DEPARTMENT: Neighborhood and Housing Services Department
DEPARTMENT HEAD: Verónica R. Soto, AICP, Neighborhood and Housing Services Department Director
COUNCIL DISTRICTS IMPACTED: Citywide
SUMMARY:
This ordinance restructures the composition and charge of the San Antonio Housing Commission to Protect and Preserve Dynamic and Diverse Neighborhoods as recommended by City staff and as included within the recommendations of the Housing Policy Framework Report.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
On July 14, 2014, the Mayor’s Task Force on Preserving Dynamic and Diverse Neighborhoods was established to identify policies and programs that encourage investment in inner-city neighborhoods while minimizing or preventing displacement of people and reducing adverse impacts to the history, culture and quality of life.
On May 14, 2015, City Council accepted the Task Force on Preserving Dynamic and Diverse Neighborhoods Final Report and created the San Antonio Housing Commission to Protect and Preserve Dynamic and Diverse Neighborhoods. This 15 member commission was charged to increase workforce and affordable housing preservation and production and be a coordinating body charged with making recommendations to City Council on workforce/affordable housing preservation and production as well as policies to minimize displacement and mitigate the effects of neighborhood change.
The Commission was initially tasked with developing and implementing five short-term and eight long-term recommendations included in the Task Force Report. An annual work plan was created to address these and other housing policy related issues.
Accomplishments made by the Commission include:
• Amendments to the City’s zoning notification process resulting in a redesign of the rezoning signage to provide greater clarity to the public on proposed actions as well as posting the information in Spanish
• An interim measure regarding the allocation of waivers for SAWS impact fees. The recommendation resulted in administrative changes to the City’s ICRIP program that improved access to fee waivers by nonprofit organizations including affordable housing providers
• The framework for an affordable housing bond which resulted in a voter-approved $20 million Neighborhood Improvements Bond
• A City-led legislative agenda that included Homestead Preservation Districts as a tool for the creation and preservation of affordable housing in San Antonio
• Amendments to the Unified Development Code that promote construction of affordable housing units
• Completed Vulnerable Communities Assessment
• Completed Fiscal Impact of Residential Development Study
• Assisted in the planning and implementation of the annual Housing Summit for four years
In August of 2017, Mayor Ron Nirenberg established the Mayor’s Housing Policy Task Force (MHPTF) to develop a comprehensive and compassionate housing policy roadmap and lead a policy-making process grounded in community, data, and best practices to address the full spectrum of housing. In September of 2018, City Council accepted the Mayor’s Housing Policy Task Force Final Report and approved key recommendations to ensure an adequate supply of affordable housing.
One of the recommendations in the report was to reconstitute the Commission as a public oversight board to guide the implementation of the Task Force recommendations and engage the public.
The Governance Committee approved the recommendation to modify the composition and charge of the San Antonio Housing Commission to Protect and Preserve Dynamic and Diverse Neighborhoods on October 23, 2018.
ISSUE:
The purpose of this item is to provide a briefing on the proposed name change, composition, and charge of the Housing Commission to Protect and Preserve Dynamic and Diverse Neighborhoods.
The Housing Commission to Protect and Preserve Dynamic and Diverse Neighborhoods is a 15 member committee comprised of members with a variety of backgrounds to include one non-profit developer, one non-profit housing provider, one housing law and/or policy expert, one academic/historian, one architect or urban designer, one construction professional, one San Antonio Housing Authority representative, two financial institution representatives, two for-profit private real estate/development representatives and four neighborhood community group representatives. The Mayor appoints five members of the Commission and each member of the City Council appoints one member of the Commission.
The charge of the current commission is to increase workforce and affordable housing preservation and production and be a coordinating body charged with making recommendations to City Council on workforce/affordable housing preservation and production as well as policies to minimize displacement and mitigate the effects of neighborhood change.
The new Housing Commission, to be named as such, is proposed to be comprised of nine members: four of the members should be filled by the CEO/ Executive Director of the following organizations: San Antonio Housing Authority; San Antonio Housing Trust; San Antonio Economic Development Foundation; and VIA Metropolitan Transit. The remaining positions are to be filled by five at large community members with a history of neighborhood engagement to hold elected officials and city staff accountable for the implementation of the Housing Policy Framework Report. These five positions will be nominated by the Mayor in consultation with the Council and approved by the full City Council. The Mayor will appoint the Chair of the Housing Commission from among its members, and the Commission would have a process for inclusive and ongoing engagement with the public. The Department of Neighborhood Housing Services would provide staff support to the Housing Commission.
The five at large community members serving on the Housing Commission will serve two-year staggered terms. In order to stagger the terms, two of the five appointed members of the Commission will serve an initial term of only one year. Appointments then will serve two-year terms. The other three appointed members of the Commission will serve two year terms from initial appointment.
The charge of the new Housing Commission will be to serve as a public oversight Board to guide the implementation of the MHPTF’s recommendations and engage the public. This also would include an annual report of the implementation progress made for the affordable housing programs and projects included in the City’s annual budget as well as other affordable housing issues and polices in the City’s affordable Housing Work Plan.
The newly created Housing Commission would convene subsequent to City Council approving the appointments to the Commission. Concurrently, the Housing Commission to Protect and Preserve Dynamic and Diverse Neighborhoods would sunset upon the convening of the new Housing Commission.
ALTERNATIVES:
The City can vote to not approve this item. However, this would prevent the restructuring of the San Antonio Housing Commission to Protect and Preserve Dynamic and Diverse Neighborhoods as recommended by City staff.
FISCAL IMPACT:
This ordinance restructures the composition and charge of the San Antonio Housing Commission to Protect and Preserve Dynamic and Diverse Neighborhoods as recommended by City staff and as included within the recommendations of the Housing Policy Framework Report. There is no fiscal impact.
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that the City Council approve the ordinance modifying the composition and charge of the San Antonio Housing Commission to Protect and Preserve Dynamic and Diverse Neighborhoods as recommended by the Mayor’s Housing Policy Task Force and approved by the Governance Committee.