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Community Assets & <br /> Development Department <br /> <br /> MEMORANDUM <br /> <br /> <br />DATE: March 31, 2017 <br /> <br />TO: Economic Development Commission <br /> <br />FROM: Janice Gundlach, Asst. Director of Community Assets & Development/Planning Director <br /> <br />SUBJECT: Housing <br /> <br />Background <br />In March of 2015 the Commission concluded a lengthy discussion surrounding what economic <br />development meant for the community. The Commission summarized economic development into four <br />topic areas, being: <br />• Physical Redevelopment <br />• Business Retention & Expansion <br />• Sense of Place (also known as Place Making) <br />• Housing Programs <br /> <br />Since that March 2015 meeting (which was a joint meeting with Council), the City Council has signaled <br />support by redrafting their Economic Development Strategic Priority to align with these topics. Since <br />then, the Commission has committed meeting time exploring these topics further and developing <br />policies and guidance surrounding them. The City already had a robust Physical Redevelopment <br />program, and the Commission developed strategies in the areas of Business Retention & Expansion in <br />2015 and Sense of Place in 2016. The Commission’s recommended programs and policies/principals <br />were accepted by the Council through adoption of Resolutions that are intended to be incorporated into <br />the City’s Comprehensive Plan. By doing this, the framework is established for future decision making <br />surrounding economic development efforts. <br /> <br />The remaining topic requiring further exploration is Housing Programs. This topic is fairly broad and <br />the Commission has not spent any time identifying what is meant by Housing Programs. This memo <br />intends to outline broader topics and provide background information. Staff is looking for direction <br />from the Commission on what areas are of interest and what additional information is desired to <br />move forward. <br /> <br />Prior Efforts of the City Council – Home Rehab/Improvement Loans <br />The City Council spent a fair amount of time discussing “housing stabilization” in 2010 and 2011. Staff <br />prepared a work session memo for a meeting on July 6, 2010 that attempted to identify broader housing <br />topics. After that first meeting, the Council focused in on housing rehab loan programs only. <br />Subsequent work sessions were held on November 1, 2010, May 3, 2011, and December 13, 2011 that <br />discussed a variety of different housing rehab loan programs available already and how a City program <br />