METRO REGIONAL COALITION Agenda

Transcription

1 METRO REGIONAL COALITION Agenda April 9, 2019 Noon to 1:30 pm GPCOG, 970 Baxter Boulevard, Portland 1. Welcome and introductions (5 minutes) 2. Acceptance of minutes from March 12, 2019 meeting (Attachment A) (5 minutes) 3. Expanding Housing Choices Developers Perspectives (70 min.) Our guest presenters from the region s development community will be: Kevin Bunker- Developers Collaborative Brooks Moore- South Portland Housing Authority Amy Cullen- Szanton Company Josh Benthien- Northland Enterprises Kristina Egan will introduce our guests and set the stage for our discussion by briefly providing background on the MRC and the goal of expanding housing choices in our region. We will use a fishbowl format for the meeting, with Kristina asking questions of the developers and exploring their views on how municipalities influence the development of different kinds of housing choices. Once those conversations are complete MRC members will have the opportunity to interact with our guests and follow up on points raised during their responses to Kristina s questions. After our meeting in April with the development community we will craft a draft statement at the May meeting for MRC member communities to bring through their Council processes, so we arrive at a collective statement on expanding regional housing choices in November To that end, if there are questions members need answered we will make time in the agenda to do so. 1

2 4. MRC Work Plan Updates (10 min.) (Attachments B and C) Opioid Prevention Staff Report: The Falmouth pilot of Communities Addressing Opioid Misuse is wrapping up after two successful events including the workshop for elected leaders and a public forum. The Falmouth planning team will continue to convene and implement their action plan. Through leadership from the Chief of Police and Assistant Superintendent of Schools, Gorham has come forward to be the second pilot community pending a vote of approval from the MRC. Gorham hopes to host the workshop with elected leaders on May 28 th. Action: Act on Gorham s request to be designated as GOCOG s second pilot community for Communities Addressing Opioid Misuse. Homelessness Staff Report: LD 48, An Act To Authorize a General Fund Bond Issue To Invest in Housing for Persons Who Are Homeless remains pending before the Appropriations Committee. Please see Attachment C for the text of the bill. We will discuss whether the MRC should send the attached letter (sees Attachment B) as a group under the Chair s signature. Action: Determine whether to send an MRC letter in support of LD Adjourn at 1:30 pm. Upcoming Meetings: May 14: Guest presenter Quincy Hentzel, CEO of the Portland Regional Chamber of Commerce discussing the Chamber s Just Imagine campaign regarding public attitudes toward growth; discussion of framing a collective MRC statement on expanding regional housing choices using data, developer perspectives and MRC member input June 11: TBD (possibly preliminary discussion of MRC work plan priorities) 2

3 Attachment A Metro Regional Coalition MINUTES In Attendance: Name Bill Donovan, Chair Nathan Poore Caleb Hemphill Jean Marie Catarina Matt Sturgis Virginia Wilder-Cross Josh Reny Scott Morelli Jeremy Gabrielson Presenter: For GPCOG: Affiliation March 12, 2019 Scarborough Falmouth Falmouth Scarborough Cape Elizabeth Gorham South Portland South Portland Cape Elizabeth Stephanie Carver, GPCOG Kristina Egan Chris Hall Welcome Bill Donovan called the meeting to order at 12:05 pm. Acceptance of 2/12/19 minutes Acceptance as presented moved by Matt Sturgis, seconded by Virginia Wilder-Cross, and unanimously passed by members. Expanding Housing Choices Data from Around our Region Chris Hall shared some introductory thoughts to frame the presentation and discussion. Many municipal and school employees can no longer afford to live in the town they work in. Employers are recognizing that their wage rates do not support the cost of available housing choices near the work place. And the data shows these trends are continuing to fuel a need to look regionally at how we can identify and fill gaps in the regional housing market, particularly for middle income workers and residents. Next Steph Carver presented a detailed set of regional data, oriented specifically away from individual towns to look instead at the regional picture. Steph s power point presentation is attached to these 3

4 minutes and members who were unable to attend our meeting are encouraged to look through the slides for a fuller understanding of the findings. Among the key findings that Steph discussed were the following: Today: Southern Maine is state s economic driver Population and demographics dispersing Housing affordability is a major challenge Housing growth is slowing and dispersing Since 2010: Southern Maine captured larger share of economic and population growth compared to prior decade, but As a whole, the state s population growth has declined significantly as Maine s wage growth lags national average With regard to population and demographics in our region: Population growth has slowed and is more dispersed throughout Cumberland County MRC communities capture smaller share of population growth than in the previous decade Rural/suburban communities like Windham, Cumberland, and Freeport are growing Most MRC communities reverse long term trend in declining household size With respect to Housing affordability in our region: Job growth is dispersed throughout Cumberland County There is a regional imbalance between employment and housing People are spending more on transportation to save on housing Median Household Income in Cumberland County has barely kept pace with inflation The Median Household in Portland, Westbrook, Casco, Bridgton, and Harrison now earns less than 80% of County Median Household Income Rising home prices in Coastal areas pushing housing growth north and west With respect to housing growth in our region: Housing affordability challenges are pushing housing growth further north and west along major transportation routes MRC housing growth so far in this decade is ¼ of housing growth in prior decade Gorham, Westbrook, and Scarborough captured majority of housing growth since 2010 and population projections indicate they will continue to grow Steph observed that more analysis, and local level data, will be needed to extend the findings in her presentation. She noted that GPCOG s Transit Tomorrow project will contribute some information regarding land use impacts on transit investments. She concluded with three next steps: 4

5 Take a deeper dive into assessing regional housing gap, coordinating with Transit Tomorrow study Develop a regional target for housing growth Develop and agree to implement strategies Following Steph s presentation members engaged in a wide-ranging conversation that touched on the following: Members observed that the housing market is not filling gaps in affordable housing for middle and lower income residents. And although demand for housing is high, there is very little resale stock available. Members asked for more narrative around the data a summary of conclusions and recommendations for action were suggested. Various gaps in housing availability were noted, included recovery housing, congregate care facilities, etc. Better definition of specific gaps was suggested as an area of further analysis, including types, quantities and locations of needed housing choices, as well as traffic impacts of growth. Members shared experiences and perspectives on community resistance to adding housing. Changes in community leadership composition were observed. Members discussed whether it would be possible for all MRC communities to reach a consensus on expanding housing choices in the region some saw serious difficulties with doing so. As a prerequisite, long term education was suggested as a way to ease into this difficult discussion. Members also discussed doing scenario planning around the do nothing option, which might threaten the status quo in ways that make change more palatable. Falmouth Opioid Pilot Update Nathan Poore gave members a summary of Falmouth s opioid pilot project to date. The community has held a very successful kickoff meeting with great attendance, an expert panel of presenters and good community participation. On 3/13 Falmouth will hold a second public engagement meeting. Nathan emphasized how helpful and impactful the pilot has been to date, and expressed his confidence in its continued success in engaging the public and helping his community address our opioid crisis. Adjourn. Chairman Donovan adjourned the meeting at 1:37 pm. 5

6 Attachment B Draft Letter for LD 48 April, 2019 Senator Cathy Breen, Senate Chair Representative Drew Gattine, House Chair Joint Standing Committee on Appropriations and Financial Affairs 100 State House Station Augusta, Maine Re: LD 48, An Act To Authorize a General Fund Bond Issue To Invest in Housing for Persons Who Are Homeless Senator Breen, Representative Gattine and Members of the Appropriations Committee; Please accept this letter on behalf of the City/Town of in full support of LD 48, An Act To Authorize a General Fund Bond Issue To Invest in Housing for Persons Who Are Homeless. Our community is a member of the Metro Regional Coalition, comprised of Cape Elizabeth, Falmouth, Gorham, Portland, Scarborough, South Portland and Westbrook. We meet monthly at the Greater Portland Council of Governments to address priority issues facing our communities. For years the MRC municipalities have sought solutions to the homelessness crisis facing our region and centered on Portland. LD 48 responds directly to our region s need to provide more resources to build housing for homeless people. Housing First, a proven best practice for solving chronic homelessness, can only advance in our region if additional funding is made available. LD 48 s passage will provide the resources needed to save lives, and to reduce the municipal costs of addressing an ongoing crisis of homelessness for our communities. For these reasons we urge you to support passage of LD 48, and to include it in any final bond package crafted by your Committee. Thank you for the opportunity to share our support of LD 48, and please let me know if I can do anything else to support your consideration of this legislation. Sincerely, 6

7 Attachment C LD 48 Text An Act To Authorize a General Fund Bond Issue To Invest in Housing for Persons Who Are Homeless Preamble. Two thirds of both Houses of the Legislature deeming it necessary in accordance with the Constitution of Maine, Article IX, Section 14 to authorize the issuance of bonds on behalf of the State of Maine to provide funds as described in this Act, Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: Sec. 1. Authorization of bonds. The Treasurer of State is authorized, under the direction of the Governor, to issue bonds in the name and on behalf of the State in an amount not exceeding $15,000,000 for the purposes described in section 5 of this Act. The bonds are a pledge of the full faith and credit of the State. The bonds may not run for a period longer than 10 years from the date of the original issue of the bonds. Sec. 2. Records of bonds issued; Treasurer of State. The Treasurer of State shall ensure that an account of each bond is kept showing the number of the bond, the name of the successful bidder to whom sold, the amount received for the bond, the date of sale and the date when payable. Sec. 3. Sale; how negotiated; proceeds appropriated. The Treasurer of State may negotiate the sale of the bonds by direction of the Governor, but no bond may be loaned, pledged or hypothecated on behalf of the State. The proceeds of the sale of the bonds, which must be held by the Treasurer of State and paid by the Treasurer of State upon warrants drawn by the State Controller, are appropriated solely for the purposes set forth in this Act. Any unencumbered balances remaining at the completion of the project in this Act lapse to the Office of the Treasurer of State to be used for the retirement of general obligation bonds. Sec. 4. Interest and debt retirement. The Treasurer of State shall pay interest due or accruing on any bonds issued under this Act and all sums coming due for payment of bonds at maturity. Sec. 5. Disbursement of bond proceeds from General Fund bond issue. The proceeds of the sale of the bonds authorized under this Act must be expended as designated in the following schedule under the direction and supervision of the agencies and entities set forth in this section. MAINE STATE HOUSING AUTHORITY Provides funds for capital construction costs for housing for persons who are homeless. 7

8 Total $15,000,000 Sec. 6. Contingent upon ratification of bond issue. Sections 1 to 5 do not become effective unless the people of the State ratify the issuance of the bonds as set forth in this Act. Sec. 7. Appropriation balances at year-end. At the end of each fiscal year, all unencumbered appropriation balances representing state money carry forward. Bond proceeds that have not been expended within 10 years after the date of the sale of the bonds lapse to the Office of the Treasurer of State to be used for the retirement of general obligation bonds. Sec. 8. Bonds authorized but not issued. Any bonds authorized but not issued within 5 years of ratification of this Act are deauthorized and may not be issued, except that the Legislature may, within 2 years after the expiration of that 5-year period, extend the period for issuing any remaining unissued bonds for an additional amount of time not to exceed 5 years. Sec. 9. Referendum for ratification; submission at election; form of question; effective date. This Act must be submitted to the legal voters of the State at a statewide election held in the month of November following passage of this Act. The municipal officers of this State shall notify the inhabitants of their respective cities, towns and plantations to meet, in the manner prescribed by law for holding a statewide election, to vote on the acceptance or rejection of this Act by voting on the following question: "Do you favor a $15,000,000 bond issue to build housing for persons who are homeless?" The legal voters of each city, town and plantation shall vote by ballot on this question and designate their choice by a cross or check mark placed within a corresponding square below the word "Yes" or "No." The ballots must be received, sorted, counted and declared in open ward, town and plantation meetings and returns made to the Secretary of State in the same manner as votes for members of the Legislature. The Governor shall review the returns. If a majority of the legal votes are cast in favor of this Act, the Governor shall proclaim the result without delay and this Act becomes effective 30 days after the date of the proclamation. The Secretary of State shall prepare and furnish to each city, town and plantation all ballots, returns and copies of this Act necessary to carry out the purposes of this referendum. SUMMARY The funds provided by this bond issue, in the amount of $15,000,000, will be used for capital construction costs for housing for persons who are homeless. 8