIVES AffordabilityHousing SupplyHomeownership CityPartner$$$$ Older Adult OptionsStabilityAnti-Displacement SEPA thresholds have been raised to the maximum allowed under state law. o Infill exemption for multifamily housing Comment period timeline reduced from 20 to 14 days, consistent with state law and neighboring jurisdictions 14. Revise parking standards in key areas. LEADTIMELINEINVESTMENTEFFORTOBJECTIVES AffordabilityHousing SupplyHomeownership CityPartner$$$$ Older Adult OptionsStabilityAnti-Displacement Reduced parking requirement for development that qualifies as affordable Reduced residential parking requirement in CBD 23. Encourage micro-retail and flexible cultural space design. LEADTIMELINEINVESTMENTEFFORTOBJECTIVES AffordabilityHousing SupplyHomeownership CityPartner$$$$ Older Adult OptionsStabilityAnti-Displacement Land use exemption created for properties in the CBD when the proposed use is a Class (1) permitted use under the Retail, Trade and Service category of Table 4-1 and no new construction is proposed 32. Incentivize backyard cottages and cottage housing. LEADTIMELINEINVESTMENTEFFORTOBJECTIVES AffordabilityHousing SupplyHomeownership CityPartner$$$$ Older Adult OptionsStabilityAnti-Displacement Added Cottage Housing land use o Includes new standards for location, parking, clustering, open space, common area, etc. 3.Other City Department Lead Several City-Led strategies are under the purview ofother departments/divisions which are in various stages of progress as follows: 2. Make strategic investments in infrastructure. LEADTIMELINEINVESTMENTEFFORTOBJECTIVES AffordabilityHousing SupplyHomeownership CityPartner$$$$ Older Adult OptionsStabilityAnti-Displacement Wastewater master plan update will include additional goals and strategies to extend sewer to existing areas in the city that are currently on septic Engineering 6-year TIP includes several projects that will add to the city’s multi-modal infrastructure 5. Develop, acquire, or sell surplus or under-utilized city property. LEADTIMELINEINVESTMENTEFFORTOBJECTIVES AffordabilityHousing SupplyHomeownership CityPartner$$$$ Older Adult OptionsStabilityAnti-Displacement Description. The policy review found that the City of Yakima owns some under-utilized lands that could be suitable for housing development. These public lands could be donated or leased to affordable housing developers to reduce development costs and to make projects more financially feasible. Under RCW 39.33.015, the City could also discount or gift land that it owns for “public benefit,” defined as affordable housing up to 80% AMI. The City of Yakima Municipal Code Chapter 1.79 addresses the use of surplus property for affordable housing and establishes a transparent process to dispose of properties for affordable housing when properties are considered surplus to the city’s needs. The city has identified several sites to surplus and sell. One parcel has been sold to Habitat for Humanity, several others are in an RFP process to find a suitable residential or mixed-use developer. The RFP process resulted in the sale of one parcel. The remaining parcels did not receive responses to the RFP. SEPA Environmental Review has been completed for three city properties which previously were used for public purposes. 6. Incentivize landlords to improve the quality and maintenance of housing. LEADTIMELINEINVESTMENTEFFORTOBJECTIVES AffordabilityHousing SupplyHomeownership CityPartner$$$$ Older Adult OptionsStabilityAnti-Displacement Description. While maintenance regulations discourage landlords from offering substandard housing, incentives can reward landlords that provide high-quality, well-maintained rental properties. Examples include providing landlords who meet the criteria with access to technical support, access to forums with city officials, fast-tracking of permits, reduced fees for municipal services, free or reduced cost equipment, free advertising of available rentals, and discounts at local merchants/contractors. Incentives that reward landlord who rent to lower-income residents or voucher holders have also been found to increase housing choice. The City could reduce permit fees for repairs or improvements and support programs that provide funding to cover security deposits and cost of damages and interest free loans for rehabilitation efforts. Affordable Housing Incentive Program –YMC Ch. 7.92 –provides for fee waivers for water and/or wastewater connection charges for the development of new multifamily affordable housing units. 12. Ensure code enforcement does not displace residents. LEADTIMELINEINVESTMENTEFFORTOBJECTIVES AffordabilityHousing SupplyHomeownership CityPartner$$$$ Older Adult OptionsStabilityAnti-Displacement Description. Some residential rental units have code violations which impact the safety and health of occupants. In some cases, these living conditions may require tenants to vacate the structure to allow for extensive repairs. These code violations are often caused by deferred maintenance or negligence by the property owner. The City code enforcement would only cause eviction as a last resort if it is a life safety issue. The City works with community members and exercises a flexible approach to code enforcement when able. However, code enforcement could unintentionally cause the eviction of the tenant household from its residence. Using a phased code enforcement process allows owners more time to secure financing and complete upgrades, reducing the likelihood that owners are forced to sell, or landlords are forced to dramatically increase rents. The Codes division adopted the International Property Maintenance Code (IPMC) which includes a standardized process for code compliance cases. 16. Consider fee waivers or deferrals for affordable housing. LEADTIMELINEINVESTMENTEFFORTOBJECTIVES AffordabilityHousing SupplyHomeownership CityPartner$$$$ Older Adult OptionsStabilityAnti-Displacement Description. Fee waivers or deferrals reduce the up-front cost of construction for residential development. Utility connection fees and project review fees can bring high costs for residential properties. Waiving or deferring some fees for income-restricted units can be an incentive to encourage the development of income-restricted affordable units. The city adopted an affordable housing incentive program (YMC Ch. 7.92). This is a grant program that will allow qualified multi-family development to apply for a portion or all of its water and wastewater connection fees. o In conjunction with this program, the city applied for three grants from the Department of Commerce for the “Connecting Housing to Infrastructure Program” (CHIP). All three projects were funded from the state which will account for approximately $1.37 million and generate around 90 dwelling units. Codes, Planning and Purchasing staff are developing an RFP for Pre-Approved ADU plans. Once approved through Codes, these building plans would be available foruse by the general public. A homeowner could select the plan they like and then work with the architect to finalize an agreement. This process will remove the plan review fee portion of the building permit charge. 17. Give grants/loans to directly support small businesses. LEADTIMELINEINVESTMENTEFFORTOBJECTIVES AffordabilityHousing SupplyHomeownership CityPartner$$$$ Older Adult OptionsStabilityAnti-Displacement Description. Support small businesses and cultural anchors in mixed-use buildings to help them invest in their space and keep up with rent. Affordable Housing Incentive Program –YMC Ch. 7.92 –provides for fee waivers for water and/or wastewater connection charges for the development of new multifamily affordable housing units. 18. Engage with local employers to support workforce housing. LEADTIMELINEINVESTMENTEFFORTOBJECTIVES AffordabilityHousing SupplyHomeownership CityPartner$$$$ Older Adult OptionsStabilityAnti-Displacement Description. While employer-provided housing is not the norm in most industries (agricultural work being the notable exception in the Yakima area), employers have an interest in ensuring that there is adequate affordable housing in reasonable proximity to work sites. Engagement with employers can encompass a variety of tactics, including consultation on zoning changes, housing incentive programs, and more. 19. Consider a levy or sales tax for affordable housing. LEADTIMELINEINVESTMENTEFFORTOBJECTIVES AffordabilityHousing SupplyHomeownership CityPartner$$$$ Older Adult OptionsStabilityAnti-Displacement Description. The City could provide direct project funding through local taxes, fees, and levies to encourage production of income-restricted affordable housing. A local housing tax levy is authorized through RCW 84.52.105 and allows up to $0.50 per $1,000 of property tax to be allocated toward affordable housing serving very-low income households if approved by the majority of voters in the taxing district. RCW 82.14.540, introduced as Substitute HB 1406 in 2019, authorizes counties or cities to redirect up to 1 0.0146% of the sales tax currently collected by the state to fund affordable housing programs serving households with income below 60% of the county AMI and within specific categories, including: individuals with mental illness, veterans, senior citizens, homeless families with children, unaccompanied homeless youth, persons with disabilities, or domestic violence victims. Counties or cities which participate are not imposing a new or additional tax on consumers but redirecting funds from existing tax revenues toward affordable housing initiatives. This increase must be approved by a ballot measure with simple majority. At least 60% of the revenue must be used for constructing affordable housing, constructing mental and behavioral health-related facilities, or funding the operations and maintenance costs of new units of affordable housing and facilities where housing-related programs are provided. The remaining funds must be used for the operation, delivery, or evaluation of mental and behavioral health treatment programs and services or housing-related services (RCW 82.14.530). The funds can also be used for 2 rental assistance to tenants for cities with a population at or under 100,000. A housing trust fund is a specific fund that receives ongoing dedicated funding to support housing affordability. Affordable Housing Incentive Program –YMC Ch. 7.92 –provides for fee waivers for water and/or wastewater connection charges for the development of new multifamily affordable housing units. The allowable sales tax/levy systems codified in state law have been discussed by Council in the past, but no action has been taken. 1 This sales tax option is acredit against the state sales tax rateof 6.5%, and it will not increase the tax rate for consumers. 2 Association of Washington Cities, “Implementing HB 1406.” https://wacities.org/data- resources/implementing-hb-1406. 21. Expand landlord and tenant assistance. LEADTIMELINEINVESTMENTEFFORTOBJECTIVES AffordabilityHousing SupplyHomeownership CityPartner$$$$ Older Adult OptionsStabilityAnti-Displacement Description. In areas where housing affordability is a growing issue, housing agencies have coordinated efforts to provide comprehensive Landlord and Tenant Assistance through policy and programming. Programming assistance comes in many forms, including tenant rights education, trainings for landlords and renters alike to understand local rental policies, etc. Other actions to provide assistance include offering low interest loans for code compliance and to create an ombudsman to liaise with tenants and landlords. The City of Yakima currently offers Tenant/Landlord Counseling through the Office of Neighborhood Development Services program to assist tenants and landlords with disputes and advice on reaching agreements or seeking legal support. The Dispute Resolution Center of Yakima and Kittitas Counties is also a local resource. Continued support for the Office of Neighborhood Development Services program is necessary. 26. Incentivize senior housing. LEADTIMELINEINVESTMENTEFFORTOBJECTIVES AffordabilityHousing SupplyHomeownership CityPartner$$$$ Older Adult OptionsStabilityAnti-Displacement Description. Cities have several tools at their disposable to incentivize the production of new housing for older adults by private developers and builders. These include the authorization to waive or reduce impact fees for senior housing, the ability to offer density bonuses for buildings with units reserved for older adults, allowing a greater variety of housing types in existing zones (e.g., cottages, duplexes, etc.), offering property owners tax exemptions when constructing multi-family housing (MFTE), and more. 28.Minimize barriers to development of housing serving multiple populations. LEADTIMELINEINVESTMENTEFFORTOBJECTIVES AffordabilityHousing SupplyHomeownership CityPartner$$$$ Older Adult OptionsStabilityAnti-Displacement Description. Housing providers often build housing that serves multiple populations to increase financial stability and local support for the development. For example, a housing development may include units for agricultural workers, people with disabilities, large families and people experiencing homelessness. Regulatory barriers should be reviewed to ensure they align with these practices and do not unintentionally add time and cost to the development process. The key barrier identified by stakeholders is when a use is defined as a “Mission” when services are open to the public at large. Uses that are defined as “Mission” uses are only allowed in General Commercial (GC), Central Business District (CBD) and the Light Industrial zones (M1). 29. Put in place Just Cause eviction protections. LEADTIMELINEINVESTMENTEFFORTOBJECTIVES PartnerAffordabilityHousing SupplyHomeownership City$$$$ Older Adult OptionsStabilityAnti-Displacement Description. Washington requires that tenants receive at least a 20-day notice when asked to leave a property, but the state law does not require landlords to provide an explanation. Cities may pass Just Cause eviction protections that require landlords to provide tenants with a legally justifiable reason when asking them to vacate. Legally justifiable reasons could include failure to pay on time, meet lease terms, building sale, or owner’s desire to occupy the unit. 30. Consider the strategic acquisition of existing multifamily housing. LEADTIMELINEINVESTMENTEFFORTOBJECTIVES AffordabilityHousing SupplyHomeownership CityPartner$$$$ Older Adult OptionsStabilityAnti-Displacement Description. This strategy uses acquisition to provide income-restricted affordable housing. When the acquired housing is in neighborhoods with amenities such as open space, good schools, and other public infrastructure it promotes equitable access to neighborhoods that may be otherwise out of reach for low-income residents. Community-based organizations, non-profits and community land trusts can be important property owners within a neighborhood. Leveraging public resources to empower trusted institutions can preserve or create affordable housing and space for community-serving organizations and is authorized with RCW 35.21.685. The City of Yakima’s resources can assist these institutions in land and property acquisition that preserves affordable housing and prevents displacement within a neighborhood. 31. Recalibrate the Multi-Family Tax Exemption (MFTE) program. LEADTIMELINEINVESTMENTEFFORTOBJECTIVES AffordabilityHousing SupplyHomeownership CityPartner$$$$ Older Adult OptionsStabilityAnti-Displacement Considerexpansion of MFTE area –currently it is a smaller area of downtown. 36. Adopt a Notice of Intent to Sell / Sale Ordinance. LEADTIMELINEINVESTMENTEFFORTOBJECTIVES AffordabilityHousing SupplyHomeownership CityPartner$$$$ Older Adult OptionsStabilityAnti-Displacement Description. A “Notice of Intent to Sell” ordinance requires owners of multifamily buildings to provide official notification to tenants and local housing officials. The ordinance could apply specifically to properties with rents at or below certain income levels. 37. Put in place community benefits/development agreements. LEADTIMELINEINVESTMENTEFFORTOBJECTIVES AffordabilityHousing SupplyHomeownership CityPartner$$$$ Older Adult OptionsStabilityAnti-Displacement Description. Development agreements or community benefit agreements are voluntary, negotiated contracts between developers and municipalities. These agreements specify the public benefits that the development will provide, along with each party’s responsibility. They support affordable housing, affordable commercial space, community gathering spaces, and other public amenities.