Title
Affordable Housing Locational Guidelines
Action
Action:
Approve the Housing and Neighborhood Development Committee’s recommendation to replace the Housing Locational Policy with the Affordable Housing Locational Guidelines.
Body
Committee Chair:
LaWana Mayfield, Housing and Neighborhood Development
Staff Resource(s):
Pamela Wideman, Housing and Neighborhood Services
Miles Vaughn, Housing and Neighborhood Services
Current Ordinance
§ The current Housing Locational Policy was originally approved by City Council on November 26, 2001, and was last amended on March 28, 2011.
§ The policy provides a guide for the development of new, rehabilitated, or converted local, state, or federal subsidized multi-family housing developments designed to serve, in whole or part, households earning 60 percent or less than the area median income (AMI).
§ The objectives of the policy are to:
- Avoid undue concentration of subsidized multi-family housing,
- Geographically disperse new multi-family housing developments,
- Support the City's neighborhood revitalization efforts and other public development initiatives, and
- Promote diversity and vitality of neighborhoods.
§ The policy establishes permissible and non-permissible areas for the development of new, rehabilitated, or converted subsidized multi-family rental housing developments.
Proposed Changes
§ The Affordable Housing Locational Guidelines will guide the selection of housing investments that create or preserve affordable rental housing and workforce rental housing in areas:
- Near employment centers,
- Near commercial, recreational, and social centers,
- Near existing and proposed transit services,
- In Center City, and
- In neighborhoods experiencing rapid demographic change.
§ The guidelines will help support the City’s revitalization efforts and promote diverse and inclusive neighborhoods. They are also in alignment with the Housing Charlotte Framework that was approved by City Council in August 2018.
§ The guidelines will apply to multi-family rental developments that serve households earning up to or less than 80 percent of the AMI. These developments must have 24 or more units and be funded in whole, or part by local, state, or federal funding sources.
§ All nine percent low-income tax credit multi-family rental developments, as well as developments with less than 24 units and senior citizen developments, are exempt from these guidelines.
§ Each applicable multi-family rental development seeking local, state, or federal funding shall undergo site scoring to evaluate:
- The site’s proximity to transit services and other amenities,
- The unit mix and income levels of the proposed development in comparison to the surrounding community,
- The site’s access to jobs based on acceptable commute standards, and
- The site’s impact on offsetting gentrification.
§ Multi-family rental development selection recommendations will be based on:
- Site scoring,
- Development team experience,
- Developer’s financial strength,
- Market analysis information,
- Adherence to existing City policies, and
- Other criteria deemed appropriate.
§ Recommendations for housing development selection will be presented to City Council for review, consideration, and approval.
Committee Discussion
§ On October 31, 2018, the Housing and Neighborhood Development Committee voted 4-1 (Mayfield, Driggs, Egleston, and Harlow voted yes; Newton voted no) to recommend the substitution of the Housing Locational Policy with the Affordable Housing Locational Guidelines to full City Council.
Attachments
Attachment(s)
Affordable Housing Location Guidelines