09-13-2010 Council Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING Monday, September 13, 2010 7:00 o'clock p.m. (I2. , METROPOLITANLIVABLE COMMUNITIES PROGRAMPARTICIPATION, Continued) limited funding available for development of affordable housing, the Metropolitan Council has asked that Orono establish its affordable housing goal as a range of 202 -311 units. The Metropolitan Council has also asked Orono to set a life -cycle housing goal in the range of 311 -750 units for the period 2011 -2020. McMillan asked if the City would be able to look at this being more tailored to Orono by perhaps negotiating some goal numbers or rehabbing some existing properties with some of the grant money. Murphy stated he is in agreement with Council Member McMillan and that not too many people understand the nuances between these different housing goals. The City should decide whether they want to actively pursue some of these goals or not. Murphy stated it would be a struggle to find any pockets of the community that would want the City to spend money helping to put affordable housing in the city. Murphy stated in his view this should be looked at further in a work session given the possible implications. Murphy commented he is not sure where the City is going to get the money to meet the goals of the Metropolitan Council. McMillan stated she visited the CommonBond open house in Wayzata and that they did a great job of rehabbing the existing building. McMillan stated if you look at it from that point of view, that there are existing buildings within the city that could be rehabbed, it may be easier to accomplish affordable housing rather than by constructing new housing on subsidized land. McMillan stated there is no reason • why that could not be done in areas of Orono. Franchot stated his understanding of the Metropolitan Livable Communities Program is that if the City continues their participation, as the City looks at varying housing opportunities, they would be able to . look for grants and additional funding. In order to join that group, the City needs to allocate a certain amount of money. Franchot commented that he does feel discussion of the program is useful and that in order for Orono to meet the needs of lots of people, they do need to have a serious discussion about affordable and lifecycle housing. Franchot stated the program does not dictate strategies for density but that it is just giving the City the ability to take advantage of grant money that may be available. Gaffron stated that `is accurate. Bremer noted they have not applied for any funding under this program since 2000. McMillan commented she would like to see some theoretical situations that could work in Orono as it relates to some of the housing goals. Gaffron stated Staff could provide additional information on the program. The Metropolitan Council has funded approximately 200 projects in the last 10 years and they provided a synopsis of that to Staff. In addition, a representative could come out to a work session to discuss affordable and lifestyle housing. Gaffron noted there is an October 1" deadline but that there probably is some flexibility. Bremer asked Staff to find out if the deadline is actually October 1" or whether it can be delayed. • PAGE 12 of 14