Austin Housing Finance Corporation Meeting Transcript – 04/22/2021 Title: City of Austin Channel: 6 - COAUS Recorded On: 4/22/2021 6:00:00 AM Original Air Date: 4/22/2021 Transcript Generated by SnapStream ================================== Please note that the following transcript is for reference purposes and does not constitute the official record of actions taken during the meeting. For the official record of actions of the meeting, please refer to the Approved Minutes. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. Colleagues, let's go ahead -- excuse me -- here at 11:11, and recess the city council meeting. And also at 11:11 here on April 22, 2021, let's go ahead and convene the Austin housing and finance corporation meeting. A quorum of the directors are present. I would point out that there is backup, late backup in item number 1 on our agenda. It's the minutes. We're going to take the speakers that have signed up to speak today on the agenda. I think we have one. And if the clerk would please call our speaker. >> Zenobia Joseph. [11:12:36 AM] >> Thank you, mayor, councilmembers. I'm Zenobia Joseph again. My position on these two items 2 and 3 are stated neutral in the official record. I would ask you to change the position to against. I have since reviewed the documentation and I want to call to your attention that cairn point Austin is 5612 Springdale road. That is directly across the street from the reserve at Springdale. The reserve at Springdale is 292 units, 60% area median family income, and it is specifically predominantly African- Americans. I want you to understand there's no bus stop there. The 300 rollingy lane bus as eliminated. There's no stool tripper to pecan and councilmember harper-madison has gone nothing to restore capital [11:13:37 AM] metro service there. There's a pickup zone but Monday through Friday. This is for senior citizens but it's permanent supportive housing so 30 to 30% I told you you were putting another property of 60 percent median family income in the reserve at Springdale across the street from the library. Please diversify Austin. What I would ask you to recognize as well, 315 manor is off of the area that is that is Rogge lane as well. And even though it's more units, I want you to know the students have to walk one mile to the Mueller area. So the bus service serves the people who are wealthy in Mueller and this would serve people who are actually low income. I want you to understand there's a whole lot of space on the westside of loop 1. So I want to ask you once again to put a moratorium on [11:14:38 AM] permanent supportive housing in east Austin. I want you to realize you need a mapover lay so you can identify the number of units west of mopac and you also need to look at the median family income when it's 80% median family income through the housing authority of the city of Austin largely. It's 30 to 60% area median family income, which about a 12-dollar job or below, which is east of I-35. I also I want you to recognize that Travis county commissioners' court in project year 2019, all of the nine projects really east of I-35. And so if you look at these projects individually, it appears that you're doing a great job. But when you look at the big picture and you start to put the overlay, you will see that you have very few items or projects that are west of loop 1. And specifically I'll just one you give example on the lakeline, the metrorapid actually it's only 128 [11:15:39 AM] units. When you go east of I-35 you start to see 300 units, almost 300 or 390 units so have you more density. And that's inequitable. So let me close by quoting precedent. So the inclusive communities project sued the Texas department of housing and community development over the sight of most low income housing tax credits and these properties were predominantly in black communities in Texas and this is the holding in that case. In Texas department of housing and community affairs versus inclusive communities project, this was in 2015, justice Anthony Kennedy delivered the court's 5-4 decision and it held that disparate claims are recognizable under the fair housing act of 1968. I would ask you to keep that in mind and that these are disparate impacts because we are concentrating poverty -- [buzzer]. That is not going to be the solution to trying to get [11:16:40 AM] 3,000 people housed in three years. >> Speaker, your time has expired. >> I thank you for taking my call and if you have any questions or comments for me, I will gladly answer them at this time. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. >> You're welcome. >> Mayor Adler: Those are all the speakers we have? >> Yes, mayor. >> Mayor Adler: Okay. Effective while we're here, there are three items on this agenda. I think they're all three consent items. >> Yes, mayor, they are. >> Mayor Adler: Do you want to see if we can take them through? >> Happy to do that. Mandy, do you want to lay them out? >> Absolutely. This is Mandy de mayo, Austin housing finance corporation, we have three items on this agenda, the first is approving minutes from March 25th and April 8th. There is late backup for [11:17:40 AM] these items. The second is improving an inducement resolution for private activity bond financing of $20 million for a proposed project on Springdale road. It's a senior -- 130 unit senior housing project that will provide permanent supportive housing for folks between 30 and 60% median family income. And then the third item is authorizing us to move forward with the acquisition of an almost half acre parcel at 3515 manor road. We are utilizing general obligation bonds for that. It is $1.1 million including closing costs. I'm happy to take any questions. I offer those on consent. >> Mayor Adler: Is it there a motion it to approve the consent agenda? Mayor pro tem makes the motion. Councilmember tovo seconds any discussion on the consent agenda? Councilmember tovo. >> Tovo: It's actually a [11:18:41 AM] question about -- with regard to the acquisition of the parcel, it's my understanding that there's also appear intent to purchase an -- a parcel from public works. >> That is correct. >> And that's not part of the tract that's on our agenda today, is that correct? >> That is not. We are currently in discussion with the public works department this particular parcel is a privately held parcel that we are asking to move forward with the acquisition of for one million dollars, 1.1 million with closing costs. We're in active discussions with public works right now about the acquisition of the slightly larger pal sell and the insent is to do a land combination in that area. >> Tovo: I am interested to know how the city department is going to value that land. Basically what price tag is going to be on it. Is it going to be the price at which they acquired it or [11:19:43 AM] will it be market price? We've had that conversation before when we have a city department purchasing land to what is in essence another city entity. Obviously the housing finance corporation isn't a city department, but it's a city entity. Maybe just a note I would like some information about that. I hope we're given the best price possible to when it's being purchased by another city entity. >> Absolutely. And council member, those are the discussions we're having with public works eight now. I believe that parcel was purchased with certificates of obligation, so we're working with the mechanism that we would use for those funds. >> Tovo: That's an exciting acquisition. >> They are very excited about it. Thanks. >> Mayor Adler: Any other discussion on the consent [11:20:45 AM] agenda? Hearing then let's -- yes, councilmember alter? >> Not for ahfc. >> Mayor Adler: Okay. Let's take a vote on the consent agenda on the Austin housing finance corporation. Those in favor of the consent agenda please raise your hand? Any opposed? It is unanimous on the dais. >> Mayor, thank you. >> You're very welcome. Thank you so much. >> It passes unanimously. >> Mayor Adler: I'm going to adjourn the Austin housing finance corporation meeting here at 11:21