AGENDA DATE: 3/17/2021
TITLE:
Title
CPA 2020-00001 Housing Policy Update
BODY
SUBJECT/PROPOSAL/REQUEST: Public hearing to consider the adoption of an updated housing policy
ITEM TYPE: Regular Action Item
STAFF CONTACT(S): Richardson, Walker, Kamptner, Herrick, Filardo, Pethia
PRESENTER (S): Stacy Pethia
LEGAL REVIEW: Yes
REVIEWED BY: Jeffrey B. Richardson
BACKGROUND: On July 23, 2019, the Albemarle County Planning Commission adopted a Resolution of Intent to amend the Comprehensive Plan with an updated Housing Policy. Since that date, staff has been engaged in work to update the current housing policy, in collaboration with community stakeholders. Staff introduced the draft Housing Policy during work sessions with Planning Commission (August 11, 2020) and the Board of Supervisors (October 7, 2020), as well as a joint Board and Planning Commission work session in December 8, 2020. The draft Policy was introduced to the public in February 2021 and feedback was solicited via the Housing Albemarle page on the County website. The proposed Policy now presented incorporates the feedback received.
STRATEGIC PLAN: Infrastructure Investment - Prioritize, plan, and invest in critical infrastructure that responds to past and future changes and improves the capacity to serve community needs.
DISCUSSION: Albemarle County is committed to creating sustainable communities and safe, decent housing opportunities for County residents. Since 2004, the Comprehensive Plan and Affordable Housing Policy have provided guidance on how the County meets that need. However, new residential development in the County has not kept pace with growing housing demand, leaving many county residents struggling to find housing they can afford that meets their needs. To ensure the County continues to provide sufficient and appropriate housing opportunities for current and future residents, the County embarked on an effort to update the housing policy in October 2019.
The proposed Housing Policy presented here (Attachment A) is the culmination of this work. The new policy recommendations provide the tools necessary to meet the diverse housing needs of all county residents regardless of income, race, age, or special needs. The policy includes initiatives to support the construction of affordable and workforce housing units; to preserve existing housing and communities; to expand housing options and support for the County’s most vulnerable community members; and to inform and empower the Albemarle community to engage with affordable housing issues.
Staff received feedback from the community on the draft policy throughout the engagement process facilitated via an online platform <https://publicinput.com/Project/AccessCode?id=CRe%2fWnGZlcwbLgmiBHb9QQ%3d%3d>. Staff incorporated many community suggestions, and the feedback received from the Board and Planning Commission, into this draft of the Policy. Major changes include:
• addition of an ‘At a Glance’ section at the beginning of the policy;
• addition of definitions for minimum affordability periods; and
• identified potential use of County-owned land for affordable housing as a priority strategy.
These and additional changes are presented in Attachment B.A public feedback review is available in Attachment C.
If this Housing Policy is adopted, the Housing Planner would work with staff to incorporate the policy objectives and strategies into a future Comprehensive Plan update and to incorporate changes to the zoning ordinance driven by the new housing policy. In addition, staff would begin developing the recommended housing programs presented in the Policy, which will be presented to the Board for consideration at future dates.
BUDGET IMPACT: Incorporation of the updated housing policies into each of the comprehensive plan and zoning ordinance update processes are anticipated in the staffing levels for those projects. As specific housing programs are scoped and brought forward for Board consideration, any budget impacts will be included in those program discussions. Future implementation of some of the individual policy objectives may require County investment. These budget requests will be addressed as policy objectives move forward.
RECOMMENDATION:
Recommendation
Staff recommends that the Board adopt the attached Resolution approving CPA 2020-00001 (Attachment D) and the proposed updated Housing Policy (Attachment A) after the public hearing.
ATTACHMENTS:
A - Proposed Housing Policy
B - List of changes
C - Public feedback
D - Resolution