Title
Affordable Housing Development - Spa Road Site - For the purpose of expressing the City Council's support for the use of the Spa Road Site as a mixed-use development with affordable housing as a key component; and generally relating to the Spa Road Site.
Body
CITY COUNCIL OF THE
City of Annapolis
Resolution 20-22
Introduced by: Alderwoman Tierney
Co-sponsored by: Alderman Gay, Alderman Schandelmeier;
Alderwoman Pindell Charles, Alderwoman O’Neill
Referred to
Housing and Human Welfare Committee
A RESOLUTION concerning
Affordable Housing Development - Spa Road Site
FOR the purpose of expressing the City Council's support for the use of the Spa Road Site as a mixed-use development with affordable housing as a key component; and generally relating to the Spa Road Site.
WHEREAS, the City of Annapolis Five-Year Consolidated Housing and Community Development Plan (CHCD Plan) was submitted to the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development on June 15, 2020, and in that report it is stated that “the largest housing problem in the City of Annapolis is ‘Affordability’”; and
WHEREAS, Impediment Goal No. 3 of the CHCD Plan states “[p]romote and encourage the construction and development of additional affordable rental housing units in the area, especially for households whose income is less that 80% of the median income; and
WHEREAS, Strategy 3A set forth in the CHCD Plan, to accomplish Goal No.3, provides “[s]upport and encourage by providing incentives to both private developers and non-profit housing providers to develop plans for the construction of new affordable and accessible renter-occupied and owner-occupied housing”; and
WHEREAS, the City of Annapolis Housing Affordability Task Force Report from the Feasibility Subcommittee dated April 13, 2021, evaluated the feasibility of a Ten-Point plan from the Task Force and stated what was required of our elected officials to support and promote affordable housing in Annapolis; and
WHEREAS, the Housing Affordability Task Force recommended that the City should add approximately 3,361 additional units to its affordable housing inventory by 2050 to meet the local populations’ needs and that the City should use identified assets into its long-term housing plan to address the opportunities to add affordable housing; and
WHEREAS, a recent report produced in October, 2021, for the City of Annapolis by BAE Urban Economics entitled “Demographic and Economic Profile and Real Estate Market Analysis for the Annapolis Comprehensive Plan Update’ found that the median home price in the Annapolis area is $625,000, which is only attainable to those residents earning at least 140% of the area median income. Similarly, the report found the median rental cost of a 3-bedroom unit in the Annapolis area to be $2,033, which is only attainable to those residents earning at least 80% of the area median income; and
WHEREAS, a guiding principle of the City of Annapolis Comprehensive Plan Update, which will be finalized in 2022, is “Housing Affordability: expand the range of housing choices that are accessible both in terms of geography and affordability, and are responsive to the needs of renters and owners of low to middle income”. The Plan Update further recognizes infill redevelopment of the City-owned Spa Road Site as a multi-generational opportunity that is sizeable enough to create a dynamic development that complements adjacent communities and fulfills multiple community needs including housing, open space and trail connections, cultural facilities, and retail opportunities; and
WHEREAS, the Spa Road Site is located at the headwaters of Spa Creek and comprises West and East parcels: the East parcel is 8.24 acres and includes the Weems-Whalen field at 2.6 acres; the West parcel is 3.73 acres; and
WHEREAS, the Spa Road Site has been vacated by the Department of Public Works on both sides of Spa Road and is the only City-owned property with significant redevelopment potential having a high likelihood of redevelopment in the next 10 years. The Spa Road Site is zoned for residential use and its future land use designations in the Comprehensive Plan Update will include “mixed use”, “environmental enhancement”, and “recreational enhancement” due to its location along Spa Creek and the Bates Athletic Complex, which holds opportunity for connectivity to adjacent residential, environmental, recreational, and cultural assets. The Site also has an opportunity to dramatically improve environmental performance through Forest Conservation and enhanced stormwater management design as required by State and City mandates for a redevelopment project; and
“WHEREAS, the Housing and Human Welfare Committee and the Housing and Community Equity Development Commission express support in assisting in the financing of Spa Road Site development,”
WHEREAS, the city council desires to utilize the spa road site for a mixed-use development with affordable housing as a key component.
NOW, THEREFORE,
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE ANNAPOLIS CITY COUNCIL that the City Manager is hereby directed to prepare a Request for Proposal for the Spa Road Site to be utilized as a mixed-use development with affordable housing as a key component.
AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED BY THE ANNAPOLIS CITY COUNCIL that the Request for Proposal for the Spa Road Site shall require that each bidder submit, at a minimum, a design and cost proposal for affordable housing development utilizing the East and West parcels of the Spa Road Site that includes metrics that are compatible with the adjacent neighborhoods, consistent with the Comprehensive Plan, and meets the requirement of adequate public facilities.
AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED BY THE ANNAPOLIS CITY COUNCIL that the successful bidder will be responsible for the financing, design, and construction of the project.
EXPLANATION
Underlining indicates matter added.
[Strikethrough] indicates matter stricken.