HomeMy WebLinkAboutMN-RHAC-1993 I11
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CITY OF ITHACA
108 EAST GREEN STREET
ITHACA, NEW YORK 14850
OFFICE OF TELEPHONE: 274-6501
MAYOR CODE 607
For Immediate Release August 25, 1993
Mayor Benjamin Nichols is seeking applications for appointment to the Rental
Housing Advisory Commission. The nine-person board has been created in accordance
with the conclusions reached by Common Council that a rental housing affordability
problem exists in the City of Ithaca and that problems exist with relationships between
landlords and tenants as well as among tenants. Responsibilities of the Commission include:
• recommending to Common Council steps to improve the accessibility, affordability
and quality of rental housing in the City;
• advising Council on steps to protect the rights and welfare of tenants;
• seeking possible solutions to the general problems which arise between landlords
and tenants and between either party and neighbors;
• studying proposals for a Housing Trust Fund and a community rental registry; and
• undertaking educational programs related to rental housing.
At least four of the Commission members must be tenants; at least two must be
landlords or property managers; at least two must be connected with appropriate not-for-
profit and public organizations. Preference will be given to City residents.
To apply, contact the Office of the Mayor 274-6501.
-30-
"An Equal Opportunity Employer with an Affirmative Action Program"
Rental Housing Advisory Commission
Minutes—Tuesday,January 25, 1994
Members Present: Pearce Brown,John Efroymson, Robyn Jenks, Chuck Johns,Carl Kadlic,
Dennis Merryfield, George Musser,Jane Schafrik, Shari Woodard,Charlie Woodcock
Visitors: Joan Bailey,Pierre Clavel,Charles Jennings,Myra Malkin,Wendy Skinner,Mayor
Nichols
Chairing: John Efroymson
Members of the Rental Housing Advisory Commission introduced themselves.
Mayor Ben Nichols introduced the tasks of the Commission referring to the legislation that
established it(Chapter 100 of the Code). He emphasized the problem of housing affordability in
the City of Ithaca. He mentioned other groups involved in housing,such as Ithaca Neighborhood
Housing Services (INHS),the Building Department and its new Rental Housing Specialist,and
the Planning Department,as well as the City's applications for Community Development Block
Grants (CDBGs),which always include a housing component,and for an Economic Development
Zone,which could include housing.
John Efroymson gave the history of the previous Rental Housing Commission. While the small
number of large landlords and property managers who account for 75-85% of the City's housing
are well informed about their rights and responsibilities,the small landlords who own -20% of the
City's housing and especially the tenants often know very little about this. The Commission
compiled the Tenant-Landlord Resource Guide to alleviate this situation; the Guide would now
need updating. He also pointed to legislation setting penalties for failure to return a security
deposit or give reasons for withholding it. Also,affordability was added to the many criteria that
may be considered in granting zoning variances.
Several members of the public spoke from experience as members of or helpers to the previous
Rental Housing Commission. Pierre Clavel,Professor of City and Regional Planning at Cornell,
pointed out that there is a lot of research to be done and that student interns can help. Various
suggestions for future work included: the need to look at what other cities do,the need for open
communication,updating the guide,educating tenants,particularly about leases and problems of
occupancy,using media,and input into the future fire alarm ordinance.
Members of the commission raised their concerns: high land prices and shortage of space to build,
an anomalous market with very high rents compared to other cities in the area,high property taxes,
high turnover,distortions in the market,absentee landlords,the need for subsidized housing for
low-income people,and crime.
Future meetings will be the second Tuesday of each month at 7:00 pm. Topics will include: what
the Building Department does,what the City is working on already, demographics(from Planning
Department),Mutual Housing Association,vacancy rates. The next meeting is February 8. At the
next meeting Jane Schafrik and Chuck John will talk about the given factors of the housing market
and costs associated with providing housing. The Commission will set up working groups.
(Working groups of the previous commission were Research,Policy, and Supply.) Robyn Jenks
will chair the next meeting.
Respectfully submitted,Theresa Alt
ft
•• 0 nal•
C 1(494 City Editor
I Simeon MOE
274-9219
Ithaca ris revived
By WENDY SKINNER While the previous commission Efroymson,who chaired the old Council were true in 1991 and'9
Journal Staff focused mainly on areas of conflict commission,emphasized the tenants' these are things that should continut
me`. between landlords and tenants—and rights element of the commission's ly be investigated,"he said.
The city's reconstituted rental • Mrecommended a much-contested charge. For instance,said Clavel,in con
housing board — now with the word security deposit law—the new group "There are some bad landlords in paring rents to income levels, tt
"advisory"prudently inserted into its , will also devote energy to studying this town,"said Efroymson,"some commission should have current da
name — met Tuesday night to get , issues of affordable housing. landlords who I wish weren't in busi- that lets it know if things"are gettir
acquainted with its mission as defined Common Council has determined Hess" better or getting worse."
by the mayor and Common Council. that there is a need for affordable Efroymson cited areas of State and Charles Johns,who manages h
The nine-member Rental Housing .. housing in the city,said Mayor Ben Seneca streets, indicating that he family's rental properties,and re,
Advisory Commission will pick up Nichols. hoped the commission would address estate agent Jane Schafrik,who mai
some of the work left undone by its Nichols "There is lots of evidence to sup- problems with certain landlords' ages about 10 rental units,are the lam
predecessor,a group aptly described port this,including hundreds of peo- properties,ranging from"life safety lord representatives on the panel.Tl;
by Common Council liaison John issues,the old commission had only ple who will tell you that they don't issues to just common decency." remaining seven members are tenant
Efroymson (D-2nd Ward) as"con- one landlord member.The new panel live in the city because they can't Former commissioner Pierre Clay- including include Friendship Cent(
tentious" is required to have at least two land- afford it,"he said. el, a Cornell professor of city and Director Cad Kadlic and EOC Horth
The first Rental Housing Commis- lord or property management mem- "Almost all of Council's new mem- regional planning,attended Tuesday less Shelter worker Shari Woodard.
sion was disbanded last year when it bers. hers included affordable housing in night's meeting.taxed mutioned the The Rental Housing Advisoa
became apparent that it had lost its None of the members of the new their campaign platforms,"Nichols new grpup to make sure its informa- Commission will meet in Ithaca Cil
ability to reach consensus.Heavily group— all mayoral appointees— reminded the commission. "They tioais up-to-date. Hall at 7 p.m.on the second Tuesd;
biased toward solving tenants'rights served on the original commission. should be open to your ideas." "While the findings of Common of each month.Public input is invited
I .-. ,
Rental Housing Advisory Commission
Minutes—Tuesday,February 8, 1994
Members Present: Pearce Brown,John Efroymson, Robyn Jenks, Chuck Johns, Dennis
Merryfield,George Musser, Shari Woodard,Charlie Woodcock
Members Absent: Jane Schafrik(excused),Carl Kadlic (subsequently excused)
Visitors: Kathleen Decker,Rick Eckstrom,Grace Palazzolo,Michael Thomas,Evelyn Baker,Dan
Collins, Sally Swiergos(press),Kristen Barlok(press),Daniel Krug, Brian Bell (press),
Kevin Heubusch,Will Kone
Chairing: Robyn Jenks
Minutes of the meeting of January 25, 1994 were approved.
No one from the public commented in their allotted time.
Building Commissioner Rick Eckstrom explained the work of the Building Department. It
enforces land use legislation(e.g.zoning). It directs builders to the appropriate agency when their
plans require site plan review or review as landmarks or part of the Commons. The Building
Department enforces the New York State Uniform Fire Prevention and Building Code and the
City's housing code through inspections. The enforcement strategy,whenever possible,is to
educate people so that they know how to do what is required.
The Building Department issues several types of certificates. A Certificate of Completion is issued
when a project is finished;it certifies that the builder did what the building permit said would be
done. A Certificate of Occupancy is a one-time statement that a building can be used for a specific
purpose. A Certificate of Compliance,which is valid for three years for rental properties and for
five years for owner-occupied properties,certifies that the building meets all codes.
What code applies depends on the age of the building and its use. The City Housing Code is
Chapter 210 of the City of Ithaca Code. It is more restrictive than the corresponding Section F of
the State law.
Are handicapped-accessible apartments a requirement? In buildings built since 1984,25% of units
must be"adaptable," and in those with elevators 100% must be adaptable. Therefore there are not
many in the City,where the housing stock is old. These new codes also kick in when a building is
converted.
Kathleen Decker,Rental Housing Specialist in the Building Department, suggested that members
of the RHAC all get copies of the Housing Code[available from the Building Department for
$9.50—TA]. She talked about her work. She and the other inspectors do inspections. They look
at physical condition,use,maintenance,parking,zoning,and safety issues such as fire escapes
and smoke detectors. Inspections usually turn up violations,but most properties become
compliant within two months. When landlords resist,the Building Commissioner can order
compliance,and if resistance continues,the issue goes to court. Tenants may request inspections.
They rarely do so,except for heat complaints,which the Building Department tries to address the
same day. (Indoor temperature must be at least 68°at all times,if it is below 50°outside.) Other
types of disputes may be referred to Cornell Legal Aid or in serious cases to Neighborhood Legal
Services.
Commission members raised a series of questions.
Charlie Woodcock: Are there particular compliance problems with lower-rent housing?
Kathleen Decker: No,it usually meets minimum code standards. Tenants rarely complain. They
may be afraid of losing their hard-to-find apartment.
George Musser: Is there any way to make tenants feel more secure about complaining?
John Efroymson: Organizing,complaining actually makes tenants more secure.
Charlie Woodcock: Does the Building Department have any ideas about things the RHAC should
be looking into?
Rick Eckstrom said he would bring suggestions later.
Pearce Brown: How will the RHAC find out about problems?
Suggestions included records of the previous commission and task force,census data from the
Planning Department,front office workers who deal with the public,holding a meeting for tenants.
George Musser: Could we come along on inspections? Rick Eckstrom: Sure.
Chuck Johns: The problems arise when suddenly the City discovers it erroneously certified some
buildings long ago.
Members of the public now spoke up. If a fire escape was unsafe for 40 years and the landlord
collected his rents,he should be satisfied. If two landlords on the commission represent the
landlord association,who represents the tenants? What is the purpose of the commission? The
Building Department should target inspections to buildings where there were problems or
complaints in the past. Cornell has a file of letters of complaint and praise about landlords.
The Commission turned to its plans for the near future. A whole meeting will be devoted to
education and outreach,but somewhat later.
Charlie Woodcock suggested a tenants committee to discover what the issues are. Shari Woodard
emphasized doing outreach to tenants,especially low-income ones, who won't come to the
commission.
At the next meeting the commission will set up subcommittees. (The previous Commission had
three: Supply Side,Policy—responsible for the security deposit ordinance and the affordability
provision in zoning,and Information.) Jane Schafrik and Chuck Johns will do their presentation
on the current housing market. Robyn Jenks will again chair.
Until then, members will talk to tenants(10 each is George Musser's suggestion),read the Tenant-
Landlord Resource Guide,and possibly get more information from the Building Department.
Respectfully submitted,Theresa Alt
REN FAL HOUSING ADVISORY COMMISSION
Charles Johns (landlord) Term expires December 31, 1996
138 Honness Lane (non-res) w:273-3773 h: 273-4335
110 West. Seneca St. (mailing address)
Dennis Merryfield(tenant) Term expires December 31, 1996
311 Turner Place 277-7455
Shari Woodard(non-profit,tenant) Term expires December 31, 1996
528 West Buffalo St. w:277-7602 h:277-4942
W. Pearce Brown (tenant) Term expires December 31, 1995
316 East Court Street 277-6354
Jane Schafrik(landlord) Term expires December 31, 1995
1491 Trumansburg Road(non-res) w: 277-3100 h:272-4343
Charles G. Woodcock Term expires December 31, 1995
406 E. Marshall St. w: 962-3137 h:277-4554
Robyn Jenks(tenant) Term expires December 31, 1994
278 Hayts Road(non-res) 277-8241
Carl Kadlic(non-profit,tenant) Term expires December 31, 1994
110 Dryden Road, Aptj. 2-D w:273-4417,272-7885 h:277-0810
George Musser(tenant) Term expires December 31, 1994
440 East Buffalo St., #7 w: 255-6263 h:256-4715
John Efroymson, Common Council Liaison 272-1034 274-3242
Rental Housing Advisory Commission
Minutes—Tuesday,March 8, 1994
Members Present: Pearce Brown,John Efroymson, Robyn Jenks,Chuck Johns, Carl Kadlic,
George Musser,Jane Schafrik, Shari Woodard,Charlie Woodcock
Members Absent: Dennis Merryfield(excused)
Visitors: Myra Malkin,Michael Thomas,Will Kone
Chairing: Robyn Jenks
Minutes of the meeting of February 8, 1994 were approved.
Michael Thomas thanked the Commission for listening to the public during the previous meeting.
There were no other comments from the public.
Chuck Johns presented the basics of the rental housing market. He finds that rental housing is
profitable but a lot of work;landlords don't have a free rein. He estimates that for a typical
property
school&property taxes = -19% of rent
repairs&maintenance = -16% of rent
gas&electric if heat included = -9% of rent
insurance = -4% of rent
water bills = -2% of rent
total = -50% of rent
If you hire a management company their fees are about 10% to 15% of rent. The mortgage
accounts for about 50% of rent. Thus a landlord will break even or lose money until the mortgage
is paid off;then the investment starts to bring in money.
Jane Schafrik presented a sample sheet(see attachment) for a single-family and two-family house.
She arrived at the price by taking the average price of homes under$70,000 for sale in the City
now. She assumes that tenants pay for utilities. The sheet shows why you cannot rent a single-
family house affordably in Ithaca. On a two-family house you could make a profit.
John Efroymson countered that the largest landlords in the City have been acquiring properties,so
they must be making money.
There was further discussion of the real estate market in Ithaca now that the"feeding frenzy"of
1985-86 is over. Real estate financing is very complex,since tax laws are complicated;the same
property may have different income implications for different people.
Schafrik suggested that there was a lack of space for housing in the City of Ithaca. She relayed
suggestions she had been asked to bring for getting Walmart to put housing on top of the new store
or to use the Wallace Steel site.
Shari Woodard turned the discussion to Mutual Housing and other sources of moderate-income
housing. The City can buy land to promote affordable housing. Community Development Block
Grant(CDBG) money has been used by Ithaca Neighborhood Housing Services(INHS),Better
Housing for Tompkins County,and developers like Weisburd. INHS has a loan program for
homeowners to repair their homes. Unfortunately,people upgrade their property until it is no
longer affordable,and it's the people at the low end who lose out. Meanwhile,according to
Schafrik,landlords cannot get money to make repairs but keep rent affordable. With CDBG
financing owner[Rick Cowles]is about to begin renovation of Landmark Square. Some people
will be displaced,as the complex is going from about 68 to about 53 units. However,it is 65-70%
vacant right now. The City has learned form past mistakes like Eddygate,where the low-income
housing went to graduate students. Ithaca Housing Authority(IHA)is a non-City government
agency that provides public housing. It is allowed to charge"fair market rents"as determined by
HUD. Schafrik suggested that these HUD rates drive housing costs up.
The student market is a separate market,but impacts the general housing market to some extent.
There were questions about the Section 8 rent subsidy program. The next meeting will be devoted
to it. Shari Woodard will arrange for presentations from people who administer Section 8 at the
Economic Opportuntiy Corporation(EOC)and maybe IHA.
We will ask Trish Norton to address the meeting after that about CDBGs.
Key questions for the Commission are: What drives the housing market? What can the
Commission do,seeing that it is against State law to regulate rents?
John Efroymson will contact Pierre Clavel to see whether a student can work for the Commission
during the summer.
The Commission will begin work on updating the Tenant-Landlord Resource Guide. Each
member will take one page of the Agency Listing and call the agencies on it to verify phone
numbers and addresses and check whether information is up to date. The work was apportioned
as follows: Woodard p. 1,Woodcock p. 2, Musser p. 3,Johns p. 4, Schafrik p. 5, Kadlic p. 6,
Brown p. 7, Efroymson p. 8, Jenks pp. 9-10.
Respectfully submitted,Theresa Mt
INCOME PROPERTY ANALYSIS
5//06 g- F,9X4'«y
SALE PRICE
RENT ROLL ( INCOME) 9 o2Uo-
EXPENSES:
TAXES: SCHOOL C /14/J9D
CITY
T & C
WATER o? UO -
INSURANCE e22/75---
GAS & ELECTRIC 7-,UH,UTS Pe/
MAINTENANCE:
PAINTING
LAWN MOWING
PLUMBING
GENERAL REPAIRS /O rr
EXcppr ye,ve /
TOTAL EXPENSESNET INCOME ( INCOME LESS EXPENSES)
DEBT SERVICE ($ 1-//076-- @ J2% FOR VO YEARS) / /i/o -
DOLLAR INVESTED (DOWN PAYMENT) /3� 7Sv
RETURN ON INVESTMENT ($) (%) / p ,-- . 01 %
EQUITY GAIN PER 1st YEAR
DEPRECIATION PER YEAR
/14//1/#6*-"M eti% k-E-C" /007- !ooo
The figures and calculations set forth hereinabove are ESTIMATES ONLY and must not be retied upon as exact.The preparer of this form shall not be held responsible
for any error or ommission contained herein.8y accepting this lorm,the prospective purchasers)and/or seller(s)agree(s)to hold the preparer harmless from any and
all liability arising from the use of this lorm or the information contained therein.
INCOME PROPERTY ANALYSIS 2 F I94jj/ L l�
SALE PRICE o.5 20
RENT ROLL (INCOME) L ielS X 2 X Z /d
c20b
EXPENSES:
TAXES: SCHOOL ,. /77a -
CITY
T & C /
WATER yQ p
INSURANCE
GAS & ELECTRIC eON'fO'U
/00 iC1/2FA-S-
MAINTENANCE:
PAINTING
LAWN MOWING
PLUMBING
GENERAL REPAIRS / DOn -
EXG fir foe /2. �
TOTAL EXPENSES 0e- 3, .595:oo
NET INCOME (INCOME LESS EXPENSES) o, G0,5' Ucb
DEBT SERVICE ($ 0-99;9 FOR o?n YEARS) ' I.2O.oz
DOLLAR INVESTED (DOWN PAYMENT) /'?/'7/p
RETURN ON INVESTMENT ($) (%) l 9?$ / 4 %
EQUITY GAIN PER 1st YEAR
DEPRECIATION PER YEAR
H/vA6c x167f, E to �d ,vo i /Z'CG6,D6 v = /2o2
The figures and calculations set lorlh hereinabove are ESTIMATES ONLY and must not be relied upon as eaacl.The preparer of this form shall nol be heldresponsible
for any error or ommission contained herein.By accepting this form,the prospective purchaserls)and/or sellerf s)agreels)to hold the preparer harmless Irom any and
all liability arising from the use of Ih.s form or the inlormalion contained I herein.
SQUY ES/CORNELL U TEL No .607-255-5907 Mar 8 ,94 15 :41 No .001 P .02
TO: Rental Housing Advisory Commission
FROM: George Musser
SUBJECT: Informal Review of Rental Housing Task Force and Commission Notes
DATE: 8 March 1994
Judging from the minutes and correspondence of the Rental Housing Task Force and
Rental Housing Commission,the present RHAC is on track. In their early meetings,our
predecessors met with Building Department representatives;expressed similar concerns
over rents,building conditions, and subsidies;and groped with existential questions
about the commission itself.
The papers of the earlier bodies are filled with worthwhile ideas. These include a
system of security-deposit credit vouchers awarded to tenants based on responsible be-
havior, a centralized Ithaca rental registry along the lines of the listings at Cornell, a
Housing Trust Fund to provide loans to tenants and low-income homeowners,and a
standardized model lease similar to"Rent Smart" lease. The RHC held a "Renters'
Speak Out" in July 1991,and we should do the same once we gain confidence and ex-
pertise.
The subcommittees set up by our predecessors may guide us in our own division of
labor.The RHTF had subcommittees on various topics,including:
• zoning changes to encourage affordable housing,
• tenants' rights and responsibilities,
• security deposits,
• relations with I.C. and Cornell,
• sweat equity,
• transportation,
• housing for seniors.
Each subcommittee brainstormed recommendations for the RHTF final report of 5 July
1989. For instance,the second task force suggested that landlords be required to post
certificates of occupancy; the college task force suggested that the City ask the colleges
to donate land for low-income housing.The major recommendation of the final report
was the establishment of a standing RiiC,which started to function in November 1989.
The RHTF did receive criticism from.the Friendship Center for neglecting homelessness
in its final report.
The RHC established three working groups on policy,information, and supply-side
incentives. The commission also adopted formal procedures regarding quorum (five
members),meeting order, and minutes.
Before dissolving in July 1992, the RHC undertook several surveys,which provide
useful data and a model for future studies. These surveys include the Southside Rental
Housing Survey (summarized below), a survey of landlords in Collegetown,and a
SQUYRES/CORNELL U TEL No .607-255-5907 Mar 8 ,94 15 :41 No .001 P .03
study by George Fratz of the rental housing ownership patterns. Several members of the
RHC called on the city to conduct an annual housing census to provide firm statistics on
housing supply,condition,and cost.
The RHC fielded numerous complaints from tenants,such as:
• landlords overcharged for damages,
• tenants don't know where to go with problems,
• the city places no statutory limit on late fees,
• tenants find it difficult to pay their rent in full at beginning of the month,
• tenants trade-off habitability (especially heating)for affordability,
• one tenant told John Efroymson that his landlord forbade visits by African-
American friends,
• landlords misrepresented property in advertisements,
• landlords increase rent arbitrarily,
• one landlord created documents purporting to be a city/state order,
• tenants are advised to deduct their costs from rent,but many wondered how
much legal right they have to do so,
• tenants are often unaware of lease provisions,
• market forces don't operate properly because tenants are under stress to find
housing.
Landlord, too,had complaints.Numerous tenants have trashed the house or left town
thinking their security deposit covered the last month's rent.
Recommendations
Based on my look at the RHTF and RHC records,and my discussions with tenants,I
propose that among the subcommittees we form,we set up groups to:
• establish and publicize an one-stop service to give tenants advice--a Tenant's
Hotline,perhaps. The present hodgepodge of city,county,and private agencies
offers a wide range of helpful services,but bewilders most tenants. There's no
single,intuitively obvious place that tenants can call. Kathleen Decker's position
as Rental Housing Specialist is a good start,but not a single tenant I've talked to
knows of her position. A Tenant's Hotline could also be the repository for a
rental registry.
• conduct a systematic study of why rents are what they are.Many people have
suggested various factors,but no one seems to have done a careful,quantitative
analysis.Unless we know what drives the market, we cannot be sure what action
the city should take. Trish Norton's Comprehensive Housing Affordability
Strategy and Jane Schafrik's comments at our first meeting are a good start; for-
mer commission member Pierre Clavel, a professor of city and regional planning
at Cornell,might have ideas.
Summary of Southside Rental Housing Survey
Commission staff member Larry Kestenbaum completed the Southside Rental
Housing Survey during the summer of 1990. Kestenbaum mailed questionnaires to
SQUYRES/CORNELL U TEL No .607-255-5907 Mar 8 ,94 15 : 41 No .001 P .04
landlords,telephoned tenants, and interviewed door-to-door for units that the other
techniques had failed to reach. He managed to collect data on 155 of 221 rental units in
the survey area,though the information for a third of those units in incomplete. Among
the findings:
• 55 of 56 tenants said they were satisfied or very satisfied.This high fraction,
while encouraging,may be biased,since Kestenbaum reached only 56 of the 198
tenants he tried to contact.
• 17 of the 56 tenants were unhappy with their level of rent.
• 21 of the 155 units were vacant,a 13.5 percent vacancy rate. This rate greatly ex-
ceeds the Southside housing vacancy rate of 5.4 percent given in the 1990 census.
• The average rent was$437,essentially identical to the average rent on Southside
given in the 1990 census.
• Interestingly,the average rent did not depend on whether heat was included.
Units where heat was included had an average rent of$433. Units where heat
was separate had an average rent of$441.
• Rent increased an average of 6.9 percent over the previous year. By comparison,
the Consumer Price Index rose 5.4 percent in 1990.
• Smaller and cheaper units had larger rent increases than larger and more expen-
sive units.
• Only 8 of 119 landlords required security deposits greater than one month's rent.
Rental Housing Advisory Commission
Minutes—Tuesday,April 12, 1994
Members Present: Pearce Brown,John Efroymson, Robyn Jenks, Chuck Johns, Carl Kadlic,
George Musser,Jane Schafrik, Shari Woodard,Charlie Woodcock
Member Absent: Dennis Merryfield(excused)
Visitors: Myra Malkin, Larry Beck, Sharon Fiorille,Carol Mallison
Chairing: Robyn Jenks
Minutes of the meeting of March 8, 1994 were amended to reflect the fact that when Jane Schafrik
mentioned putting housing on top of Walmart or on the Wallace Steel site,she was not stating her
own opinion but passing on a suggestion at the request of another person. The minutes were
approved as amended.
Pearce Brown entered as public comment a complaint from a tenant who was being bothered by
another noisy tenant whom she feared to approach. She had asked her landlord for help but was
not helped. Commissioners noted that tenant-tenant disputes are not the usual concern of the
RHAC. The tenant has every right to call the Police about a noisy neighbor;Ithaca has a Noise
Ordinance. The Community Dispute Resolution Center can also help in such cases. Since the
tenant apparently is a senior citizen,the Senior Citizens'Council might be able to help.
Larry Beck spoke from the public. He hopes that the RHAC will look back at the work done by its
predecessors,the Rental Housing Task Force and the Rental Housing Commission. He expressed
concern about property owners getting ticketed for snow,messy yards,etc. In particular he
complained about being penalized for the garbage of a tenant who does not put her garbage out.
He feels that when the Building Department finds such a violation the inspector should go through
the garbage to determine that it belongs to the tenant,so that the tenant rather than the landlord
could be cited.
Jane recalled an absentee landlord who discovered$100 in unpaid garbage citations that had to be
paid before selling the house.
Robyn suggested that the landlord association discuss the garbage problem.
Myra Malkin thanked the commission for seeing poor people as individuals,not stereotypes.
Sharon Fiorille,Executive Director, Ithaca Housing Authority (IHA),introduced her agency. It is
a federally-funded not-for-profit that both owns housing and operates a Section 8 rent subsidy
program.
IHA has approximately 30 units in Southview, 10 units in Overlook on Hector Street, more in
Northside,and 235 units in Titus Towers I and H;altogether 347 public housing units. All rents
are based on income;tenants pay up to 30% of income. Eligible candidates are prioritized by
various factors;e.g. a homeless family would get high priority. The average wait for public
housing is approximately 6-8 months. Prospective tenants are screened. IHA will sometimes
accept the security deposit on a payment plan in order to allow tenants to move in.
i •
The Section 8 program subsidizes rents for low-income people in private housing. IHA has 210
Section 8 certificates and 340 Section 8 vouchers,for a total of 550 Section 8 units. [The
Economic Opportunity Corporation operates an additional Section 8 program.] Certificates are set
as follows. HUD sets "fair market rents" for apartments by number of bedrooms for each county
in the U.S. The certificate covers the difference between 30% of the tenants'income and the actual
rent on the apartment;this rent may not exceed"fair market rent". Vouchers are somewhat more
flexible;tenants may decide to spend more than 30% of income on rent,if IHA concludes that they
will be able to do it. (In the future HUD will probably merge the certificate and voucher programs
into something that has elements of both.) Eligibility guidelines and priorities are similar to those
for public housing. There is more turnover but also greater demand in this program. The average
wait is probably 1 1/2 years(there are about 1000 people on the waiting list). If you are single
you might wait forever,because higher priority people would keep joining the list. A few people
get certificates and do not use them,probably because they have not looked hard for housing. In
general a person who has a Section 8 subsidy can find a place to use it;about 95% of landlords
accept Section 8;only a few do not want the paperwork. IHA is not allowed to screen Section 8
tenants. It does inspect the housing but does not warn tenants of bad landlords,if the housing
meets standards. Security deposits are usually limited to one month's rent. It is the tenant's
responsibility,but DSS often assists.
IHA is also trying new programs. Out of reserve funds they are buying private homes,renting to
Section 8 tenants,and seeing if the families can work toward ownership. IHA has bought two
houses. This June the first family will buy its home through the Family Self-Sufficiency
Program—much sooner than expected. IHA is also looking at the whole scope of family life with
the Section 8 Family Self-Sufficiency Program/Resident Initiatives Program.
Carol Mallison,Deputy Director,Ithaca Neighborhood Housing Services,introduced INHS,a
private non-profit,which started as a low-mod income home ownership program about 15 years
ago,with help from national programs. INHS is larger than most similar programs. Typically
INHS buys dilapidated housing,rehabs it,and sells it with a flexible lending program at interest
far below the market rate, starting as low as 1%. INHS also may work in conjunction with banks.
Their territory is now the whole of the flats as well as West Hill. They also run a mini-repair
program for the elderly and have rental units.
The Mutual Housing Association is a separate program for resident-managed housing. MHA
owns its houses,but residents are involved in financing, design,and tenant selection. Fees are
based on cost of maintenance but also help generate more housing. They are,e.g. $430+ utilities
for 2-br,$485 + utilities for 3-br. The current MHA development near the Northside P&C cost
$80,000/unit to build. Jane Schafrik notes that market rent would be$800/month. A hundred
people expressed interest in living there; there were about 70 applications;the MHA selected 14
families who are highly involved in the community.
Mayor Nichols reported on his plans to hire Colin Forth,a grad student in City and Regional
Planning,as an intern this summer to explore how we can get more affordable housing. He would
look into zoning issues,e.g. how zoning restricts the number of units in a building,cluster
housing. He would also update information on rents and vacancy rates and look at other city
prototypes. He starts in mid-May Jane Schafrik will provide a list of similar cities.
Robyn Jenks announced that a tenants'association is being formed;Dennis Merryfield is involved.
The next meeting will be Tuesday,May 10. Colin Forth will be invited to talk about his plans.
Trish Norton will explain the work of the Ithaca Urban Renewal Agency. The Commission will
return to revising the Tenant-Landlord Resource Guide and setting up committees
Respectfully submitted,Theresa Alt
ITHACA HOUSING AUTHORITY
800 SOUTH PLAIN STREET
ITHACA,NEW YORK 14850
607-273-8629
SHARON D.FIORILLE
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
April 19, 1994
Ms. Theresa F. Alt
Administrative Assistant
Office of the Mayor
City of Ithaca
108 E. GreenStreet
Ithaca, New York 14850
Dear Ms. Alt:
SUBJECT: RENTAL HOUSING ADVISORY COMMISSION MEETING
It was a pleasure to meet with other community members who are as
concerned with the betterment of housing as we are here at the Ithaca
Housing Authority.
I am pleased to have had the chance to share our programs and their
specifics, as well as our thoughts and goals for the future. Please
pass on my feelings and thanks to all members of the Commission for
their invitation.
I've enclosed your copy of the minutes which were very accurate, with
few exceptions which are marked in red.
Thanks again.
Sincerely,
Sharon D. Fiorille
Executive Director
SDF:psd
Enclosures
SECTION 8 OFFICE 607-273.1244 TDD PHONE 607-273-9472
Sharon Fiorille,Executive Director, Ithaca Housing Authority(IHA),introduced her
agency. It is a federally-funded not-for-profit that both owns housing and operates a Section 8 rent
subsidy program.
approx.. Side
IHA hasn30 units in Southview, 10 units in Overlook on Hector Street, more in Northvw,
and 235 units in Titus Towers I and II;altogether 347 public housing units. All rents are based on
income;tenants pay up to 30% of income. Eligible candidates are prioritiz xl by various factors;
0.pprox.
e.g.a homeless family would get high priority. The average wait for public housing iso 6-8
months. Prospective tenants are screened. IHA will sometimes accept the security deposit on a
payment plan in order to allow tenants to move in.
The Section 8 program subsidizes rents for low-income people in private housing. IHA
has 210 Section 8 certificates and 340 Section 8 vouchers,for a total of 550 Section 8 units. [The
Economic Opportunity Corporation operates an additional Section 8 program.] Certificates are set
as follows. HUD sets "fair market rents" for apartments by number of bedrooms for each county
in the U.S. The certificate covers the difference between 30% of the tenants'income and the actual
rent on the apartment;this rent may not exceed"fair market rent". Vouchers are somewhat more
flexible;tenants may decide to spend more than 30% of income on rent,if[HA concludes that they
will be able to do it. (In the future HUD will probably merge the certificate and voucher programs
into something that has elements of both.) Eligibility guidelines and priorities are similar to those
for public housing. There is more turnover but also greater demand in this program. The average
wait is probably 1 1/2 years(there are about 1000 people on the waiting list). If you are single
you might wait forever,because higher priority people would keep joining the list. A few people
get certificates and do not use them,probably because they have not looked hard for housing. In
general a person who has a Section 8 subsidy can find a place to use it;about 95% of landlords
accept Section 8;only a few do not want the paperwork. IHA is not allowed to screen Section 8
tenants. It does inspect the housing but does not warn tenants of bad landlords,if the housing
meets standards. Security deposits are usually limited to one month's rent. It is the tenant's
responsibility,but DSS often assists.
IHA is also trying new programs. Out of reserve funds they are buying private homes,
renting to Section 8 tenants,and seeing if the families can work toward ownership. lHA has
ru. f55 Vroiroa*
bought two houses. This June the first family will buy its homey—much sooner than expected.
IHA is also looking at the whole scope of family life with the Section 8 Family Self-Sufficiency
Program/ Re-side nt fia.- ve.s ebb -.
ri n e mos
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F i, r' '' • AP' pJ "Joh b , yr` $ ans, autonomy is a first step to
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AIsrael cede:
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�Hru y,, r p' • i�, rg u:., , tr , dismantles Jewish 9i;
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Yasser Arafat
'' '''' '' ' :4: i a, , " r '`r o'°., ,,, , . ;.. , ..._.. i? stressed that the ,
�...lA ,vx.x.:.x.... .>+Q..�.,Yr.a.�i x.,.�aw,1m,. �a,�n� nU_.-'.a _Se... e a> rd�..a.:,1�§k..u.�.7.a�^M..Y. �d,.d.�.i.�✓��'.�:. .:.:",m,.- ..eJ�a...,.1.G,�a«.�iaa.s .x�nE....4 . s.
JAY REITER/Joumal Staff plan being signed ,e ° k
CHANGES COMING: Austin Junior Flowers hlin 900,000 in ederal rants to im Wednesday co '
4,P ractices is new Ithaca is aPp y g f g P establish self-rule ' .'
s
bike-riding skills along Madison Street Monday. The City of the Northside neighborhood where Flowers lives. for Palestinians in
the Gaza Stripand Jericho Arafat
Grants sought for Northside city's poorest area would be only the beginning of;
poorest cess leading complete corn lete Israeli
By WENDY SKINNER fewest cars. Much of the housing is run down. A gram. Now the city government is about to apply drawal and Palestinian control
Journal Staff quarter of the adult residents do not have high for$900,000— the maximum it can request — in east Jerusalem.
Ithaca's Northside neighborhood is the city's school diplomas. five Community Development Block Grants for "We will he quite keen to b
poorest area. g ty's What could help this neighborhood?The City the neighborhood from the Department of Hous- from the momentum that w
of Ithaca thinks jobs,training,day care,and more ing and Urban Development(HUD). established for the final steps
Nearly half the people living there get by on affordable housing would be a good start. Four of the grants would go directly toward negotiations to ensure the i'
incomes that put them below the federal poverty The area has already been identified as a improving the lives of people living in the withdrawal from the occupied
line. Compared to other city residents, they have potential Economic Development Zone in the tinian lands, on top of whi
the biggest families, on average, and own the city's attempt to bring in a state anti-poverty pro- See NORTHSIDE, 4A Jerusalem," said Arafat, chief•
Palestine Liberation Organizatic
Ltftr�r t1,ch oa1ahrcitinn c 1%49i-rat-loll 1 Q'Ptc II Inwri 1-n 1,i>cinac
• - could understand it boyo
: Northside • ■��_�—vi� mal scope," Foster salol
Area targeted for HUD grant
(Continued from Page IA) "We've heard from residents that this park is
important to them,"said Norton.The city is apply- o .fit 'NOTEBOOK
Northside. ing for$50,((x)to put in a new play structure,fix the Grossman's ..A 00, i
Housing is a top priority for this type of grant. basketball court and playing field, and improve the Lumber SAO '% ;. �i
"The Mutual Housing Association project is the landscaping. 0:;,., y �� - Migratory Bir
anchor for this bundle of grant applications,"Trish The fourth grant request in the city's package X., /
Norton, the city's Deputy Director for Community ' �c•5<;, - is planned
would help bring a new day care for children and w. % J
Development,said Monday. infants into the neighborhood. The Drop-In Chil- F� 9e
g � �` �N May 14 is Intcrnatione
>. Norton said most of the money,$325,(XX),would dren's Center is planning a move from its home at P•
helpIthaca Neighborhood ' ; ;� celebrateBrd Day and the Cornell
Housing Services the Greater Ithaca Activities Center on North "� .. N
d ,w cif Ornithology, the
(INHS)build another seven'duplexes at the Mutual Geneva Street to a Northside site,probably on city Hancock j6 ' . N Audubon Society, and tht
Housing complex on First Street. The first seven land now used by the Department of Public Works. plow A " an Migratory Bird Cent(
'two-family units in the housing project were corn- The cityis seeking$150,(XX)from HUD to sup- mow.,.,,
h::..
pleted last fall. Residents in the housing complex plement other grantsthat the child-care center h .` '`� �� the event.centers,Ota
rent the one-, two-, or three-bedroom units, while <� `� ` tl' clubs, nature a
already won or is applying for. This patchwork of T �• 005 ` have received informatit
' sharing in the buildings' management and mainte- funding, plus a hoped-for$45,(XX) in local business g<• f o�
Cornell laboratoryto orga
nance.Rents arc set at 80 percent of market value. contributions, woyld add up to about $452,000, 1 N apse'
The city will also ask for a $20x),(XX)community enough to build and launch a new center. - Cascadilla International Migratory
li
•-block to allow INHS to renovate 14 to 20 "We'll he veryhappyto he in the Northside Journal Sian a laspAmericas,oject of a co in on
grant ' a coalition
houses in the Northside. Much of the single-family because of the cultural mix,"said Kris Cail,the ccn- he retained,as will the sliding fee scale. • ment and non-governmei
housing stock in the area is old, and as incomes ter's planning coordinator."It's really important for The last piece of the grant package that the city •tions and private industrie
have declined, owners haven't been able to main- us to be where families can learn to see how alike is seeking is$l(x),(X)0 for a citywide program called 10 prevent further declines
.tain their homes, they are,instead of how different." Community Enterprise Opportunities. A ax)pera ry birds.
With the federal money, INHS would he able to A move would give the Drop-In Children's Cen- tive effort by the city,Tompkins Cortland Commu- ' Rick Bonney,chair of t
make grants or loans to low-and moderate-income ter far more space. At GIAC, the center is limited nity College and entrepreneur-youth booster Jeff in Flight Information anc
homeowners in a targeted area in the Northside. to one room. Every day, all the furniture and play Furman,the program will fund,new"microhusincss- 'Working Group and direc
Owner-occupants of rental properties will also be projects have to he moved out because the space es."TC3 will provide classroom training and Fur- dation and Information Se
eligible for help in fixing up their properties. doubles as a dance studio.Three part-time staffers man will furnish one-to-one support for minority. ornithology lab,said,"Mig
• Another part of the Northside in need of attcn- take care of about 15 or 20 children. youth;or women entrepreneurs. •. are under siege every day
'tion is Conway Park, the small triangular patch of The planned new facility will have five rooms, "The program will be very supportive and inter- — on their breeding gro
green bounded by Cascadilla, Madison and Fourth where 13 full-time'workers will manage up to 50 active," Norton said. "We won't let anybody tloun- wintering grounds and th•
streets. children, including infants.The drop-in service will der." zone in between. We can
G. tain populations of migr
Armywith a combination of hat
.7 lion, management, profess
(Continued from Page 3A) ing and public education."
s `many acquaintances. Mr. Tillotson was predeceased ALICE CORNELIA BUTTON
Ward was married to Cora by a daughter, Eleanor in 1939 among people he felt were the most• IC students' 1
i; Stevens Tillotson who died Jan- and by a brother. Vernon in Alice Cornelia Button, mother needy.His work took him into Lon-'
azyGay don's worst neighborhoods.He won. is on exhibit
:. a 12, 1990. 1976• . of Jame Button, Marjorie b
"% Alice Saraduke and Mary Elba- scores of converts,but most did not
Survivors include his son and Funeral services will be at 2 feel comfortable in a church setting. The Handwerker Gall
beth Gray and sister of James
• daughter-in-law, H. Ward-Mot- p.m. Thursday, May 5, 1994 at Booth established Christian Mission
{ 'son,Jr. and Lois D.Tillotson on the Perkins Funeral Home with Honness, Martha McCarthy Centers and,in 1878,adopted the :`
the familyfarm, five grandchil- Mr. Alfred Boice officiating' and Mary L 4Pinto died Friday, name Salvation Army for his organi' SCHEDULE OF
`'.�i':dren, Mrs. Randall G. ida A. Burial will be in Virgil Rurl April 29, 1994' zation,using military rankings for -
k, •Tillotson) Foster of Homer, Cemetery. She is also survived by nine members. TODAY
/ John Tillotson of Coralville, grandchildren and eight great "It was easier for early converts to
Friends may call from 7 to 9
/ Iowa, Karen Tillotson of Cort- grandchildren. relate to and follow a military %true- Cornell
p.m. Wednesday at the funeral Lure as opposed to a church sonic
� land, Patricia and Richard home, 55 West Main St., Dry- Funeral will be held today, pp Electrical Engineering
7. ture,"Thomas said.
Tillotson of Marathon: a broth- den, NY. May 3 in Muldrow, Oklahoma. lion Rates for Mismatched Dec(
er, Gerald Tillotson of Richford: The idea also perpetuates the sym- mo Shamai.219 Phillips Hall 4::
New Port Richey. FL sters. Mary mond of Memorials are i
andrecteEdna Caring Community Hospicto:
eof expressed lebest
Paul
in his by a contribution thy, wherehewrites of becomingter to - Geological Sciences
a RemoteSensingMethodstoSn
i Craver of Port Crane NY' Cortland. 4281 N. Homer Ave.. any charity in her memory.
"soldier" who subjects him.rlt' to �„�.,.+ .,,,..o,,,._•••_-_ ,..,_
r (-
Rental Housing Advisory Commission
Minutes—Tuesday,May 10, 1994
Members Present: Pearce Brown,John Efroymson, Robyn Jenks, Chuck Johns,George Musser,
Jane Schafrik,Shari Woodard,Charlie Woodcock
Member Absent: Carl Kadlic(unexcused),Dennis Merryfield(excused)
Visitors: Myra Malkin
Chairing: Robyn Jenks
Minutes of the meeting of April 12 were approved.
No one spoke from the public.
Colin Forth,graduate student in the Department of City and Regional Planning,who will be
working for the Commission as an intern this summer,introduced himself.He has an economics
background and is studying affordable housing,the topic of his MA thesis. He is most interested
in increasing the supply of affordable housing,also interested in tenants'needs.
Commissioners wondered why the Mayor had emphasized zoning. Jane Schafrik thought zoning
is important,as it limits the number of units in a building. It was not clear whether this is a major
problem. There are few vacant properties in the City. Most of the vacancies are in upper floors of
old buildings; State fire codes,not City zoning ordinances keep them from being used. Zoning,
historic preservation,ADA and other ordinances all can make it hard to build and particularly hard
to renovate old buildings. Since there was no consensus about what the most important problems
are,George suggested picking a neighborhood and going building to building to raise all the issues
and identify the major problems. Robyn Jenks suggested looking at other cities. John Efroymson
suggested focussing on what Common Council can do. Trish Norton pointed out that incentive
zoning is attractive because there are few other things a city can do for affordable housing without
spending money.
The rest of the discussion was deferred.
Trish Norton,Deputy Director for Community Development for the City of Ithaca,introduced
herself. She works for the Ithaca Urban Renewal Agency(LURA) and is paid out of federal
Housing and Urban Development(HUD) funds. She oversees the application process for HUD
block grants,which involves trying to match local needs to HUD funding criteria. Ithaca is too
small for entitlement funds and must compete with other small cities for block grants. In most
years Ithaca has been successful. The grant limit was just raised from $600,000 to$900,000.
Norton works with the Citizens'Advisory Comittee as well as with the LURA to put together the
grant proposals. Most of the money goes for housing; some is for economic development. The
TURA works with private developers,leveraging their larger financial resources(e.g.Fairfield
Crossing). All housing so created goes to low or moderate-income people by Section 8 standards.
Thus, for a family of four the top income is$33,000. There are formulas to determine what debt
load is possible,what rents,a cap on profits. An affordable rent schedule is published every year.
The Landmark Square rents will be $425 plus utilities for a 2 br cottage and$450 plus utilities for
a 2 br townhouse. This is not much more than what people are charged now in the unrenovated
apartments,not far below market rent,and less than the$608 maximum Fair Market Rent allowed
by Section 8.
The discussion turned to incentives for private developers to participate in the CDBG. Clearly
Rick Cowles,builder of Fairfield Crossing,has learned how to make a profit while providing low-
income housing. Continuing affordability is guaranteed, since the IURA could pull the loan. In
the case of Landmark Square his incentive is the commercial development of the fronts on Meadow
Street,which are not financed under the Block Grant. Hardly any other developers respond to the
25-30 annual contacts that Norton makes. People speculated why. Developers in the Ithaca area
go for the high end of the market,where they can make more money. Some builders simply don't
want to build in the City;they feel there are too many delays. Many won't build in the Town of
Ithaca either. Property tax abatements would be an attraction,but would require action by County
Assessment. Incentive zoning is something the City could do on its own.
The real problem is that available subsidies are not sufficient to do housing for lowest-income
people. It is encouraging that HUD is starting to open up and take a more comprehensive view of
problems.
Jane Schafrik listed college towns that are comparable to Ithaca and could be studied: Gainsville
FL,Boulder CO, Corvallis OR,and Burlington VT,possibly Ames IA,Hanover NH or Athens
GA,
Updates to the Tenant-Landlord Resource Guide should be turned in to Theresa,who will type
them up.
The following subcommittees were formed(spokespersons underlined):
Education and Hotline: Musser,Efroymson
Summer Project,Law and Legislation: Jenks,Johns,Woodcock
Lowest-Income Housing(below 50% of median): Woodard, Brown
The next commission meeting will be Tuesday,June 14 at 7:00. It will be devoted to discussing
the outlines that each subcommittee will bring in and planning the work of the subcommittees.
Respectfully submitted,Theresa Alt
---1011n14
AT-irAlLir _Nr.%
/moi !rTT15171
i'7171-71:1L
,,!9DIP-•EO=-
CITY OF ITHACA
108 EAST GREEN STREET
ITHACA, NEW YORK 14850
DEPARTMENT OF TELEPHONE:607/274-6550
PLANNING&DEVELOPMENT FAX 607/274-6558
H.MATTHYS VAN CORT,DIRECTOR 607/272-7348
TO: Rental Housing Commission
FROM: Trish NortonlIKI
Deputy Director for Community Development
RE: 1994 Community Development Block Grant
DATE: May 10, 1994
The Ithaca Urban Renewal Agency is preparing the City of Ithaca' s
annual application for the 1994 Community Development Block Grant .
The proposed application was approved by Common Council in their
May meeting. The CDBG funding is provided by the Office of Housing
and Urban Development to create affordable housing and to expand
employment opportunities for low and moderate income individuals .
Since 1989, the City has been awarded over $2 . 9 million in federal
funds . The following is a brief summary of the 1994 Block Grant
application.
1994 Community Development Block Grant Application
INHS/Mutual Housing Association, Phase II - $325, 000
INHS/MHA is seeking CDBG funds for construction of 7 additional
duplexes next to the existing 7 units on the Pogo Parcel . The
first phase was completed in October 1993 and is fully occupied.
The unit mix for Phase II will be one 1BR, eight 2BR, four 3BR, and
one 4BR units . CDBG funds will be used to finance construction
costs . The total project cost is $1 .2 million and MHA is seeking
the remainder of the funds from a variety of state and local
sources . All of the units will be occupied by low and moderate
income individuals . The housing is owned by the MHA association
and residents play an integral role in management.
INHS Northside Housing Rehabilitation - $200, 000
INHS is seeking $200, 000 in CDBG funds to renovate 14-20 homes on
the Northside. INHS will make grants and loans to low and moderate
income homeowners located in the Target Area. Owner occupants of
multi-tenant properties will also be eligible for assistance . The
proposed target area will encompass the Pogo Parcel and extend down
CP Printed on Recycled Paper
"An Equal Opportunity Employer with an Affirmative Action Program"
to Monroe Street, and over to Conway Park, and bounded on the east
by Lake Avenue.
Economic Development - Drop In Children's Center - $150, 000
The Drop-In-Children's Center is seeking a $150, 000 grant to
relocate their center from GIAC to a northside site. The new
program will create 50 daycare slots; 32 permanent, and 18
temporary. Twenty of the slots will be for infants, providing the
only licensed infant daycare program in the Ithaca.
The total project cost for new construction of the 4000 sf building
is approximately $355, 000 and DICC is seeking other funds from
local businesses and a state sources . Approximately 10-12 jobs
will be created for low and moderate income persons . Pending
feasibility issues include the location of the specific site in the
Northside.
Economic Dev. - Community Enterprise Opportunities (CEO) $100, 000
The IURA, in conjunction with Tompkins Cortland Community College
and the Youth Enterprise Program, is proposing the creation of a
microenterprise assistance program. CEO will provide basic
business knowledge and entrepreneurial skills to low income women,
youth, and minorities . TC-3 will provide the classroom training
and the YEP coordinator Jeff Furman will provide the one-on-one
technical assistance. A part-time program developer will be hired
to fund raise and serve as a contact point for the program. The
program developer will either work out of City Hall or an
appropriate community location. Approximately 20 youth and 20
adults will be assisted.
Conway Park & Northside Infrastructure Improvements - $50, 000
CDBG funds will be used to improve Conway Park. Proposed
improvements include removal of the existing unsafe play structure
and installation of a new one, repairs to the basketball court and
playing field, and general landscaping.
CD Administration - $75, 000
CDBG funds are required for staffing and program support for the
administration of Block Grant programs . Administration
responsibilities include general program coordination, bookkeeping,
record keeping, regulatory compliance, reporting, close out
functions, and audits .
93cdbg\P&Dsumm. 494
RECIPIENTS OF CDBG FUNDS
1987 - 1993
1993
Landmark Square Revitalization Project: renovation of 51 rental units
Neighborhood Police Program: police and drug awareness program
Cooperative Extension Program: youth program & human services
Wood Street Park Improvements
INHS Direct Homeownership: mortgages for 13 first time low/mod
homeowners
Ithaca Community Dental Services: new dental clinic, creation of 10 jobs
Challenge Industries: purchase micro-film equipment, creation of 4 jobs
1992
House Craft Builders: West Inlet Project - project status pending
INNS Rental Management Program: five rental opportunities for low income
families
Community Health and Home Care: economic development loan, creation of
20 low/mod jobs
GIAC: Community Enterprise and Entrepreneurial Training Project —Youth
Micro-enterprise Program
1991
Chartwell Associates Plus: Fairfield Crossing - construction of 14
low/mod rental units
INHS House Recycling Program
Challenge Industries, Inc. : expansion of mail processing center -
economic development loan, creation of 15 jobs
The Learning Web: youth apprentice program
Tompkins County Task Force for Battered Women: staff support at shelter
1990
INHS/Polygon Associates: Towerview Apartments on Floral Avenue -
construction of 24 rental units
Henry St. John Building: handicapped accessible ramp
Finger Lakes Independence Center: handicapped accessible doors
1989
Mutual Housing Association of TC: Construction of 14 duplexes
HOMES, INC: Green Street house
HiWay-HiFi : economic development loan, creation of 4 jobs
1987
INHS Rehabilitation Programs
Pal's Sports Center: economic development loan, creation of 10 jobs
Greentree Nursery and Garden Center: economic development loan, creation
of 4 jobs
INHS/Chartwell : SRO Project on Meadow Street
1/94
C\W\CDBG\list. 063
is Rental Housing Advisor,,,, Co n nigsio=; r `=
V
yf,orge Musser and John l fr. iu.ori
6-1; u:'` • 1t:aft List c:f Terunite' l?!g`4r,= ond
L)A'I'E: t zi June 1194
Riots€s
Picedom from discrimination. The landlord eanr-ot deny )'eu housing enarge: higher rent
based on;your rice, color. national origin,religion, erted, sex, age, disability",Inhrit.lal status,or sexteil
preference. The landlord may not ask you questions about any of these attributes.
Speedy return of security deposit. When you move out, the landlord must return your secu-
rity deposit within 30 days. The landlord can keep part or all of the deposit in ordw' to repair darn-
ages beyond normal wear and tear, or to reimburse unpaid rent. But if the landlord dose keep the
deposit,he or she must write you a letter explaining why and specifying the cost of each repair.This
is the law of the City of Ithaca, and if the landlord breaks this law, he or she may be ordered by a
judge to pay you three times the amount of the deposit, plus any court and lawyers fees,
Interest payments from security deposit.The security deposit is your money. If the landlord
deposits it into a bank and earns interests from it,the interest is yours and the landlord court.torn it
over to you. In buildings with six or more apartments, the landlord must,deposit your money:y into ie
interest-bearing account.
Decent living conditions. The landlord must clean the apartment before you move in,.maic-
sure public halls and stairways are adequately lighted, keep the building free from insects and ro
dents,and keep the heating, plumbing, and electric system in working order.
Privacy. The landlord may enter your apartment to perform repairs or show the spantmen?,
prospective renters, but only at a reasonable time and ?r advance notice. The lendlerd cannot re-
strict visitors or overnight,guests.
Protection from arbitrary eviction. You eannet be evicted by your lace:nerd without an °lee r
tunity to tell your story to a judge. To terminate a month-to-month lease, the landlord you
one month's notice.
Heat From October 1 to May 31, the landlord must keep the room temperature at least 5R' hV •
-
tween 6 ami. and 10 p.m.,and 55°from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.
Protection from retaliation.The landlord can't eviet, barest, or penalize yeti if you (-Lonnie l :
about problems with the apartment,participate in a tenants'organization,or otherwise try lc upl:s'ld
your rights. New York State law guarantees your right to complain, and you can take the landlord to
court if he or she violates that right.
Responsibilities
Renting is a two-way street. If you want the sea; :l rd to respect your rights,you have to pay at.
tention to your responsibilities. When Ienants tree`e house, they hurt f;;ture %enaiits who may have
to pay higher rents and deal with stricter leases, For example, because some tennis have left town
without paying the last months rent, landlords now require payment of the fart: month's rent in ad-
vance.
Taking care of the apartment. You must keep your nowt-merit cease ands re. You must oper-
ate appliances and fixtures responsibly, store flammable materials properly, and keep exits and
stairways clear so you can got out in an emergency.You should repair any damage to the apartment
that you caused. If you don't take care of the apartment., you're hurting yourself, since you may wind
up losing your security deposit.
Keeping landlord Informed. You should tell your landlord of any problems with the dwelling,
Occupancy limits. The City of'Ithaca limits the number of people who can live in an apartment.
These limits are meant to protect tenants from unsafe living conditions, and you should abide by
them,
Trash. You should bag and take out your trash. You should separate recyclable materials from
the trash bags and put them in special containers. If garbage collectors or trash inspectors find recy-
clable materials in your trash,you may have to pay a fine,
Suggestions
Read your lease (which must be written in plain, non-technical language) and make sure all
promises and agreements with your landlord are made in writing. When you move in, walk around
and make up a list of problems with the apartment. Check the windows, fridge, toilet, and sinks.
Give a copy •::f the list to your landlord, so you won't be blamed for any damages done before you ar-
rived
Call the City of Ithaca's Herital Housing hotline,
274— ._ (274 -_ )
if you '=eve problems or further
Rental Housing Advisory Commission
Approved Minutes—Tuesday,June 14, 1994
Members Present: John Efroymson, Robyn Jenks (Chair), Chuck Johns, George Musser,Jane
Schafrik, Shari Woodard,Charlie Woodcock
Member Absent: Pearce Brown(excused),Carl Kadlic(unexcused),Dennis Merryfield(excused)
Visitors: Myra Malkin,Colin Forth
Minutes of the meeting of May 10 were approved.
No one spoke from the public.
There have been two changes in subcommittees:
Education and Hotline: Efroymson,Musser(spokesperson), Schafrik
Summer Project,Law and Legislation: Jenks,Johns,Woodcock(spokesperson)
Lowest-Income Housing (below 50% of median): Brown,Jenks,Woodard
(spokesperson)
Charlie Woodcock reported from the Law and Legislation Subcommittee,which met twice. They
looked at the Southside survey of 1990 but found it was not very useful. They reviewed and
analyzed 1990 census data. They are asking how many rental units are available in the City? What
are the average rents? What zoning problems are there? They plan to research other cities that have
rent control. They will also examine the experience of land banks,where a city buys property and
resells or helps renovate it,but puts a cap on the resale price to keep the housing affordable.
Colin Forth reported on his summer project(see Tentative Agenda and two attached surveys). He
has been trying to get a sense of the housing situation in Ithaca.The"Specific issues": cluster
zoning, State regulations,conversion—elevators&fire codes,land trust,and performance
standards will be covered in the fmal report. There is now an example of an urban land trust in
Syracuse that is working well. "Performance standards" means making sure that the city actually
gets what it wants out of development,be it quiet, sunlight,etc.
John Efroymson said that a process needed to be identified for getting tenant as well as landlord
input. There was discussion about whether the identified issues were appropriate for tenant input,
whether it was the job of another subcommittee to involve tenants. Charlie Woodcock suggested
that the planned report be called "Preliminary Report"rather than "Final Report". In the course of
compiling the report,issues can be identified and a process for consulting tenants developed.
The Subcommittee will look at proposed changes in State law regarding rehabilitation and possibly
write a letter of support.
All RHAC members should read the preliminary reports,identify questions and comments,and
give them to Colin at 273-7944.
Shari Woodard reported that the Subcommittee on Lowest-Income Housing had not met yet,but
that she had met with Myra Malkin and would meet with Trish Norton,Carol Mallison,and Anne
Clavel. She herself is on the Homeless Task Force. She raised key questions. How many people
make up the lowest income population? Do people want what we envision providing,e.g.,
housing with support services? Has anyone done a study? Are efficiency apartments needed?
George Musser reported from the Education Subcommittee. He and Jane Schafrik met once. They
distributed a draft list of tenants'rights and responsibilities and solicited comment. Kathleen
Decker,who now works full time Tuesdays and Thursdays as Rental Housing Officer,has been
working on something similar. The subcommittee may work with her on it. Suggestions for
distribution include asking the landlords'association to attach something like it to leases,getting
the Ithaca limes and Ithaca Journal to include it as an insert,and distributing it through DSS.
Suggestions for content include: adding the basics of recycling add getting garbage tags,taking
into account that the system may be different in different buildings,suggesting checking with the
landlord about damage before attempting repairs,and dropping the clause"If you want the landlord
to respect your rights."
Jane Schafrik suggest that the survey ask how many landlords of college students require a
semester's rent or a year's rent in advance.
When the Commission does outreach meetings there should be several—one in each
neighborhood.
The next Commission meeting will be Tuesday,July 12 at 7:00. Subcommittees will report again
Respectfully submitted,Theresa Alt
About the Rental Housing Advisory
Commission....
Tenants'
Rights
AND
Responsibilities
A Quick Reference Guide
for Tenants and Landlords
Prepared by the City of Ithaca
Rental Housing
Advisory Commission
R Ights every three years. If you feel the building is Keeping landlord informed. It's important
unhealthy or unsafe, call the Hotline. to tell your landlord about problems with the
The laws of New York State and the Privacy.The landlord may enter your apart- dwelling.Tell your landlord about any damage
City of Ithaca guarantee tenants you caused. The landlord will find out sooner
certain rights. Landlords who violate your ment to perform repairs or show it to - or later,and sooner is better for you:the land-
rights are breaking the law. five renters,but only at a reasonable timeime anand lord can fix it faster, and is more likely to be
after advance notice (except in an emergency). nice about it.
Freedom from discrimination. The land- The landlord cannot restrict visitors or
lord cannot deny you housing or charge higher overnight guests. Occupancy limits.The City of Ithaca limits
rent based on your race,color,national origin, Protection from arbitrary eviction. You the number of people who can live in an
religion, creed, sex, age, disability, marital cannot be evicted without being given the apartment. These limits are meant to protect
status, sexual preference,or whether you have tenants from overcrowded,unsafe living condi-
children. The landlord may not ask you ques- chance to tell your story to a judge. Be sure to tions, and you must abide by them.
tions about any of these attributes. go to court at the time specified in the eviction
papers; if you don't show, you automatically Trash.You must bag and take out your trash.
Speedy return of security deposit. When lose. To terminate a month-to-month lease, You must separate recyclable materials from
you move out, the landlord must return your the landlord must give at least one month's the trash and put them in special containers.
security deposit within 30 days. The landlord notice. If you don't, and garbage collectors or trash
can keep part or all of the deposit in order to Heat. In general, the City of Ithaca requires inspectors find recyclables in your trash, you
repair damages beyond normal wear-and-tear, may have to pay a fine. Some landlords take
or to reimburse unpaid rent. (For example, landlords to keep the room temperature at care of garbage collection:
routine paintingcounts as normal wear-and- least 68° from September 1 to May 31 when- g they put trash tags
ever the outside temperature falls below 55°. on the cans and carry them out to the curb. If
tear.) If the landlord does keep the deposit,heyour landlord doesn't, you have to buy the
or she must write you a letter within 30 days Right to complain.The landlord can't evict, trash tags and take care of the garbage your-
explaining why and specifying the cost of each harass, or penalize you if you complain about self.
repair. This is the law of the City of Ithaca, problems with the dwelling, participate in a
and you can take your landlord to court if he tenants' organization, or otherwise try to up- s uggestions
or she breaks it. If you win, the judge may or- hold your rights.
der the landlord to pay you three times the Take the time to read your lease
amount of the deposit, plus any court and esonsibilities (which must be written in plain
lawyer fees. p English,not lawyer-ese)and be aware of what
Security deposit interest payments. The Renting is a two-way street.You have you're signing. Make sure all promises and
security deposit is your money. If the landlord to pay attention to your responsibili- agreements with your movelandlord are made in
deposits it in a bank and earns interest from ties. When tenants trash a house, they hurt writing. When you in, walk around and
it,the interest is yours and the landlord must future tenants who may have to deal with write uph a list of problems with the apart-
it,
it over to you. He or she may keep 1 per- higher rents and stricter leases. For example, ment.,Check the doors, windows,fridge, stove,v
cent to pay for administrative costs. In build- because some tenants have left town without toilet, sinks,list to andyour floor coverings. Give a
ings with six or more apartments,the landlord paying their last month's rent,many landlords copy of blamedthto damage landlord,before
sou au won't
must deposit your money into an interest- now require the last month's rent in advance. For forpdoneicures you arrived-
added proof, take pictures when you ar-
bearing account. Taking care of the apartment. You must rive and when you leave.
Decent living conditions. The landlord keep the apartment clean and safe, operate
must clean the apartment before you move in, appliances and fixtures responsibly, store
make sure public halls and stairways are flammable materials properly, and keep exits If you have problems or questions,call the
clean and adequately lighted, keep the build- and stairways clear so you can get out in an City of Ithaca's
ing free from in sects and rodents (with your emergency.When you go away,leave the heat Rental Housing Information Hotline,
help),and keep the heating,plumbing,electri- on to prevent pipes from freezing. If you don't 274-**** (274_****)
cal system, and major appliances in working take care of the apartment, you're hurtingle Aquat 1
9114
order. Each dwelling must pass an inspection yourself, since you may wind up losing your
by the City of Ithaca's Building Department security deposit.
Rental Housing Advisory Commission
Approved Minutes—Tuesday,July 12, 1994
Members Present: Pearce Brown ,John Efroymson (Council liaison),Chuck Johns,George
Musser
Members Absent: Robyn Jenks(Chair—excused),Dennis Merryfield(excused),Jane Schafrik
(excused), Shari Woodard(excused),Charlie Woodcock(unexcused)
Visitors: Colin Forth
Chairing: George Musser
As there was no quorum,no official action was taken.
No one from the public was present to speak,but Myra Malkin sent a postcard from vacation to let
the group know that she has not lost interest.
Colin Forth reported on his ongoing work. He has sent letters to developers and started talking to
them about problems they may have with regulations the City could change. He has talked with
the Planning Department about Site Plan Review. He has sent out surveys to other comparable
towns. He has drafted a resolution for the Commission on proposed changes in the State Building
Code and will circulate it by mail in August.
He has contacted the Fire Chief and is looking into the question of how many housing units have
been lost to fire. He suspects that more have been lost than built in the last four years. Therefore,
while the new smoke and heat detector code requirements add something to the cost of housing,
they may actually promote affordable housing by preserving the supply.The ordinance is already
in effect for new building. It is still being rewritten for already-existing housing. The committee
working on it has been meeting weekly and will soon report. Housing built before 1984 is the
biggest problem;since 1984 new State standards have been in force.
Colin's emphasis has been shifting from regulatory issues into issues of process. Much existing
process has simply evolved,but usually for a reason. Often citizens and boards want one thing,
developers want another,and staff get caught in the middle. Dan Hoffman was suggested as a
source for the history of many regulatory issues. Although so far much time has gone into setting
up appointments,Colin will have his final report done by September.
George Musser passed out a revised version of the tenants'rights and responsibilities leaflet.
(Jane had said before the meeting that she would suggest more revisions.) Building Commissioner
Rick Eckstrom and also the landlords'association had expressed concern that it not be seen as a
document imposed by the City. The leaflet will go through more revisions. George also noted that
Rick Eckstrom was enthusiastic about the tenants'hotline idea and will put it in the budget.
Housing Solutions has an excellent database on City housing and could be a valuable resource.
Pearce Brown reported that he and Shari Woodard met and talked about the lowest-income housing
problems but had not yet accomplished much.
The Commission needs two new members. Subcommittees may draw non-members into
subcommittee work,and these people might then become candidates to be members. Colin will try
to draw in two new City and Regional Planning students.
It is unlikely that there will be a quorum in August,so there will be no August meeting unless
someone phones Robyn or Theresa with urgent business. Subcommmittees will continue meeting
through August. The next Commission meeting will be Tuesday,September 13 at 7:00.
Subcommittees will have been meeting in the interim and will report again
Respectfully submitted,Theresa Alt
Rental Housing Advisory Commission
Approved Minutes—Tuesday, September 13, 1994
Members Present: Colin Forth,Robyn Jenks(Chair), Chuck Johns,Jane Schafrik, Shari
Woodard,Charlie Woodcock
Members Absent: Pearce Brown (excused),John Efroymson (excused),Dennis Merryfield
(excused)
Visitors: Kathleen Decker,Myra Malkin
Minutes of the meetings of June 14 and July 12 were approved.
Myra Malkin spoke from the public. Neighborhood Legal Services is concerned about the
proposed Nuisance Abatement Ordinance. They fear that landlords,fearing drugs in their
buildings,will become overly suspicious and will discriminate against any potential tenants who
appear even slightly weird,and against poor people in general. They also fear that landlords will
shift from leases to month-to-month renting to make it easier to throw tenants out. Shari Woodard
replied that she and Robyn Jenks as the Lowest-Income Housing Subcommittee had discussed the
ordinance.
Membership of the Commission is changing. George Musser and Carl Kadlic have left town.
Dennis has not yet reappeared after the summer;Theresa will contact his department and find out
how to reach him. Colin Forth is now a member,replacing George. At least one new member is
needed to replace Carl;it must be someone from a non-profit housing-involved agency and a City
resident. Suggestions included Paul Mozzarella,Kim Esterman,Kathleen Decker,Myra Malkin
and a public recruiting announcement.
Colin Forth presented his report with suggestions for changing the zoning code. He emphasized
that it is still a preliminary draft; statistics are missing;much will have to be changed. It represents
his own opinion. The report will be duplicated and distributed to all members of the Commission.
Colin requests comments and corrections.
Charlie Woodcock reported that the Law and Legislation subcommittee had met in June with
Kathleen Decker to discuss the rehabilitation code. They met again in July and August and the
night before with Colin about his report. They want Council to take a stand for changing the
rehabilitation code.
Shari Woodard reported that the Lowest-Income Housing subcommittee wants to suggest to
Council that a needs assessment be performed. This should determine what the scope of the
housing problem for lowest-income people is and how people are coping. There is anecdotal
evidence of a problem. We have statistics on use of homeless shelters and there are waiting lists
for Section 8. Kathleen Decker mentioned that DSS has monthly data. The CDBG for Landmark
Square required data,but that project is not aimed at low-low income people,rather at low-
moderate. Shari suggested hiring a consulting firm to pull together all the disparate pieces of data.
Chuck and Jane expressed skepticism about consultants and suggested the Human Services
Coalition as a possible source of information.
The question is: How many people are so far below the poverty line that it is really hard for them
to rent? Where are they now? Homeless,tripled with relatives,moving from friend to friend,
living in substandard rooms,living just outside the City limits? Robyn will consult American
Demographics. Colin will ask CRP professor Barclay Jones about how to approach the problem.
The Commission discussed the proposed Nuisance Abatement Ordinance. There were many
questions. Does it apply to one apartment or to a whole building? Will it only be applied to West
State Street? What about a tenant's constitutional right to privacy? Jane and Shari complained that
the ordinance turns landlords into police,judges and juries,.and that closing down buildings won't
solve the drug problem. Jane suggested that when dealers were driven out of the VIP motel the
problems started on West State Street. She commented that you can't legislate morality. Shari
noted that the poor will suffer if we don't do it,but they will suffer if we do it. . It's born of
frustration. Colin said that how the ordinance functions will be dependent on who the mayor's
"designee" is.
The RHAC may want to oppose this ordinance but needs to know more about it. Copies of the
ordinance as revised by the Inter-Institutional Committee of Council on September 13 will be
requested for all members of the RHAC. We will ask John Efroymson for the timeline.
As the report of the Education Committee Jane passed out George Musser's latest version of the
Tenants'Rights and Responsibilities leaflet. A draft was sent to Mark Goldfarb of the landlords'
association. The leaflet still needs the number where tenants can call for trash tag information. We
are still waiting for the Building Department's new hotline number. This requires a new card in the
City phone system,which is expensive and will not happen for at least a few months. The
pamphlet name will be changed to"Rental Rights and Responsibilities"so that the Building
Department doesn't appear to take sides. The City seal will be on front. We will approach Council
for funding to print the leaflet.
At the next meeting on Tuesday,October 11 at 7:00 the Commission will take up questions about
poverty income levels,the Nuisance Ordinance, new input on the brochure,and Colin's report.
Respectfully submitted,Theresa Alt
Rental Housing Advisory Commission
Approved Minutes—Tuesday,October 11, 1994
Members Present: Pearce Brown ,John Efroymson ,Kim Esterman, Colin Forth,Robyn Jenks
(Chair),Chuck Johns,Jane Schafrik,Shari Woodard,Charlie Woodcock
Members Absent: Dennis Merryfield(unexcused)
Visitors: Myra Malkin
Minutes of the meeting of September 13 were approved.
No one spoke from the public.
Nuisance Abatement Ordinance
John Efroymson asked the RHAC to help the Mayor's Task Force on Substance Abuse to compile
a list of sources of alternative housing information for evicted people. Both Myra Malkin and
Kim Esterman agreed that it would be best to give only one number,the Red Cross 24-hour
phone.
John reported on the discussion of the Nuisance Abatement Ordinance at the Inter-Institutional
Committee earlier the same day. Many people spoke,most against its impacts. The intent of the
law is to make landlords try to abate nuisance houses. "Seizure"in the proposed City ordinance
refers to a drug or substance. There is already a state law[Real Property Actions and Proceedings
Law §715] that neighbors within 200 feet and city agents can go to court to evict a nuisance tenant
if the landlord won't do it(and the landlord gets fined).
John laid out two questions. Is the law a good idea? If it is, then what needs to be fixed?
Members of the Commission commented.
Pearce Brown: If you move problem people from one house,they go to another and you have to
do all the work over again. Probably drug dealers are short-term tenants anyway.
Chuck Johns: The uncaring landlords you are aiming at can't be scared nor changed. But Mr. &
Mrs.Jones who you never would close down get scared and start to discriminate. It can be very
hard to get bad tenants out. Johns would prefer to help people buy duplexes with low-interest
loans and the stipulation they live in them. He thinks INHS only supports single-family housing.
Shari Woodard thinks the landlord reaction will be more screening of tenants and month-to-month
tenancies. Also you will hit innocent tenants in the same building when you close it. She
wondered whether tenants are allowed to attend the hearings,that is,whether they would be
notified.
Kim Esterman: Landlords have to show they are attempting to abate the the nuisance,but the law
needs to be more specific about what they have to do to show good faith.
Jane Schafrik shares Shari's and Kim's concerns and all others aired at the Inter-Institutional
committee meeting. If landlords are seen as enforcers,they will be afraid to enter their buildings,
as they could be in physical danger. Abatement becomes an issue of landlord veracity,and there
will be discrimination against minority landlords. She fmds the state law interesting;if the
Education Committee publicized it,that might solve the problem.
Charlie Woodcock: The problem with the state law is that the neighbor has to hire a lawyer.
Would the City do this?
Colin Forth: You will lose affordable housing. Check the turnover rate. If it's very high,then the
law is ineffective. This law is targeted at the poor. Would you shut down a frat for repeated
alcohol sales to minors? When a building is reopened,will it be at higher rents? Especially after
the landlord has lost income while it was closed. This law attacks a symptom. The State law too
allows neighborhoods to select their targets proactively. This looks very arbitrary.
John Efroymson: We drafted our law because we wanted landlords to care. You don't have to
close down the whole building. In cities that have such laws few buildings get closed.
Kim Esterman: That's where it's arbitrary. It is not clear when it will be the whole building.
Charlie Woodcock: It may make life miserable enough for some landlords that they sell their
property and leave. The intent is to hit problem landlords.
John Efroymson: It won't be voted on in November;it will be back in committee in November
for the third time.
Jane moved that the RHAC state its opposition to the Nuisance Abatement Ordinance Draft 10 and
urge the city to seriously consider enforcing the state law.
Myra summarized the state law. It has the advantage that the decision is made in court rather than
by the mayor or his designee,which politicizes it.
John made a friendly amendment to omit reference to Draft 10 and oppose the ordinance in
principle.
The resolution was passed 7:0 with Chuck Johns abstaining. The Commission will issue a press
release making the position public.
Colin Forth's Report
Colin's report was discussed briefly. John Efroymson is concerned about a low-interest loan pool
to for-profit developers(p.6); Colin replied that there would be provisions to keep such
apartments affordable in return (p.25). Jane suggested that SUNYMAE or CDBG recaptures
could be a model. Chuck wished there could be City funds to buy out crack houses and fix them
up. Jane suggested that CDBG funds might be used. The City could have participated in the
Better Housing for Tompkins County home ownership program but chose not to. Chuck thinks
there are about 300 unrented empty apartments in the City now. We should find a way to house
people in them,maybe through a fund for rent subsidies. He has not raised his rents in four
years,but rents are too high.
Colin requested that people call him with suggestions. The main discussion of the report will be at
the next meeting.
Everyone agreed that it would be a good idea to involve nonmembers in the subcommittees,
provided the subcommittees report regularly to the Commission.
At the next meeting on Tuesday,November 8 at 7:00 pm the Commission will hear reports film all
the subcommittees but mainly will focus on Colin Forth's report.
Respectfully submitted,Theresa Alt
Rental Housing Advisory Commission
Minutes—Tuesday,November 8, 1994
Members Present: Pearce Brown,Kim Esterman,Colin Forth,Robyn Jenks(Chair), Chuck
Johns,Jane Schafrik, Shari Woodard
Members Absent: John Efroymson (unexcused), Dennis Merryfield(unexcused),Charlie
Woodcock(excused)
Visitors: Myra Malkin
Minutes of the meeting of October 11 were approved.
No one spoke from the public.
Nuisance Abatement Ordinance
Draft#10 is still the latest one. Robyn reported that we had a notice of our resolution in the paper
and got a lot of reactions. She stressed unintended consequences,landlord safety,and civil
liberties when she commented to the press. The ordinance will be discussed again at the Inter-
Institutional Committee on Tuesday,November 15 at 4:00.
Robyn Jenks and Shari Woodard reported from the Lowest-Income Subcommittee. They think
they have a method for coming up with the statistics on lowest-income residents. According to
Census figures Tompkins County has:
$0-$4999 annual income 2161 households
585 families
$5000-$9999 annual income 3469 households
962 families
Jane Schafrik noted that these figures approximately reflect the number of people the Salvation
Army feeds at holidays-900 to 1200 families. Tompkins County has the highest poverty rate of
any county in the state outside of New York City.
Separating students out from the rest of these statistics is always difficult.
Chuck Johns proposed that the City raise a large sum of money and buy housing. He thought that
requesting$5 per student from Cornell,Ithaca College and off-campus landlords could bring in
$75,000. Then by holding a lottery$200,000 to$300,000 could be raised.
Jane Schafrik reported from the Education and Hotline Subcommittee. She received suggestions
from Myra Malkin about additional wording about evictions that could add about three lines. A
panel "About the Rental Housing Advisory Commission"still needs to be written;it can be based
on the charge in the City Code. The rest of that panel can be devoted to emergency numbers. One
panel will be left blank as a mailer. It was agreed that the pamphlet will be in plain black and
white,typeset in-house on a laser printer. The first run will be small;500 copies for distribution
with new January leases. Eventually 6,000 to 10,000 copies may be needed. Jane also noted for
the Tenant-Landlord Resource Guide that HOST now has elder cottages and a reverse mortgage
counselor.
Colin Forth's Report
Discussion touched on a number of specific points. Chuck Johns thought that a land trust is a
good idea. Would changes in the zoning code actually lead to more affordable housing being built?
Colin suggested that even if the zoning code allowed row houses and the Planning Department
backed the concept,builders probably wouldn't build them,and the Planning Board would
probably object on grounds of neighborhood character. In any case,it would take a long time
before anything would be built. Colin suggested that changes in zoning are needed,but are not
sufficient;the City would have to take other measures to actually get housing built. Jane Schafrik
thought it would probably be more cost-efficient to convert already-available housing. In any case,
she asserted,affordable housing would require government subsidy. Shari Woodard pointed out
that the need is there;600 people are on Section 8 between EOC and IHA.
The report did not find fault with the Building Department,but Chuck and Jane complained that the
Building Department has not been informing people of the upcoming smoke detector ordinance
requirements.
Pearce Brown and others found the report hard to follow. Should conclusions and
recommendations be highlighted? Conclusions are on page 19 in the 3rd section. Colin
understood that he was not supposed to make recommendations. Colin will rewrite the report,and
the new version will be mailed to the commission before the next meeting. Commission members
will begin drafting recommendations. Both the report and recommendations will be discussed at
the next meeting.
Everyone should encourage interested people to become involved with subcommittees. Robyn will
talk to Kim Esterman about what subcommittee she will be on.
At the next meeting on Tuesday,December 13 at 7:00 pm the Commission will hear reports from
all the subcommittees but mainly will focus on the new version of Colin Forth's report and on
recommendations based on it.
Respectfully submitted,Theresa Alt
Rental Housing Advisory Commission
Minutes—Tuesday,December 13, 1994
Members Present: Pearce Brown,John Efroymson,Kim Fsterman(part of meeting),Colin
Forth, Robyn Jenks (Chair),Chuck Johns,Jane Schafrik, Shari Woodard
Members Absent: Charlie Woodcock(excused)
Visitors: Rachel Hyman,Charlene Lee(part of meeting),Myra Malkin,Christine Marke
Minutes of the meeting of November 8 were approved.
Myra Malkin announced that Barbara Blanchard has been appointed to chair a County Housing
Task Force. It will appoint committees. We can propose issues to it.
The defeat of the Nuisance Abatement Ordinance was discussed.
Report by Colin Forth: "Regulatory Issues and Affordable Housing in Ithaca."
A section of the report was critical of the Planning Board. Colin has given that section to the
Planning Board and has discussed it with Planning Board Chair David Kay and with Linda Tsang,
who is in charge of Site Plan Review in the Planning Department.
John Efroymson suggested that cluster zoning is worth looking at,especially for Southwest Park.
The floating affordable housing zone is an interesting idea but may be too "new age"to be
accepted. Colin pointed out that Paul Mazzarella drafted an early cluster zone proposal for Ithaca.
It was greatly changed before being passed. We could go back to his original draft as a starting
point,and he would still be willing to help. The work should probably start in a RHAC
subcommittee,then go to the full RHAC and on to the Planning Committee of Council. (The
Planning Committee already has a full year's work to do,and is not likely to take up new work
soon.)
John pointed out that likewise,if we want a land trust,we should work on it or it won't happen.
Jane Schafrik moved that the report be sent to the Planning Committee,the Economic Development
Committee, members of the Planning Department,the Planning Board,and the Mayor. The
motion passed.
Colin Forth listed four things he would like for the City to do:
1) Establish a goal of affordable units to create per year. A goal puts pressure on people to do it.
2) Establish a fund through 1% of property tax to be used to leverage UDAG funds.
3) Zoning changes.
4) A land trust. This would mean a lot of work.
Law and Legislation Subcommittee
Council has sent the Smoke Detector Ordinance back to committee to reconsider the issue of
whether two-story,two-unit,owner-occupied buildings should be required to have hard-wired
smoke alarms,or whether battery-operated is enough (a$400 difference). Chuck Johns
complained that the Building Department makes mistakes that cost landlords money when they try
to comply and then have to do something different a few years later. Jane Schafrik complained that
Council makes changes in requirements. Colin moved that the RHAC urge Common Council to
pass the smoke detector ordinance quickly. Jane amended the it to add that Council will get the
information out in simple form to landlords. The amended resolution passed. John agreed to get a
clean copy of the law to the Rental Housing Association.
Now that the Nuisance Abatement Ordinance is gone,the Law and Legislation subcommittee may
also want to consider whether locks on front doors and lighting should be required.
Lowest-Income Housing Subcommittee
Robyn Jenks and Cohn Forth met with Myra Malkin and Mark Freedman to look for statistical
evidence of the need for very-low-income housing. They decided they did not need extrapolations
from the census. Rather they would take numbers of those served by homeless shelters, Section 8
waiting lists(with the understanding that the waiting lists for Section 8 at EOC and NA overlap),
and people known to be camping out to arrive at their figures. Shari will compile the numbers.The
RHAC decided that these figures will be attached to the report when it is passed on.
John said that he would like for the Tompkins County Rental Housing Association to respond to
the data, since some landlords had maintained that there is no housing affordability problem. Jane,
who is now President of the Association,said that they would be happy to say that there is a
problem.
The Lowest-Income Subcommittee also talked about the Jubilee Housing Trust in Syracuse. Colin
will get more information. Myra pointed to the Orange Co.NY RECAP program begun in 1990
that taps into Federal funds for emergency housing and puts the money into renovations that
produce low-income housing. Robyn will follow up.
John announced that the CDBG competition for funding is now open;the subcommittee should
meet with Denise Balkas.
Education and Hotline Subcommittee
Wording of the Rental Rights and Responsibilities brochure will include the new section
introducing the RHAC for the back,the number "274-6508"instead of"Hotline"at the top of the
second column,and"Information Line"rather than "Information Hotline"at the bottom of the third
column. Other than this,wording of the September 27 version is retained,at least for the first
printing of 500 copies. Stronger wording on illegal evictions was deemed too confrontational.
The wording passed, with Shari Woodard opposing.
Subcommittee Memberships
Law and Legislation: Colin Forth,Chuck Johns,Charlie Woodcock,occasionally Robyn Jenks
Lowest-Income: Pearce Brown, Robyn Jenks, Shari Woodard
Education&Hotline: Jane Schafrik
Kim Esterman will be leaving the Friendship Center and therefore is not sure that she will continue
on the Commission. Rachel Hyman was invited to join the Education subcommittee,but she said
she wanted to see her next semester's schedule before making commitments. Charlene Lee offered
to study census data on low-income population. There is one opening on the Commission, since
Dennis Merryfield is no longer considered a member.
Respectfully submitted,Theresa Alt