Austin Housing Finance Corporation (AHFC) Meeting Transcript – 9/25/2025 Title: ATXN-1 (24hr) Channel: 1 - ATXN-1 Recorded On: 9/25/2025 6:00:00AM Original Air Date: 9/25/2025 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. [11:14:56 AM] I will now call to order the board of directors meeting of the Austin housing finance corporation. It is 1115 in the morning on September 25th, 2025. We are meeting in the city council chambers at city hall, located at 301 west second street, and we have all [11:15:58 AM] second street, and we have all of the board of directors of the Austin housing finance corporation present. I will recognize miss Demayo. >> Good morning, mayor mandi Demayo, Austin housing finance corporation, you have five items on today's agenda, which I will offer on consent. The first item is to authorize negotiations. >> Mr. Mayor, if I could just interrupt you long enough, please hold your wait. Wait till have your conversations until you're out of the chambers, please. Thank you. I'm sorry to interrupt you. >> No problem. Let me catch my breath. >> Good. >> First item is to authorize negotiation of a loan agreement with foundation communities, a subsidiary of foundation communities, in an amount not to exceed $11.7 million for a rental development located in d7. That is 110 units, it will be known as crossroads apartments. The second item is to authorize an agreement with [11:16:58 AM] to authorize an agreement with the housing authority of the city of Austin for the redevelopment of. Oh god, I really do need to catch my breath for the redevelopment of Santa Rita courts. No. I'm sorry. The second item is the local housing voucher program. Yes, that is with the housing authority of the city of Austin for an amendment to their contract for $7.8 million. The third item is another contract with the housing authority of the city of Austin for the redevelopment of Santa Rita courts in D three that will result in 96 units, and that is for approximately $4.5 million. The fourth item is for the execution of a loan agreement with Saint George senior housing limited partnership, in an amount not to exceed $1.7 million for the redevelopment of a multifamily senior housing development known as saint George's court, that is in D four and that 60 units. And the fifth item is to authorize us to move forward with the execution of a loan agreement [11:17:59 AM] execution of a loan agreement for a new 9% tax credit in D nine, known as Waverly north. It will be rehab and new construction for 76 units, and the dollar amount of the loan is $5.5 million. I offer all of those on consent and I'm happy to answer any questions. >> Thank you very much, Mr. Mayo. Does anybody have questions at this time? Councilmember Siegel you? >> Thank you, mayor. Or I guess if I call you director. >> Well, I should have called you board members. You get away with it. Not doing it. >> This way. Just a brief comment. You know, I was in a meeting earlier this week where I learned that the city of Austin's housing department, largely under the leadership of Mr. Mayo, has helped build over 40,000 units of housing across our construction, finance and incentive programs. And so it's just a tremendous accomplishment, and I really want to thank the housing department for all their work. >> That's really good. Thank you. Yes, thank you very much. Yeah. Let's do that. >> Yes. >> Thank you, board member Siegel for pointing that out. Councilmember vela. >> Thank you, mayor. I just [11:19:01 AM] >> Thank you, mayor. I just wanted to point out the saint George's court redevelopment. I've been on that complex inside the units. It's a really nice little community. It could absolutely use some love, and I'm very excited to see the money going toward the rehabilitation of those deeply affordable units for our older Austin residents. >> It targets low income seniors 30 and 50% mfi. So yes, we appreciate it. >> And it's a lot of like separate little buildings with gardens in front. It's again, it's a really nice community and just very happy to see us investing money in affordable housing to make sure it stays affordable and stays in good condition. Thank you. >> Thank you, thank you. Council member. All right, members, we'll go to speakers on on the consent agenda. What I'm going to do is I will take a motion on the consent agenda after we've heard from the speakers. And. You're looking at me like you got a question? >> No. Sorry, mayor. >> All right, miss Joseph, [11:20:02 AM] >> All right, miss Joseph, you'd come forward. I think she's going to call your name. >> Yes. For item one, two and four. Zenobia Joseph has signed up. >> Please. >> I feel compelled to say thank you, mayor council. But I realize you're the directors, and so I just. >> We know who you're talking to. >> Okay? To the members on the dais. >> That's good. >> Thank you. Mayor. One of the things that I want you to recognize specifically is I have my notes because there's nothing posted for the public to know what it is that you're talking about, other than Mandy Demeo's layout. It's $11.7 million for this redevelopment of 92 units to 110 units, but specifically as it relates to fc crossroads housing. I would ask Mandy Demayo to be more specific when she puts the hyperlink. I have no idea which quarter I'm supposed to click to figure out where the application is. If there is a [11:21:03 AM] application is. If there is a public comment port in that actual portal, but it has no deadline. So the public, even if you are engaged, you don't know when that portal will close. So please be more transparent. I would just ask you to recognize as well your smart policy is still on the books, and I would ask you to recognize that while 30% and 50% sounds nice, that's segregation. I want you to recognize that it's supposed to be safe, mixed income, accessible, reasonably priced, and transit oriented. It's not supposed to just be low income housing tax credit, where it's 1 to 5 miles to the bus stop. I get that it's not that far from here, but I want you to recognize on June 3rd, 2018, when capital metro changed, the 52 bus routes under cap remap, Coronado hills bus stops were eliminated and the routes were actually closer to, say, the old Reagan high school. So the students are now getting the bus stops in the shelters, but our senior citizens are having to walk farther. So chito vela, I would ask you to make sure [11:22:04 AM] I would ask you to make sure that that is actually restored. And if you need a point of reference, I would just remind you that the route 33 three on William cannon, it goes every other lap, every 30 minutes to 2.9 boardings an hour in Paige Ellis's area and convict hill. And we can do the same for our seniors here. If you have any questions, I'll gladly answer them at this time. >> Thank you, miss Joseph. What's the next item? She signed up on. >> Item two. >> I thank you, mayor. One of the things I want you to understand as it relates to these vouchers is that you actually need to update your policy. August 14th actually, August 13th, 2024. The hud vash vouchers were actually. The federal register updated the rules as it relates specifically to case management. It is in consultation with the veteran. But your housing strategy officer says that every person who gets any kind of public supportive housing is required to get case management, and that does not comply with the federal law. So I would ask you to update your policy and to put the carve out specifically using the language [11:23:06 AM] specifically using the language from the federal hud vash register from August 13th, 2024, so that it is in compliance. I do recognize that it was December 8th, 2022 when you received $6 million for the vouchers, and then in 2024, another 6 million. This is going to add another 1.8. I would just ask you to be more transparent. I want you to recognize that as it relates to hud-vash vouchers specifically, those are for all homeless veterans. And I just want you to recognize specifically, mayor, the number of units that are at sro Rutland. That's 101 vouchers out of 171 units. When we were told the public that it would be 50. And so this bait and switch is not a good thing. I want you to recognize as well that other places like in west Austin, you have fewer than 100 units. And I want you to recognize there's a lady that lives at espero, Rutland, who actually is threatening to kill me. And I've said this testimony before capital metro's board. So you need integral care for some of these units. And we need integral [11:24:07 AM] units. And we need integral care on the busses because it's like the psych ward on wheels at times. And so I just want you to recognize it is germane. But as it relates to the housing authority of the city of Austin and the city of Austin vouchers, you need to actually just update the policies on both ends, and the va needs to do the same as well. If you have any questions, I'll gladly answer them at this time. Appreciate the vouchers, but be more transparent. >> Thank you, miss Joseph. >> You're welcome. >> And item four. >> Item four is that senior housing, the Saint George's senior housing. I just want you to recognize the address specifically is 1443 Coronado hills. And so that goes to my previous comment where the units that the bus that actually went, it looped over there no longer goes into Coronado hills. It's just on Cameron road and that's a high crash area. So our senior citizens are having to struggle to get what they need. Northeast of us. 183 and I would just tell you that as it relates to the bond, which is a [11:25:07 AM] relates to the bond, which is a germane I want you to recognize there's no neighborhood center north of us. 183. The closest one is saint John's. And I want you to recognize that it's not even listed as an option. And our seniors at Gus Garcia have been waiting for 30 years. There is no sense of urgency in that area, mayor. And so I just respectfully want you to recognize that more can be done. And I'm just going to say it is germane to say that with sidewalks, same thing, that bridge that collapsed recently was done in 29 days. All it takes is for the governor to declare an emergency. Have you even asked them? Have you told him about how many people have been killed in that area? You have not. So December is unacceptable when we need our seniors are going back and forth traversing all that traffic. And I want you to recognize that there's more that you can do. You did a back door deal for that camp, Esperanza, so you can do something here for our senior citizens northeast of us 183, which was in your senate district 14 when you were in [11:26:07 AM] district 14 when you were in office as a senator. And so, you know, like I know that that area needs a whole lot of work. And while I certainly appreciate that this is a redevelopment, I want you to recognize that when you segregate the city, it violates our fair housing act of 1968. And I would ask you to comply with the federal law and to disperse some of these units that are low income and not concentrate the poverty, because when you concentrate the poverty, it's 1 to 5 mile walk to the bus stop and the references. December 15th, 2020 Travis county. If you have any questions, I'll gladly answer them. >> Mayor. That's all. Speakers. >> Thank you very much. Members. That's all. The speakers have signed up on the consent agenda. Is there any items anyone wishes to pull from the consent agenda for the Austin housing finance corporation? Seeing none, the chair will entertain a motion to approve motions made by board member Velasquez, seconded by board member duchen to approve the consent agenda of the five items. Is there discussion? Hearing none without a. Let me ask first, is [11:27:08 AM] without a. Let me ask first, is anyone wishing to abstain from any item on the consent agenda? Anyone wishing to recuse themselves from a vote on any item on the consent agenda? Anyone wishing to vote no on any item on the consent agenda, seeing none without objection, the consent agenda for the Austin housing finance corporation is adopted. Members. Without objection, we will adjourn the meeting of the of the board of directors of the Austin housing finance corporation at 11:27 A.M. We are adjourned.