Agenda Date: 08/06/2024
Subject:
Title
Housing Stakeholder Working Groups
Body
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From: |
James L. Becklenberg, City Manager |
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Prepared by: |
Kathleen Osher, Assistant City Manager |
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Julie Latham, Housing Policy Analyst |
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Presentations: |
Kathleen Osher, Assistant City Manager |
PURPOSE:
Discuss the evolution of housing related input and advice to Council in light of housing-related projects including the ongoing Neighborhood Housing Opportunities Unified Land Use Code update.
LONG-TERM OUTCOME(S) SERVED:
Robust and Resilient Economy; High-Quality Governance
DISCUSSION:
Created in partnership with South Metro Housing Options (SMHO) in 2020, the Housing Task Force (HTF) sought to implement adopted housing study strategies to achieve identified housing goals in the city’s Comprehensive Plan. The HTF has served as a critical voice for housing and accomplished an impressive body of work, including assisting in ensuring the ULUC supports housing and helping craft the IHO to create more affordable housing without unduly burdening market rate housing. When originally identified in Envision Littleton 2040 as an action step, the city did not have the capacity to operate the task force and SMHO graciously stepped up to run the task force and champion this important work.
Over the last several years the context and policy of housing work has evolved, with housing rising to top priority at the city, regional, and state levels. Accomplishments in the city’s housing goals along with new staff at the city focused solely on housing, DRCOG’s Regional Housing Needs Assessment work, and new state legislation make this an opportune time to evaluate the HTF partnership and determine how it can evolve to best respond to this new environment. Additionally, council and staff have heard a desire for a process on housing-related feedback that has a more clearly defined purpose, intent, and impact.
In response to these concerns staff identified opportunities for process refinement in soliciting input on housing-related work. Building off the successful Project Downtown stakeholder working group model, housing-related projects that warrant a higher level of engagement will convene a stakeholder working group to solicit input and advice for that project. Key considerations and steps include:
• At the time a project is “chartered” with the City Council, the relevant stakeholder expertise and potential members of the stakeholder working group will be identified
• Charters of the authorities, boards, and commissions reviewed for relevance and overlap with the work.
• Potential external stakeholders with relevant expertise, potentially including developers, architects, designers, engineers, financing, real estate agents, and non-profits
• Specific deliverables, purpose, and need of the stakeholder working group members identified ahead of time
• Frequency of meetings and needs will vary depending on council directed timelines and scope
The ongoing Neighborhood Housing Opportunities - Missing Middle Housing Unified Land Use Code Update will deploy this stakeholder working group process to garner feedback. However, since this project has already been in process for months, is on a relatively short timeline, and is mid-transition from the Housing Task Force, the engagement and process of the stakeholder working group will look a little different than future efforts. Given the extensive technical components involved staff is seeking a small stakeholder working group with expertise in missing middle housing to provide technical feedback on dimensional standards, parking requirements, design items, etc. As such the invitations to participate in a stakeholder working group would include representatives from Planning Commission and South Metro Housing Options along with individuals working in architecture, engineering, design, development, real estate, finance, and non-profits.
BACKGROUND:
Neighborhood Housing Opportunities - Missing Middle Housing Unified Land Use Code Update: Envision Littleton, the city’s comprehensive plan, names housing diversity as one of its goals. To align with this goal, staff made incremental changes to the ULUC’s ADUs regulations last year as part of a larger code amendment. During that process, both Littleton’s Planning Commission and City Council expressed an interest in taking a more comprehensive look at the ADU regulations in 2024. During a joint study session with the planning commission and Housing Task Force on December 11, 2023, interest was expressed to also look at other “missing middle housing” types that could be built in the neighborhood zone districts. Staff decided to term these categorically as “neighborhood housing opportunities.” During the January 23, 2024, council study session, staff presented this thematic approach and was given direction to pursue the neighborhood housing opportunities topic.
Housing Task Force: As identified in the Comprehensive Plan’s Housing and Neighborhoods Chapter under Action H&N 2, the City works in partnership with the Housing Task Force, comprised of residents, real estate and development professionals, and South Metro Housing Options (SMHO) representatives, to focus on the details and logistics of implementing the housing recommendations in the Envision Littleton Comprehensive Plan.
Prior Actions or Discussions
During the June 4, 2024, council study session on Neighborhood Housing Opportunities - Missing Middle Housing Unified Land Use Code Amendment council provided direction to pursue a mid-range level of engagement.
During the December 11, 2023, joint Planning Commission and Housing Task Force study session members discussed potential options to increase the number and type of housing in Littleton and provided a series of options for Council to explore.
FISCAL IMPACTS
There is no fiscal impact to creating stakeholder working groups.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends adoption of the stakeholder working group process to solicit feedback on housing related projects.
ALTERNATIVES
1) Direct a different model for receiving housing policy input from individuals with selected expertise, or
2) Adopt the recommended framework, and direct representation from additional boards and commissions or external stakeholders for the working group to be empaneled for the ULUC Code update process in progress.