Request for Housing Proposals

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All right. Uh good morning everybody. Uh thank you so much for being here uh this morning with me. Um we are here for the

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winter 2020 2025 2026 uh housing development fund webinar. And so give me

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one second. We still have folks streaming in here. I am a oneman show this morning. So I am admitting

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everybody individually. Great.

0:37

All right. Well, thank you again everybody for being here this morning for the um winter housing development

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fund webinar. I appreciate you all taking the time out of your day to learn more about what we have going on and the

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offerings available. Um just a reminder this webinar as all of our webinars will

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be recorded. Um and so if you are running into any technical difficulties

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or having any challenges um you know please note that this will be recorded and then posted uh via our RFP landing

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page for your further review. Um so if you or someone you know wasn't able to

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join us today um you know please keep that in mind. we will we will blast that out via our our typical email channels

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uh to ensure that everyone who wanted to attend today um is able to receive the same information. So again, thank you

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all for being here and no worries if you run into any tech issues as I mentioned.

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So just a little bit of uh uh just means of of starting here. I'm Mike Linglehart. I'm the housing trust fund

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manager here at the city of Charlotte. Um, I appreciate all of you being here. I recognize a number of faces and I also

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see a number of new or I'm sorry, a number of names. I also see some new names that have of folks I haven't met

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yet. So, um, it's it's a pleasure to be here with you all today and to be able to chat through this opportunity.

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Over the course of today's presentation, we will go over the background of the housing trust fund, what it is, what it

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isn't, um, what how we can support you, uh, and how you can help support the city reach its goals towards

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affordability. We'll also go over a high level overview of the process and schedule that we'll be embarking upon over the next few

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months here uh at the city and then discussing general eligibility as it

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relates to the RFP in question and then we'll conclude things with um discussing

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any new inclusions in the housing trust fund RFP um either this cycle or within

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the past year for those of you who have not participated in in recent cycles. So, we'll go over all of that and then

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we'll wrap up with a Q&A. Um, if you have any questions along the way, please feel free to drop those in the chat. I'm

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happy to answer those at the end. Um, I will not be monitoring the chat throughout the presentation. Uh, but at

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the end whenever we come back together, I'm happy to go through those questions and answer them. Um, but yeah, please

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feel free to drop them in the chat as we go so you don't forget them or anything like that. Um, and I promise we will get

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to them. So, the housing trust fund, a little bit

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of a history and basics here. Um, you may notice that we we've started transitioning to calling this the housing development fund RFP. And that's

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really just to recognize the fact that, you know, the housing trust fund is a piece of that, but it's not the entire

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uh puzzle, right? So, we have other sources of funding that are included in this RFP, including some of our federal

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entitlements. Uh, hence why we call it the housing development fund. However,

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what we're really talking about here is what we all know as the housing trust fund. And so, a little bit of the history and basics here. The housing

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trust fund was established in 2001. And it's the city's primary tool to create and preserve affordable housing. This

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includes, you know, the full spectrum of of of housing production and preservation from supportive housing up

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to affordable home ownership and including rental housing. Uh, the way this this fund works is that

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it is um, you know, funded by the residents of the city of Charlotte. We're we're immensely grateful for their

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continued ongoing support as well as city council's continued ongoing support. Um there is a bond referendum

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every two years and with that we are able to keep this fund moving forward

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and um you know maximizing production and and you know uh chipping into this

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uh this housing crisis that we have not just locally but you know uh regionally, nationally, at the state level etc.

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Um and and and the way that we we operate is that the city's investment is really leveraged um in in collaboration

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with private sector funds through you know um complex public private partnerships um with developers and and

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all the other partners who who um you know participate in this process to to produce affordable housing. Um you know

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frequently this includes the low-income housing tax credit especially with our rental partners. Over the past 25

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or so years, uh we have we have uh supported the production of 14,000 units of affordable housing. Um approximately

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a thousand shelter beds. We're just a little bit under that. And I am still admitting folks, so give me one second

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here. Um approximately just under a thousand

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shelter beds. Um and quite a bit of work in the Noah preservation space.

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So the the way this process works um is that we issue an RFP which is why we're

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all here today, right? So the city issued an RFP last week. We announced a webinar for today and that RFP is posted

5:42

and within it are the guidelines for how to apply for those funds. Um we'll see

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in just a moment whenever we look at the schedule. Uh but the once we issue the RFP applications are due. We then notify

5:55

city council of the submissions that we have received and then from there staff uh embark on a um a a period of

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underwriting and evaluation of the various proposals that we received. From

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there we're able to provide those those underwriting uh summaries to city council for their further review at

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which time they then uh review them even further at the city council action review meeting. So there is a two-step

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uh coun formal council review process uh public council review process. So the

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first is that action review meeting which is typically at the beginning of the month followed by the actual city

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council vote at the following business meeting which is typically two weeks later.

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Phase two um you know after we after we um have council vote on awards they

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undergo an investment review uh period in which we work with our partners uh to

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um produce a commitment letter which identifies all the key terms of the uh forthcoming agreement. And then we work

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with our partners to um move those move those loan agreements forward and then

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ultimately close on those um on those funds. And so this looks like a fairly

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tight and compact timeline. Uh and I can tell you phase one is fairly compact. Uh I I think you are all quite aware of

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that if you participated in this before. It happens fairly quickly, right? So we have the RFP issued last week.

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applications are due late January and then awards would be announced in late April. Phase two, phase three, and phase

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four, those are ongoing, right? Those take years to achieve. Um, whenever we actually invest the funding, uh, we're

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typically about a year out from award to closing on our funds. And then from

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there we work with you along the way through the construction process uh issuing our funds via draw process and

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then continue to be involved in the long-term um you know uh in the long-term project through monitoring and

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um uh compliance monitoring.

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So this year's schedule or this this cycle schedule um as as a reminder for or as a reminder and for information for

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those of you who have who have not participated in the housing trust fund before uh we typically have two cycles per year. So there's one in the winter

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which would be what we're currently looking at and then we uh we attempt to have one in the summer pending fund

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availability. Um the status of this summer's funding is a little up in the air. Um we're we're confident we'll have

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some funding available for some of our our target programs, but um you know, as it relates to you know, rental housing,

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we are kind of nearing the end of that bucket of funding. And so this could be the last opportunity uh until the next

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bond referendum, which would occur in November 2026. So just wanted everyone to be aware of that and keep that in

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mind. I'm happy to answer any questions about that. But let's just go through the schedule fairly quickly here. So

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last week we posted the RFP. Today you are sitting here with me today to go over the webinar to overview uh the

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current offering of funding. The key deadline here for you folks to be aware of is the January 30th deadline. So this

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is to submit your full application as well as your full sketch plan to uh the

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city. The full details of what needs to be submitted can be found within the RFP.

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We won't go into that in minute detail today, but of course, if you have any questions about what that entails, I'm

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happy to answer any questions that you may have. Uh, always feel free to lead on me as a resource as relates to

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submitting an application here at the city. Um, over the next over the following

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months after your applications are submitted, our friends over in planning will be conducting their review. Uh,

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city housing staff will be conducting their review of the of the program itself that you're proposing.

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And then ultimately um key dates for you to be aware of here, these are tentative

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because council has not fully adopted their 2026 schedule, but we anticipate that these will be the dates uh is April

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13th, 2026 for that first city council touch point, which is the action review meeting. And then approval is expected

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to take place April 27th, 2026. So we really it for for friends who who work

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in the tax credit space, this this calendar may look like it aligns with something and it does, right? it aligns with the QAP schedule set out by NCHFA.

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So the uh the application deadline itself is typically a oneweek lag from

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the preliminary application at NCHFA and then the council approval is typically

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one uh two or 3 weeks in advance of the full application deadline for NCHFA. So

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that is in order to accommodate any folks who may be applying for 9% tax credits this cycle.

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So that's the schedule. Now let's talk a little bit about eligibility. This is fairly straightforward stuff and

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I don't think any of this will come to a surprise for folks who are familiar with with our work. Um eligible activities

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include multif family new construction and renovation includes single family new construction and it also includes

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supported housing renovation and new construction in that field. Um you may

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be asking well that leaves out some activities and that's correct. Uh the HTF is not designed to cover every

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single activity that the city embarks upon as it relates to affordable housing and so there are some ineligible

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activities. Doesn't mean the city is not not interested in supporting them. It just means that this is not the R the

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correct RFP for that work. We have other RFPs available to support some of this work. So first is projects under

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construction. City council has drawn a pretty clear line in the sand as it relates to the housing trust fund and how we leverage those funds.

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um we are able to consider some projects under construction, but those that hasn't been fully built out uh in terms

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of what that program looks like and it's typically involving federal funding where we have a little um some

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flexibility with some of those buckets of funds. If you have questions about that, please reach out. I'm happy to

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chat with you and point you in the right direction to hopefully move your project forward. Um, if you are interested in

12:10

acquisition, that is work that the city's engaged in. It's just not this RFP. So, if you're interested in that

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work, please see our Noah or TOD RFPs. Those are currently down as of today. Uh, but we do expect those to go back up

12:23

here in the near future. But again, if you have any questions about that, I'm happy to happy to address those offline

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and chat with you about how to get you in the right pipeline for supporting that work. And then really any project

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outside the scope of the RFP as I mentioned just because it's not eligible for this RFP doesn't mean it's not

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something that we couldn't support. Right? So one of the things I'll highlight here is single family new construction. Maybe saying well we're

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single family rehab. It's not covered by this RFP. We do have programs that work

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in that space and that is our acquisition rehab and resale program. So if you have questions about that please

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feel free to reach out to me and I'll connect you with the right resource.

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So multif family development we'll now just kind of dive into each one of the eligible activities and just provide a highle overview of the work that we are

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looking to do and support. So for multif family over or sorry multif family development uh we provide gap financing

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to both nonprofit and for-profit developers to support their affordable housing initiatives.

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We are very flexible in our structuring. Uh we are typically you know subordinate debt um soft debt. um we're able to, you

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know, provide some, you know, boutique structures of of financing uh to support

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your project and get it into the right place into the best position to move forward. Now, in exchange for that, one

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of the things we ask for, which is um you know, we understand how how um important this is at the city in the

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city of Charlotte and especially for our lowest income residents, we require at least 20% of the units to be targeted at

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30% AMI households and below. So that really deep targeting for extremely low-income families. It's kind of a

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hallmark of the housing trust fund. Now our priorities, we have a number of priorities which I would encourage you

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to explore further in our RFP and also the affordable housing funding policy which you can find within the RFP. Um,

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one of the biggest tips I can give folks is to really take a look at that affordable housing funding policy because it really serves as kind of the

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the structure upon which our RFP is built and how city council evaluates opportunities.

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But some high level priorities as you as you may imagine are transit transit accessible areas or within resourcerich

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neighborhoods, right? Uh you may have heard that we had a transit referendum in November, this past November and city

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council very interested in supporting the ongoing affordability in those corridors. So transit accessible areas

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will always be a high priority for the city of Charlotte uh for the uh for the

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for the ongoing future. Um, another area that city council has

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expressed a strong interest in is offering resident services that enhance stability and opportunity such as

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workforce development, healthcare or financial wellness. Um, one of the one of the through lines we have heard

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through our conversations with city council is an emphasis on quality over quantity. And so whenever we talk about

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these these resident services, we're really talking about supporting the holist the holistic needs of an

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individual or family. Um, I'm happy to chat through any questions you may have about that section, uh, to give you

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examples of of what it is city council has been looking for, um, and what they approve approved to date. But generally

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speaking, we're talking about workforce development, healthcare, andor financial development or financial wellness to

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support the upward mobility of the residents that you and we serve. And then lastly is a uh priority for the

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production of larger unit sizes to accommodate families. Uh specifically the three or fourbedroom unit sizes.

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Four bedrooms understand those are uh you know exceedingly hard to come by. Uh

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but we do still see a consistent uh flow of threebedrooms in which we're interested in supporting. Uh especially

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our friends over at Meckllinburg County who we partner with. Uh that is something that they would certainly be looking for as well.

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in our single family development space. Uh just a quick overview here. So we provide our funding as construction subsidy or down payment assistance. Um

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for those of you who are familiar with our House Charlotte program, it's not uncommon for our program to support on

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the construction side and then for there also to be a uh leveraging of of House Charlotte down payment assistance on the

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back end. Um in exchange for this, you know, units must be destricted and remain affordable for no less than 15

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years. Priority populations and targets here uh are households at 80% AMI or

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below with an emphasis on entry- level buyers or first generation home buyers.

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Um one area we're really interested in supporting and uh expanding across the

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city are innovative ownership models. So, specifically looking at shared equity, community land trusts, um any of

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those uh ownership structures that support, you know, ongoing and/or permanent affordability into the future

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to really maximize our investment. And then other priorities, and these are across the board. I I I I hope you you

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don't come away from this thinking that the city's only interested in supporting sustainable building practices for single family. That's not true. Uh we

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are interested in across the board. Uh but given that you know the single family development here in Charlotte is

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not dictated by NCHFA where there's some of those you know sustainability measures already built into the process

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uh we do want to just highlight that there is that we are really looking at sustainable building practices especially for our single family

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developments in order to support the ongoing u financial wellness of our of our tenants and reducing sort of their

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operating or utility costs. And then again a focus on high impact areas.

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And then lastly or not necessarily lastly but lastly here for this section supportive housing. Uh overview here is

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we must meet the continuum of care recognized supportive housing needs in the community. This is addressing homelessness mental health justice

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involvement and etc. Um, you know, one distinction between

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this program and our mult our traditional multif family rental program is that we uh will only support

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nonprofit owned and operated supportive housing developments through this RFP and they must include appropriate

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supportive services again to support the holistic needs of the residents residing there. Priorities here are comprehensive

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support services on site or through partnerships. Um, again, another one of the through lines that we've heard from

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city council across a number of conversations is really an emphasis on uh those creative partnerships where we

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can kind of maximize impact not just in the in the housing uh needs of of those

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individuals, but also in terms of the the nonprofit network across the community where we have these resources.

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We just need to be doing a better job of connecting them to um you know developments that we're supporting.

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And then we're also interested in creating mixed income environments to foster inclusive communities where supportive housing units are integrated

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within a broader development rather than concentrated into one space. That is kind of the gold standard that we're

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looking for. Uh but of course we understand that that is um not going to be uh characteristic of every single

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supportive housing deal that we see. And then lastly, strategically located in areas with access to health care, social

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services, and transit. again those needs that individuals may have to support their overall well-being.

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And so now the fun stuff uh for those of you who uh perhaps didn't join u the RFP

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webinar last summer uh we'll go over a little bit of what's new and then there's actually some things that are even new this cycle specifically and not

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just carryovers from last cycle. Um but again I'm going to mention this and you will hear me talk about it at nauseium

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is the affordable housing funding policy. This was a policy uh issued and

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approved by city council back in November 2024 and it is really the framework by which all of our housing

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funding programs operate and really informs how we um both incentivize and

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prioritize applications that we receive. So again would strongly encourage you to look that up. If you simply type in

20:17

affordable housing funding policy into your browser, you will it will be one of the first two links that you see uh with

20:24

the city of Charlotte. Uh and and really what the big emphasis here in this policy is is an emphasis on

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outcomes outcomes beyond unit counts and cost per unit. I started this off talking about the the level of

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production that we've supported over the years and we're certainly proud of that. Uh but city council really wants to take the next step and improve uh those

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metrics even beyond just unit counts. So really looking at economic mobility, access to opportunity, household

20:48

stability, and then that long-term impact. And you'll see a lot of those policy points within that memo reflected

20:55

in our RFP. Next is an updated preferences and priorities. Uh we have really gone to

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links here to further flesh those out because we are regularly asked, well, what is the city looking for? And I can

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tell you that that lives in that RFP document. So the preferences and priorities that you see there are truly our preferences and priorities. So

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there's really an expanded focus on areas of opportunity like I mentioned. Uh again that emphasis on quality over

21:20

quantity and then on residential stability really just ensuring that you know once residents are able to access

21:25

this great service that they're able to um you know have the level of stability that is that is needed to support their

21:32

their journey uh towards upward economic mobility. So, we're really going to be prioritiz prioritizing projects and high

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opportunity areas. Uh, that includes our TOD corridors. It includes the really difficult markets that we have uh

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struggled to make as big of an impact in uh but we'll continue to uh push for.

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And then lastly, stronger tenant protections regarding rental increases. Again, um you know, we understand kind

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of the economic environment that we are in and understand that the the need for rental increases exists. Uh but really

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just wanted to make sure and be mindful of of how those increases are are distributed to minimize the impact on uh

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existing tenants. Further conversational preferences and

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priorities here that a couple that I'll just highlight is capacity building partnerships. Uh we are always

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interested in supporting uh sort of our more grassroots development uh uh ecosystem in terms of providing those

22:28

folks opportunities to partner on some of these larger scale developments to not just learn the ropes but really just

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to gain the capacity um in the in the resume needed to you know participate in

22:40

the development space at large and then also a local preference policy. Some of you may be familiar with this because we

22:46

have been in discussions about it. Uh but really what this is born out of is city council's desire for uh existing

22:53

charlatans to have the ability to access access sort of the new the new units that come online across the city. And so

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we've been working with NCHFA in terms of how to um act actualize this this

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this kind of idea of creating this preference policy. And so really what this is amounting to is uh the city

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requesting a set aside of units, a small percentage set aside that's u agreeable to NCHFA as well as federal fair housing

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law. Uh and that's to support a communitywide weight list that will be um established at the city.

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And then lastly here on this slide is energy efficiency bonus. We rolled this out last cycle, but we recognized uh at

23:34

the time that, you know, in rolling that out, a lot of the projects that we would receive have already been in the works

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for a while. Uh but we really did want to get folks oriented to that concept that that is something that we would be offering in the future. And I am

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currently engaged in conversations with our office of sustainability and resiliency to further program um bring

23:53

this program to life uh within our RFP. But really, this is an incentive to

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support um high quality energy efficient development that goes above and beyond what would be required. Uh whether it be

24:05

an NCHFA or just general building codes. If you have questions about that, I'm

24:11

happy to chat through through that with you. Um we are, like I said, continuously building that program out

24:17

and we'll look to have an even more fleshed out program um within our next our next uh funding cycle.

24:25

And then also we have revised EV evaluation criteria uh specifically around how we score these and evaluate

24:33

and analyze um applications and developer eligibility. Uh there's a stronger evaluation criteria on

24:39

long-term affordability and economic mobility impact. Uh you'll see that reflected in the expected affordability

24:45

periods as well as uh resident services that are included within developments.

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We've also instituted eligibility limits for developers with delayed projects just to ensure timely delivery. Um the

24:56

short of this being is if you have a valid uh commitment letter and you have

25:02

not gone above and beyond what that commitment letter states uh you are you are compliant right on on the on the

25:08

time limit component. Um if you don't please chat with me we definitely want to get that resolved

25:15

before u submitting an application. We're also uh prioritizing innovative

25:20

ownership models as I mentioned especially around our single family front uh but also even our multif family

25:25

and we'll talk a little bit that a bit little bit about that here in a couple of slides

25:30

mentioned this earlier as well but just to emphasize a focus on larger units for families. Uh we are occasionally able to

25:36

partner with our our friends over at Meckllinburg County on some of our funding decisions and one of the first things that they look for are these

25:43

larger unit sizes for families. doesn't necessarily apply to any senior developments because of course, you

25:48

know, those typically max out at two bedrooms at most. Um, but for family geared developments, right, those

25:54

general population developments, there's certainly an interest in those three and fourbedroom units. And then again, or

26:00

not again, I haven't mentioned this yet, but an expanded evaluation of property management practices. So, you may notice if you participated in one of our RFS

26:07

recently, we asked for quite a bit more information as it relates to property management and the um the efficacy that

26:13

they've had in that role. Also, what's new? A new application,

26:19

excuse me, a new application template. Uh, what we really attempted to do here was to consolidate past application

26:24

materials into one unified document. Um, selfishly, I will tell you that's also for me, right, to make my life easier

26:30

instead of clicking through a dozen different documents. Uh, consolidating as much of that as possible into one.

26:35

But we also hope it makes uh makes your lives a little bit easier to have all of that information in one space uh to kind

26:41

of overview your your your whole development at once. And so that really attempts to consolidate the developer

26:47

text application that you've previously filled out as well as the development data sheet, the city proforma, and the

26:53

single family workbook. Um within the application that's been posted online, there are step-by-step instructions on

26:58

how to go through that application and how to navigate that tool. But of course, if you have any questions, don't hesitate to reach out to me. If you find

27:05

any errors in it or something's not working the way you think it should be, uh please let me know because it's very

27:11

possible I made a mistake and I'm happy to correct that and get that uh resolved to help you uh complete your

27:16

application. So, thank you for your support on that. Uh and then I just also

27:21

want to note this doesn't completely eliminate all the other uh application materials you need to submit. There are still some other supporting documents

27:27

that go along with this. This is really just a way to consolidate again these four documents into one space.

27:36

And then also what's new, this is new as of this cycle. And so what we are rolling out uh within this RFP as a um

27:44

application piece is in our innovation pilot. And really what council uh again

27:50

this this is this is born out of the affordable housing funding policy um where city council set aside $5 million

27:56

for innovations or for an innovation pilot. And so what we're what we at the city uh including

28:03

city council are looking to do are activate upon bold ideas that are scalable affordable housing solutions.

28:09

This could take a number of different forms. Uh first and foremost is new or underutilized housing typologies. the

28:15

city's very interested in uh missing middle style housing, right?

28:20

That can support sort of the incremental development needs across the city. Uh but it also can include design and

28:26

construction innovations, right? Um you know, there's a number of those that are are bubbling up across the country um

28:32

that have not quite made their way to Charlotte, but it's something that we're interested in supporting or at least evaluating and understanding whether or

28:38

not it's a scalable solution for our community. Uh so this could be something like mass timber construction which has

28:43

obvious you know environmental ramifications um and improved outcomes in that space.

28:48

Uh but we're open-minded, right? So if you have an idea and you think it's an innovative uh here in the city of Charlotte or Meckllinburgg County,

28:56

please reach out and let us know. And also taking a look at financing and operating models, right? Ways that we

29:01

can in increase efficiencies, uh increase flexibilities, um you know, meet a need that's not

29:08

being met through financing or operating models that, you know, support the reduced um operating costs for

29:15

developments and or tenants. We're interested in hearing about those as well. And I've already mentioned this

29:20

one before, but innovative models of a home ownership, uh, you know, looking at community land trust, looking at shared

29:25

equity, uh, but even going above and beyond those, uh, to to explore other opportunities that exist out there that

29:31

we may not know about. And then lastly, any novel approach that really responds to emerging emerging

29:37

community needs. Um, really, uh, you know, I I've I've had this running joke where a number of folks have asked me,

29:44

well, what is the innovative pilot? And what I always tell them is it's so innovative I can't really describe it. Right? We're really we're really looking

29:50

to be reactive to what the community of uh the development community out there has been exploring potentially um and

29:57

and and are interested in putting forth here in the city of Charlotte. So really what I would underscore here is if you're interested in applying for these

30:03

innovation pilot funds, please reach out to me. Um I can help you uh understand

30:09

how to apply for this section. There are details in our RFP about how to apply for this. Um, but there may be some

30:15

components that we need to add or subtract from our our typical application. But if you are interested

30:21

in that, I would strongly encourage you to reach out to me and I'm happy to have a one-on-one conversation with you to determine whether or not that's the

30:27

right path for you to go down. Okay.

30:32

And then, um, I believe this is the last one before we get into the Q&A. U, but

30:38

what's new is the community engagement. This is kind of a an old new thing, right? So, previously we required public

30:44

engagement due at the time of application. In recent cycles, we've gotten a little bit more flexible with that where we allowed folks to trickle

30:50

in documents along the way. Um, for a number of different reasons, we're going back to the old way of doing things, which is that all public engagement, all

30:57

community engagement needs to be due at the time of application. So, this includes your write up of community

31:02

events. It includes notifying city council. It includes holding at least one community meeting, in person or

31:08

virtual. And I really need to underscore this because it's it's been something that's come up before in the past. All

31:15

the community meetings must be open to the public and scheduled in consultation with our community engagement staff.

31:21

We've added that last part of in consultation with community engagement staff just because we want to make sure that

31:27

excuse me just to ensure that you are meeting the the requirements as laid out in the RFP. We don't want folks to go

31:34

through this work and then come out come come come to find out that something was missed and we have to go through this

31:39

whole process again. So really this may seem like an additional you know burden to get this in before the the

31:44

application deadline. Uh trust me whenever I say that it's really to your benefit as well so that we are not

31:50

having a um you know having to post hawk go in and do community engagement in order to meet a funding deadline. So

31:58

again just want to highlight community engagement work due at the time of application. If you have questions about

32:03

that, please take a look at the RFP which walks through the steps uh in order to achieve this this milestone

32:08

around community engagement, but I'm also happy to chat with you as well. Uh we also have contact information listed

32:14

within our RFP for one of our community engagement staff who can assist you in coordinating those meetings as well.

32:22

Oh, and then lastly, I forgot, I apologize, we have one last slide before the Q&A.

32:27

Just a reminders page. Um, as you may have noticed in our RFP, there are a couple of of terms in there to ensure

32:34

that um, you remain eligible for ongoing city funding. So, before submitting your

32:40

application, I would strongly encourage you to confirm the following are fully in order. U, so please make sure you

32:46

have no outstanding code violations. Please ensure that all of your asset management fees are current uh,

32:51

specifically to the city of Charlotte. Of course, we trust you're paying your your other asset managers, but as far as

32:57

it as it relates to the city asset management fees, please ensure that those are compliant or current.

33:03

And then for any asset management monitoring going on at the city, please ensure that you are compliant there. And

33:08

if not, please reach out to me. I will connect you with our asset management team so that we can get those squared

33:14

away. And then lastly, uh CBI, which is our Charlotte Business Inclusion. Um

33:19

that is a hallmark of our program. Um, you know, there's a number of of different thresholds to meet uh to

33:26

ensure ongoing com compliance with our CBI reporting. So, please be sure that all of your CBI reporting is up to date

33:33

and um meeting meeting the thresholds that you agreed to in previous agreements. Um, I

33:40

expect I'll have some reports coming out here in the near future where I'll be doing some targeted outreach to folks who um have some work to do in that

33:47

space. Uh but if you actively know that there isn't or that you're not compliant in in one of these, please let me know

33:53

and we can discuss uh path forward. And with that, uh we can kick it over to

34:00

our Q&A. I saw a number of chats pop in. So I will go through these one by one.

34:07

And um of course, if you aren't able to ask a question here, but you'd like to ask a question later, please shoot me an

34:13

email. My email is listed here. Uh write it down. shoot me an email if you want to ch chat innovation, if you want to

34:18

chat eligibility, um any of our compliance questions that I went over, I'm happy to go over those. But now

34:25

we'll go into the question. The first question here is, are there any recommendations for first timers trying

34:30

to bid on this type of project with the city of Charlotte? Uh so great question. So this is coming from AEGJ

34:36

Construction. Um, I'm not sure if you folks are developers or not, but what I would say is if you are developers, one

34:43

of the first pieces of advice I would give you is to really build out that resume. Um, that is one of the the the

34:49

key pieces that we look at here at the city of Charlotte is ensuring that u our funds are going to folks with with the

34:55

requisite experience to uh embark on this. You know, folks who work in the affordable housing space understand how

35:01

complex it can be and how challenging it can be at times. And so we really lean on um you know folks with demonstrated

35:09

ability and capacity to execute on these deals. Um for a lot of folks who are

35:15

newer to the space you know what we we oftentimes encourage is is reaching out to established partners in the area um

35:21

and building out those relationships. Um we have we have um historically seen you

35:27

know a strong a strong um pool of you know joint ventures out there where

35:34

smaller developers are partnering with more larger more established developers just to gain that uh expertise and

35:39

capacity building. uh and that's especially true in the rental space where NCHFA is also involved and so

35:46

there's typically some requirements there at the state level to have uh you know experience working in this space

35:51

prior to receiving funds independently. So that would be the first piece of advice I would have for you. Um there's

35:57

also a whole ecosystem out there in terms of supporting uh emerging developers across our city. I'll give a

36:03

shout out to our friends over at Lisk who have a uh real estate development initiative uh specifically to support

36:08

smaller scale developers or newer developers into this space. If you have any other specific questions

36:14

that I may not have answered that perfectly, please reach out. Happy to answer those with you or walk through those questions with you. And then will

36:21

you please review the budget sources and uses section of the application since it's not a separate document as before?

36:29

Uh yes, Rachel, I will reach out to you and go over that. I apologize. I do not

36:36

have enough screen screens currently uh to to bounce back and forth between documents, but I'd be happy to happy to

36:42

work through that with you. I understand it may be a little bit challenging in terms of um you know, the transition

36:48

from our old structure to the current structure. But I'm happy to chat through that with you. And if anyone else has

36:53

the same question, I'd be happy to do that with you as well. It shouldn't take too long. And then would duplexes be

36:59

considered a new or underutilized housing typology? Um, not necessarily. If you're speaking

37:05

about our innovation fund, I wouldn't say that's probably I wouldn't say that's that's an activity that we're uh

37:12

viewing as innovative. Um, it's certainly one that's underutilized. Um, but I I don't know that it would be the

37:17

right the right path for our innovation pilot. Certainly the right path for our home ownership program. Uh, and so would

37:24

encourage duplexes to be included in that. And then if there's land that is

37:29

currently owned by the city of Charlotte, how are we currently managing acquisition? Oh, sorry, let me jump up.

37:34

How are we currently managing acquisition? The upset bid process does not exist anymore. Uh, great question.

37:40

So, the city of Charlotte is continuously reviewing its inventory of land holdings. Um, and there are a

37:47

number of working groups who are looking at that. I am u occasionally involved in that, especially as it relates to affordable housing. And so the way that

37:53

process has really been playing out recently is um if there is land that is

37:59

more or less assigned to housing and neighborhood services, in other words, those various working groups have determined that this is land that is

38:05

suitable for affordable housing. Um then that moves over to the housing and neighborhood services staff to review

38:12

and conduct due diligence on. And so what we're regularly doing here at the city uh in housing and neighborhood services is looking at that land

38:18

inventory that is suitable for affordable housing, conducting due diligence to ensure that there aren't any, you know, stumbling blocks down the

38:25

road, whether it's environmental or legal. And then from there, we typically put that land out for RFP. Now, what I

38:31

can tell you is, and my apologies, this is a little bit outside of the the scope of of the housing trust fund. It's it's

38:36

a separate program. You don't apply for city- owned land via the housing trust fund. Uh but I'm I'm happy to answer

38:41

this question. the um the land that we have been reviewing recently. We've also been

38:47

working with our um internal partners over at the um urban design center which

38:52

is a part of our planning department and we've been working with them to program uh you know produce various housing

38:58

programs on those properties to kind of evaluate their their feasibility. And so be on the lookout for that. Uh whenever

39:05

we have city-owned land available for uh RFP, that will be made available and

39:11

announced via our mailing list and our RFP landing page. There's currently not any land out there at the moment. Uh but

39:18

we are actively evaluating a new batch of parcels. Uh we did have some approved last April and that was the last the

39:25

last time that we have um offered any land for affordable housing purposes.

39:33

Um, and then Joel, you asked, "Where can I get that information?" Uh, if you wouldn't mind just explaining what what

39:39

information you're looking for, I'm happy to happy to answer that question, but I'm not entirely sure uh what that

39:44

question is about. You can also reach out to me directly via email if you'd like. The next question, please explain

39:50

the three and fourbedroom requirement in planning a multif family project in the West End for workforce housing. It seems

39:56

counterintuitive to add three and four bedrooms on a corridor corridor on such a tight urban site. Does the ha does the

40:01

city have to see three and fours in a project? No, the city does not have to see three and fours in a project. Um I

40:07

apologize if that was a misconception based on what I said. What I'm saying is that is a priority and a preference, right? So um all things being equal, if

40:14

we're looking at two separate projects that are, you know, let's just say hypothetically we have two applications for the same parcel of land, that would

40:20

never happen in a million years for a number of different reasons, which I'm I'm happy to explain, but let's just say it did. Uh all things being equal, if

40:27

there was a uh if if one of the developments was proposing three and fours, it would kind of had the leg up. I hope that makes sense. Uh but no,

40:33

especially for senior developments, we're not expecting to see three and fours. Uh for some of our TOD projects, also not necessarily expecting to see

40:40

three and fours. Um we are completely understanding that some, you know, site layouts are not uh are not uh

40:48

accommodating of such large bedroom units and totally understand that. The three and four is really just a preference and priority, especially if

40:54

the county um is potentially going to be a partner in that deal.

41:00

Okay. Um great. AEGJ Construction dropped some

41:07

contact information into their uh or I'm sorry, into the chat. They are actually part of the list Charlotte uh first

41:13

cohort and they are general contractors and emerging developers. Um so that's great. No, congratulations on getting

41:19

through that program. up for great things and yes I can drop in the chat where you can

41:25

find land opportunities. Uh

41:30

sorry as I mentioned I'm working on working with a lot of windows and few screens.

41:37

All right so I will drop the RFP link into the chat here. So it'll be found here. This is the RFP landing page that

41:44

I just dropped into the chat. I would strongly, strongly, strongly, strongly encourage everyone here to sign up for

41:50

the join developers and nonprofit partners mailing list. Of course, you are more than welcome to check to check

41:56

this um check this landing page on a daily basis. Uh I understand that's not necessarily uh feasible for most folks.

42:03

And so, anytime we put something new out there as it relates to funding opportunities or land availability, it'll be mailed out through that mailing

42:09

list at the top. So, again, hit uh hit the join developers and nonprofit partners mailing list.

42:18

Okay, I think we got through all of the questions in the chat. Um, let's see. We

42:24

have some folks who are in the lobby,

42:31

but yeah, um, if that if there are no further questions, then we can close today's meeting. Uh, we're getting out a

42:37

few minutes earlier than than planned. Um, again, if you have any questions or

42:42

need any guidance, I am happy to be a resource. I will drop my email

42:48

into the chat as well. Just so you have it, uh, who would we

42:54

reach out for project concepts? Uh, if you're interesting in discussing project concepts, you can reach out to me. I'm

43:00

happy to chat, uh, as far as, um, making sure you're on the right path or

43:05

pointing you in the right direction. Uh if it's a good question. So one of

43:12

the one of the final questions that's kind of trickling in here is is in regards to a tiny home project in Concord. Uh what I can tell you is that

43:18

the housing trust fund would not be able to support development in Concord. Uh if it's in Meckllinburgg County, we are

43:24

able to consider leveraging our federal funds. But I would I would encourage you

43:31

to reach out to me uh and we can we can get you on the right path. Uh whether it's the housing development fund or

43:37

some other form

 

0:00

My name is Warren Wooten. I'm the executive I'm sorry. I'm the assistant director for affordable housing for the

0:06

city of Charlotte. Um, and I am uh one of the executives in charge of doing our

0:12

uh research work around our program. Uh so

0:21

what I'm going to go over with you uh today is you know just the reasons why

0:26

we're investing in doing research and evaluation. Um the three RFP

0:31

opportunities that are um out uh that you've been reviewing. um a little bit

0:37

about how those connects, how those connect um some around our timeline, our

0:44

expectations and our logistics and then I'll do uh some time of questions and

0:49

answers and do my best to answer your questions. So, you know, what are we

0:54

working on? Uh this is all uh any of you that have been doing uh research in this

0:59

in this area know that um we are in our in our housing economics in the country.

1:05

We're at a really different point than we were were even even three or four years ago. Um at that time uh we had a

1:12

34,000 unit gap in our affordable housing and it's not get gotten uh

1:19

better. It's it's we are we we are continuing to do work in this area and continuing to have significant

1:26

challenges here in Charlotte in providing all of the housing units that our workforce needs to be uh you know

1:33

fully employed especially close to their to their places of employment and good

1:39

opportunity. Um, and so we're looking for ways to better target investments,

1:45

better understand the problem so that we can come up with innovation innovative solutions and work on the efficiency of

1:51

of how we invest. So are there more efficient ways that produce better outcomes than than what we've been

1:57

doing. Um, our city council is very interested in these questions. um not just providing more money to problems,

2:04

but also coming up with better, more innovative solutions and really understanding the impact of the funding

2:10

that we've already invested in the community so that we know how to better invest going into the future.

2:19

So, you know, what does better evidence means? You know, we we like many local

2:26

governments are good at annual reports and counts of units and compliance in

2:31

our files. We're very good at compliance, but what we're trying to move toward is is more real outcomebased

2:38

logic based models where if we do this, we receive this kind of outcome and looking farther up the outcome stream to

2:47

really modify our approaches to really impact the real long-term outcomes that

2:54

our city council is interested in. Um, how do we actually move forward economic

2:59

mobility? how do we actually move forward uh housing stability and what do

3:04

we mean by that? Um, and so that's really where all of this is coming is we're looking for a group of partners to

3:11

really to help us think deeply about what these things mean and move forward

3:17

um, existing and new work towards more um, evidence-based outcomes um, and away

3:24

from just counting investment dollars and and accounts of units.

3:33

So, you know, there's a big picture here that this is part of. You know, that we

3:39

recognize that there are lots of components when it comes to answering

3:44

these big questions. So, this work that we're doing uh that we're we're asking

3:49

for assistance with, we understand is is several parts of a larger conversation

3:56

that includes both quantitative and qualitative approaches. um and also

4:01

getting feedback from our elected officials around the work that we do. So what we're doing is trying to build out

4:09

the um the uh available data that we have and direction that we have uh to

4:16

provide our elected officials better information for them to make decisions on how to move the city forward.

4:24

So, we have three RFP opportunities that are out on the um out on the website

4:32

right now. Um those have some old dates, so we will be updating those dates because we've been getting lots of

4:37

questions. Uh we did make a move where everything is now due on January 19th at

4:43

5:00 PM. You're going to uh submit that to my email and I will be sending out

4:49

convers confirmations to you once I receive your email. So, uh, I would I

4:55

would I would ask that you not wait all the way till 5:00 p.m. Um, so that I

5:00

have time to make sure that I got your documentation in and send you back a confirmation email that says yes, I have

5:06

it. So, one of those things to think about is, hey, uh, when I submit that stuff in, Warren said he was going to

5:12

send me an email back. Um, uh, be mindful of your file sizes. uh anything

5:18

between five and seven megabytes can sometimes hang up in our filters. Uh so if we need

5:24

to give you a different way to submit a document, uh please let me know. Um otherwise, you know, please go ahead and

5:31

submit through my email and I will send you a response that says I've received your submitt. Um so three opportunities.

5:40

one is is a really a straight evaluation project of several of the core programs

5:46

that the city's been running for years. So, we have a down payment assistance program um that's been running for 20

5:52

years. We have a housing rehab program that we call safe home that has been

5:58

running through several different iterations uh since the early 2000s and then an emergency repair program that's

6:05

a little bit uh newer than those other two, but we have several years of data that we've been collecting on running

6:11

these programs. Again, these are some of the core bed and uh breadandbut programs that we run. um a lot of that through

6:19

our federal funds shifting towards uh some of our local funds. So, we're looking for an evaluation on those

6:26

programs uh to help provide recommendations on um moving towards outcomes and more efficiency in those

6:33

programs. Um then we have two different projects that are uh related to uh our

6:42

housing trust fund. So for those of you who are not familiar with the city of Charlotte, uh the city of Charlotte uh

6:48

really in North Carolina has been a pioneer around subsidized investment into affordable housing. Uh we started

6:55

making our first investments in 2001 2002 and we started development of our

7:02

fund in the late 90s. So fairly unusual for a city of our size, but uh this has

7:08

been something that's been really important to our community for many years. Um uh back then that investment

7:15

was a $15 million fund every two years and we are currently working on spending

7:21

down a $und00 million fund. Um and uh waiting to see uh where council's um

7:29

interest lies in our next funding round to see what the next bond size will be uh with our council. So, it's a very

7:35

significant investment. And so, really two pro uh uh two approaches here. One,

7:42

working with um our Charlotte data trust. Um and I won't get into what that is. Many of you probably know it better

7:49

than I do, but really looking at how do we link data about the residents that

7:54

are currently in um some of our affordable housing investments with data that's already available in the data

8:01

trusts to see what we can learn about um about the residents uh that are using

8:07

our uh our current uh assets. Um and then the next one is uh doing some

8:14

direct outreach to current residents in um the HTF program um and uh developing

8:21

some surveying and helping us develop more of a longitudinal tool uh to help

8:27

us assess on a on a regular basis kind of the impacts that we are making on our

8:32

residents. um helping us with what that type of outreach and questions will be

8:37

and helping us figure out a way to operationalize that and develop those instruments and move that work forward.

8:44

So these are you know these are the large kind of buckets that we're working on um

8:52

and really trying to understand who's serve helping us figure out you know how

8:57

do we measure what are we what are we what are what are the outcomes that we're really interested in. So, there's going to be some, you know, questioning

9:03

of staff and us reaching into our organization, uh, to help you better understand what, um, our, uh, both our

9:10

administrative professionals and our elected officials mean by some of these often vague terms and then to figure out

9:16

ways to question, measure, and evaluate uh, those things. So, really, this is a

9:22

body of work. Um, you're probably going to have a lot of questions for me. Um, and while I know enough about the

9:28

research process to be dangerous, um, the reason that these RFPs are out is we really need um, that professional academ

9:37

level expertise um, to help us do this work. So, so some of my question your

9:42

your my response to your questions may be I don't know and that's why we're doing these these RFPs.

9:51

So, I think I've already described these. So RFP number one is that just a really straight evaluation of some of

9:57

our core projects, understanding how they operate, learning a little bit more about our client experience that that

10:04

they're having um and and really what are ways that we can improve um those

10:10

programs u from a really a quantitative like uh but also a qualitative like um

10:17

what can we learn from our uh past participants on ways that we can improve the work that we're doing.

10:28

Um, so you know, here's the scope of work for RFP number one. This is uh just sort of a uh summarized version of what

10:35

you'll find in the RFP. I think I've already said a lot of this. Um, so I'm

10:40

going to keep I'm going to keep going. Um, and yeah, I think it's really important for me to point out that in

10:47

all of the the work that we're doing, um, we are really going to be um,

10:53

posturing towards um, actionable types of recommendations.

10:58

Those are are going to what to be are going to be very important for our city council. not just what can we learn um

11:07

but what what how can we actually change and modify the work to um to respond to

11:13

what we're learning. So this is the data integration piece with our data trust. So looking at the

11:21

Htf property data, we do know the the the central addresses of all of those

11:27

investments. One of the work that some of the work that we're going to need to do is de is identifying the actual unit

11:33

addresses and building data tables for those unit addresses. We currently do not have that. We do have some help on

11:40

the city side um that can help with that. So that'll be part of the conversation is how do we arrive there

11:46

together um to get to the to get that data and then uh doing the work uh with

11:52

our partners at the data trust to to do the linking and really come up with a data set that helps us understand um

11:59

what data can be linked and what's available and what can we learn about data that's already available um out in

12:06

our system. So, um, if you're not familiar with Charlotte or the data trust, um, we have a fantastic team over

12:13

at UNCC and the Urban Institute that's doing great work around compiling data

12:18

from all over our community into uh ways that we can link that data together and learn more about our residents.

12:28

And again there's a a summarized um uh sum a summarized uh scope on that

12:36

project. You will see uh you know a lot of uh IRB uh references in here and

12:42

talking about getting approval if required. Um some of that is going to be uh you working with us on the best

12:48

design for these and that design will inform what kind of approvals we need to get.

12:54

So on and the final one is this uh understanding resident outcomes and helping us develop that uh system for

13:01

doing this work into the future. Um so really getting uh a a baseline of a

13:07

resident voice and then helping us figure out way how do we operationalize doing this work going in the in the

13:14

future so that we don't have to reinvent the wheel after we invent it the first time. uh but that that we as the city

13:19

can can continue to do this work so that we get just a new layer of information

13:25

about the residents that we're serving. Um we currently know a lot about the

13:30

properties that we've built. Uh we could tell you a lot about the cost and where they are, but you know, we really don't

13:36

have good data that talks about um how are these properties making a a

13:42

difference or not in the lives of their residents. Um I'm biased. I strongly believe that these properties are making

13:48

a positive difference in the lives of our residents but uh I want to uh I want

13:55

to be able to quantify that and uh do it in a way that it is verifiable as well.

14:01

So, and so this is helping us understand how

14:06

to survey, thinking through questions around sampling and waiting, thinking through uh you know methods for how are

14:12

we going to collect this information uh and then how are we going to operationalize it going forward.

14:22

Uh so I I think that you can see uh how all of this links uh together, but you

14:30

know, we're really looking kind of at at two different things. One is some of our

14:35

work that's outside of the housing trust fund. Um and then these two studies

14:41

about the work that we're doing inside the housing trust fund. The link there is is that city council is beginning to

14:47

expand their work um from just doing multifamily types of projects with the

14:53

trust fund into other types of investments. They're interested in doing single family investments. So there's a

14:59

lot of home ownership opportunities that are going uh out of the the RFP. They're interested in doing single family rehab

15:05

with the Htf money. So that's the linkage there is that all of this is HTF

15:11

funded with the eye on Our city council is really looking broadly at the types

15:17

of things that they can fund with their RFP. And so we are doing research and evaluation broadly so that we can

15:23

provide them information back on all of all of those types of activities that they're interested in pursuing.

15:33

So who should who should uh submit for these opportunities? Well, all of you should. Um I see many familiar names on

15:40

here. Many of you have reached out asking great questions. I've been able to respond to some of those and I I owe

15:45

some of you some feedback. So, um we will um start letting you ask some

15:50

questions. There are uh I I don't think think in the model that I have open that

15:56

I I can uh open the um

16:01

that I can open the the microphone. But what you can do is go up to that question and answer box. If you have

16:08

questions that you want me to answer online or try to answer online when I get to the end of this presentation, I

16:14

will be happy uh to do so. Um if you have questions, I know that there was a

16:19

question deadline in the RFP. Those will be all extended to the end of the year.

16:25

So get your questions in by the end of the year and I will do my best to get

16:30

all of those questions answered in the first week of January. So if you Yeah. So again, um we will

16:39

also update those RFPs that you get all of this in writing. Um but uh get me

16:45

questions in by the end of the year and then I will get those questions answered to for you by um the uh the end of that

16:54

first week of January and then and then after there that will be our silent period where we won't be able to answer

17:00

any more questions. So but we're we're really interested in uh for-profit and

17:06

nonprofit proposers to this. We're really interested in our local universities applying. We're also

17:11

interested into larger research organizations and then we I think that some of this uh work is well suited for

17:17

smaller research uh groups. Uh we we love partnerships here uh at the city of

17:23

Charlotte. So uh groups partnering to together to do this work is extremely

17:28

attractive to um to uh how we think and feel about doing work here in Charlotte.

17:36

Um we we try to do everything by building partnerships and doing work together. Um, but you know, we're definitely

17:43

looking for people who have expertise in doing professional research, especially

17:48

in developing surveys and survey meth methodologies. Any of you that have

17:54

worked with our data trust in the past, that will be a definite plus on who we select to do that to do that work. Um,

18:01

and then if you, you know, another plus is, uh, folks that have specifically done work in, in the housing space and

18:09

can provide evidence that they've done similar type of work, um, either on their own or in response to requests

18:16

from other um, interest groups or um, or uh, or localities or other

18:22

jurisdictions. I understand that it's might be unusual that a a unit of local

18:27

government has been asking for this, but I can certainly see where you may have done work for something like a state

18:33

finance agency or um a housing authority. Any of that type of work, we would be really interested to understand

18:40

what you've done for for groups like that. Another question that's come in before I

18:46

leave this slide is um you you're not limited to just applying to one of the

18:54

RFPs. If you are a group um that has a capacity and interest to do um work in

19:01

all three of these RFPs, then please submit uh a response to all three RFPs.

19:07

you do need to s submit a separate response to each RFP, but we also

19:12

understand that a lot of that information would be similar as you were submitting those those responses.

19:24

So, uh f some final reminders and some of this is answering some other

19:29

questions that have already come in. Uh, we will take applications up until

19:34

January 19th at 5:00 p.m. And again, if

19:40

you could submit a little bit before 5:00 p.m. so I can acknowledge your submitt and if we have a problem, we can

19:45

get on the phone and figure out how to get the information in, that would be fantastic. Um,

19:52

that is my email address. Uh, some people have asked around budget. Um we

19:58

we do not have a proposed budget because we have not done this work before. So

20:05

it's it's uh it wouldn't be uh it wouldn't be intellectually honest for us

20:11

to attach dollar amounts to these various projects um because we have nothing to gauge that

20:19

by. So I I'm I'm certainly happy to answer questions around that. But um uh

20:26

what our expectation is is that you as researchers will be looking at this um that you will be putting together kind

20:32

of a scope and um we'll be judging that scope and the timeline um

20:40

uh and and applying costs to those. So we we expect that you to be the expert on what does it take to actually to do

20:48

this kind of work. And again there are some questions around IRB. uh that that's a that's going to be I don't know

20:54

and it's going to be us working together to figure out what the design for some of this is and then based on that do we

21:00

need do we need to get to get approval. Um okay so that's all on that slide and

21:06

I've seen some questions coming in. It's uh 1:36 so I will answer questions for

21:13

10 minutes and uh or until I run out of questions to answer um and then I'll let

21:19

you all go. And again, we are recording this um so

21:24

um so you can you can come back and and

21:30

watch it. Here we go.

21:36

All right. So, here's some questions that have come in. Uh will there be three different firms selected for each

21:41

RFP? Not necessarily. uh we are going to select uh the best qualified

21:48

um uh partner to work on each of these opportunities. So we could end up with

21:53

three partners, we could end up with one or two. We it'll uh it'll be we're going to allow everyone to complete compete

22:01

individually and ex you know and exhaustively in each of these categories. So we will make a decision

22:07

RFP to RFP based on the on the merits of those submittals.

22:12

Uh, will you post the answers to all submitted questions on the website? Yes, we will. You will get to see every

22:18

question that everyone else answers uh asks, and you will get to see how I answer all of those questions that will

22:24

be posted onto that website um uh by the

22:30

end of that first week in January. Is there an estimate of the number of

22:36

people living in these communities? I'm going to I'm going to estimate I'm going

22:42

to assume that you mean in the housing trust fund communities we have over 13,000 units uh of investment. So that

22:51

is the that is you know and I would say that the we're probably at 12,000 of those being

22:58

occupied in that there's probably a thousand that are under construction. So that gives you a good idea of what the

23:04

population size is in the housing trust fund investments.

23:10

Yep. All right. That was no other questions. Um and I know many of you

23:17

have some question lists in my email. You're welcome to ask any of those now or I will answer them and I will I will

23:24

post them.

23:29

Yeah. So now you're asking like a household size question. Um, and so we

23:35

have senior investments and we also have family investments. Um, and

23:42

anecdotally, uh, I would say that the average household size in a senior is one or

23:48

like 1.2. It's it's it's it's usually it's usually one and every now and then

23:54

two folks that are living in in one of those develops. And then I would say that probably the the the

24:00

average family size in the family is probably something like 3.5 would be my if I was to if I was to guess based on

24:08

the just the interactions that I have with with that market.

24:14

Good questions. Anything else? Any anyone have anything

24:21

else? Do I have any idea of the languages

24:26

beyond English and Spanish that we may need on the survey? So, you're definitely going to need English and

24:31

Spanish. Um, we have a language access plan that we can share with you and that

24:36

will give you uh information about the languages spoken here in Charlotte in

24:43

general. Um I I'm there is a south there there's a a

24:50

Souththeast Asia country that we have a lot of population in some of our housing and I can't recall which one it is. So

24:56

I'm not going to embarrass myself and and throw something out there and then be wrong. But what we can do is provide

25:03

you some information from our language access plan that has a really good breakdown of uh who speaks what language

25:09

in Charlotte by percentage. And I find that that carries that that probably

25:16

skews higher higher second languages spoken in our lower income population.

25:23

So that'll be some good data for you all to look at.

25:29

Yeah, you can uh the language access plan is probably on our website, but um I will I will take that as a question

25:36

and in my response I will post a link to the language access plan in January, but

25:41

you can if you want to see it now, you can probably get it off of the city's website. Um you really should be able to

25:46

get it off our website. So if you can't find it, email me and I will figure out where it's at.

25:58

So, um, Janelle, you're asking me a question about a specical phasing of

26:03

that, and I think I know what you're talking about, but would you send that one to me in an email? Yeah. Yeah. Um,

26:10

let me let me look at that and provide you some feedback. That's a good question. What Janelle's asking about is

26:16

should you all preview cost on helping the city carry out the panel into the

26:21

future? Let me Yeah, let me see what we said and try to give you a good answer

26:27

on that. But that's a good question. All right, three more minutes or uh if

26:35

no one else puts any more questions and we can stop now. But uh these were let's see. Oh, we didn't get another one.

26:40

Let's see here. Does survey data collection need to include all modes identified in the RFP

26:47

online, phone, mail, paper, in person? or is it a combination of two or more modes sufficient. So this is one where

26:55

you know the answer to that question as researchers better than I do. Um you can

27:00

uh propose to us how you would do it knowing our mo market and knowing how to

27:06

do this to do this work. um knowing the population like we talked about our senior population, you know, the

27:13

proposal of an of an online only tool probably is not sufficient for our

27:18

population, but I would um I would uh definitely read and take that that would

27:25

be part of your responses of of h how you would do it.

27:33

Yes. And somebody somebody else asked, can you tell me about that two to five year budget question? Yeah, I will

27:38

submit that one to me and writing and I will make sure it gets posted so that you all are are submitting apples to

27:44

apples. All right. Anyone else? Oh, yes.

27:55

Uh, that's a good one. Do you have any guidelines or restrictions related to the use of incentive payments? For

28:00

example, certain types of incentives, i.e. cash not allowed. Is there a minimum dollar amount or cap in on

28:07

individual incentives? So, the city of Charlotte does, but the city of

28:14

Charlotte won't be conducting the research. You will. So, you can definitely include that in your proposal.

28:21

Um, and and I I have seen other groups in Charlotte use that and I understand

28:26

that it is often uh very useful to do that to get good responses back on on

28:32

this work. Uh, any advice? That's a good question.

28:38

Any advice for new firms planning to apply apply that may have never worked uh with the city? Um, so you know, you

28:46

can always look for partners that have. I will tell you that the housing and neighborhood services

28:52

has never done an RFP like this before and I would imagine that there's lots of you that have never worked with the city

28:57

before because this is not the type of RFP that the city typically release. So um so the question for the new you know

29:04

do I have an advice for new firms? Many of you I bet are going to be new new firms because this is just not the type

29:11

of work I'm really excited that we're getting involved in doing in doing this kind of work. Um but again understanding

29:16

the local market is very important to us uh when we have folks coming in. So

29:22

figuring out a way um to uh demonstrate that you have an understanding of of

29:28

Charlotte and Charlotte's local local market. Um looking for um local people

29:34

to partner with. Um all of that would be very attractive in an in a in a

29:40

response. um just letting us know that um you know we're not just another city

29:45

uh that that you understand there there are some very unique things about uh the

29:50

history of Charlotte, the geography of Charlotte, um you know the um kind of

29:57

the political economy in Charlotte. Um you know being able to demonstrate that

30:04

that you recognize and that you have looked into that I think is all good at understanding how to do this work.

30:11

Great. Uh, and that is that's 145. So, uh, I just want to say again, I

30:18

apologize that we took so long to get online. Thank you for waiting for me. I

30:24

hope this information is helpful. And again, please um please submit and and

30:30

if you look in the the chat, uh Harold has posted uh our uh our uh uh language

30:38

access plan on the website as it should be common languages spoken in Charlotte

30:44

uh English, Spanish, Vietnamese, Russ, Russian, Chinese, and Arabic. And

30:49

Vietnamese was the one that I was going to state. So I was right. Uh but that those are true. But, uh, predominantly

30:57

English and Spanish are the are the the ones that we're going to need to address. Um,

31:05

are you able to address the question? Uh, send me that question off online. Uh, and I'll I'll do my best to respond.

31:13

Um, so, thank you all for um for attending this. Uh, give us a day or

31:18

two. We're going to get this webinar posted online. Um, and then I will receive your written comments, compile

31:24

them, respond to them, and they will be posted onto our website. Um, and again,

31:29

I really uh appreciate your interest and uh look forward to uh receiving your

31:34

proposals. I hope you have a great day.

 

0:00

I am Warren wooden I'm the assistant director for affordable housing for the city of Charlotte and I am joined by

0:06

some of my esteemed colleagues this morning we have Miss Ruth EPO on the

0:11

call she is one of our project managers uh and we have Ronald Mason Ron is uh in

0:17

charge of our home ownership down payment assistance and other Home Ownership activities here at the city of Charlotte we're excited to bring to you

0:24

new opportunity this morning I'm going to do about half of the slide deck um

0:29

and then Ruth is going going to do the other half and we will be able to take questions from you at the end you can do

0:37

that either by dropping a question into the chat or disabling your mic um and

0:42

Ron as I get going if you would uh help with letting people into the meeting and also muting any mics that come in hot um

0:51

while I'm talking thank you sir all right good to see everyone

0:57

um so this uh this this program that we're going to present this morning um

1:03

is a program that was piloted by the city back in 2020 with some funding and some direction to council that they

1:09

wanted to see uh the city to take a more active role in positive development in existing neighborhoods and so uh that is

1:18

where the ARR program came from um stands for acquisition rehab and resell

1:25

and so we're going to go through you know what this program is and how to utilize it um and I'm going to try not

1:31

to read all of these SL slides to you because I know that you could read them for yourselves but basically what we do with this program is partner with

1:38

nonprofit organizations um to acquire uh restrict

1:43

and resale um homes that are on the market that are um either being sold by

1:48

a homeowner or are um or being sold out out of a rental single family rental

1:55

inventory and it allows us to to partner with you to acquire those units and

2:02

um uh and resell them to low and moderate income home buyers and uh it's

2:08

a bit of a unique approach in that the way the city funding comes in is we help to provide the the subsidy either

2:15

through a direct subsidy um at the closing table or um through a write down of a loan to help you acquire and Rehab

2:22

uh that property

2:31

so the way the program is going to work this round is it's going to work through a loan pool model this is something that

2:36

we're going to try um and hopefully uh it it will work the way that we've intended um and the process will be that

2:44

you will apply to be an eligible loan pool member and so what we have up on the screen here are some of the um the

2:53

the requirements um we're looking for nonprofits who do have some experience

2:58

in this work um you you may I know that there may be some for-profits on the line um we we welcome for profits to

3:08

participate um we just ask that you have a nonprofit partner and we'll kind of

3:14

show you why we're we're doing that here in a little bit uh you need to be registered with the city as a vendor um

3:21

we have a an insurance requirement that you have to maintain and then we're going to be looking at your rehab uh

3:28

experience and um so that rehab experience we're looking at you've completed 15 other rehab

3:34

projects in the last five years and again that could be directly or through a group that's that's applying and

3:40

working together so the way the way this program

3:49

works is uh you you will you will you will act on your own looking for

3:54

properties to acquire um these can be uh loans that you you know like I said can

4:01

be coming from a a rental inventory could be for coming from an owner to to resale um if you are nonprofit you have

4:08

first right refusal on properties those are eligible properties to be acquired we're going to show that you the GE the

4:15

geography that the city is interested in um right now we're working at this loan value of 342 or less uh and that is uh

4:24

the resale value and that s that value is set um based on some information that

4:30

we have for HUD and how HUD does its programs um we will fund you over that

4:35

again you know we're going to allow you to collect some fees for your participation in the program and so the

4:42

maximum funding for any unit that we're going to do is going to be $350,000 um and and and for one partner

4:51

you may you may have up to $700,000 out with us at one time so that could be two

4:58

350 $50,000 loans or if you have Capital that you want to use um you don't have

5:05

to take the full loan from us you could just take a loan for subsidy um and and finance the rest of the construction um

5:13

out of cash on hand or out of a line of credit um as long as you only have

5:18

$700,000 of outstanding liabilities with us so you could uh do uh one loan at

5:25

350,000 and then pick three other units that you're going to finance yourself and ask us for just the subsidy amount

5:32

of those of those units um and then of course they be sold to

5:39

households out of below um 80%

5:46

Ami so that's what I just said we already talked about the market value um

5:51

we we will allow you to use a soft second to capture uh any difference between um the um the the Sal price and

6:00

what you're financing uh to the to the owner um so this is a situation where the house might be worth 300

6:08

$42,000 uh but there's actually only a need to finance uh

6:13

$250,000 and you want to capture the rest of the equity through a soft second

6:19

we will'll allow you to do that but the subsidy amount coming from the city can be no more than

6:25

$80,000 um we we we do want you using our other basically the subsidy that we

6:30

leave in the program through ARR is kind of The Last Resort subsidy we want you using lenders down assistance programs

6:38

we want you use the Housing Finance agency's programs we want you to use House Charlotte and then if there's a

6:43

remaining Gap when you're doing this um will allow you to use the equity out of

6:48

the the AR loan um we are going to Institute a

6:56

minimum shared Equity approach in this um we will be flexible with this know

7:03

some of you might do a a longer stretch of shared equity on these projects um

7:09

but we at least want to do a minimum 10year shared Equity approach as see seen here so if you're not familiar with

7:15

shared Equity this is just to help to capture the gains on the property for

7:20

the first 10 years and so in years one to three the homeowner would not capture those gains the nonprofit would actually

7:27

capture those those gains and we'd ask that you'd reinvest those into another affordable housing um uh uh unit either

7:36

either the unit that this person is selling or another unit if for some reason this this unit isn't a viable

7:43

unit you know in year four the owner gets a third of that equity in year seven they get another third so they're

7:49

at two thirds and then after 10 years all of the equity um is is captured and

7:56

and to them and then we asked that the profit partner hold a first R refusal so

8:01

you do have the ability to buy it back um and also to put a restriction on the

8:08

property so that it can't be used as a rental as a rental uh property so again

8:14

this approach is to provide stability in neighborhoods to convert rental units from rental into Home Ownership um to

8:22

help with the the the the ratio of ownership uh to rental units we're going to be focused in um our corridors area

8:29

uh and so we'll show you that in in a minute but the whole approach is to to help increase and stabilize home

8:35

ownership and home ownership in some of our older neighborhoods this is a little bit more

8:42

about the loan terms uh the loan that you take from the city is a loan it will be it will be securing that property

8:48

it's a zero 0% interest rate again at $350,000 a unit or or less that's just

8:54

our our maximum amount we will have you put affordability requirements on on that um we will be watching these

9:02

projects and we'll be you know we'll be able we'll have a loan term on that loan but if for some reason something gets

9:07

stalled out that happens we'll extend that loan term and then basically at the

9:13

when you resale to the homeowner after you'll provide a performant at the end you'll provide a perform at the at the

9:20

beginning and we will help with that final piece of subsidy by writing down

9:25

the amount needed to make it affordable to the buyer at the end of the of the

9:36

project so this is just uh an overview and again we're going to make these

9:42

slide deck the slide deck available so that you have it um but this is just an overview of the entire approach um that

9:50

we're discussing um and uh again I'm not going to read through all of this because uh

9:57

that's not what this is here for but this is just to show you that the approach is a is a cyclical uh approach

10:05

where the money goes out you become a a loan pool member once you're a member

10:11

you have the ability to reserve uh funds uh from the pool uh once you reserve

10:17

them will hold those funds for three months at first as long as the closing

10:23

is going to happen there's no issues there we can extend that again we understand that the real EST State

10:29

Market pre especially right now can be volatile and so we'll extend that you'll

10:35

close on the on the acquisition you'll you'll do the renovations you'll put the I'm sorry you you'll close the the the

10:42

loan you'll purchase you'll put the restrictions onto the property you'll do the Rehab on that property and then

10:48

you'll resell it to LMI buyer we'll put the subsidy in needed to make the

10:54

project pencil out and the remaining amount of that funding will then come back into the loan pool then that

11:00

funding will then go back out to the next person in line to purchase a

11:05

property I think that that's the end of my set of uh slides and I think uh Ruth

11:11

you're going to run through this next Set uh with the with the with our with

11:17

our company and uh we'll get some questions at the end so I'll flip to the next slide for you thank

11:24

you um yes so I'm going to run through the um actual process uh once again gets going so the first step would be for um

11:32

Partners to apply to actually become members um of the uh pool the funding

11:38

pool um so we have some uh requirements um that we'd like you to submit as part

11:43

of that application um and you can see our requirements listed here it's

11:49

basically making sure that you've got the experience um and also the capacity to carry out um the program once it gets

11:56

going so the first stage will be for the um pool membership to open um and then

12:02

once um you're approved sorry there's some other bits that you'd also need to um include in your submission to become

12:08

the member so that's kind of standard that we request in other rfps too so Articles of

12:14

Incorporation um and tax exemption for the nonprofit uh from the IRS um and two

12:21

we're looking for two years ideally certified um by public accountant of your financial statements um and

12:29

then I'd receive those documents and then there may be a requests for further

12:35

information and hopefully you're approved and then we'd move on to the next stage and next slide please

12:50

Warren so the if you're as long as you're approved and you become an actual pool member so what would happen once

12:56

you're a pool member you'd get a letter of certification from the city um saying that you're approved to go

13:01

ahead um and bid for funding from the ARR pool um it's a non-competitive

13:07

process in so much that we not applications could be submitted at any time when the pool is actually open um

13:15

so as in when you find properties that you think are suitable and you have the information on um please go ahead and

13:21

submit those we do ask for um substantial information that comes along

13:27

with the applications just so that we can verify their suitability to the actual program so those will be listed

13:34

out within the actual supporting documentation I've given a snapshot of what we'll be looking at here um the one

13:41

of the key things to note is that the rehab the rehabilitation cost themselves must follow procurement processes and by

13:48

that we mean that um we'd ask you to submit at least two quotes for the actual um Rehabilitation costs if you're

13:56

choosing or electing to use internal labor um we just be comparing that with

14:02

labor rates and we do use RS means as a means of kind of comparing costs um that

14:09

are within the local area too um it sets out the so the financing if you can also

14:14

set out the amount of loan requests that you're doing the estimated acquisition of Rehabilitation costs again we know

14:22

that those may or may not vary as you go through the project so we'll be kind of working with you at the end um to fix on

14:28

the actual costs incurred um and then sources of any non- city funding that

14:34

you anticipate using for the acquisition of Rehabilitation too and we have there's a standard City Pro former with

14:41

a subsidy analysis um that we'd ask you to complete both at the beginning and the end of the process once the resale

14:48

is successful we can go to the next

14:54

slide so the eligible properties that we're looking at will be single family

14:59

and town homes um fee simple ownership and currently Condominiums aren't um

15:04

accepted in the program at the moment um and the reason we're looking at um or

15:10

requesting a minimum of 10 years life for the home systems and the structural components is that we don't want to

15:17

burden um low bate income buyers with like a

15:22

high ticket item as soon as they've purchased a property and to to ensure that they've got like a prolonged

15:27

lifespan um we we don't want anybody um or households to be displaced during

15:32

this program that's not the purpose of it we want to House people um and not have to undergo relocation we do have a

15:40

specific area that we're targeting so it's the corridors of opportunity which is six areas that have been identified

15:46

by the city um so yeah we'd be focusing on those ones um and if you could just

15:53

pop back again so we're just fixing on those um building code is also critical

15:59

so no um illegal uh structures um we won't be

16:05

paying for the legalization or permitting of anything like that um no code violations um if if when you're

16:12

viewing the property and it becomes aware that there's an environmental concern then we'd be looking um for your

16:18

plan of action time scales and cost for remediating um any issues that have been

16:24

identified um and it's just to reiterate again that the um resale value of the rehabilitated property cannot exceed

16:33

342,000 um and the properties must be sold at

16:50

Market uh yeah if we move on to the map

16:55

quickly so yeah this is um showing you the six areas where Charlotte is

17:01

focusing and actually targeting investment um and that's where we want to focus the um areas of where we're

17:08

looking to include properties within this um acquisition and Rehab resale program so those are the ones that

17:15

you'll be looking for to see if there's any um vacant homes any properties that are on the market um at present that may

17:22

need um that you can utilize this program and funding for next slide

17:27

please okay so the actual application review

17:34

process so the um this is for when you've actually identified a property

17:40

you have you've compiled the costs and everything like that um you would actually submit that information to me

17:46

as the program and administrator um I'll be reviewing the cost checking cost checking that it kind of conforms to the

17:53

program um where we're looking at location um property type resale value

18:00

excuse me and then as long as it's approved and we'll do the same as we do with other loans we'll issue you with um

18:07

a commitment letter and that would provide you with the level of loan amount the city's prepared to offer

18:12

along with a maximum of three months um validity period um the documents

18:19

themselves will be drafted by the city myself and then the partner the AR pool

18:25

member and their attorney um and then we'd be looking to get documents executed in house with regards to the

18:31

funds it would depend on the structure of the deal so if you're seeking funds say for the acquisition um then the loan

18:38

would close at the point that you'd acquire the property whereas if you're looking for funds to assist with the um

18:46

Rehabilitation of the property itself then the funds would be released on a reimbursement basis so as in when you

18:52

incur the costs you would submit the invoices and then the city would make payment um based on those invoices is

18:59

but it's important to note that those invoices must have the um supportive supporting information basically to

19:06

verify that the cost have been incurred by the AR po member and next slide

19:13

please so we actually have an in-house uh rehab team um so they're basically on

19:20

point to um um monitor the works as and when they're going on um so as and when

19:27

we close on a loan um with a pool member um they'll be notified and we'll keep in

19:32

uh contact with you so as and when works begin um our rehab Specialists will actually visit site to check how the

19:39

progress is going um and they can report back to me with how um The Works are progressing um we do request um that PO

19:47

members provide us with monthly reports themselves along with um the financial

19:52

uh progress and this is the onus is on the member to actually Market the property

19:59

once it's completed the rehab um to for the affordable sale um so you're looking

20:05

at ensuring that in the um sale documents that people are fully aware

20:11

that there's like a maximum income limit um at the resale closing we do ask that City's given the

20:18

opportunity to verify that the home buyer is actually um eligible um as a

20:24

home buyer for the property so we'll be looking for income verification um to demonstrate they fall within the program

20:31

requirement of um maximum of 80% are immediate income and then obviously

20:37

following that once the resale is closed um we'd be looking to have a payoff

20:44

statement um where we can settle the amount that's payable back to the city

20:49

which will then go back into the um AR pool fund and next slide

20:56

please and we are looking for this to be an ongoing program um so there'll be an

21:01

annual renewal process for pool members that are interested in continuing um so

21:07

what would happen is You' submit a letter to the city um and just submit supporting documentation to basically

21:13

demonstrate that you're still in good standing um we'd ask for the last year's um

21:19

certified uh accounts um and your updated insurance policy to um and then

21:28

what would happen is once that's approved I'd issue another letter to say that you're continuing as a a pool

21:34

member for that next year so that be FY 26 and that's all for me so I'd now like

21:39

to open up oh no it isn't all for me we've got the program schedule I apologize so the poll which is where

21:47

you'd apply to be a member um is to be launched in August um and that's where

21:52

you're giving your um experience capacity demonstration of any similar

21:58

project you've worked on within the past 5 years and then the actual funding will open in September of 24 so it gives us

22:06

time to review the actual member applications and then um you can get going with submitting property um

22:13

funding requests from September and now I'd like to open the

22:19

floor for questions thank you very much yeah so that's all we have in terms of the

22:25

program uh overview again uh we we try when we ask you to come to these uh

22:30

webinars to just provide you the information very quickly so that you can find out a little bit about the program

22:37

um if you'd like to ask a question you can either uh use the raise hand feature at the top of the screen or you can pop

22:43

pop something into uh the chat we'll be happy to respond to it if we can and if

22:48

we can't uh we will we will get back to you also all of the program documentation for additional details

22:55

will be on the website when you're eligible to apply for the pool we'll put the program outline which will provide

23:01

you more detail on the program so um you if you have program detail questions uh

23:08

um we we we'll try to answer them today if if you do if if not um we will make

23:14

sure that they are answered by the document uh that'll be on the website coming up in just a few days any

23:19

questions

23:30

well Ruth we did an amazing job oh we got one question there we go hold on one

23:41

second yeah so uh Rachel asked a question for shared appreciation will

23:46

Arrangements longer than 10 years be accepted uh yes so that that that's the

23:52

minimum for for the program but we understand that various nonprofit organizations already run programs like

23:59

this and so a longer period will be will be accepted as long as you be that

24:05

minimum requirement thank you Rachel uh Kirk you can come off of uh off of mute

24:12

and ask your question if you'd like I'm sorry I got I just went back

24:18

and read the slide um I was looking at it where um just to see if new construction would be a part of this

24:25

process no new construction will not be part of this process

24:30

yep we'll have some other opportunities for new construction um coming up soon and if you're also working for a

24:36

nonprofit organization for new construction you can talk to Ruth offline about the home uh the home

24:42

funding pool uh so there's actually a way to do that so um Ruth do you have

24:48

your email at the end of this slide deck we'll make sure that Ruth gets her email out oh do you yeah there it is so

24:56

there's Ruth email Kirk um you can you can send her an email about that and she'll be happy to share that

25:02

information with you thanks for the question so I have one more question if you don't mind sure um so is this

25:09

typically just for um Acquisitions and sales of property for affordable housing so people having equity in a home are we

25:16

targeting um rental rates or just selling so of the home so this yeah

25:24

so this this is for the what what are eligible for acquisition are properties that are already on the

25:30

market by a homeowner who is going to sell their property anyways or by a for

25:36

a rental unit that is no longer occupied so an empty rental unit to ensure that we don't displace anyone those are the

25:42

properties that are eligible for purchase 104 104 that makes a lot

25:50

Warr hey Warren this is Marcus por um thanks uh to you and Ro for this great

25:57

overview of this opportunity that's one question I have um related to a scenario

26:03

where um the participant in a program um leverages funding to purchase

26:09

a home and wants to leverage additional funding you have home is there a time

26:14

window or time period from purchase to to rehab and actually that home is ready

26:21

for for resale um do you have any restrictions or applys or time it takes

26:28

to actually from the time of purchasing securing those loans from the city to

26:34

purchase to time that unit needs to be ready for the sale yeah so R Ruth said that you know

26:40

we'd like you to be in a place when you when you when you apply to the pool that you can close within 90 days to purchase

26:47

that property um I will go back and check to see if we've talked about a time frame for

26:53

renovation um but I will tell you that my expectation would be four to 6 months that that's that's typically what we've

26:59

seen the the learning that we've done after this is we we we did this with a couple of Partners on a pilot basis um

27:06

over the last couple of years and and typically what we are seeing is is four to six months to get that thing on the

27:13

market um and ready for for sale great question perfect thank

27:19

you great uh any other questions yeah Rachel's H got a good one uh regarding

27:26

she says how long do you anticipate the preparation of the loan docks by the city staff and attorney and pool member

27:32

to take which is a good really good question um I can tell you that we've got um very efficient attorneys and it

27:39

all depends on the efficiency of the turnaround of the pool member and their attorney um to be honest um we we have

27:46

had experience in the past where we've had comments back like within a day I'm not sure how quick it worked on the

27:52

previous um uh round because I wasn't actually here um so I can't speak with

27:57

that but in terms of other deals I've been working on dep as long as you've got the right people in place it can be

28:03

very quick and efficient Warren I don't know if you want to extend on that no and these are fairly straightforward

28:10

transactions so you know we'll have we'll already have pre-prepared docs on

28:15

these um that you'll be able to look at and see so um again I don't I don't

28:23

anticipate that being a difficult process great

28:29

any other questions before we close out our time together I have one question if that's

28:34

okay yeah go ahead uh Sean Kennedy with Prosper Alliance Kennedy properties

28:40

quick question SE so knowing the market in Charlotte um would it be possible if we identify a property and being that

28:46

it's so competitive pay cash to purchase it and being reimbursed from the city once we pay cash for it just to make

28:52

sure we secure it at a good price and make sure we get it that is that is an acceptable practice you just want to

28:58

make sure that you're fully approved and you have the money reserved in the uh in

29:04

the loan pool before doing that I would recommend you don't do that until we can get you an approved loan process so that

29:11

can happen very quickly we we were making decisions once the partner got us all of the paperwork within 48 Hours it

29:19

just gives us enough time to be um to review your documents to make sure that

29:26

everything um is all the costs that you're saving are reasonable um and that it meets the

29:32

requirements you know that it's in the the correct location that the cost the sales cost is going to be correct so so

29:39

yeah that's that is a an acceptable practice so long as you reserve the money before you actually make the

29:45

purchase but that's a great question Sean thank you and then I saw one more come in through

29:54

chat will the presentation be emailed to us it won't be emailed to you but all of

30:00

this including this webinar will be posted onto our um proposals website and

30:07

if you just em if you can't find it uh email Ruth and Ruth will send you the link so you can see this proposal and

30:13

Ruth is already on top of it there it is right there so copy that copy that link down everything that comes out from

30:20

Housing Services in terms of housing um funding opportunities is is posted on

30:27

that page this we will be posted on that page all the the application link will be posted on that page all the program

30:33

documents will be posted on that page but it's a great question all right uh not seeing any

30:39

additional questions I don't think I've missed any hands up um just want to

30:46

really thank everyone for their time um we um recognize that uh the city can

30:53

play a part but it is when we are working together that we actually have the big

30:58

impact on the city and uh this is an area where we really want to partner

31:03

with you to help increase uh home ownership opportunities in our existing

31:09

neighborhoods and uh really give people an opportunity for economic uh Mobility

31:14

so so thank you all for your time today we look forward to hearing for you and we look forward to your participation in

31:20

the loan pole take care

0:00

All right, good afternoon everybody. Um,

0:02

thanks for joining us this afternoon uh

0:05

for this afternoon's housing development

0:07

fund webinar uh where we'll be

0:08

discussing this summer's RFP cycle.

0:16

Okay. Um, first just want to do some

0:18

brief introductions. Uh, my name is

0:19

Michael Inglehart. I'm the housing trust

0:21

fund manager here at the city of

0:22

Charlotte and I'm joined by my

0:24

colleagues Harold Thompson and Leslie

0:26

Blazer as well as Janine Simmons our

0:28

housing admin. Uh first I just want to

0:31

point out if you have any technical

0:32

difficulties please communicate via the

0:34

chat. Uh however please don't be

0:36

stressed. A recording and transcript

0:38

will be p will be posted in the days

0:40

that follow. Um another note if you have

0:43

any questions throughout the

0:44

presentation please drop those in the

0:46

chat. You can put those in at any point

0:47

in time. um we will hold uh on answers

0:50

until the Q&A, but you are welcome to

0:52

put those in um as they come up and

0:55

please don't hesitate.

0:57

So on today's agenda, we're going to go

0:59

through the background of the housing

1:00

trust fund. We're going to walk through

1:02

the process and schedule, review some

1:04

eligibility criteria, and then perhaps

1:06

most importantly for any returnees is go

1:08

over what's new in the housing trust

1:10

fund or in the housing development fund

1:12

RFP, and then we'll wrap up with a Q&A.

1:18

So, I think this presentation will be

1:20

fairly short and brief. Um, so we can

1:22

spend most of our time with any

1:24

questions and and answers that that

1:25

folks may have.

1:27

So, just as background, um, the housing

1:30

trust fund was created in 2001, uh,

1:32

which is the city's primary tool for

1:34

creating and preserving affordable

1:36

housing across the city of Charlotte.

1:38

This includes rental, home ownership,

1:39

and supportive housing. Um, it is voted,

1:44

I'm sorry, it is funded by voter

1:45

approved affordable housing bonds and

1:47

this typically occurs every two years.

1:50

City's investments are leveraged with

1:51

private sector funds through

1:52

partnerships with developers. These for

1:55

multif family uh rental purposes, these

1:57

frequently include the low-income

1:59

housing tax credits.

2:01

Uh since 2002, uh whenever we first

2:04

started making our initial awards, we've

2:06

invested around $300 million and have

2:08

funded uh well over 14,000 units in

2:11

shelter beds. We're we're quickly

2:14

approaching 15,000 actually and expect

2:16

to hit that after this round.

2:21

Uh so just to go over the proposal

2:23

review process. Uh in phase one we

2:26

announce the RFP and then once

2:27

applications are received we notify city

2:29

council and initiate our review of

2:31

proposals. About 45 days later summaries

2:34

are sent to city council with with our

2:37

recommendations. From there it's

2:39

entirely in city council's court for uh

2:41

funding decisions.

2:43

After that, uh once fund awards are

2:46

made, we we uh negotiate or not

2:48

negotiate, we we work directly with

2:51

development partners to um finalize any

2:54

terms of our agreements before moving

2:56

into financial closing and then

2:58

construction and monitoring.

3:04

So, the schedule for this summer's

3:06

round, uh the RFP was posted on June

3:08

13th. We are hosting the webinar today

3:10

on June 23rd. And most critically, the

3:13

application submission deadline is July

3:15

25th, 2025. So about a month and a few

3:19

days uh out from today's date.

3:22

Um

3:24

after after uh submissions are are

3:27

received, uh we then work uh we being

3:30

the housing and neighborhood services

3:31

department work closely with our friends

3:33

over in planning to review both the

3:35

application as well as the sketch plans

3:37

that are submitted. Um over the next few

3:40

months that follow, we work, like I

3:42

said, closely with those folks. Uh go

3:44

over any questions and concerns that we

3:46

have with developers

3:48

before culminating in our presentations

3:50

to city council. Uh the date for the

3:52

first city council meeting this summer's

3:54

round is actually in fall, October 13th,

3:57

2025. Uh it was expected city council

4:00

approval occurring on October 27th,

4:02

2025.

4:05

Uh if you participated in last winter's

4:08

round, you may have you may notice that

4:10

there is uh something missing from the

4:11

schedule, which is the presubmitt

4:12

meetings. Uh we did attempt to host

4:14

those last winter. However, due to the

4:17

unprepedented level of demand for the

4:20

the housing development fund, uh we were

4:22

unable to accommodate those meetings and

4:24

so we have dropped that from this

4:25

summer's schedule. Um, however, we would

4:27

we would greatly encourage you to um

4:30

reach out to our planning staff to

4:32

discuss any any questions or concerns

4:34

you may have just to ensure that you're

4:36

up to date with any of the of the new

4:38

design ordinances.

4:42

So, high level eligibility, uh, we have

4:44

three eligible activities which are

4:47

multif family new construction or res

4:49

renovation, single family new

4:51

construction or supportive housing

4:53

renovation and new construction. A

4:55

couple of ineligible activities that

4:57

we're not able to fund through the

4:58

housing trust fund or the housing

4:59

development fund are projects under

5:01

construction

5:03

acquisition um see Noah and TOD RFPs and

5:06

I will I will talk briefly about those

5:09

at the conclusion of today's event and

5:11

then any project outside the scope of

5:13

the RFP.

5:18

So looking at that first eligible

5:19

activity, multif family development. Um

5:21

in short, we provide gap financing to

5:23

both nonprofit and for-profit developers

5:25

for the purposes of affordable housing

5:27

development. We have flexible

5:28

structuring. It's typically soft

5:30

funding. Um flexible subordinate loans.

5:34

One of the the keystones of of this

5:37

program is the 20% of the units must be

5:39

targeted to families earning up to 30%

5:42

of the area median income.

5:46

Uh and then next the priorities for this

5:48

this category, this funding category,

5:51

transit accessible areas or those within

5:53

resourcerich neighborhoods,

5:56

those that offer resident services that

5:58

enhance stability and opportunity such

6:00

as workforce development, healthcare or

6:02

financial wellness. And this is

6:04

indicated through um the level of of

6:07

resident services that are provided at

6:08

the site andor partnerships that are

6:10

established uh through the development.

6:13

And then lastly, those that include

6:14

larger unit sizes to accommodate

6:16

families. Uh we see a lot of studios and

6:18

ones and twos. Um but we're also uh

6:21

strongly supportive of those with three

6:23

or four. So those three kind of uh make

6:26

up our prioritizations for multif family

6:28

development.

6:32

Next, under single family development,

6:34

this funding is provided as either a

6:35

construction subsidy or down payment

6:37

assistance. Units must be destricted and

6:39

remain affordable for no less than 15

6:41

years.

6:43

Um and then just to take a step back for

6:45

the multif family, there is also a deed

6:46

restriction requirement. I believe that

6:48

year that uh threshold is is 50 years.

6:51

Um but I will go back and double check

6:52

that, but I I believe it's now 50 years.

6:56

And then our priorities for single

6:57

family development is the targeting of

6:59

households at 80% of the area median

7:01

income or below with an emphasis on

7:03

entry- level buyers and first generation

7:05

home buyers.

7:07

Uh we're we're looking to prioritize

7:09

those that incorporate innovative

7:11

ownership models, whether it's shared

7:13

equity, community land trusts, or some

7:15

other innovative approach to um the

7:18

ownership question. Uh we're we're we're

7:20

supportive of exploring u new

7:22

possibilities there and give those those

7:24

applicants prioritization.

7:26

And then next, sustainable building

7:28

practice practices and a focus on high

7:31

impact areas.

7:34

And then the third category, the last

7:36

category here, supportive housing. Uh to

7:38

be eligible for this category, you must

7:39

meet the you must be a continuum of care

7:42

recognized supportive housing need and

7:43

must be meeting a continuum of care

7:46

supportive housing need in the

7:47

community. Uh apologize for the fumble

7:49

there. Uh so this is homelessness,

7:51

mental health, justice involvement, etc.

7:54

Must be a nonprofit owner and operated

7:58

and must include appropriate supportive

7:59

services for whichever housing need you

8:02

are you are meeting. The priorities in

8:04

this category are comprehensive

8:06

supportive services on site or through

8:08

partnerships, creating mixed income

8:10

environments to foster inclusive

8:12

communities where supportive housing

8:13

units are integrated within broader

8:15

developments, and then those that are

8:17

strategically located in areas with

8:19

access to health care, social services,

8:21

and transit. And depending on the type

8:23

of of uh population you are serving,

8:27

access to any um amenities or resources

8:31

that would prove beneficial to those

8:32

groups. So, for instance, if you're

8:34

supporting uh veterans, you know, access

8:36

to the VA, for instance,

8:42

and then what's new. Um, so if you um

8:45

were not a participant in last winter's

8:47

round, there have been some fairly

8:49

substantial changes to the housing

8:50

development fund RFP. Um, really

8:54

stemming from September 2024's

8:57

affordable housing funding policy that

8:58

was issued by city council. And so we'll

9:01

walk through a little bit of of those

9:02

changes and how they impact the RFP that

9:04

is that is now out there. So again, the

9:07

focus a new emphasis on outcomes beyond

9:10

unit counts and cost per unit. Uh, of

9:13

course, we're still mindful of the

9:14

financial components of of applications,

9:16

but we're also taking a much more

9:18

holistic approach in terms of looking

9:20

at, you know, the quality of of

9:22

development, not necessarily just the

9:24

quantity of of the financial piece.

9:27

And then next is an updated set of

9:29

preferences and priorities which are

9:31

outlined in the RFP.

9:33

Um the first one I would point out here

9:35

is an expanded focus again on areas of

9:38

opportunity and residential stability.

9:40

So again, prioritization of those

9:41

projects in high opportunity

9:43

neighborhoods and those that offer

9:44

stronger tenant protections regarding

9:46

rental increases as an example.

9:51

Some others um we are looking to

9:53

prioritize capacity building

9:55

partnerships. So those that are um you

9:58

know perhaps working with smaller

10:00

developers to get them uh involved in

10:02

the development ecosystem here in

10:05

Charlotte. Um this also includes any of

10:07

our work with the through the faith and

10:09

housing initiative if you're familiar

10:11

with that. If not, I'd be happy to chat

10:12

with you folks about that offline. Um

10:15

but really looking to build these

10:16

capacity building partnerships that

10:18

enhance um the affordable housing

10:21

development ecosystem here in Charlotte.

10:23

And then next, you've you've probably

10:25

seen this pop up in some recent RFPs,

10:27

but a local preference policy. Uh we

10:29

have been working with NCHFA

10:31

specifically for the multif family

10:33

development piece. Um we've been working

10:35

with NCHFA to uh create guard rails and

10:38

guidelines for what that would look

10:39

like. And so that is really coming

10:42

coming to fruition here. Um and we're

10:44

expecting to be rolled out uh through

10:46

this RFP. And really what that entails

10:49

is a a set number of units that are set

10:51

aside for a community-based waiting

10:54

list.

10:57

And then next uh this is new even was

11:00

not included in the winter RFP but has

11:02

been new for this summer's round which

11:04

is an energy efficiency bonus. So really

11:07

looking to build off of the work through

11:09

the strategic energy action plan put out

11:11

by the city. And so as part of that, the

11:13

city uh housing trust fund and housing

11:15

development fund will be offering a

11:17

bonus of up to 10% above the requested

11:19

gap financing amount for projects that

11:21

demonstrate energy efficiency measures

11:23

that exceed those base level

11:24

requirements, be it by NCHFA or the

11:28

state of North Carolina. If you're

11:30

interested in that, there is a section

11:31

in the application where you can

11:33

indicate as such and we will uh work

11:35

with you to determine your eligibility

11:37

for that category or for that that

11:39

prioritization.

11:43

And then of course we have some revised

11:45

evaluation criteria again building off

11:47

that affordable housing funding policy.

11:49

Uh specifically changes in our scoring

11:51

methodology and developer eligibility.

11:53

Uh first is a stronger evaluation

11:55

criteria on long-term affordability and

11:57

economic mobility impact. So you can see

11:59

that demonstrated through the increased

12:02

prioritization of resident services and

12:04

also the extended affordability periods

12:06

that are now part of the housing

12:08

development fund RFP.

12:10

Next is eligibility limits for

12:12

developers with delayed projects just to

12:14

ensure timely delivery. Uh if you have

12:16

an active commitment letter with the

12:18

city would not be concerned. Um if if

12:22

some of those dates have begun to slip

12:23

or you have an expired commitment

12:25

letter, please reach out and we'll we'd

12:27

be happy to discuss.

12:29

And then next is prioritization for

12:31

innovative ownership models. Mentioned

12:32

this before under the single family

12:34

doesn't necessarily apply just to that.

12:36

Um and there's a number of ways that

12:38

that can take shape.

12:40

And then again a focus on larger units

12:42

for families. Uh that is a a continued

12:44

focus of the of the RFP. And then

12:46

lastly, an expanded evaluation of

12:48

property management practices.

12:54

And then new this round, this round

12:56

specifically is we have a new

12:58

application. And so uh what this

13:00

document does it it's an attempt to

13:02

consolidate the applica application

13:04

materials that we've previously had. So

13:07

uh we have combined the developer

13:09

application, the development data sheet,

13:10

the city proforma and the single family

13:12

workbook into one unified document.

13:16

Again, this is uh a new document. So if

13:18

you run into any questions or challenges

13:20

with that, please do not hesitate to

13:22

reach out. Um I built that document out,

13:24

so I'd be happy to work with you

13:25

directly to troubleshoot any challenges

13:27

you may be you may have. Uh but I think

13:30

it's it's fairly straightforward and

13:31

builds really off of the development

13:32

data sheet, just in a more expanded way.

13:35

Of course, just want to note that

13:37

applicants would still be required to

13:38

submit the supporting documentation that

13:40

is outlined in the RFP, but as far as

13:43

direct direct from the city

13:45

documentation, we have consolidated into

13:47

that one document.

13:51

And then I'm also excited to announce

13:52

that coming soon we will have two

13:54

additional RFPs uh posted. One being the

13:57

rolling home ownership RFP. And so this

13:59

is really just taking our home ownership

14:01

and de not decoupling it per se because

14:04

you're still eligible to apply for home

14:05

ownership activities under this umbrella

14:08

RFP. Uh but we will have a separate a

14:10

separate rolling home ownership RFP um

14:13

in order to facilitate additional home

14:15

ownership production across around year

14:17

round.

14:18

And then next you may have noticed that

14:20

the no acquisition RFP had been taken

14:22

down briefly. That was just to tune that

14:24

up and get it in line with the

14:25

affordable housing funding policy. and

14:28

that will be updated and posted. Uh we

14:30

are anticipating both of those being

14:31

posted by July 1, 2025.

14:35

And with that, I think we have wrapped

14:38

up today's presentation. Uh but we can

14:40

now turn it over to Q&A.

14:46

Thanks, Michael. I don't see any

14:47

questions in the chat or in Q&A quite

14:50

yet, but um let's see. We do have a hand

14:54

raise. I don't think you will be able to

14:56

talk in this uh webinar but if you would

14:59

like just drop your question into the

15:01

chat or the Q&A section.

15:04

Okay

15:07

says let's see here

15:10

what does it mean for what does this

15:12

mean for small developments Michael?

15:16

Yeah great question. So for small

15:17

developments um so the RFP does outline

15:20

um minimum

15:23

development sizes uh for multif family

15:25

development I believe that is at 40

15:27

units uh for home ownership uh we we

15:31

typically don't fund oneoff uh you know

15:33

homes for instance uh I think kind of

15:36

this the lowest we've gone in the past

15:37

is about five units and so for smaller

15:40

developments we do have other funding

15:42

opportunities uh specifically through

15:43

our home funding RFP which is more

15:46

targeted towards smaller scale

15:48

development. And so first I would point

15:50

you towards that. Uh but second, if

15:52

you're if you're asking more so along

15:54

the lines of like smaller development

15:55

entities, um what we're really looking

15:57

to do through that capacity building

15:59

preference is to provide smaller scale

16:02

developers an opportunity to work with

16:04

uh more established developers in the in

16:07

this realm in order to uh bring them up

16:09

to speed with the RFP for instance and

16:12

or provide just any capacity building

16:14

initi efforts to get them involved in

16:17

the real estate development game.

16:20

Okay. And if that doesn't if I was not

16:22

able to answer your question, Miss

16:23

Haynes, please don't hesitate to reach

16:25

out to me. I'm happy to to set up a call

16:27

or chat with you afterwards.

16:30

Cool. Uh Rachel and Alexis had a similar

16:33

question. Uh what is high impact housing

16:36

or a high impact area?

16:40

Yeah, great question. So, um we we look

16:42

at that from a number of different

16:43

angles, right? So, there's a number of

16:45

different geographic um goals, if you

16:48

will, across the city. And so really

16:51

taking a look at those the variety of um

16:55

plans and maps that we have across the

16:57

city. Uh so for instance, you know, of

16:59

course, council district 6 and 7 are

17:01

always target geographies uh and will

17:04

remain as such. Uh we also have a to RF

17:06

or I'm sorry, TOD preference and then

17:09

also areas that are experiencing uh

17:11

gentrification or neighborhood turnover.

17:14

So, um, if you have any specific

17:16

locations in mind, I hate to keep saying

17:18

this, but please don't hesitate to reach

17:20

out to me. I'm happy to walk through

17:21

those with you. Um, but yeah, I mean

17:24

that that in a in a nutshell, I would

17:26

say those are kind of the big three. Um,

17:28

but again, happy to chat with you about

17:31

any specific properties that you're

17:33

you're you're inquiring about.

17:37

Thanks, Michael. Uh, Scott asks, "The

17:40

energy efficiency bonus criteria are

17:42

somewhat vague. Can you provide examples

17:46

as to what can specifically be done to

17:49

qualify for the 10% bonus?"

17:52

Yeah, absolutely. So, this is this is a

17:54

new one for the RFP and it's something

17:56

that we're kind of putting out there as

17:57

a pilot, if you will. And so, what I

18:00

would encourage you to do is take a look

18:01

at the language that's included within

18:02

the RFP. So, um, it can include a

18:05

variety of of different things, whether

18:07

it's building, uh, I'm sorry, building

18:08

envelope, um, energy efficient

18:11

appliances that go above and beyond what

18:13

would necessarily be required by NCHFA,

18:16

but it's really just looking to take

18:18

energy efficiency to to the next level

18:20

compared to what is required by whether

18:23

law, statute, or guidelines from other

18:24

funding sources. So, um, I', like I

18:27

said, be happy to chat with you if you

18:29

have any questions about specific things

18:31

that you're considering.

18:33

Um, and yeah, we'd be we'd be more than

18:35

happy to chat through those to kind of

18:36

determine eligibility.

18:39

Okay. Miss Haynes had a follow-up

18:41

question. Uh, she says, "We've been

18:43

encouraged to work with larger

18:45

developers, but I'd like to know what

18:47

that looks like. We already own our

18:49

property, so we only want to rehab and

18:52

expand what we have and implement an

18:54

equity-based structure." I hope you can

18:56

understand this question. Yeah, that's a

18:59

great question. I think I would I would

19:00

recommend reaching out to me directly

19:02

just to chat through the specifics of of

19:04

what you're looking at. I apologize that

19:05

we don't have the ability to just

19:06

interact directly here. Um but I'd be

19:09

happy to chat through that with you. Uh

19:11

based on kind of what you're saying, I

19:12

think there may be some opportunities

19:13

through some of our other RFPs. Not to

19:15

say you shouldn't consider the housing

19:16

development fund. Uh but for instance,

19:18

we have a Noah preservation um RFP that

19:22

will be posted like I said in July 1st.

19:24

And I think based on kind of what you're

19:26

indicating that may be um something you

19:29

may want to target and look at. But as I

19:32

mentioned, happy to chat with you

19:33

offline about this um and maybe

19:35

troubleshoot and make sure we're putting

19:37

you in the right the right lane in terms

19:39

of of pursuing city funding.

19:45

Eliza Hammond asks, "Would you send a

19:47

copy of this recording out to

19:49

participants?" We will um give us a

19:52

little bit of time. We'll take this

19:53

recording and post it on YouTube as well

19:56

as on our website. So yes, to answer

19:59

your question, uh we won't send it out

20:02

specifically or I guess we could

20:04

Michael, would you like to send that out

20:05

specifically to these this list? So So

20:08

what I'll do is um if you receive the

20:11

invite for this webinar, I will make a

20:13

note that once we have that posted on

20:15

our RFP landing page, I will send out a

20:17

notice to folks just to let them know

20:18

that it's been posted. Um, and it'll be

20:21

right there next to the RFP application

20:24

document. You'll see a link to the

20:25

recording and you can just click through

20:26

there. Perfect. Alexis Bostik asks, "So,

20:32

is it like having an lead

20:34

certification?"

20:38

Sorry, just taking a note there. Um,

20:40

yeah, similar, right? Yep. So, we're

20:42

looking at um sort of the we're working

20:44

with our our our colleagues over in the

20:48

um

20:51

uh strategic en the folks who are

20:52

overseeing the strategic energy action

20:54

plan. Working with them closely to sort

20:56

of build out this program and better

20:58

understand what it is that the market

21:00

can deliver. But something like a lead

21:02

certification would certainly uh be

21:04

something that we're driving towards. uh

21:07

not necessarily saying that you have to

21:08

pursue that per se uh because I know

21:10

those certifications can be costly and

21:13

or or challenging to receive. Um but I'd

21:17

be happy to chat through what it is

21:18

you're looking at specifically.

21:22

Ada Esther Gil Gimenez asked, "Was this

21:26

meeting recorded by chance? I was just

21:28

able to join and missed everything."

21:30

Yes, it will. It is being recorded and

21:33

we will post uh the recording and

21:35

Michael will send out a uh followup to

21:38

let everyone know that this was posted.

21:41

Uh Tori Finster asks, "Is the

21:43

affordability restriction regarding 8%

21:46

AMI on home ownership tied to only to

21:49

initial qualification or is ongoing

21:51

compliance required during ownership?"

21:55

Yeah, so ongoing compliance is required.

21:57

Um I I would refer you to the RFP. I

22:00

don't have that information immediately

22:01

off the top of my head, but there is a

22:03

resale resale restriction and also a use

22:05

restriction, right? So, for instance, uh

22:08

if the home is um developed and then

22:11

purchased by an owner, it cannot then be

22:13

used for rental purposes, right? So, it

22:15

would have to be owner occupied. Uh and

22:17

there is a reseller restriction that

22:18

applies for I want to say 15 years um

22:23

for for home ownership developments. But

22:25

great question.

22:27

Okay, Tori Finster asks, "How is the

22:31

affordability bonus calculated and does

22:33

it increase funding allocation or

22:35

application score?"

22:38

Is this for the energy efficiency

22:39

question?

22:41

I believe so. Yeah, a great question.

22:44

So, that is one, like I said, that we're

22:46

we're still working through the um

22:50

scoring rubric, if you will, on that. um

22:53

will be finalized of course before any

22:55

awards are announced, but we're really

22:56

looking to better understand what the um

23:00

what the the possibilities are out there

23:02

and what folks are are exploring. So, um

23:06

if you have again any specific questions

23:08

about possible energy efficiency

23:10

upgrades you are looking to make, don't

23:12

hesitate to reach out. Um it's entirely

23:15

a a bonus. It is not a requirement of

23:17

the RFP. You are not excluded if you do

23:20

not apply for it by any means. um we are

23:22

really looking to pilot a new initiative

23:24

here and working with our development

23:25

partners and would welcome those

23:26

conversations. So don't hesitate to

23:28

reach out. Okay. I think that was in

23:31

relation to let's see um it said I was

23:35

referring to the affordable bonus in

23:37

section 8 actually. Section 8. Um, I'm

23:42

thinking that must be in reference to

23:48

I'm looking at the RFP right now under

23:50

section 8, which is the submission

23:51

instructions. Uh, okay. 7.2. Sorry, I

23:54

did see that pop up. Yeah. So, that's

23:56

the UDO. Um, so I would I would um if

23:59

you have questions about the UDO

24:00

specifically, um I'd be happy to connect

24:02

with my uh colleagues over in planning

24:05

to to chat through those. Um, but really

24:07

what you'd want to click through is that

24:09

link there that states that or I'm

24:11

sorry, it says more information and then

24:12

the Charlotte UDL u for any questions

24:15

relating to affordability bonuses. I

24:17

that is typically targeting um well I

24:21

won't say it it's inclusive of both

24:24

purely affordable developments but also

24:26

um mixed income developments as well.

24:31

Okay. Um, and I think Tori Fincher had a

24:35

follow-up question since you're on that

24:37

one. Will first-time affordable home

24:39

ownership developers be eligible?

24:42

Yeah, great question. U, so the answer

24:44

is yes. Uh, we welcome applications from

24:47

all. Um, but I will point you towards

24:50

the application requirements. So, we

24:52

would need to see demonstrated um or or

24:54

one of the evaluation criteria is

24:56

demonstrated uh capacity as well as

24:59

experience in affordable housing

25:00

development. if you don't have that or

25:03

are concerned about that um that

25:05

capacity andor experience um we're happy

25:09

to chat through that um and I I would

25:12

encourage you to reach out to me

25:13

directly.

25:16

Okay, Mike Carmichael asks, "As it comes

25:20

to ADUs, what does that look like when

25:22

it comes to large or small development

25:24

opportunities?"

25:27

Yeah, great question. So, ADUs. Um, so

25:30

we do have an ADU RFP. I'm not sure if

25:32

that has been posted yet or not, but it

25:34

is in the pipeline of of activities here

25:36

at the city. Um, it's a little outside

25:39

of this RFP, although not entirely,

25:42

right? So, if you're looking to do home

25:44

ownership development, which is

25:45

inclusive of ADUs, uh, that's certainly

25:47

a possibility and we would welcome that.

25:49

Um, but for for those types of

25:54

uh unique questions, again, I would

25:57

recommend you reach out to me directly

25:58

and we can chat through those just in to

26:00

determine eligibility. Uh, because

26:02

whenever we're talking about ADUs, we're

26:03

likely then talking about, you know,

26:04

rental uh, ADUs or being leveraged as

26:08

rental ADUs, which is certainly a

26:10

possibility. Uh but it would it would

26:12

require us to have some conversations

26:14

about what that would look like just to

26:15

ensure that it is an eligible activity

26:17

based on what it is you're looking to

26:18

do.

26:21

Alexis Bostic asks, "Will the permitting

26:24

process be priority for these projects?"

26:29

Yeah, great question. So, um permitting

26:32

typically, well, uh yeah, typically

26:34

occurs after the RFP, uh process and

26:37

awards are made. And so what I can tell

26:39

you is that the sketch plan review, we

26:40

do have set aside time with our friends

26:42

over at the development center to review

26:44

and respond to sketch plans, uh the

26:47

outcome of that review is sort of a

26:49

preliminary thumbs up or thumbs down of

26:51

whether or not this is viable based on

26:54

zoning regulations.

26:56

And so um in in that sense, yes, you do

26:59

get some prioritization there. Uh but in

27:01

terms of prioritization with permitting,

27:03

uh no, not per se. Um, I' I'd be happy

27:06

to reach out to or connect you with our

27:07

our our folks over in planning to to

27:09

better understand what that looks like.

27:11

Um, but it's a little outside of the

27:14

scope of the RFP, if you will.

27:21

Okay, that looks like all the questions.

27:25

Anyone else have any more questions?

27:31

folks a few minutes

27:34

and then while while we're just kind of

27:36

uh you know waiting for any questions to

27:37

come in, one thing I I did want to

27:39

follow up on is there was a question

27:40

about location. And so as part of the

27:42

RFP, one of the requirements is that you

27:44

submit something called your housing

27:46

locationational tool score. And so

27:48

that'll give you a good sense of um how

27:52

that location is looking in the eyes of

27:53

of city staff who are reviewing these

27:55

applications. So whenever you go into

27:57

that tool and enter the development data

27:59

that you're required to submit, it'll

28:02

generate some numbers for you that'll

28:04

indicate um you know how it scores. Uh

28:07

and so there's not really a

28:11

threshold that we're necessarily looking

28:12

at and it certainly depends on the

28:14

development type, but I would generally

28:15

say if you're scoring above 20, you're

28:18

likely in a priority area for the city.

28:20

And that's a composite of four different

28:22

measurements, each one on a 10-point

28:24

scale. So 40 possible points. Anything

28:28

above 20 typically, I won't say

28:30

universally because that's certainly not

28:32

the case, but typically if you're

28:33

scoring over 20, you likely fall in one

28:36

of the categories u that would be

28:38

considered for locationational

28:39

prioritization.

28:47

Excellent. I think that is it for the

28:50

questions. We didn't have any more come

28:52

in. Um,

28:55

I think we're good, Michael. Okay. Well,

28:57

very good. Well, um, I know I've said

28:59

this

29:00

repeatedly now, but if you have any

29:02

specific questions, I am more than happy

29:04

to chat with you. Please don't hesitate

29:06

to reach out. Uh, you can reach me via

29:08

email listed here. Um, and yeah, I'd be

29:12

happy to chat through any questions or

29:13

concerns you do have. So, don't feel

29:15

like this is the one-shot opportunity to

29:16

get those questions out. I know if

29:18

you're anything like me, you typically

29:19

think about things and 30 minutes later

29:21

the question pops into your head. So, uh

29:23

if you if you want to reach out, please

29:25

don't hesitate to do so. Happy to chat

29:27

with you. But otherwise, uh really

29:29

appreciate everyone joining today's call

29:31

and uh I will be on the lookout for any

29:33

emails and then applications. So, thanks

29:35

so much everybody.

xxx