HomeMy WebLinkAbout090208 Housing and NeighborhoodHousing and Neighborhood
Preservation Plan
Recommendations to Address the Preservation, Renewal, and
Enhancement of Housing and Neighborhoods in Virginia Beach
Background
•On September 14, 2005, City Council directed the
Planning Commission to study workforce housing
issues.
–One portion of the focus was:
“Helping to preserve the character and value of neighborhoods and
housing and assist in their preservation and enhancement.”
•In January 2007, the Commission’s report on the
subject identified 5 recommendations that needed
further study.
Workforce Housing
Subcommittee Recommendations
1.Establish tax incentives for owners of existing housing that
promote reinvestment.
2.Establish guidelines for housing renovation that are tailored to
individual neighborhoods.
3.Establish a “design center”that provides design and related
assistance to owners and builders in order to promote and
incentivize renovation that is compatible with existing
neighborhood character and design.
4.Provide information, guidance, help in obtaining financing and
design assistance to residents who wish to renovate their housing.
5.Insure that capacity exists to preserve neighborhood quality on an
ongoing basis in all neighborhoods —adopt a Comprehensive
Neighborhood Revitalization Strategy.
Preservation subcommittee
•In January, 2008 the Planning Commission
appointed its subcommittee on Preservation to
address these recommendations.
•Today’s report is the product of this subcommittee.
Leadership of the
Preservation Subcommittee
•The Subcommittee was appointed by then-Planning
Commission chairman Barry Knight
•Rosemary Wilson served as Council liaison
•Joseph Strange and Henry Livas represented the
Planning Commission
•Ron Ripley served as the committee chairman
•Lanitha Hudson of DHNP was the lead staff person
Chandler Frank SpadeaFrank McKinneySteve Lawson
Members of the Preservation
Subcommittee
Volunteers
Carolyn McPherson
Dan Baxter
Iva Nash
Dan Brockwell
Victoria Price
Claudia Cotton
Chandler Scarborough
Mary Kay Horoszewski
Phil Shucet
Steve Lawson
Frank Spadea
Frank McKinney
•Barbara Duke•Kay Wilson•’Bill Dore•Olin Walden•Jasmin Dizon•Cheryl Smith•Robert Davis•RountreeLynn
Preservation committee staff
•Ron Agnor•Bill Dore’
•Jerry Banagan•Barbara Duke
•Ron Berkebile•Tom Pauls
•Jim Cervera•Sharon Prescott
•Phil Davenport•Lynn Rountree
•Robert Davis•Cheryl Smith
•Jasmin Dizon•Olin Walden
•Kay Wilson
There’s reason for concern
•All housing goes through a life cycle; we believe the larger
portion of Virginia Beach housing and neighborhoods to be
in the “Mature”phase, which means that action should be
taken to avoid potential future decline.
•If we don’t address these important issues now, they will
only become more complicated and costly later.
•Of the 167,000 single-family housing units in Virginia
Beach, 44% of them are over 25 years old; 17-20% are in
non-standard condition.
The issue
•With…
–Minimal amounts of remaining developable land
–A growing divide between income and housing prices
–Aging homes and neighborhoods
•Then…
–What tools are available to help preserve existing housing
for those who live here now?
–What tools are available to enhance and renew existing
housing for those who want to live here later?
The Subcommittee’s Task
•Develop a set of recommendationsthat:
–Outlines the types of toolsthat could be made available
•to promote and provide incentives for voluntaryimprovement
of housing
•that preserves and enhances quality housing and
neighborhood character, as well as affordability.
•Develop a set of recommendationsthat:
–Creates a collaborative processthat addresses
neighborhood preservation and improvement on an
ongoing, sustainable basis.
Vision and Philosophy
In order to accomplish our task, we started
by establishing the following:
•VISION:
–Vibrant, well-maintained neighborhoods
–All residents have the opportunity to obtain desirable, quality,
safe and affordable housing
–All residents enjoy a high quality of life
•HOUSING PHILOSOPHY:
–Key Goals of the City are:
•The preservation of affordability through the preservation and renewal of
our existing housing stock and
•The preservation and enhancement of the quality of life in our
neighborhoods.
Principles
We proposed the following principles to guide us:
•All programs should be consistent with the Comprehensive Plan
"preserving and protecting the overall character, economic valueand
aesthetic quality of the stable neighborhoods in the Primary Residential Area“
•Qualityin the design, construction and rehabilitation of housing is
critical to success.
•Housing and neighborhoods should be availableto and desirable
for a diverse range of people:
•Cultures•Races
•Backgrounds•Capabilities
•Ages•Life stages
•Income
Principles (cont’d)
•Diversity
–Includes the type, value and design of housing and
neighborhoods
–Helps the City meet its goals for quality physical environment,
family and youth opportunities and economic vitality
•Equal accessto housing and neighborhoods is
fundamental
•Ensuring affordabilityfor a wide range of households
•Public involvement
•Use of voluntaryprocesses in all aspects of our work
Foundations to Build on
•Recommendations proposed here are not the only answers
to address aging housing and neighborhoods or the need
for preservation efforts.
•There are numerous ongoing services and activities of the
City that form the foundation of our quality neighborhoods.
•These Foundational Services should be maintained,
leveraged and enhanced, whenever possible.
–Police
–Utility Infrastructure
–Fire
–Roads
–EMS
–Open Space & Parks
–Waste Management
–Schools
–StormwaterManagement
–Transportation
–Code Enforcement
Preservation Pays Dividends
•An economic model was built to estimate the value of
investment in housing rehabilitation under our programs.
•This model, using national guidelines, shows that such
investment creates large direct and indirect economic
benefits to the city and community, even when tax
abatements are considered.
The cost of allowing neighborhoods to decline is
The cost of allowing neighborhoods to decline is
far greater than that of encouraging investment.
far greater than that of encouraging investment.
Draft Recommendations
The committee’s recommendations fall into the following
categories:
Financial Resources
Tax Abatement
Preservation Guidelines
A Housing Resource Center
A Collaborative Neighborhood Improvement Process
Community and Citizen Involvement
Financial resources
Currently, a variety of resources
exist. These resources should be
enhanced and others developed to
create a toolbox of options for
neighborhoods and homes.
Tax abatement program
The purpose of the Tax Abatement Program is:
•To encourage significant improvement of eligible homes
throughout the City of Virginia Beach
•Encourage the highest construction quality
•Maintain the architectural design of the neighborhood
The program would be available for homeowners and investors who
remodel according to established guidelines.
Preservation Guidelines
Guidelines define and provide design ideas that are
consistent with neighborhood character and architecture
Housing Resource Center
A resource center’s purpose is to provide access to information
and expertise.
There are various options to achieve this, including staff
expertise, on-line, print materials and an actual center.
Collaborative Neighborhood
Improvement Processes
The Neighborhood Improvement Process would:
Help neighborhoods achieve their highest potential
and become vibrant, well-maintained areas.
The way to achieve this is through a coordinated,
collaborative process that engages:
•Citizens
•City Staff
•Local Businesses and other key stakeholders
Community/ Citizen
Involvement
Early and meaningful involvement of citizens will create a better
plan, and lead to more ownership. We can use existing city models
.
of involvement to ensure full participation
The Value of a Preservation Plan
•The Plan will benefit
–Individual Homeowners –with access to information, expertise,
and financial resources to make better decisions
–Home Remodelers –with guidance and incentives to make
improvements consistent with neighborhood character
–Neighborhood Residents –with well-maintained, renewed
structures and infrastructure that maintains neighborhood
character
–City –by ensuring the availability of a wide range of housing and
neighborhood choices for a…
Community for a Lifetime
Next Steps
Public Comment Opportunity next week
?
(September 9)
Resolution directing staff to return with
?
implementation plans based on the proposed
timeline (September 23)
Implementation planning begins with activities
?
and some proposals for this and future year
budgets
YOUR QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS
Questions or Comments
Andrew M. Friedman
Department of Housing and Neighborhood Preservation
afriedma@VBgov.com
757.385.5752
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