Community Development Advisory Board (CDAB)
The Bellingham Community Development Advisory Board (CDAB) held its regular August meeting on the evening of August 8, 2024, in the Mayor's Boardroom with ten board members present, plus City Council Representative Jace Cotton attending remotely. The meeting featured two community service presentations, an introduction to the city's annual federal reporting process, and a substantive policy discussion about updating the Housing Levy's Administrative and Financial Plan — a document that has not been revised since 2018 and is now significantly out of step with current construction costs and housing market conditions. The most consequential policy item of the evening was a discussion led by Housing & Services Program Manager Samya Lutz about proposed changes to the Levy Administrative and Financial Plan (A&F Plan). Staff are proposing to raise the per-unit homeownership subsidy limit from $40,000 to $75,000 for Kulshan Community Land Trust partnerships, increase the secondary lending market down payment assistance cap from $30,000 to $50,000, and double the manufactured housing loan limit from $9,000 to $18,000. These proposed changes are scheduled to go before City Council on August 26, 2024. The discussion was prompted in part by a letter from Kulshan Community Land Trust (KCLT) documenting that current subsidy levels are no longer sufficient to bring new homes into the trust given escalating construction and land costs. Mia Gover of the Whatcom Dispute Resolution Center (WDRC) opened the meeting with a detailed presentation on the organization's Housing Stability Program, now in its second year of operation under a joint grant from the City of Bellingham and the Whatcom County Health Department. The program has achieved an 80% mediation resolution rate, served 47 conflict resolution cases in its first year, and disproportionately serves extremely low-income residents: 66% of clients earn below 30% of Area Median Income (AMI), compared to roughly 20% of the broader
**1. Approval of June 2024 Minutes** - **Item:** Approval of minutes from the June 13, 2024 CDAB meeting - **Vote:** Approved by general consensus (no formal roll call vote recorded) - **Staff Recommendation:** Approve - **Action Taken:** Approved - **Practical Effect:** Minutes of the June 13, 2024 meeting are formally entered into the record. **2. Rescheduling of September CDAB Meeting** - **Item:** Move September regular meeting from September 12 to September 19, 2024 - **Vote:** Approved by show of hands; all members present in favor (Deidra Prado noted she could not attend the 19th but supported the change for others) - **Staff Recommendation:** Move meeting to September 19 - **Action Taken:** Approved - **Practical Effect:** The next regular CDAB meeting will be held Thursday, September 19, 2024. The new date coincides with the close of the CAPER public comment period, allowing board members to provide in-person public comment if desired. **3. Direction on Administrativ…
| Date | Event | |------|-------| | **On or before August 19, 2024** | Draft CAPER posted on City of Bellingham website; 30-day public comment period opens | | **August 26, 2024** | City Council Committee of the Whole discusses proposed revisions to the Housing Levy Administrative and Financial Plan (daytime session; open to public in person, via Zoom, and on BTV) | | **September 19, 2024** | CAPER public comment period closes; CDAB regular meeting rescheduled to this date (moved from September 12) | | **September 19, 2024** | CDAB meeting: opportunity for board members to provide in-person public comment on draft CAPER; review of CAPER feedback | | **Ongoing** | WDRC developing landlord/property manager training curricul…