* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. AND ALSO AT 1109, [00:00:01] I'M GOING TO CONVENE THE AUSTIN HOUSING [Consent] FINANCE CORPORATION MEETING TODAY IS MARCH 25TH, 2021. UH, IT IS, AS WE SAID, 11, 10 MEETINGS BEING HELD BY VIDEO CONFERENCE. UH, A OR FORUM OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS IS, UH, PRESENT. UM, WE HAVE, UM, ONE, UH, CHANGE AND CORRECTION TO READ INTO THE RECORD. THERE WAS LAID BACK UP IN THE ITEM, NUMBER FOUR, UM, REGARDING TO, UH, HEAR FROM SPEAKERS THAT HAVE SIGNED UP TO SPEAK ON THESE AGENDA ITEMS. AT THE CONCLUSION OF THESE SPEAKERS, WE WILL RECESS THE HSC MEETING AND WE'RE BACK INTO THE COUNCIL MEETING. WE ARE THE SPEAKERS THAT ARE SIGNED UP. YES. THE FIRST SPEAKER IS SARAH ANDRE. HI, I'M ACTUALLY SPEAKING ON ARTICLE FOUR. SO I DON'T KNOW IF YOU WANT TO TAKE THESE OUT OF TURN THAT WAY. UM, IF YOU DO, I'LL, I'LL PUSH IT. YOU'RE SPEAKING THERE. ANDRE. I'VE BEEN A REP. WELL, I'M, I'M ITEM FOUR ON THE AGE OF THE AGENDA. WASN'T SURE IF YOU'RE TAKING THESE OUT OF CON ALL AT ONCE, WE'RE TAKING THEM ALL TOGETHER. YOU'RE FINE TO GO AHEAD. VERY GOOD. THANK YOU. MY NAME IS SARAH 1991. LIKE ANYBODY THAT'S LIVED HERE THAT LONG. I THINK THE COST OF HOUSING IN AUSTIN AND THE COST OF LIVING SKYROCKETS. I KNOW YOU ALL ARE VERY WELL VERSED IN AUSTIN'S HOUSING CRISIS. WE ARE DESPERATELY IN NEED OF LONGTERM AFFORDABLE UNITS. LIKE THE ONES PROPOSED FOR CITY HEIGHTS. I DO WANT TO EMPHASIZE SOMETHING THOUGH, AS AN AFFORDABLE HOUSING PRACTITIONER, I'VE GOT MORE THAN 25 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE PUTTING THE PROJECTS LIKE THIS TOGETHER. AND THEY ARE INCREDIBLY DIFFICULT. WE HAVE MANY, MANY HURDLES AND THEY ARE VERY HIGH HURDLE TO PULL THIS TOGETHER. AND SOMETIMES I DON'T KNOW IF THAT COMES ACROSS, THERE'S NOT A SPECIAL MAGIC OR A SECRET, UM, WAREHOUSE OF LOW COST ITEMS OR LOW COST LABOR FOR AN AFFORDABLE HOUSING DEAL. WE HAVE TO DO EVERYTHING THAT A MARKET RATE DEAL DOES WITH A LOT MORE SCRUTINY IN CONTRARY TO WHAT YOU MAY HAVE HEARD OR MAY HEAR TODAY. THE CITY HEIGHTS TEAM HAS SPENT MANY HOURS WORKING WITH AREA RESIDENTS ON THE DEVELOPMENT AND MORE THAN JUST MADE THE ORDER AND MAKE IT MORE FRIENDLY TO THE AREA. AND WE ARE BASICALLY AT THE FINISH LINE HERE. WE WE'VE RUN A MARATHON. IT'S BEEN A TWO YEAR MARATHON, AND THIS IS KIND OF OUR FINAL STEP BEFORE WE ARE ABLE TO CLOSE AND ACTUALLY START BUILDING THESE UNITS FOR LOW-INCOME HOUSEHOLDS. I URGE YOU NOT TO THROW, UH, TWO YEARS DOWN THE DRAIN AND I URGE YOU TO VOTE FOR THIS ITEM AND HELP US CREATE AFFORDABLE HOUSING WITH, UM, THAT AUSTIN SO DESPERATELY NEEDS. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. . HI, GOOD MORNING. MY NAME IS . I'VE REPRESENTED DEVELOPER, UH, FOR ITEM NUMBER FOUR, UH, CITY HEIGHTS. UM, WELL, AS SANDRA MENTIONED, UM, BESIDES BEING ALONE UNDERTAKE FOR OUR TEAM TO PUT THIS PROJECT TOGETHER, CITY HEIGHTS WILL PROVIDE 179 UNITS OF AFFORDABLE UNITS. UM, AND WE HAVE BEEN WORKING SINCE 2019 ON NOVEMBER, 2019. THE PROJECT RECEIVED FUNDING, A FUNDING AWARD FROM THE AUSTIN HOUSING FINANCE CORPORATION ON 2020 IN ALL THOSE 2020 CITY HIGHS WITH SAFE ABORTION INDUCE MEMBERS SOLUTION FROM THE AUSTIN CALTON FINANCE CORPORATION. LAST SUMMER, THE SIDE WAS WITH SONG WITH STEVEN'S UNANIMOUS APPROVAL BY THE CITY COUNCIL BORE. IN ADDITION, UM, THE PROJECT HAD RECEIVED ALREADY THE APPROVAL OF THE TAX CREDIT APPLICATION IN FEBRUARY OF THIS YEAR. UM, WE HAVE, UM, BEEN TRYING TO WORK WITH THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND THE SEVERAL MEETINGS HAVE OCCUR, UM, SPECIFICALLY WITH THE TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT TO LISTEN TO THEIR CONCERNS REGARDING SAFETY. UM, I WOULD LIKE TO BRIEFLY SUMMARIZE SOME OF THE ITEMS THAT WE ARE GOING TO BE IMPROVING, UM, TO ADDRESS THEIR CONCERNS. UM, THAT ROLE WILL BE WIDENED [00:05:01] FROM 26 FEET, 40 FEET, Y UM, WE WILL HAVE A DEDICATED LANE, UM, TO ACCESS THE BUILDING. UM, DECELERATION ONLY IS CALLED. UM, THERE WILL BE SIDEWALKS BUILT, UH, EXTENDING FROM ACROSS THE BUILDING, UH, AFTER THE PSI SIGNAGE, UH, WILL BE ADDED AND, AND, UM, THAT WILL BE PAVEMENT SIGNING. AND, UM, WE ARE GOING TO RESTORE THE PAVEMENT AND RESTORE IT. UM, CITY HEIGHTS WILL BE AN OUTSTANDING ADDITION TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND THE CITY OF ALL THINGS FOR SENIOR. I, I RESPECTFULLY REQUEST THE APPROVAL OF THE RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE BOND. THANK YOU, MAYOR. I COULDN'T HEAR THE LAST PART OF WHAT THE SPEAKER SAID. COULD WE ASK HER TO, SHE SAID THEY WOULD BE SIGNING SOMETHING LIKE WHAT SHE WAS SAYING. MS. PEDEA, AM I ON? YES, NO, THE SIGNAGE WILL BE IMPROVED SIGNAGE ON THOSE ON THE ROAD, UM, WILL BE TO ADDRESS THE ISSUES. OKAY. THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER IS ANNA. GOOD MORNING. CAN YOU HEAR ME? YES, GO AHEAD. OKAY. MY NAME IS GOOD MORNING, DIRECTOR ADLER AND BOARD DIRECTORS. MY NAME IS ANNA PASTOR AT THE SOUTHEAST COMBINED NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN CONTACT TEAM. AND I'M SPEAKING ON ITEM FOUR. THE CONTACT TEAM IS SURROUNDING AREA. NEIGHBORHOOD RESIDENTS CONTINUE TO RAISE MAJOR PUBLIC SAFETY CONCERNS. THIS DEVELOPMENT WILL HAVE ON US AND THE PITCHER 55 AND OLDER ACTIVE RESIDENTS OF THIS PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT. ADDITIONALLY, NO PREP, PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION IS CURRENTLY BEING PROVIDED TO THESE RESIDENTS PROPOSITION B COST RATES CITY OF THIS ROAD, BUT WE STILL DO NOT HAVE A START DATE OF THE STUDY. THIS WILL BE THE THIEF AFFORDABLE HOUSING PROJECT BEING BUILT ALONG THE COAST CROSSING. IT'S BEEN ALMOST SINCE THE MID 1980S FOR WHICH NO SIGNIFICANT ROAD IMPROVEMENTS HAVE BEEN MADE IN WHICH THE CITY'S TRAFFIC ENGINEERS CONTINUE TO SAVE STEPS. IF THEY STEP STANDARD ROAD. RECENTLY, WE'VE BEEN DOWN THAT THREE MONTHS AGO IN DECEMBER OF 2020, THERE WAS A TRAFFIC FATALITY AT THE EXACT LOCATION OF THIS PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT. THIS DANGEROUS STRETCH OF ROAD HAS TOTALLY CAUSED A LACK OF ONE OF OUR NEIGHBORS. HOW MANY MORE LABS WILL WE SACRIFICE FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING? PLEASE ENVISION YOUR PARENTS OR GRANDPARENTS AT DISNEY DEVELOPMENT. IF YOU APPROVE THIS, CAN WE COUNT ON YOU TO HELP US HELP THEM? CAN WE LET YOU KNOW WHEN THEY DON'T HAVE SETBACKS OF SICK FRANKLIN PARK TO THE RECREATION CENTER, TO THE NEW PENDING PUBLIC HEALTH FACILITY, TO THE HEB AND PHARMACY TO THE EL RANCHO MEXICAN GROCERY STORE? WHAT DID WE HAVE ANOTHER WINTER SPLUNK HURRY. CAN WE LET YOU KNOW IF THEY NO LONGER HAVE ELECTRICITY OR WATER, WE WILL BE REACHING OUT TO EACH OF YOU INDIVIDUALLY AND ASK EACH OF YOU TO PLEASE LET US KNOW IF YOU WILL HELP US IN WHICH OF YOUR STAFF WILL BE YOUR DESIGNATED CONTACT PERSON. SO WE CAN REACH OUT TO THAT. WE CAN REACH OUT TO, WE WILL DO THIS BECAUSE WE VALUE OUR SAFETY AND THE SAFETY OF THESE NEW NEIGHBORS. IN CLOSING, WE SINCERELY WANT TO THANK OUR COUNCIL MEMBER POINT THIS IN HER STAFF, AS WELL AS THE CITY STAFF, WORKING IN THE TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT, WATERSHED PROTECTION DEPARTMENT IN PUPPET PARKS, THEY HAVE BEEN WORKING DILIGENTLY WITH US TO ADDRESS THE PUBLIC SAFETY CONCERNS AS WELL AS ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGE ALREADY CAUSED BY THE DEVELOPER. WE TRULY APPRECIATE THEM AND THEIR EFFORTS I'M AVAILABLE TO BE SHOULD HAVE ANY QUESTIONS. THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER IS RAVALLI CASA HARU. HI, GOOD MORNING. MY NAME IS . I'M A TRAFFIC ENGINEER WITH WTI. I'M CALLING INTO PORT OF ITEM NUMBER FOUR. THAT IS A 4,400 AND APPLES CROSSING. UM, AND LOOKING AT THE IMPROVEMENTS THAT HAVE BEEN PROPOSED, UH, TO GO WITH THE DEVELOPMENT, THAT, WHICH IS THE TURN LANES GOING INTO THE SIDE TO THE LEFT TURN LANE AND RIGHT TURN LANE INTO THE SITE AND THE PROPOSED ALWAYS STOP CONTROL AT AN UNCLE'S CROSSING AND VIEWPOINT DRIVE. UM, I ALSO WANT TO ADD THAT THESE IMPROVEMENTS HAVE BEEN REVIEWED AND APPROVED BY THE AUSTIN TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT. UM, AND IN ADDITION, THE, AS ANOTHER SPEAKER NOTED EARLIER, KNUCKLES CROSSING IS ALSO GOING TO BE WIDENED TO ENSURE IT MEETS THE URBAN STANDARD. SO THAT INCLUDES CURBING GUTTER SO THAT IT MEETS CURRENT CODE AND ALSO BIKE FACILITIES AND SIDEWALK WILL BE PROVIDED ALONG THE SIDE FRONTAGE. AND IN ORDER TO ADDRESS THE SAFETY CONCERNS ASSOCIATED WITH THE SITE EGRESS, UM, THE SIDE IS GOING TO BE RESTRICTED TO RIGHT TURNS ONLY. I BELIEVE THAT WITH ALL THESE, UM, ONSITE AND OFFSITE IMPROVEMENTS THAT ARE BEING PROVIDED, THAT THE, THE [00:10:01] PROJECT TEAM IS DOING EVERYTHING THEY CAN TO MAKE SURE THAT THE CONCERNS ASSOCIATED FROM A TRANSPORTATION PERSPECTIVE ARE BEING ADDRESSED ADEQUATELY. THANK YOU, CHRISTOPHER SCHEER. GOOD, GOOD MORNING, MAYOR COUNCIL MEMBERS. HOPEFULLY YOU CAN HEAR ME. UM, I AM CHRIS SHEER ON THE COO OF MCDOWELL HOUSING PARTNERS, AND I'M A PRINCIPAL PARTNER IN THE CITY HEIGHTS DEVELOPMENT. UM, WE APPRECIATE YOUR TIME THIS MORNING. UH, AS MY COLLEAGUE HAD SAID BEFORE ME, WE STARTED AT DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES ON CITY HEIGHTS AROUND MIDDLE OF 2019. AND I'M REALLY PROUD TO SAY THAT WE'RE ON THE CUSP OF CLOSING ALL THE FINANCING REQUIRED TO COMMENCE CONSTRUCTION AND ULTIMATELY DELIVER THESE UNITS, THE CITY OF AUSTIN. UM, YOU KNOW, I LIKE TO SAY THAT AFFORDABLE HOUSING DEVELOPMENT IS NEVER EASY, BUT IT'S ALWAYS WORTH IT. WE'VE, UH, YOU KNOW, WE'VE HAD A LOT OF PUBLIC COMMENT TODAY FROM SPEAKERS ABOUT THE SEVERE LACK OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING OPTIONS IN THE CITY AND THE BENEFITS THAT IT DOES DELIVER TO THE CITIZENS. YOU KNOW, TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF WORK AND DEDICATION FROM A LARGE GROUP OF STAKEHOLDERS HAVE WENT INTO GETTING THE PROJECT TO THIS POINT AND FOREMOST, I WANT TO COMMEND THE CITY OF AUSTIN STAFF STOPPED, PARTICULARLY FROM NACD, THE AUSTIN HOUSING, FINANCE CORPORATION DEVELOPMENT SERVICES AND COUNCIL MEMBERS, STAFF. WHO'VE BEEN, UH, BEEN REALLY ENGAGED AND DILIGENT IN WORKING THROUGH THE MULTITUDE OF PROCESSES AND PROCEDURES THAT GO INTO DEVELOPING AN AFFORDABLE HOUSING ASSET. UM, THEY'VE DONE A GREAT JOB. THEY'VE OPERATED WITH THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF PROFESSIONALISM AND MOST OF ALL THAT THEY'VE ALWAYS WORKED AT THE CITY OF AUSTIN'S BEST INTEREST AT HEART. SO, YOU KNOW, WHEN I HEAR COMMENTS ABOUT THE SAFETY AND CONCERNS, UM, MAYBE NOT A PERFECT SOLUTION, BUT THEIR SOLUTION THAT HAS BEEN PROVIDED TODAY AND THE LINK THAT WE WENT, UM, TO ENSURE THAT, UH, LEVEL OF, OF SAFETY, UM, WHICH I'LL TALK BRIEFLY ABOUT HAS REALLY BEEN ABOVE AND BEYOND, UM, KIND OF WHAT'S THE STANDARD LEVEL OF DUE DILIGENCE PERFORMED ON A DEVELOPMENT. AND SO THEY WERE IN FRONT OF YOU FOR APPROVAL ON THE FINAL BOND DOCUMENT THAT SO WE CAN PROCEED TO CLOSING CITY HEIGHTS HAS ALREADY RECEIVED A RESOLUTION OF APPROVAL FROM THE AUSTIN HOUSING FINANCE CORPORATION FOR TO ISSUE THE BONDS. HISTORICALLY, THIS IS A VERY ADMINISTRATIVE STEP IN NATURE. UH, THE APPROVAL AT HAND TODAY SHOULD HAVE NO BEARING ON THE SITE PLAN, THE DONATE OR DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM ITSELF. WE KNOW, UH, THE OPPOSITION, UM, THAT HAS BEEN VOICED TODAY. AND THANK YOU, MAYOR. WE HAVE, UM, MS. JOSEPH ON THE LINE AND, UM, IF APPROPRIATE, SHE CAN, SHE REGISTERED TO SPEAK ON A FSI AND CONSENT ITEMS AS WELL. SO IF YOU'D LIKE TO HEAR HER FOR HFC FIRST, AND THEN SOON AFTER, UM, IF APPROPRIATE FOR THE OTHER ITEMS, WE CAN SPEED. IT WILL BE APPROPRIATE. WE'LL RECOGNIZE HER NOW TO SPEAK ON HFC. WE'LL MOVE OUT OF THE HFC MEETING. JUST KEEP HER ON THE LINE. WE'LL RECONVENE THE CITY COUNCIL MEETING. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.