Shaping Housing Options in the Community: How to maintain affordability and accessibility to walkable urban places

Tompkins County Housing Summit: A Place for All of Us, Housing by Choice or by Chance?November 30, 2016Ithaca, NYTwitter: @christophercoes

America’s Current (failing) Affordable Housing Policy

“DRIVE TILL YOU QUALIFY”

Photo Courtesy of the New Yorker

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Housing Costs – Tompkins County

Housing and Transportation Index, CNT

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Housing and Transportation CostsTompkins County

Housing and Transportation Index, CNT

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What is Really Affordable?

Affordability % of income

Housing and Transportation Costs 56%Housing Costs 31%Transportation Costs 25%

According to Forbes Magazine, the 2015 Most Affordable Cities (based on housing and transportation) include: Birmingham, ALKnoxville, TNBuffalo, NY

Oklahoma City, OKCincinnati, OHMemphis, TNSt. Louis, MODayton, OH

Indianapolis, INColumbus, OH and Detroit, MI (tie)

What do these cities have in common?

Attainable Housing Strategies• Support Standard tax credit and vouchers• Support Complete Streets• Choice Communities/Redevelop Public Housing (HRI in NO)• Zoning Reform – Overlay Zoning, Inclusionary Zoning, Easy Living Building Standards, • Ancillary rental units in for-sale housing (like AirB&B), Employer Assisted Housing

• Focus credits and vouchers on walkable urban places (LOCUS tax reform)• Public/Private Value Capture (ABQ Civic Trust)• “Alternative” transportation: shift of household spending from cars to housing/savings (US transportation bill & local tax increases)• Employers to TOD locations (LOCUS/Cushman study)• Create more walkable urban places in to decrease land costs (overlay zoning & marginalize NIMBYism)

Short-term Place-based Strategy (LOCUS) Long-term

Tuckahoe, NY

Potential of small-scale infill to fill the gap

Manchester-by-the-Sea, MA

Potential of small-scale infill to fill the gap

Charleston, SC

Potential of small-scale infill to fill the gap

Jamaica Plain, Boston MA

Potential of small-scale infill to fill the gap

Impediments to mixed-use, mixed-income• Federal financing guidelines• Parking requirements• Project approval processes• Zoning and political opposition

Federal financing underwriting guidance

Program

Cap on Gross Income Derived from Commercial

Commercial Gross Floor Area/NetRentable Space

HUD 221(d)(4) 15% 25%HUD 220 30% 25%Fannie Mae - Primary 25% 25%Fannie Mae – Small Apartment Loan Program

25% 25%Freddie Mac - Primary 40% 40%Freddie Mac – Small Balance Program 40% 40%

• Zoning for higher densities• Smaller unit size• Legalize accessory dwelling units• Inclusionary zoning• State incentives and requirements

Using infill to make neighborhoods walkable and affordable

UNION SQUARESomerville, MA

Managing Gentrification: A Case Study of Union Square in Somerville, MA

2 miles from Downtown Boston 1 mile from Kendall Square, Cambridge

Union Square Overview• Somerville is on the brink of transformation• From 2012 to 2016 the community has:

– created a major revitalization plan– developed a citywide comprehensive plan– engaged in a neighborhood planning process that will create over 3-million sf of new development opportunities in Union Square & Boynton Yards.

Union Square - Redevelopment• Total acreage: 419 acres with 117 acres in the more immediate development plan. • In total, City est. 2.3 million sf. of new mixed use development • Master Developer designated approx. 14 acres incl. goal of 1,800 new jobs, 350 new housing units and 600k sf of new commercial space • New light rail transit (GLX) station planned with City focus on multi-modal transportation

Boston:Walk-UP Wake Up Call Report

Given new developments, Union Square would be considered an “emerging walk-up” with: – Silver economic ranking (with housing prices driving the ranking from copper to silver)– Silver social equity ranking (based on affordability and accessibility/opportunity but is held back by lack of transit)

With all the new development to come, how does Union Square preserve the local character and maintain affordability for their local residents and businesses?

ASHEI Pilot: SomervilleWork with the City of Somerville and Union Square Community Members to: 1. Examine the intersection of economic development and social equity in light of upcoming redevelopment2. Articulate strategies to protect/enhance public benefits, including resident and business displacement 3. Building off of public benefit strategies outlined by group, develop action plan for implementing these strategies4. Determine appropriate time of place management organization (BID, CBD, Main Streets Org or other) to oversee implementation and monitoring of goals

The ASHEI Pilot ProcessThe ASHEI Pilot in Union Square was designed to arrive at consensus and become ‘actionable’ quickly

– “Strategy Leaders” identified – Discussions focused around “Strategy Cards”– 51 strategy cards identified, narrowed down to 9– 9 Working groups (Economic Development, Housing, Green and Open Space, Civic Space, Parking, Transportation and Mobility, Smart City Infrastructure, Climate Change/Sustainability, Finance & Place Management Organization– Working groups identify & prioritize goals & action items – Specific strategies, implementation organizations, partners & financial resources identified to help execute their goals.– Strategic Community Benefits Action Plan (April 2016)

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SOMERVILLE UNION SQUARE

STRATEGIC AND COMMUNITY BENEFITS PLAN FINAL REPORT

APRIL 2016

Challenges• No consensus on community leaders / appropriate Strategy Leader Group• Adversarial group focused on derailing process and gaining control over Community Benefits Agreement negotiations• Meeting fatigue – community is extremely active and involved• Anxiety over efficient decision making, short process timeline• Want to study EVERYTHING

Next Steps1. Transitional Process Until Place Management Organization is Established2. Refinement of Work and Implementation Plan3. Establish a Place-Management Organization

– Bring Outsides Experts on Place-Management Organizations– Facilitate Discussion and Agreement on PMO Structure– Establish a PMO/Non-Profit Entity

4. Conduct a Social Equity and Sustainability Scan5. Reconvene Strategy Leaders, Social Equity Scan Follow up