Austin Housing Finance Corporation (AHFC) Transcript – 03/24/2022 Title: ATXN-1 (24hr) Channel: 6 - ATXN-1 Recorded On: 3/24/2022 6:00:00 AM Original Air Date: 3/24/2022 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. Part 1: Speakers [11:10:51 AM] We'll convene the Austin housing finance corporation meeting here on March 24th, 2020 -- 2022. What did I say, 2020? [Laughter] 2022. We've kind of lost a couple of years in there. >> Alter: And we don't want to repeat that. >> Mayor Adler: We don't want to repeat them. But we have a quorum present. We're going to go ahead and convene this meeting for the purpose of taking public testimony. I think we have one speaker signed up. Would you please call her? >> Zenobia Joseph. >> Thank you, mayor and council, I'm Zenobia Joseph. Mayor, do I have two minutes or three? >> Mayor Adler: Three minutes. >> Thank you, mayor. My opposition specifically as it relates to the Austin [11:11:54 AM] housing finance corporation item 1 is specifically the $458,000 specifies that this money is coming from the anti-displacement fund specifically related to project connect. On our agenda today, however, you do have the community advisory committee bylaws which specifies that anti-displacement and equity matters will be brought before that committee before youake action. I want to remind you as well that your joint powers agreement 3.2.2, the priority population, bipoc, which I hate that term that's in the language, black, indigenous and person of color, are priorities for community outreach. So my question as it relates to this fourplex, is there four two bedroom units. What black people have you spoken to? What organizations you have communicated with? How did Greg Smith come to [11:12:55 AM] this project? And specifically how is this going to improve economic development? You just heard from Mr. Watson talking about the needs in east Austin specifically. I want you to recognize that this anti- displacement fund is really a farce. So specifically mayor I'm not sure why you have such an aversion to black people. That's not going to grow any type of wealth in east Austin. You have on your agenda today, 56, the colony park sustainable community initiative. That is nothing more than a regurgitated resolution. What I want you to recognize is just Ned, mayor, the Eno report specified that people have lost faith in this process as it relates to project connect. So unless you're just going to go through the motions and this is merely an exercise in futility, I would ask you to pause this item, go out to the community and recognize the need for home ownership. I support ohm ownership in this area. This is in the area off of [11:13:56 AM] Loyola lane. This is not a priority for anti-displacement and it relates to the resolution that talks about colony park, the green line specifically June 20th, 2017, tod hemmingson told Travis county commissioner it does not meet the ridership for federal funding. And Natasha harper-madison, the district 1 council member, asked this question during the mobility committee. This is dysinformation and that language needs to be danged and it needs to accurately reflect what is happening. If you are going to do anything in this area there needs to be home ownership. And I would just ask the council, 8402gore clerk circle, which is near route 37, to consider a plot of land so that people can grow their own food, home ownership where you have the -- [buzzer] You would own the land and someone [11:14:56 AM] could actually have some type of equity in the property but they don't own the land. You actually through the community land trust. >> Thank you, speaker, your time has expired. If you have any questions, I'll gladly answer them at this time. >> Mayor Adler: Thank you very much. Do we have any other speakers to speak? >> Mayor Adler: Thank you. I'm going to go ahead and recess the Austin housing finance corporation meeting here at 11:15 Part 2: Action Item [12:43:04 PM] >> Mayor Adler: Let the record reflect that. I'm going to recess at 12:43 and I'm going to convene the housing finance corporation. We're in city hall. We were convened earlier. We heard public comment. Now time for us to take care of the agenda. Staf do you want to take us through items. [12:44:07 PM] >> Sure. We only have one item on the agenda Toda and that is to authorize staff to move forward with a loan to Austin revitalization -- 8402 gar creek circle. The home will be for all four units to be rented to folks at or below 50 per cent median income per regulations of our new program, the antidisplacement community acquisition program utilizing the project connect dollars. >> Mayor Adler: Motion to approve the item? Harper-madison makes the motion. Renteria seconds. It was director harper-madison [12:45:17 PM] and director Renteria. I'm going to adjourn the housing finance corporation.