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[PRELIMINARY OPEN MEETING]
THE PLANO CITY COUNCIL IS CONVENED IN OPEN SESSION THAT ALL COUNCIL MEMBERS ARE PRESENT.THE COUNCIL WILL NOW RECESS INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION.
IN TRAINING ROOM MAY TO HOLD A CLOSED EXECUTIVE MEETING PURSUANT TO THE PROVISIONS OF VERNON'S TEXAS CODES ANNOTATED GOVERNMENT CODE CHAPTER 5 51.
THE OPEN MEETINGS ACT IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE AUTHORITY CONTAINED IN SECTION 5 51 0 71 TO CONSULT WITH THE ATTORNEY TO RECEIVE LEGAL ADVICE AND DISCUSS LITIGATION SECTION 5 51 0 87 TO DISCUSS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT MATTERS AND SECTION 5 51 0 74 TO DISCUSS PERSONNEL MATTERS.
I NOW DECLARE THAT THE PLAINTIFF CITY COUNCIL PRELIMINARY OPEN MEETING IS RECONVENED IN OPEN SESSION THAT ALL COUNCIL MEMBERS ARE PRESENT.
OUR FIRST ITEM ON THE PRELIMINARY AGENDA IS CONSIDERATION ACTION RESULTING FROM THE EXECUTIVE SESSION.
UH, WE HAVE, UH, TWO APPOINTMENTS, THE BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT.
RICK, DO YOU WANT TO DO IT OR YOU GOOD? UP, UP TO YOU, RICK.
SO, UH, COUNCILMAN HOMER, UH, OR I'M SORRY, I'M GETTING AHEAD OF MYSELF.
COUNCILMAN RICK ELLI AND I HAVE CONFERRED, AND WE'D LIKE TO, UH, MAKE A MOTION TO APPOINT THE FOLLOWING.
AS, UH, MEMBERS OF THE, UH, BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT, WE WILL HAVE, UH, KAREN, UH, ESA MOVING FROM ALTERNATE TO A REGULAR MEMBER.
THEN WE WILL HAVE, UH, JANET PLOTKIN WILL BE SERVING AS ALTERNATE MEMBER, AND WE'LL HAVE TWO INTERIM MEMBERS, UH, DAVID PETERSON.
AND THEN WE HAD ONE, UH, ADDITIONAL, UH, RESIGNATION.
SO, UH, WE'LL BE APPOINTING, UH, JAN TRUE, UH, TO FILL THE, UH, SLOT HELD BY, UH, MEMBER, UH, MATT MCSORLEY.
HE, HE HAD IT ALL WRITTEN DOWN, SO I WAS, YOU, YOU DO THAT RICK SECOND BY THE, I CAN READ IT.
IF I WRITE IT DOWN, IT'S CLEAR AS MUD.
SO WE HAVE A, A MOTION, UH, A SECOND ON THE APPOINTMENT OF BOARD, UH, OF ADJUSTMENT.
ALL IN FAVOR? RAISE YOUR HAND, PLEASE.
YES, AND THE OTHER ONE IS HERITAGE COMMISSION.
UH, MR. MAYOR, DEPUTY MAYOR PRO TEM TWO, AND I HAVE, UH, CONFERRED AND, UH, WE WOULD LIKE TO APPOINT NANCY BALDWIN, THE CURRENT VICE CHAIR AS THE CHAIR OF THE HERITAGE COMMISSION, AND FOR THE THREE VACANCIES, UH, APPOINT DEBORAH DIANE BARRIOS, UM, AND MICHAEL HOLLAND.
UH, AND ON THE THIRD VACANCY, UH, WE WERE TRYING TODAY TO GET AHOLD OF, UH, UH, OF THE APPLICANT.
WE WERE PLANNING TO APPOINT FOR THAT, BUT HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO YET TO, UH, TO JUST ASK A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS CONFIRMING THE APPOINTMENT.
SO WE'D LIKE TO LEAVE THAT OPEN UNTIL THE NEXT MEETING.
SO, UH, I WILL, I, I GUESS SO MOVED TO, TO APPOINT NANCY BALDWIN AS THE CHAIR APPOINT DEBORAH DIANE BARRIOS AND MICHAEL HOLLAND AS MEMBERS, UH, LEAVING ONE VACANCY FOR THE NEXT MEETING.
UH, A MOTION A SECOND ON THE HERITAGE COMMISSION.
ALL IN FAVOR? DID YOU GET ALL THAT, LISA? ALRIGHT, ITEM TWO PERSONNEL APPOINTMENTS.
UH, FIRST ONE IS ANIMAL SHELTER ADVISORY COMMITTEE.
AND I WOULD LIKE TO, UM, MAKE A MOTION TO APPOINT TAMMY CHOW HAYES AS CHAIR OF THE ANIMAL ADVISORY BOARD.
I HAVE A MOTION, A SECOND, UH, FOR THE ANIMAL SHELTER ADVISORY COMMITTEE.
THE CULTURAL ARTS COMMISSION, UH, DEPUTY MAYOR PRO TEM TWO, AND I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION TO APPOINT NICK CAGLE AND SHERRY COVIN LEVINE AS MEMBERS AND DIANE GOBEL AS CHAIR OF THE CULTURAL ARTS COMMISSION.
AND SECOND FOR THE CULTURAL ARTS, UH, COMMISSION APPOINTMENTS.
NEXT ITEM, PLANO HOUSING AUTHORITY.
I HAVE, WE HAD A, UH, RESIGNATION AND WE HAVE THAT APPOINTMENT AVAILABLE, AND I WILL DO THAT ON OCTOBER 23RD, SENIOR ADVISORY BOARD.
UH, YES, COUNCIL MEMBER HOMER AND I HAVE, UH, DISCUSSED THIS.
AND, UH, FOR THE, UH, SENIOR ADVISORY BOARD, MAKE A MOTION TO APPOINT, UH, SHERRY, UH, SDO AS CHAIR.
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APPOINTMENTS.UH, FIRST WILL BE GLORIA MARSH.
UH, THE NEXT WILL BE, UH, FOR Y'ALL, BURKE.
SO A MOTION IS SECOND FOR THE SENIOR ADVISORY BOARD APPOINTMENTS.
AND THE, THE LAST ONE IS TAX INCREMENT FINANCING.
REINVESTMENT ZONE NUMBER FOUR.
UH, MR. MAYOR, DEPUTY MAYOR, PRO TEM TWO, AND I HAVE CONFERRED ABOUT THIS.
THE, UH, ONLY, UH, ISSUE IS REAPPOINTMENT OF THE CHAIR.
AND, UH, UH, WE WOULD LIKE TO REAPPOINT SHEP STAHL AS THE CHAIR OF THE TOURS NUMBER FOUR BOARD.
AND SECOND FOR THE CHAIR OF THE, UH, TAX INCREMENT FINANCING BOARD.
OUR NEXT ITEM IS HOUSING TAX CREDIT PROCESS PRESENTATION.
GOOD EVENING, MAYOR, CITY COUNCIL, CITY EXECUTIVES.
I AM THE NEIGHBORHOOD SERVICES DIRECTOR, AND WE'RE HERE TONIGHT.
UM, BECAUSE AT THE END OF LAST YEAR, CITY COUNCIL HAD ASKED THE CITY TO, UH, ENGAGE AN INDEPENDENT CONSULTANT TO REVIEW OUR LOW INCOME HOUSING TAX CREDIT PROGRAM.
SO, UH, THE SCOPE OF WORK INCLUDED JUST REVIEW OF THE CITY'S CURRENT, UH, HOUSING TAX CREDIT APPLICATION PROCESS TO, UH, CONDUCT SOME PUBLIC INPUT TO REVIEW OTHER BENCHMARK TEXAS CITIES AND TO PROVIDE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR IMPROVEMENT TO THE CITY'S PROGRAM.
THE CITY SELECTED COMPTON CREATIVE SOLUTIONS TO CONDUCT THIS STUDY, AND I WOULD LIKE TO TURN IT OVER TO THE PRESENTATION TO SEAN COMPTON SO THAT HE CAN REVIEW, UH, THEIR FINDINGS.
MAYOR, UH, DEPUTY MAYOR PROTI COUNCIL MEMBERS, UH, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
MY PRESENTATION TO YOU IS A BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE REPORT THAT I SUBMITTED EARLIER THIS MONTH.
AND, UM, I APPRECIATE YOU ALL TAKING THE TIME NOW TO, TO, UH, LISTEN TO THIS.
UM, AND WHAT I'D LIKE TO DO IS TO PRESENT IT AND THEN OPEN IT UP FOR ANY QUESTIONS THAT Y'ALL HAVE.
HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS.
UM, SO AS, UM, MS. SWARTZ JUST SAID, I, I, MY CHARGE WAS TO CONDUCT A, UH, INDEPENDENT ASSESSMENT OF THE PLANOS HOUSING TAX CREDIT APPLICATION PROCESS.
THE DIRECTIVE THAT CAME FROM CITY MANAGER AND WAS VERY, VERY CLEAR FROM ALL THE STAFF WAS TO MAKE THIS A VERY IMPARTIAL, UNBIASED, UNPREJUDICED, UH, ASSESSMENT OF THE PROGRAM.
AND I'VE ATTEMPTED TO, TO HOLD THAT, AND I CAN ASSURE YOU THAT THAT STAFF IS, UH, WORKING WITH STAFF, THEY HAVE, UH, REALLY UPHELD THAT ASPECT AS WELL.
UM, AND THE STUDY PERIOD REALLY HAS BEEN ROBUST PERIOD OVER THE LAST FOUR MONTHS.
UM, I PROBABLY HAVE INTERVIEWED ABOUT 50 PEOPLE PLUS, AND I'VE RELIED ON MY PUBLIC-PRIVATE, UH, PLANNING EX EXPERIENCE BOTH ON THE PLANNING COMMISSION AND CITY OF AUSTIN, AS WELL AS IN THE, UH, PUBLIC SECTOR OR PRIVATE SECTOR WORKING WITH CITIES THROUGHOUT CENTRAL TEXAS AND NORTH TEXAS.
SO, UH, QUITE A LOT OF EXPERIENCE, UH, WORKING WITH CITIES.
UM, THE STUDY APPROACH WAS VERY COMPREHENSIVE, AND I JUST WANT TO BRIEFLY GO OVER THIS.
UH, WE, I STARTED WITH BY REVIEWING THE DRAFT 22, UH, 2022 PLANO APPLICATION AND THE CURRENT PROCESS.
EACH OF THE COUNCIL MEMBERS, UH, HAD A SESSION WITH THE, UH, C R C I INTERVIEWED CITY STAFF, UH, LEADERSHIP WHO HAD BEEN WORKING WITH BOTH PREVIOUSLY AND CURRENTLY ON THE, UH, HOUSING TAX, UH, PROGRAM, AND THEN LOCAL AS WELL AS, UH, NORTH TEXAS, UH, DEVELOPERS AND, AND TWO ROUND TABLE SESSIONS.
I ALSO CONDUCTED A HIGH LEVEL PLANO SOCIOECONOMIC ASSESSMENT.
BEING FROM AUSTIN, I WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT I GOT MY, YOU KNOW, UH, A GOOD BASIC UNDERSTANDING OF THE PLANO,
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UH, ASSESSMENT.I THEN BENCHMARKED, UM, UH, THE PROCESS OF, OF FIVE CITIES, AND BY THAT, I'M, I, UH, I'LL GO INTO THAT A LITTLE BIT LATER.
BUT TO USE THEM AS BEST PRACTICES OF, OF OTHER CITIES AND COMPARE THOSE TWO, UH, THE CITY OF PLANO FOR BEST, BEST PRACTICES.
I THEN REVIEWED THE CITY, UH, THE T D HCAS STANDARDS, AND HAD SEVERAL MEETINGS WITH, UH, THE, UH, MULTIFAMILY AND, AND, UH, HT C TAX PROGRAM TO JUST GET CLARIFICATION AND GET QUESTIONS ANSWERED.
AND THEN I, UH, INTERVIEWED EXPERIENCED, WELL-QUALIFIED H C C DEVELOPERS FOLLOWING THAT PROCESS.
I THEN PREPARED MY FINDINGS, OBSERVATIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS REPORT, AND SUBMITTED THAT EARLIER THIS MONTH.
SO, I'D LIKE TO START AT THE, AT THE HIGH LEVEL, UM, THE TAKEAWAYS OF THE T D HCAS HT A, UH, HOUSING TAX PROGRAM.
UH, THE T D H C A STATE, UH, DEPARTMENT ADMINISTERS ADMINISTERS THE PROGRAM FOR THE US TREASURY.
THE COMPLIANCE IS REQUIRED WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF HUDS FAIR HOUSING ACT.
T D H C A HAS A VERY MUCH THE PRIMARY ROLE, UH, IN BOTH MANAGING AND DECISION MAKING OF THE PROGRAM.
CITIES HAVE A LIMITED ROLE, UM, C T D H C A SETS THE, UH, Q A P, WHICH IS A QUALIFIED ALLOCATION PLAN, THE RULES AND SUBMITTAL SCHEDULE.
EVERY YEAR AND EVERY YEAR, I'VE BEEN TO SEVERAL ROUND TABLES, UH, AT T D A C A EVERY YEAR.
THEY'RE, THEY, THEY TWEAK THE PROGRAM A LITTLE BIT.
SO EVERY YEAR, THAT MEANS ALL THE CITIES IN, IN TEXAS HAVE TO COME BACK AND TWEAK THEIR APPLICATIONS, TWEAK THEIR POLICIES.
UM, SO THAT'S JUST SOMETHING THAT IS JUST GONNA HAVE TO BE BAKED INTO THE PROCESS, OR ACKNOWLEDGED, I SHOULD SAY.
AND THEN THE CITIES MUST ADOPT YEARLY POLICY AND APPLICATION TO COMPLY WITH THE LA THE LATEST, THE LATEST T D H C A, UH, Q A P RULES.
I THEN, UM, SELECTED OR WENT THROUGH A PROCESS OF BENCHMARKING CITIES.
AND THE PURPOSE OF THIS WAS TO BENCHMARK TEXAS CITIES, UM, THAT HAVE SOME APPLICABILITY TO PLANO AND TO IDENTIFY BEST PRACTICES TO CONSIDER FOR PLANOS PROGRAM.
AND, UH, I STARTED WITH ABOUT 12 CITIES AND I, I LOOKED AT THE NUMBER OF AWARDS THAT THESE CITIES HAVE, UH, URBAN STABLE CITIES, UH, TRANSPARENT PROCESS TO THE PUBLIC, FUNCTIONAL AND OBJECTIVE, H T C APPLICATIONS, QUALITY MAPPING AND TOOLS THAT THE, THE CITIES PROVIDED, UH, UH, AN OUTWARD ORIENTED, UH, PROCESS WEBSITE FOR BOTH THE PUBLIC AND DEVELOPERS.
AND, AND SOME OF THESE HAD INCENTIVES THAT I THOUGHT WOULD BE INTERESTING TO, UH, CONSIDER.
AND SO, OUT OF THESE, THE SELECTED CITIES WERE FORT WORTH, DENTON, AUSTIN, SAN ANTONIO, AND ARLINGTON.
AND AGAIN, I PREPARED A REPORT WITH, UH, A FAIR AMOUNT OF DETAIL THAT GOES INTO, UH, SOME OF THE TAKEAWAYS.
BUT THESE ARE SOME OF THE, THE MAIN TAKEAWAYS.
THE APPLICATIONS VARY GREATLY.
AND THESE ARE THE BENCHMARK CITIES.
THERE'S NO UNIFORM CITY TEMPLATE FOR H T C APPLICATIONS OR THE PROCESS THAT'S PRESCRIBED BY THE T D H C A.
SO THAT MEANS THAT EVERY CITY, UH, STAFF AND, AND COUNCIL AND SO FORTH, REALLY, IT'S UP TO THE CITY TO MAKE IT AS SIMPLE OR AS COMPLICATED OR STRAIGHTFORWARD.
UH, HOWEVER IT IS, UM, THERE IS NOTHING PRESCRIBED, AND THERE'S NO POINTS AWARDED ON HOW SIMPLE OR COMPLICATED IT IS.
IT'S THE AWARDS OR POINTS AWARDED BASED ON THE OUTCOME, NOT ON THE PROCESS.
UM, SO EACH CITY ADMINISTERS THEIR OWN PROGRAMS. UM, WHAT I FOUND IN THE BENCHMARK CITIES IS THAT THERE'S NO REZONING THAT'S REQUIRED PRIOR OR BEFORE RESOLUTION OF SUPPORT, OR NO OBJECTION.
UH, THEY ALL HAD HIGH TRANSPARENCY WITH THE PUBLIC, INCLUDING CITY WEBSITES.
NOW, UH, ONE CAVEAT, UH, THE, THE CITY OF PLANO HAD TAKEN DOWN THEIRS, THEIR PROGRAM WHEN I WAS, UH, BROUGHT ON BOARD.
SO I DIDN'T HAVE A CHANCE TO HAVE A COM POINT OF COMPARISON.
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UM, BUT HAVING A, UH, HIGHLY TRANSPARENT WEBSITE FOR BOTH THE PUBLIC AND DEVELOPERS, UH, I FOUND TO BE VERY HELPFUL JUST AS A CONSULTANT, AND I CAN IMAGINE AS THE DEVELOPER, BUT ALSO WITH THE, WITH THE PLAINTIFF'S PUBLIC, UH, THE, THE, THE PUBLIC IN, IN PLANO CITY.AND THIS, A NUMBER OF CITIES HAD PROVIDED FINANCIAL INCENTIVES TO ALLOW DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENTS BETWEEN THE CITY AND THE DEVELOPER TO ENSURE QUALITY OF THE H T C DEVELOPMENTS.
UM, THE CITY OF PLANO HAS A POOR H T C REPUTATION.
I INTERVIEWED SIX EXPERIENCED AND WELL-REGARDED H T C DEVELOPERS WHO HAVE A DEEP PORTFOLIO WITH ATTRACTIVE COMPLIANT DEVELOPMENTS, NORTH TEXAS, CENTRAL TEXAS, THROUGHOUT THE STATE.
SO THESE AREN'T ONE-OFF, UH, I, I RELATED MY HOMEWORK IN TERMS OF, OF VETTING AND HAVING A, A CONVERSATION WITH, WITH, UH, WELL-REGARDED DEVELOPERS.
UM, AND WHEN YOU READ THE PORT, THERE'S, THERE'S, UH, THERE'S SOME QUOTATIONS BY THEM.
IT'S MY OPINION THAT IT'S IN THE CITY'S BEST INTEREST TO TURN THIS REPUTATION AROUND, TO REDUCE POTENTIAL RISKS, TO APPROVE A RESOLUTION OF SUPPORT OR NO OBJECTION, FOLLOWED BY THE DENIAL OF REZONING OR SPECIAL USE PERMIT IS A POTENTIAL LEGAL RISK TO THE CITY.
I AM GONNA NOW ADDRESS OR PIVOT WHY PLANO NEEDS, IN MY OPINION, H T C HOUSING THIS DIAGRAM BEFORE YOU IS PLANO WAGES BY OCCUPATION.
AND IT IS, I'M SORRY, IT'S DATED.
UM, THE LARGER THE SQUARE, THE MORE EMPLOYEES, THE DARKER THE COLOR.
THE, THE, THE, THE HIGHER THE, THE INCOME, THE LIGHTER THE COLOR, THE LOWER THE INCOME.
SO THE AFFORDABILITY HOUSING INCOME FOR A FAMILY OF FOUR IN 2020, UH, 60% A M I IS A LITTLE LESS THAN $52,000.
UM, SO IF YOU'RE BELOW THAT, THOSE ARE THE AREAS THAT ARE, UH, THE, THE OCCUPATIONS THAT ARE CIRCLED IN RED.
THESE INCLUDE RETAIL, SALES STAFF, CHILDCARE WORKERS, WAITRESSES, BARISTAS, UH, CONSTRUCTION OPERATORS, WORKERS FOOD PREPARATION, UH, PERSONAL CARE SERVICE OCCUPATIONS, HEALTHCARE SUPPORT, AND JUST SLIGHTLY ABOVE THE, UH, A M I OF 52,000 INCLUDES FIREFIGHTERS, EMTS, AND OTHER, UH, PROTECTION SERVICES.
SO THIS, JUST WANTED TO PUT A PHASE TO THOSE, THOSE FOLKS THAT ARE, THAT ARE, UM, WORKING IN O EXCUSE ME, IN IN PLANO THAT ARE BELOW THE AFFORDABILITY INDEX THAT'S DEFINED BY, UH, HUD.
THIS IS HUD DEPARTMENT OF HUD DATA.
UM, THIS IS A GRAPH THAT SHOWS, UM, SLIDING SCALE OF HOUSING, UM, RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY VALUES, PLANO IN RED OR LOOKS LIKE MAGENTA, UH, THE DARK RED, AND THEN THE GRAY, OR THE LIGHT BLUE IS US.
AND AS YOU CAN SEE ON, ON THE GRAPH, UM, PLANOS MEDIAN PROPERTY VALUE IN 2020, IT FAR EXCEEDS, UH, IT'S A HIGH, IT'S THE PLAINTIFF'S MARKET RATE HOUSING IS VERY HIGH PRICE.
UM, THE MINIMAL WORKFORCE HOUSING AVAILABLE IS VERY MINIMUM, IS VERY LITTLE.
THERE'S VERY, THERE'S VERY LITTLE AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
SO AFFORDABLE MULTI-FAMILY HOUSING IS NEEDED.
ADDITIONAL, UH, FACT I'D, I'D LIKE TO PROVIDE IS THAT SENIORS WILL COMPRISE A GREATER PERCENTAGE OF PLAINTIFF'S WORK HOUSEHOLDS OVER THE NEXT YEARS AS BABY BOOMERS AGE INTO THE SENIOR YEARS, INCREASE IN THE NEED FOR AFFORDABLE SENIOR HOUSING.
I'M GONNA CHANGE NOW, UH, OR CHANGE TOPICS AND, AND TALK AND ADDRESS THE, THE, UH, APPLICATION PROCESS.
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AND I UNDERSTAND, AND IT WAS, IT WAS VERY APPARENT TO ME.AND, AND I'VE BEEN ON THE PLANNING COMMISSION.
I UNDERSTAND THE COUNCIL'S UNEASE WITH THIS TWO-PART APPROVING A, A, A RESOLUTION OF SUPPORT, H T C RESOLUTION OF SUPPORT, OR NO OBJECTION, FOLLOWED LATER BY A SEPARATE REZONING OR CHANGE OF SPECIAL USE PERMIT.
IT'S UNDERSTANDABLE WHY YOU'RE THE PUBLIC IS COMES BACK AND WE'RE, WE'RE, YOU'RE, YOU'RE PUT IN AN AWKWARD POSITION.
MY RECOMMENDATION AND MY RECOMMENDATION ALONE IS, IS TO ADOPT A COMPREHENSIVE H T C POLICY THAT SPANS THE ENTIRE PUBLIC APPROVAL PROCESS.
THE CURRENT POLICY STOPS AT THE APPLICATION WITH THE RESOLUTION OF SUPPORT.
AND MY RECOMMENDATION IS TO, UM, LOOK AT A POLICY TO GIVE BETTER ASSURANCE TO BOTH, UH, YOU ON THE DAIS AS WELL AS AS DEVELOPERS, UH, WHEN THEY'RE COMING BACK FOR REZONING OR SPECIAL PERMIT REUSE.
UH, THIS, THIS NUMBER HAS BEEN DRUMMED INTO MY HEAD.
97% OF THE CITY OF PLANO WAS BUILT OUT AND UNDERSTAND THAT.
SO REDEVELOPMENT IS, IS REALLY THE NAME OF THE GAME THAT FOR, FOR ALMOST ALL DEVELOPMENT IN, IN THE CITY OF PLANO.
AND THAT ALSO, UH, I BELIEVE THAT THE, THE H T C POLICY SHOULD INCLUDE THE ABILITY TO NEGOTIATE CITY DEVELOPER DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENTS.
ONE OF THE OTHER ISSUES THAT I HEARD IN THE INTERVIEWS, UH, WITH STAFF AND OTHERS, WAS, HOW CAN WE ENSURE QUALITY? HOW CAN WE ENSURE THAT WE'RE GOING TO HAVE, YOU KNOW, BE GOOD NEIGHBORS? THIS, THIS H T C DEVELOPMENT IS GONNA BE A GOOD NEIGHBOR.
AND I BELIEVE THAT, UM, WITH THESE BENCHMARK CITIES WHERE THEY HAVE USED, UM, INCENTIVES TO BRING THE DEVELOPER TO THE TABLE, THAT'S A MECHANISM BY WHICH YOU CAN, UH, THE CITY CAN PLACE, UH, A DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT ON THE PROPERTY DURING THE AFFORDABILITY PERIOD ON THE APPLICATION PROCESS.
ALSO, MY RECOMMENDATION IS THAT THE NEIGHBORHOOD SERVICES ADMINISTER THE H T C APPLICATION PROGRAM FOR THE CITY AND REPLACE THE C R C AS THE ADVISORY ROLE TO THE CITY COUNCIL.
UH, MY RECOMMENDATION IS THAT STAFF MAKES RECOMMENDATIONS DIRECTLY TO COUNCIL BASED ON AN OBJECTIVE APPLICATION SCORING METHODOLOGY, AND ALSO TO MODIFY THE APPLICATION TO FOCUS ON DEVELOPER EXPERIENCE WITH A SOLID TRACK RECORD OF H D A C A COMPLIANCE AND INSPECTIONS.
AND AGAIN, I, I REALLY AM, UH, I'LL JUST SAY IN COMPARED TO OTHER CITIES, I, I LOOKED AT A NUMBER OF CITIES, AND MANY CITIES HAVE ALMOST ZERO INFORMATION ON THE HT C PROGRAM.
AND OTHER CITIES ARE VERY, VERY TRANSPARENT.
AND I THINK IT'S, THE PUBLIC CAN SEE THE PROCESS AND DECISIONS MAKING.
I BELIEVE THAT THAT'S A, UH, SOMETHING THAT'S AN ASSET FOR THE CITY IN TERMS OF EXPLAINING WHERE THEY'RE COMING FROM.
UM, IT'S TO MONITOR THE RECORD OF EXISTING H T C DEVELOPMENTS TO INFORM FUTURE DECISIONS ON DEVELOPER APPLICATIONS.
SO THE CITY IS MAKING DECISIONS BASED ON THE TRACK RECORD OF DEVELOPERS, UH, PAST PERFORMANCE, AND TO NEGOTIATE CITY DEVELOPER DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENTS TO ENSURE WELL MAINTAINED ATTRACTIVE PROPERTIES IN EXCHANGE FOR SOME TYPE OF CITY FINANCIAL CONSIDERATION.
AND AGAIN, I'VE LISTED THOSE IN MY REPORT, NUM, A RANGE OF THOSE.
AND THEN TO REVIEW, UH, MY RECOMMENDATION IS TO REVIEW THE BENCHMARK CITY APPLICATION PROCESS FOR POTENTIAL IMPROVEMENTS.
AND FINALLY, THE APPLICATION FORM ITSELF, THE APPLICATION, UM, HONESTLY, THE, THE, THE, I SHOULD SAY HONESTLY, THE, UH, THE DEVELOPERS DID NOT HAVE SIGNIFICANT ISSUES WITH THE APPLICATION FORM.
IT'S MORE THE PROCESS AND THE OUTCOME, THE APPLICATION FORM.
UM, IN COMPARISON TO THE OTHER BENCHMARK CITIES, HAVING AN OBJECTIVE AND FAIR, BOTH FAIR AND SCORING AND FAIR IN PERCEPTION, AND
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BY ELIMINATING SUBJECTIVE QUESTIONS, I THINK IS TO THE BENEFIT OF, OF ALL CONCERNED.SO THE RECOMMENDATION, UH, I'VE, I'VE REDLINED OR BLACKLINED A COPY FOR WHAT I CALL THE 2024, WHICH IS A SORT OF A COMPREHENSIVE REDLINING OF, OF THAT APPLICATION.
I WON'T GO INTO THAT DETAIL TO EXPAND THE APPLICATION ON THE DEVELOPER EXPERIENCE AND PAST TRACK TRACK, UH, TRACK RECORD 2023 IS, IS A VERY UNIQUE SITUATION.
WE'RE NOW IN THIS, LORI'S GONNA COME BACK AND TALK TO YOU ABOUT THAT, BUT THERE'S A VERY BRIEF TIME TO ADOPT A POLICY AND AN APPLICATION TO ISSUE TO DEVELOPERS TO ALLOW THEM TO DO THEIR WORK.
AND THE AMOUNT OF TIME, I'VE ALSO PROVIDED A, A RED LINE COPY OF, OF MY RECOMMENDATIONS ON WHAT I'LL CALL MODIFIED VERSION TO MEET THE, UH, TIME REQUIREMENTS.
AND THEN FINALLY, IT'S NOT LISTED ON HERE, BUT IT'S TO, UM, I'M SORRY, I WAS ONE OFF.
UM, IT'S TO ELIMINATE THE PROPOSED REQUIREMENT FOR A LETTER OF COMMUNITY SUPPORT.
MOST CITIES HAVE DONE AWAY WITH THAT.
IT'S ON THE DEVELOPER TO DO THE OUTREACH, TO GET THE POINTS, AND TO HAVE THE, UH, UH, SO IT'S TO ELIMINATE THAT, THAT REQUIREMENT FOR A LETTER OF COMMUNITY SUPPORT.
UM, AND FINALLY, I'M, I'M GOING TO ADDRESS, UM, FOUR TOPICS THAT WERE BROUGHT UP AND, AND FOR THE C R C TO, UH, LOOK AT AND EXAMINE.
THE FIRST IS CURRENT ZONING STATUS REQUIRING REZONING, REQUIRING REZONING BEFORE OFFERING A RESOLUTION OF APPROVAL, OR NO, NO OBJECTION.
MY RECOMMENDATION IS TO HAVE AN H T C APPLICATION RESOLUTION OF SUPPORT, OR NO OBJECTION, IT SHOULD BE CONSIDERED FIRST FOLLOWED SEPARATELY BY REZONING OR, UH, UH, SPECIFIC USE PERMIT CHANGE.
UH, THE APPLICATION AND INSTRUCTIONS.
SECONDLY, SHOULD INCLUDE A DISCLAIMER THAT'S VERY, VERY CLEAR, AND SEVERAL CITIES HAVE SOME GOOD MODEL LANGUAGE.
UM, THAT IN NO WAY IS THAT RESOLUTION TIED THAT TO A FUTURE LAND USE ZONING APPROVAL.
AND THEN THIRD, EXPANDING THE POLICY FROM ADDRESSING ONLY THE APPLICATION TO ADDRESSING CITY ENTITLEMENTS, REZONING, AND THE SPECIAL USE PERMIT OF AN AWARDED, UH, H C C TAX CREDIT DEVELOPMENT.
REMEMBER, THIS IS A HIGHLY COMPETITIVE PROGRAM, SO ONLY IF IT'S AWARDED, WE'LL BE COMING BACK TO THE CITY.
BUT A COMPREHENSIVE POLICY WILL PROVIDE BOTH THE CITY AND DEVELOPER APPLICANTS GREATER ASSURANCE FOR THIS PROCESS.
SO THAT'S, THAT WAS, UH, ONE QUESTION.
THE SECOND QUESTION OR TOPIC THAT WAS BROUGHT UP WAS APPLICANT LOCALITY FAVORING LOCAL DEVELOPERS.
T D H C A IS, IS VERY CLEAR ON THIS.
THEY HAVE ABOUT SIX POINTS, UH, SIX CRITERION, WHICH THEY FAVOR OR MAKE THEIR DETERMINATION IN TERMS OF AWARDING TAX CREDITS.
AND WHAT THEY PRIORITIZE IS EXPERIENCED DEVELOPER TEAMS FOR AWARDING TAX CREDITS.
SO MY RECOMMENDATION IS LOCAL DEVELOPERS SHOULD NOT BE FAVORED, BUT THE PRIORITY SHOULD BE TO, TO, TO EXPERIENCE DEVELOPER TEAMS. THE THIRD TOPIC WAS PROPERTY MANAGEMENT.
LOCALITY FAVORING PROPERTY MANAGEMENT SERVICES WITH LOCAL PRESENCE.
THE RECOMMENDATION THAT I HAVE IS REALLY WHAT THE, WHAT THE, I, I BELIEVE THE CITY HAS WHAT EVERY, EVERY, UH, QUALIFIED DEVELOPER, UH, ALSO RECOMMENDS.
AND THAT A LOCAL MANAGEMENT LEASING PRESENCE IS ESSENTIAL FOR THE SUCCESS OF ALL H T C DEVELOPMENT AND OPERATIONS.
IT'S THE ONLY WAY TO ENSURE BEING A GOOD NEIGHBOR.
IT'S THE ONLY WAY TO, TO ENSURE THAT, UH, UH, UH, RENTERS ARE BEING VETTED AND SO FORTH.
SO HAVING A LOCAL PRESENCE IS, IS REALLY, IT'S, UH, IT'S NOT AN ISSUE FOR, UH, ME AT ALL.
AND, AND IT'S, IT'S A CLEAR RECOMMENDATION.
AND THEN THE FOURTH, UH, TOPIC WAS A CITY COMMITMENT OF $500, SEPARATING THE $500 CONTRIBUTION THAT IS NOTED BY IT'S ONE WORTH ONE POINT, UH, BY THE T D H C A FOR RESOLUTION OF SUPPORT.
MY RECOMMENDATION IS THAT IT'S UNNECESSARY TO SEPARATE, TO INCLUDE THE
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CITY, UH, CONTRIBUTION OR FEE WAIVER, UH, WITH A RESOLUTION OF SUPPORT.UM, THAT CONCLUDES MY PRESENTATION.
I, I DO HAVE A FEW REMARKS THAT I'D LIKE TO CLOSE BEFORE OPENING UP FOR, UM, THAT WEREN'T IN MY PRESENTATION.
I THINK I'M JUST ABOUT AT MY 15 MINUTES.
BUT FIRST OF ALL, I WANT TO THANK YOU CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS FOR YOUR TIME AND YOUR INSIGHT.
I PARTICULARLY VALUE, UH, YOUR CONTRIBUTION AND YOUR, YOUR, YOUR THOUGHTS AND YOUR, YOUR, YOUR, UH, THE POINTS THAT YOU BROUGHT TO ME THAT IT WAS INVALUABLE AND IT WAS VERY HELPFUL.
UH, THE SECOND HAS TO DO WITH THE CITY STAFF INTERVIEWS AS A, AS A PROFESSIONAL WHO SERVED ON AUSTIN'S PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION, AND I'VE WORKED WITH THE CITY STAFF AND CITY COUNCILS WITH ON MANY CITIES, I CAN STATE THAT THE CITY OF PLANO IS FORTUNATE TO HAVE A DEDICATED, COMPETENT, AND PROFESSIONAL STAFF.
INTERVIEWS WITH SENIOR STAFF WERE FAIR-MINDED AND UNBIASED.
IT WAS REPEATEDLY EMPHASIZED TO BY STAFF, TO ME THAT STAFF'S ROLE IS TO IMPLEMENT CITY COUNCIL PRIORITIES.
SO, IN MY OPINION, THE CITY STAFF MEETS THE STANDARDS OF THE CITY OF EXCELLENCE.
UH, MY THIRD POINT, UH, IS, IS THE NEIGHBORHOOD SERVICES DEPARTMENT WAS VERY GRACIOUS WITH THEIR TIME AND WAS AN EXCELLENT LIAISON FOR MY WORK.
LORI SWAR AND HER DEPARTMENT STAFF PROVIDED GENEROUS TIME AND ASSISTANCE AND REMAINED OBJECTIVE THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE PROCESS.
AND FINALLY, THIS, MY FINDINGS, MY, MY OBSERVATIONS AND MY RECOMMENDATIONS ARE MINE ALONE.
THIS IS RATHER UNUSUAL 'CAUSE I'M A COLLABORATOR.
I LIKE TO COLLABORATE AND FIND THIS, THIS WAS NOT THE CHARGE, THE CHARGE WAS TO COME WITH AN INDEPENDENT VIEW.
THERE WAS NO FEEDBACK LOOP WITH THE COUNCIL, WITH CITY STAFF.
AND THEREFORE, THIS REPORT, UH, DID NOT BENEFIT FROM ANY PEER REVIEW OF MY REPORT OR ANY, AS I SAID, ANY, ANY, UH, FEEDBACK.
SO IT'S TRULY AN INDEPENDENT ASSESSMENT.
AND WITH THAT, I'LL RETURN IT TO THE DAIS.
ANY, ANY QUESTIONS FOR SEAN? I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS THAT, THAT I'D LIKE TO DO IS HAVE STAFF LOOK AT THESE RECOMMENDATIONS AND BRING THEM BACK, UH, IN REGARD TO, UH, YOU KNOW, WHAT, WHAT THEY CAN WORK WITH, WHAT A POLICY WOULD LOOK LIKE, THINGS LIKE THAT, RATHER THAN, YOU KNOW, DISCUSSING IT WITH, WITHOUT REALLY A, A STAFF REPORT.
I HAVE A QUESTION, DEPUTY MAYOR.
SO, UM, YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT TRANSPARENCY.
SO I GUESS WHEN YOU WERE DOING COMPARISON WITH OTHER CITIES, UM, WHAT WAS THE, UM, ISSUES THAT CAME UP WITH YOUR STUDY OF THIS, UM, OUR CURRENT SIT, OUR CURRENT, UM, POLICY THAT CAUSED YOU SOME CONCERN WITH REGARD TO TRANSPARENCY AS COMPARED TO OTHER CITIES? MY CAVEAT IS THAT I HAD NO INFORMATION ON THE CITY OF PLANO, UM, BECAUSE IT WAS ALL TAKEN DOWN BECAUSE THE, THE, THE, UM, THE 2023, UM, H C C PROGRAM WAS PUT ON HIATUS.
SO I HAVE NO ISSUES WITH THE CITY OF PLANO.
I, IN FACT, I HAVE NO POINT OF PERSPECTIVE WITH THE CITY OF PLANO.
IT REALLY HAS TO DO WITH, IT'S, IT'S A RECOMMENDATION, YES.
BUT WHAT I FOUND IN LOOKING AT PROBABLY OVER 20 CITIES, THAT IT VARIED SUBSTANTIALLY.
AND THOSE CITIES THAT ARE, WERE FAR MORE TRANSPARENT WITH THE PUBLIC, WITH DEVELOPERS, WITH MAPPING MATERIAL, WITH, WITH THE DECISION MAKING, UH, IT WAS VERY APPARENT AND IN MY OPINION, UM, A BETTER, UM, OUTCOME AND, AND MORE, UH, FAIR MINDEDNESS IN TERMS OF PEOPLE LOOKING AT THE WEBSITE, SEEING WHAT THE INFORMATION IS, AND THEN MAKING A JUDGMENT CALL.
SO IT HAS NO, NO DISPARAGING REMARKS OR, OR ANY, ANY, ANY EFFECT ANY NEGATIVITY ON, ON THE PART OF PLANO CITY OF PLANO.
WHAT ABOUT YOUR REC, YOUR SUGGESTION ABOUT, UM, GETTING RID OF THAT ONE STEP WHERE IT GOES TO, UM, THE BOARDS AND COMMISSION FOR, UM, REVIEW AND THEN GOING, AND THEN, SO SKIPPING THAT COMPLETELY AND GOING TO STAFF.
ARE YOU SAYING THAT THAT MAKES IT MORE TRANSPARENT? I, THERE'S ANOTHER, IT, IT, UM, I DON'T THINK IT'S A MATTER OF TRANSPARENCY.
I THINK IT'S, IT'S, I HAD A RATIONALE THAT, THAT I'VE LAID OUT IN THE REPORT.
UM, THE, THE COMMUNITY RELATIONS COMMISSION, UM,
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I ATTENDED A SESSION AND WE HAD A QUESTION AND ANSWER SESSION.THEY'RE, THEY'RE VOLUNTEERS AND THEY WORKED VERY HARD.
UM, THEY'RE TWO, THEY'RE ON FOR TWO YEAR TERMS, STAGGERED, AND THERE'S NINE MEMBERS.
AND JUST ON MY, UM, CONDUCTING MY ANALYSIS AND STUDY, THIS IS A DEEP SUBJECT WITH A LOT ON THE LINE IN TERMS OF, UM, POTENTIAL RISKS IN TERMS OF, OF JUST ALL THE ISSUES.
AND TO HAVE, HAVE A VOLUNTEER BODY THAT'S, THAT'S GOING ON, ROLLING TWO YEAR TERMS, IT'S PUTTING A LOT OF, OF, UH, I'LL, I'LL SAY WEIGHT ON THEM.
AND IN MY OPINION, I THINK THAT THE, THE NEIGHBORHOOD SERVICES, UH, DEPARTMENT HAS THAT CAPACITY OR THAT CAPABILITY AND THE INSTITUTIONAL KNOWLEDGE, BECAUSE EVERY YEAR, THE, THE T D H C A CHANGES EVERY YEAR.
SO THEY'VE GOTTA KEEP UP WITH THAT.
AND ANALOGY FAIR OR NOT IS, IS SIMILAR TO, UH, THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT.
AND WHEN THE ZONING CASE COMES IN, THERE'S OFTEN A RECOMMENDATION, UM, AT LEAST IN THE CITY OF AUSTIN, THERE IS, IS REC.
IT'S EITHER RECOMMENDED OR RECOMMENDED FOR DENIAL.
AND, UM, THAT'S THE BASIS OF WHERE I'M COMING FROM, THAT NEIGHBORHOOD SERVICES COMES FROM.
AND, AND ALSO, I FORGOT TO MENTION, I COULD NOT FIND ONE BENCHMARK CITY THAT ACTUALLY USES A, A COMMISSION.
THEY ALL USE CITY STAFF, AND THAT'S NEITHER HERE NOR THERE.
BUT THAT'S JUST FOR INFORMATION PURPOSES.
WELL, FIRST OF ALL, THANK YOU FOR YOUR WORK ON THIS AND, AND, AND FOR THE REPORT.
UH, THANK YOU FOR THE TIME, UH, WE SPENT TOGETHER DURING OUR MEETING.
I WAS WONDERING REGARDING THE BENCHMARK CITIES, UM, YOU MENTIONED SOME OF THE CHALLENGES THAT PLANO FACES THAT MAY BE DIFFERENT FROM SOME OF THE CHALLENGES THAT THE, THAT THE FIVE SELECTED BENCHMARK CITIES FACE.
UM, I DIDN'T SEE ANY BENCHMARK CITIES IN COLLIN COUNTY ON THAT LIST.
DO WE KNOW HOW OUR PROCESS COMPARES TO OTHER COLLIN COUNTY CITIES, SAY A, A FRISCO OR A MCKINNEY ALLEN, YOU KNOW, EVEN MAYBE FURTHER NORTH OF PROSPER OR SALINA, YOU KNOW, RICHARDSON, CARROLLTON, LEWISVILLE, OTHER NEARBY CITIES.
DO, DO WE EVER READ ON, ON OUR POLICY, UH, POLICIES VERSUS THOSE CITIES? GOOD QUESTION.
UM, I, I DID WORK AND WAS NOT ABLE TO FIND INFORMATION.
I MADE SOME CALLS, DID NOT GET INFORMATION RE UH,
SO IT WAS MORE AN, AN AVAILABILITY ISSUE OF THE INFORMATION.
SO IT WAS ISSUE OF AVAILABILITY AND WEBSITE.
BUT I ALSO LOOKED AT, UM, T D H C, THE AWARDS AND, AND THE AWARDS, UH, OF, OF, UM, WHAT CITIES HAD A PRETTY CONSISTENT BASIS OF, OF GETTING AWARDS.
AND, AND I DON'T HAVE THAT PARTICULAR SPREADSHEET WITH ME, BUT WITH, SAY, MCKINNEY AND A FRISCO, VERY, VERY FEW AWARDS OVER THE LAST GOTCHA.
AND, AND, BUT THAT IS ONE THING THAT I WANTED TO DO, IS TO HAVE A COMPARISON AND WAS JUST UNABLE TO HAVE ANY DATA TO, TO MAKE THAT A, A OBJECTIVE ANALYSIS.
WELL, WELL, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
AND THEN ALSO, UH, I UNDERSTAND, YOU KNOW, AND I THINK THE ANALOGY TO ZONING IS APTT, BECAUSE BOTH ARE, ARE, UM, BOTH ARE COMPLEX AND IMPORTANT SUBJECT MATTER.
UM, YOU KNOW, I GUESS TO CARRY THAT ANALOGY FORWARD, UH, TYPICALLY IN A ZONING CASE, THERE'S A STAFF RECOMMENDATION, THEN IT GOES TO THE PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION, THEN IT GOES TO THE CITY COUNCIL.
UM, WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON, YOU KNOW, IF, IF THERE WAS A STAFF PROCESS INITIALLY, BUT STILL INVOLVE THE COMMUNITY RELATIONS COMMISSION, YOU KNOW, JUST AS THE PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION IS STILL INVOLVED IN THOSE ZONING CASES AND, AND, AND THEN IT MOVES ON TO THE CITY COUNCIL RATHER THAN, RATHER THAN REMOVING THE COMMUNITY RELATIONS COMMISSION FROM THE PROCESS ENTIRELY, WHAT, WHAT WOULD YOUR THOUGHTS BE ON THAT? I THINK THAT'S AN INTERESTING IDEA.
UM, AND, AND AGAIN, WHAT I WANT TO DO IS PUT IT ON THE BACK OF, UM, THE GROUNDS OF, THERE WAS NOT THE OPPORTUNITY FOR A FEEDBACK LOOP.
UM, WHAT I DO KNOW IS THAT MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT CURRENTLY NEIGHBORHOOD SERVICES PROVIDES INFORMATION TO THE C R C IN AN OBJECTIVE UNBIASED FORMAT.
SO WHAT YOU'RE SUGGESTING IS, IS A DIFFERENT APPROACH.
IT'S TO ACTUALLY COME UP WITH A RECOMMENDATION WITH RATIONALE, AND THAT'S
[00:40:01]
ENTIRELY DIFFERENT.SO I THINK THAT'S A, A SOMETHING TO BE CONSIDERED.
WELL, AND THANK YOU, THANK YOU FOR BEING OPEN TO THAT IDEA AND FOR YOUR FEEDBACK ON IT.
AND, AND, AND ANO ANOTHER QUESTION I HAD, UH, JUST A CLARIFICATION.
YOU MADE A COMMENT REGARDING THE LETTER OF COMMUNITY SUPPORT THAT OTHER CITIES ARE.
UM, I, I, I THINK THE WORDS YOU USED WERE SOMETHING LIKE PUTTING IT ON THE APPLICANT, YOU KNOW, TO DEMONSTRATE THAT COMMUNITY SUPPORT, WHICH I, I, I THINK MAKES SENSE.
UH, MY UNDERSTANDING OF, OF THE CURRENT PROCESS SINCE, UM, YOU KNOW, SINCE WE'VE, UH, KIND OF ADDED, UH, A CATEGORY FOR PUBLIC INPUT IS THAT THE ONUS WAS KIND OF ON THE APPLICANT TO, YOU KNOW, TO GO OUT AND, AND BUILD THAT PUBLIC SUPPORT.
YOU KNOW, GO TALK TO YOUR NEIGHBORS AND, AND, AND, UH, YOU KNOW, AND, AND WORK WITH THEM ON THIS IDEA.
UM, IT SEEMED TO ME, FROM YOUR RECOMMENDATIONS, AND I COULD BE MISUNDERSTANDING THEM, BUT IT SEEMED TO ME THAT IT WOULD BE REMOVING PUBLIC INPUT FROM THE PROCESS.
IS THAT THE INTENTION? OR, OR DID I, DID I MISUNDERSTAND THAT REGARDING THE COMMENT ABOUT, UH, LETTERS OF COMMUNITY SUPPORT? UM, I THINK, I THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME CLARIFY THAT THE, THERE IS A LOCAL COMMUNITY SUPPORT SCORING, AND THERE'S QUANTIFY, AND LET ME ANSWER YOUR QUESTION.
I THINK IT'S VITAL TO HAVE COMMUNITY SUPPORT MM-HMM.
UM, IT'S ON THE APP, I BELIEVE IT'S ON THE APPLICANT TO GO SEEK OUT AND HAVE THOSE DISCUSSIONS AND HAVE THAT, AND, AND TO SEEK OUT THAT COMMUNITY SUPPORT.
UM, IN FACT, WHAT I DID WAS, I, I LOOKED AT THE 2023, AND I'M PROBABLY GOING SHORT ON TIME, LORI, RIGHT? UM, YOU GOTTA WRAP IT UP.
UM, THOSE, THOSE, THOSE PROJECT, THOSE, UH, PROJECTS THAT WERE AWARDED, THEY HAD THAT COMMUNITY SUPPORT.
SO IT'S IN, IT'S IN THE APPLICANT'S BEST INTEREST TO GET THAT.
I THINK IT EMPOWERS OR IT'S, IT PUTS THE WEIGHT JUST A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT TO SAY, OKAY, WELL IF I'M GONNA, SINCE IT'S REQUIRED BY THE CITY THAT A LETTER BE SUBMITTED, HERE'S, HERE'S MY ASK FROM YOU.
SO IT'S, IT'S A DIFFERENT, IT'S A NUANCE, IF YOU WILL.
AND, AND I, I, I KNOW WE'RE SHORT ON TIME, BUT I, WHAT I, WHAT I'M STILL NOT UNDERSTANDING IS IF WE TAKE THAT OUT OF THE APPLICATION PROCESS, THAT LETTER OF COMMUNITY SUPPORT, HOW DO WE, HOW DO WE TAKE PUBLIC INPUT INTO ACCOUNT? YOU KNOW, IF WE'RE SAYING WE'RE, WE'RE JUST USING THESE SCORING CRITERIA, AND THAT'S NO LONGER A SCORING CRITERION, DO WE ADD SOMETHING IN JUST A, A CATEGORY A SCORE FOR PUBLIC INPUT? OR HOW, HOW DO WE TAKE THAT INTO ACCOUNT IF WE, IF WE'RE REMOVING, UH, YOU KNOW, THE WAY THAT WE'RE CURRENTLY, UH, I GUESS INCLUDING THAT IN THE PROCESS? THERE'S TWO DIFFERENT CATEGORIES FOR, FROM THE T D H C A STANDPOINT, IT'S LOCAL GOVERNMENT SUPPORT, AND THEN THERE'S A SECOND CATEGORY FOR LOCAL COMMUNITY SUPPORT.
AND THEY'RE BOTH, THERE'S POINTS AWARDED AND THEY'VE ADDED TIEBREAKERS TO, BECAUSE, UH, UH, POINTS ARE SO CLOSE IN COMPARISON ON, ON AWARDS NOW THAT IT'S IN, IT'S IN THE DEVELOPER'S BEST INTEREST TO GET GAIN THAT SUPPORT.
SO THEY HAVE ONE TO THREE DIFFERENT SECTIONS OF THE Q A P THAT, THAT ARE, REQUIRE NOT REQUIREMENTS, BUT ARE CATEGORIES FOR THEM TO SEEK OUT COMMUNITY SUPPORT.
SO I AM ABSOLUTELY THAT THERE NEEDS TO BE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT.
SO IF I'M UNDERSTANDING, ESSENTIALLY, IT WOULD NOT BE PART OF OUR LOCAL COMMUNITY SUPPORT WOULD NOT THEN BE PART OF OUR LOCAL GOVERNMENT PROCESS.
IT WOULD BE A PART OF THE T D H C A PROCESS OUTSIDE OF THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT PROCESS, WHICH, CORRECT.
YOU KNOW, JUST TO, JUST TO BE TRANSPARENT, I, I WOULD PERSONALLY HAVE CONCERN ABOUT REMOVING COMMUNITY SUPPORT FROM OUR LOCAL GOVERNMENT PROCESS, BUT I, I DO REALLY APPRECIATE THE CLARIFICATION.
I APPRECIATE YOUR ANSWERS TO ALL OF MY QUESTIONS AND ALL OF THE HARD WORK YOU'VE PUT INTO THIS.
YOU'RE, SO, ARE WE OKAY WITH, WITH STAFF TO BRING BACK, UH, THIS, THIS ITEM? YES.
UH, WITH THE RECOMMENDATION, MAYOR? YEAH.
SORRY, I, I DO HAVE A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS FOR THE, UH, FOR SEAN.
SORRY, SEAN, I, SORRY, GO AHEAD.
UM, UH, A COUPLE OF THE THINGS THAT WERE RECOMMENDED, UM, WERE ISSUES IN PREVIOUS ITERATIONS OF OUR PROCESS.
[00:45:01]
YOU KNOW, THE, THE CURRENT PROCESS THAT YOU EVALUATED WAS THE, I THINK THE THIRD, UM, ITERATION, THE THIRD REVISION OF OUR PROCESS IN FOUR YEARS.BUT ONE OF THE ISSUES WE HAD WAS THE HEAVY, UH, WAITING FOR EXPERIENCED DEVELOPERS.
AND, UH, THAT WAS, UH, A PARTICULAR ISSUE IN 2019, I THINK IT WAS.
AND WHEN IT WAS A LITTLE BIT OF A SURPRISE TO SEE YOU RECOMMENDING TO PUT AN EMPHASIS ON THE EXPERIENCE OF THE DEVELOPERS.
UM, CAN YOU AND I UNDERSTAND THAT, UH, THE T D H C A PLACES, UH, AN EMPHASIS ON EXPERIENCE, BUT CAN YOU SPEAK TO JUST HOW STRONGLY YOUR, UH, ADVOCATING, EMPHASIZING THAT IT, I INFERRED THAT IT WAS PRETTY STRONG.
IT'S, UM, I BELIEVE THAT, UM, THE EXPERIENCED DEVELOPERS THAT I HAVE SPOKEN TO ON A NUMBER OF OCCASIONS, UM, AND INTERVIEWED AND SPECIFICALLY, UM, UH, SPOKE WITH, BUT ALSO LOOKED AND VISITED THEIR SITES AND COMMUNITIES.
THERE, THERE IS, UH, DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HOUSING DEVELOPMENT NUMBER ONE AND HOUSING DEVELOPMENT NUMBER 32.
AND, UH, THESE ARE, UH, THESE, UH, WELL REGARDED, EXPERIENCED DEVELOPERS, I THINK HAVE A, THERE'S, THERE'S A LOT OF FINANCIALS THAT GO INTO IT.
THERE'S A LOT OF ASPECTS THAT GO INTO THE, THE, UM, BEFORE THERE'S AN AWARD, UH, UH, GIVEN BY THE T D H C A.
AND I BELIEVE THAT, THAT, THAT EXPERIENCE IS A, IS A KEY.
AND THEY, AS I SAID, IT'S STATED ON THERE SOMETHING THAT THEY VALUE OR, OR PRIORITIZE.
BUT I ALSO WOULD LIKE TO MENTION THAT THERE WERE TWO ROUND TABLES, UM, AND THOSE WERE ORGANIZED BY NEIGHBORHOOD SERVICES, AND THERE WAS NOT ONE DEVELOPER FROM COLLIN COUNTY THAT ATTENDED THOSE, UH, DEVELOPER ROUND TABLES.
UM, SO I'M NOT SURE OF THE LOCAL, UH, DEVELOPER.
I, I WOULD, I, WHAT I HAVE WANTED TO DO IS TO HAVE AN INFORMATION EXCHANGE, IF YOU WILL, WITH A LOCAL DEVELOPER.
UM, AND THAT HAS THAT OCCURRED? WELL, I WAS SPEAKING SPECIFICALLY ABOUT EXPERIENCE BECAUSE OUR, AND THAT ACTUALLY IS A GOOD SEGUE INTO MY NEXT QUESTION.
OUR FORMER RUBRIC, UH, FEW ITERATIONS AGO MADE IT ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE FOR, UM, ANYBODY.
BUT THE MOST EXPERIENCED DEVELOPER, WHOMEVER, THE MOST EXPERIENCED DEVELOPER, WAS PITCHING SOMETHING, UM, MADE IT ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE FOR ANYBODY ELSE TO COMPETE BECAUSE THEY KEPT PILING ON POINTS UPON, POINTS UPON POINTS FOR EVERY, UH, DEVELOPMENT THEY HAD UNDER THEIR BELT.
UM, SO WHETHER THEY WERE LOCAL OR NOT, UM, IT WAS THE, THE EXPERIENCE DEVELOPER ASPECT.
AND I, I, I HAVE HESITATIONS, OF COURSE, ABOUT SOMEBODY WHO'S PERFECTLY GREEN COMING INTO THIS, BUT, UM, THE EXPERIENCE BY ITSELF I THINK IS, UM, A SMALL PORTION OF WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT WHEN WE CONSIDER SUCH A THING FOR THE COMMUNITY.
BUT THAT LEADS TO THE RUBRIC PORTION OF IT.
UM, WE, WE WENT WHAT FELT LIKE ROUND AND ROUND TRYING TO FIND, UM, A RUBRIC THAT WAS OBJECTIVE, AND YET WAS ABLE TO CAPTURE THE NUANCES OF, UM, WHAT A PROJECT MIGHT MEAN TO THE CITY AND IN THAT LOCATION AND UNDER WHAT CIRCUMSTANCES.
AND WE WERE LOOKING AT THE SCORING.
AND ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS, WE CONCLUDED THAT, UM, THE, THE PURELY OBJECTIVE SCORING RUBRIC WAS TOO CONFINING.
IT DIDN'T ALLOW US TO CAPTURE THE NUANCES, BUT WE HAD PASSED THAT RUBRIC, SO WE APPROVED THE SCORING.
AND THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT KEPT US GOING IN THIS CYCLE OF TRYING TO REVISE THE PROCESS.
SO I UNDERSTAND PROPOSING AN OBJECTIVE RUBRIC FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF LEAVE IT TO THE RUBRIC, NOT, UM, NOT SUBJECTIVITY, BUT WHAT IS THE, WHAT'S THE REAL REASON YOU'RE LOOKING AT REMOVING ANY REMAINING SUBJECTIVITY? 'CAUSE IT WAS PRETTY HARD AND OBJECTIVE BEING FAIR.
AND I, I THINK BEING OBJECTIVE, ASKING QUESTIONS IN A, IN A FAIR FORMAT, UM, I THINK A SUBJECTIVE QUESTION LIKE, WILL THIS PROJECT BE A COMMUNITY ASSET IS VERY SUBJECTIVE AND HAS TO BE EVALUATED.
[00:50:02]
AND IF IT CAN BE, UM, IT SOUNDS LIKE THERE, WE COULD DISCUSS THIS FURTHER, BUT I I DO THINK THAT, UM, STILL BELIEVE THAT HAVING, I'M N UH, IN NO WAY DISREGARDING LOCAL, BUT IF THEY'RE LOCAL WITH PAIRED WITH A EXPERIENCED, OR IF THEY'RE AND EXPERIENCED, THERE'S ALL SORTS OF OPPORTUNITIES.SO IT'S NOT, IT'S NOT A BINARY DECISION, AND IT'S NOT SAYING SOMEONE FROM MIAMI SHOULD, SHOULD ABSOLUTELY GET THE PROJECT OVER SOMEONE FROM COLLIN COUNTY.
JUST A CLARIFICATION, MAYOR TH THIS DISCUSSION AND DIRECTION SLIDE THAT HAS COME UP.
TH THIS WAS NOT IN THE PACKET, BUT ARE, ARE WE, WELL, SHE, LORI WAS GONNA COME UP AND EXPLAIN.
SORRY, WE WERE MOVING ONTO TO THE NEXT ITEM.
SO I THINK THIS POINT, I, I HEARD THE MAYOR SAY THAT HE'S INTERESTED IN HAVING STAFF RESPOND TO THE RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE CONSULTANT, UM, WHICH WE CAN DO.
UM, BUT ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I'D LIKE FOR YOU TO THINK ABOUT AS WE MOVE FORWARD WITH REVIEWING THE RECOMMENDATIONS AND THEN WHATEVER FEEDBACK, UM, STAFF MAY PROVIDE, UM, IS TO REALLY LOOK AT THE, THE TIMETABLE, AS SEAN HAD MENTIONED.
UM, WE REALLY WOULD NEED TO HAVE A FINAL DECISION BY YOUR NOVEMBER 27TH MEETING SO THAT WE COULD PROVIDE INFORMATION OUT TO THE DEVELOPERS IN TIME TO SUBMIT FOR THE 2024 PROCESS.
UM, THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT WE HAVE TO MAKE ALL OF THE CHANGES FOR THIS YEAR.
IT'S POSSIBLE WE COULD MAYBE DO A CHA SOME CHANGES THIS YEAR AND MAYBE SOME ADDITIONAL CHANGES NEXT YEAR.
BUT I JUST, I JUST WANTED TO, TO PUT THAT OUT THERE.
THAT THAT IS, WE ARE ON A TIGHTER TIMEFRAME.
WE'VE GOT ABOUT THREE OF YOUR MEETINGS BEFORE.
WE WOULD NEED TO HAVE A FINAL DECISION ON WHAT WE WOULD WANNA DO, IF YOU WANNA MOVE FORWARD NEXT YEAR.
WE NEED TO GET THIS PROGRAM BACK ONLINE.
UM, ANY THOUGHTS? NO, MAYOR AND COUNCIL, WE'LL BRING THIS BACK AS SOON AS POSSIBLE FOR A, A, A LITTLE BIT LATE LENGTHIER WORK SESSION TO BRING BACK SOME OF THE STAFF ANALYSIS OF THIS AND THEN GET SOME FEEDBACK FROM COUNSEL.
WE ARE UP AGAINST THE SEVEN O'CLOCK HOUR, AND I'M GOING TO START OUR REGULAR MEETING, AND THEN I'LL GET RIGHT, RIGHT TO THE SHORT-TERM RENTAL REPORT.
UH, BUT, UM, YEAH, IF WE COULD JUST, UH, GO AHEAD AND, AND TAKE CARE OF, UH, CONSENT AND REGULAR AGENDAS, ANY ITEM THAT A COUNCIL MEMBER WOULD LIKE TO REMOVE.
AND, UH, ANY ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION FOR FUTURE ITEMS? YES, MAYOR.
UH, I'D LIKE TO PUT AN ITEM ON A FUTURE AGENDA.
UH, AS, AS WE ALL KNOW, WE'VE RECENTLY HAD A RETREAT DISCUSSED A POLICY FOR, UH, NEW ITEMS FOR THE COUNCIL WITH STAFF, YOU KNOW, ABOUT ALLOCATION OF STAFF TIME AND RESOURCES WORKING ON, UH, NEW BUSINESS BROUGHT UP BY THE COUNCIL, BY BY COUNCIL MEMBERS.
I THINK WE ALSO NEED A POLICY FOR BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS, UH, RELATING TO HOW THEY RELATE TO THE STAFF, HOW THEY USE STAFF TIME.
AND I THINK IT WOULD, IT WOULD PARALLEL WHAT WE'VE GOT FOR THE COUNCIL, BUT ALSO FOR SOMETHING THAT'S GOING TO BE A TRULY HEAVY LIFT OR, UM, OR, OR, OR IMPLICATE, UH, YOU KNOW, PERHAPS CONFLICT WITH THE COUNCIL PRIORITY OR CREATE LEGAL RISK, I THINK IT WOULD ACTUALLY NEED COUNCIL APPROVAL FOR THE STAFF TO DO THAT WORK FOR THAT BORDER COMMISSION.
UH, THAT WILL BE, I'LL SECOND IT, ANTHONY.
YEAH, SO I'D LIKE TO PUT THAT ON A FUTURE AGENDA.
I, I THINK THAT'S EXACTLY RIGHT.
SO, UH, WITH THAT BEING SAID, WE WILL, UH, TAKE A RECESS AND BE BACK AT SEVEN.