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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutesPLAN COMMISSION MINUTES January 19, 2021 PRESENT: Mamadou Coulibaly, Margy Davey, Michael Ford, Derek Groth, John Hinz, John Kiefer, Justin Mitchell, Thomas Perry, Kathleen Propp, Jay Stengel EXCUSED: Phil Marshall STAFF: Mark Lyons, Planning Services Manager; Allen Davis, Community Development Director; Kelly Nieforth, Economic Development Services Manager; Brian Slusarek, Planner; Darlene Brandt, Community Development Grants Coordinator Chairperson Propp called the meeting to order at 4:00 pm. Roll call was taken and a quorum declared present. The minutes of January 5, 2021 were approved as presented. (Hinz/Ford) I. PUBLIC HEARING: PROPOSED CREATION OF TAX INCREMENT FINANCING DISTRICT NO. 40 MILES KIMBALL REDEVELOPMENT DESIGNATION OF BOUNDARIES AND APPROVAL OF PROJECT PLAN Site Inspections Report: Ms. Propp, Mr. Groth, Mr. Hinz, Ms. Davey, and Mr. Mitchell reported visiting the site. Staff report accepted as part of the record. Tax Incremental District No. 40 (the “TID” or “District”) is a proposed 0.83 acre in need of rehabilitation or conservation district comprising of the former Miles Kimball building. The proposed district is comprised of one parcel. Mr. Lyons presented the item and reviewed the site and surrounding area. The City is projecting that new land and improvements value of approximately $3.48 million will result from redevelopment activity within the District. The applicant is proposing an adaptive reuse of the former building to a market rate apartments building. Per the submitted narrative, 28 units are planned to be constructed within the building. Finding appropriate uses for buildings of this type can be challenging as they outlive their original intended use. The district is anticipated to pay off costs by 2043 at which time the city could potentially terminate the district, which would be 21 years. If necessary, the district would be permitted to remain open for up to the statutorily allowed 27 years. At that point the full value of the properties would be added back to the overall tax rolls which current estimate is $3.48 million. If public improvement expenditure are not required, the District would close one year sooner. The District is being created as an area “in need of rehabilitation or conservation” within the meaning of Wis. Stat. 66.1337 (2m)(a) based on a finding that over 50% of the area is need of rehabilitation. The subject property contained an aged structure that has outlived its originally intended use and has been vacant for several years. The current owner no longer intends to redevelop the building and would look to either sell the structure. The proposed development scored 70 points on the City’s Conservation and Rehabilitation scoring matrix, exceeding the minimum 50 points required. He said that staff recommends approval of the Project Plan and Boundaries for TID #40 as proposed. Ms. Propp opened technical questions to staff. Mr. Mitchell stated that part of the basis for needing TIF financing is that other financing that may be available for restoration such as historic tax credits may not be optimal. They mention that the new market tax credits also wouldn’t be available because they’re just doing residential development. He asked if someone could explain the City’s ideas or position of not incorporating any sort of commercial development as part of a mixed use property given that this is directly on South Main Street, which is a commercial corridor of sorts. Mr. Lyons replied that it comes down to the nature of development in the area and the number of times this building has had unsuccessful redevelopment efforts to include commercial office space. Plan Commission has seen a number of requests come through for this building that included mixed-use development and each time the numbers ended up not working out and they were unable to move forward. Based on some of that history and what they’ve seen here that didn’t work out, this developer is proposing a different type of project that hopefully can work out in this type of building. Mr. Ford stated that the report mentions this is a pay as you go TID. He asked if someone could someone explain that so everyone knows what that means. Mr. Taves replied that pay as you go means that rather than the City providing assistance to the developer upfront in the form of borrowed cash which the City would then be responsible for paying back, pay as you go means that the City will instead collect the taxes and provide the developer access to a portion of those funds. What it basically does is shift the risk from the City to the developer because the City’s exposure will be limited to property taxes actually collected and paid. Mr. Hinz asked if looking at going through to Pioneer will affect this intersection. Mr. Lyons replied that it is part of why they have that placeholder in the project plan for some public infrastructure improvement because the long term the goal is to have 9th Avenue all the way through this area over to Pioneer Drive. Mr. Mitchell stated that the report indicates that the amount provided will be paid off in year 22 and then it continues on and shows the annual revenue. He asked if the revenues shown after year 22 or 23 when the TID closes would be general tax revenue and not something that continues to be collected as part of this TID or other pot of funds that it goes to. Mr. Lyons replied affirmatively, adding that based on this cash flow analysis, the TID would complete its obligations in approximately 2043 and could potentially be closed at that time. Mr. Mitchell asked if the City is able to continue to collect after the TID has closed and use those funds for some of the neighborhood initiatives. Mr. Lyons replied that TID funds can only be used for things identified in the project plan, but there is also one year extension on the closure of the TID for affordable workforce housing initiatives that TID funds can be used for. Mr. Taves added that at the point a TID has collected enough revenue to pay the project cost applications, you are required to close it notwithstanding the one year extension. Another thing to remember is that once you get to a point where you’re within five years of the maximum life of a TID, you’ve reached what’s called the end of the expenditure period. Within the last five years, even if you were to keep it open, at that point you can no longer incur any new project costs. You can only to continue to pay for liabilities already incurred prior to that date. Mr. Mitchell stated that Plan Commission has had a number of conversations about City goals related to accessible housing or the sustainable nature of a development. The City has made it clear that if there aren’t funds being invested, or changes to zoning, or they’re requesting an accommodation of sorts, that there’s not much the City could mandate or impose. He asked if they look at some of these goals during TIF negotiations that have been noted as pretty important items in the community and could potentially be incorporated such as two accessible units or something similar since the City is providing this incentive or this benefit. Mr. Lyons replied that it is something the City could negotiate as part of a development agreement. Those items can be negotiated as Council goes through the development agreement process. Mr. Mitchell asked if Council is made aware that they can look at different goals or needs that the City has identified and potentially incorporate those in. Mr. Lyons replied that they are made aware. Mr. Ford added that they are aware of that on Council. They have had those discussions and they will continue to have those discussions. Ms. Propp opened up the public hearing. Mr. Timothy Hess stated that he is representing the team. In response to Mr. Mitchell’s particular question, the City has given them the questions that Plan Commission has been involved with and they are looking to do things to the best of their ability. You’ve got to remember that when they are doing these TIFs, they are doing so because these projects can’t happen but for TIF. They’re in this position of by virtue of the fact that someone is asking for TIF. They already know that financially this is a hardship and this is going to be a tough sell. They have tried to design things as accessible as they could. At the end of the day, this is a very unique position. Lots of people have tried to make this building work and no one has been able to do so. They think they have a chance here if they can get the City to support them and they hope Plan Commission is willing to support the TIF. Mr. Mitchell stated that he appreciated Mr. Hess’ comments. Of all the TIF project he’s seen, he concurs that this one seems to be the most appropriate and in need of that support because the area has such high visibility and it’s been neglected and vacant for so long. He’s really excited about the project and they want to do whatever they can do to support having it done and done well. There were no public comments on this item. Ms. Propp closed the public hearing. Motion by Hinz to approve the Project Plan and recommending the boundaries to the Council and adopting the staff report as the findings. Seconded by Mitchell. Ms. Propp asked if there was any discussion on the motion. There was no discussion on the motion. Motion carried 9-0. II. PUBLIC HEARING: CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT FOR AN ADAPTIVE REUSE AT 544 W. 17th AVENUE Site Inspections Report: Ms. Propp, Mr. Groth, and Mr. Hinz reported visiting the site. Staff report accepted as part of the record. The applicant is requesting Conditional Use Permit approval for an adaptive reuse at 544 W. 17th Avenue. Mr. Slusarek presented the item and reviewed the site and surrounding area as well as the land use and zoning classifications in this area. The applicant is requesting approval for an adaptive reuse of the site to convert the western portion of the existing auto service building to cider production and retail floor area. The eastern portion of the building will continue to be used as a private garage/workshop utilized by the property owner. According to the applicant, the only exterior change to the site will be the addition of an 8’ X 15’ walk-in cooler to be constructed on the rear of the building for storage of hard cider products. Interior modifications will include installation of multiple sinks and a new gas water heater. The building currently has a bathroom that customers will have access to and a hand rail will be installed. A 4’ X 8’ wall sign will also be installed on the street-facing façade. He said that staff is in support of the Conditional Use Permit (CUP) for the adaptive reuse as the proposed cidery use will not have a detrimental impact on the surrounding area and is compatible with surrounding land uses. Ms. Propp opened up technical questions to staff. Mr. Hinz asked if anything was going to be done aesthetically with the exterior of the building because it hasn’t been the best maintained. He is not saying it’s an eyesore, but he was wondering if anything new will be going into it. Mr. Lyons replied that they were proposing limited exterior changes to the building, but they were looking to clean it up a little bit. Mr. Mitchell asked if it puts in place any sort of requirement like a dumpster enclosure if they’re not doing much on the exterior. Mr. Lyons replied that there is a dumpster there. Some of those things will need to be addressed when updating a land use through a conditional use permit. There are some required improvements for non-conforming situations similar to the dumpster. Ms. Propp asked for any public comments and asked if the applicant wanted to make any statements. Mr. Spencer Morse thanked Plan Commission for their time. The picture that they were looking at of the front of is from Google Maps and it actually looks a little better now. The left side is a garage door and the current owner has spiffed it up. They’ve also talked about painting the outside and probably at least conditioning the parking area in front. It’s a very small cidery that they are looking to setup. They’re not quitting their day jobs, so they won’t be there much during the day. The dumpster in the picture is the next door neighbor’s. They might even be able to work with him to use the same dumpster, but the dumpster wouldn’t even be on the property. It looks a lot better now and there won’t be much traffic. State law only allows them to stay open until 9pm, so they are very conscious of the neighborhood and keeping it a great neighborhood. Mr. Coulibaly asked if heat or any other hazard is involved with the cider production process. Mr. Morse replied that some of the breweries in town have heating equipment where they do actually heat liquid. In their case they do not, explaining that it is like wine-making but with apple juice and it ferments naturally at room temperature. All the chemicals they use to clean their small system are non-caustic and designed for these small systems. There is nothing they see as a hazard. Mr. Groth asked if there would be retail space included that they might anticipate needing or any special functions that might require additional parking. Mr. Morse replied that they see this as really a very small business where it is mostly going to be production. Most of the sales are going to be business to business or online. They plan on having a very small reach-in cooler that people can show up and buy some product or sample some product. It would not be a place for events or gatherings. If it grew to be larger where they could quit their day jobs, they would probably move elsewhere in Oshkosh. There were no public comments on this item. Ms. Propp closed public comments and asked if the applicant wanted to make any closing statements. Mr. Morse thanked the commission for their time and Mr. Slusarek for helping them through the process. Motion by Ford to adopt the findings and recommendation as stated in the staff report. Seconded by Coulibaly. Ms. Propp asked if there was any discussion on the motion. Mr. Mitchell thanked Mr. Morse for coming and talking about the project and answering their questions. It is an exciting development that goes along with the 5th ward and similar type growth that they’ve seen in the community. He wished Mr. Morse luck with the new venture. Mr. Hinz stated that he is also excited to see this project, especially in this area. It is really good to see the south side of Oshkosh getting some new and exciting things. He thanked the petitioner and thanked staff for helping with the process. Motion carried 9-0. III. LAND DISPOSITION OF VACANT PROPERTY, 600 BLOCK GROVE STREET BETWEEN CLEVELAND AVENUE AND PARKWAY AVENUE Site Inspections Report: Ms. Propp, Mr. Mitchell, and Mr. Ford reported visiting the site. Staff report accepted as part of the record. The applicants request the land disposition of an approximate 39,500 square foot parcel of vacant land on the east side of Grove Street, between Cleveland Avenue and Parkway Avenue. Ms. Brandt presented the item and reviewed the site and surrounding area as well as the land use and zoning classifications in this area. Oshkosh Habitat for Humanity approached the City regarding acquiring the lot for construction of affordable single family homes. Staff believes the development will continue to address the community’s need for affordable housing while furthering neighborhood revitalization efforts in Oshkosh. The land area encompassed in this request is located on the entire east side of the 600 block of Grove Street bordered by Cleveland Avenue on the north and Parkway Avenue on the south. The subject area is a single parcel of land which has been vacant since the demolition of the former Mercy Hospital generator/maintenance structure that had previously been on the center of the site. The proposed development includes the construction of six single family affordable homes. The proposal places the main entry doors on the front, Grove Street façade, and includes front porches for each structure. The proposed development is consistent with the neighborhood and other redevelopment projects within the area. She said that staff recommends approval of the land disposition to Habitat for Humanity. Ms. Propp opened technical questions to staff. Mr. Ford asked if the community gardens would be able to remain there until construction begins. Mr. Lyons replied that if approved, Habitat has already agreed that those community gardens could remain through October 2021. He knows that Habitat has had some open discussions about allowing them to continue as far as the development cycle would allow. Mr. Mitchell asked if Ms. Brandt could talk a little bit about the neighborhood feedback or the engagement of the neighborhood regarding this next section. Ms. Brandt replied that the neighborhood association is not happy to be losing their community garden area, but staff did offer to assist them in finding another location. Staff suggested Menominee Park as an appropriate area because it is in close proximity to the neighborhood. They also suggested possibly working with Bella Vista to place a community garden on some of their property. The neighborhood association was interested in seeing the lot developed, but it’s been vacant for so long. Nobody really likes to see development in their neighborhood if they’ve been able to use that area, so that’s always a concern, but they were supportive of it to a degree. Mr. Lyons added that staff did attend a neighborhood meeting in October 2019 to discuss development of these properties. Ms. Propp asked if there were any public comments. Mr. Austin Frederick stated that he lives on the 600 block of Grove Street right across the street from this lot and he is concerned about this. Part of him is excited to see a vacant lot developed, however he is concerned about how this is just going to be turned into a low income subdivision, for lack of a better term. Since the duplex has been put up, there has been increase of police activity on their street. He knows he has had to contact police once and he believes a few of his neighbors have had to call the police for some fighting and other activity going on at this development, so it’s a little concerning to hear that there’s going to be six more for a total of eight low income houses put on their block. That’s nothing against the people that are potentially going to be living there because everybody does deserve the opportunity to own a home, but with that comes responsibility. He’s lived in his home for seven years now and it’s a lot of work and a lot of money to maintain a home. He knows a little bit about Habitat, but not as much as he should. He didn’t have enough time to research how this all works, but he doesn’t know how maintenance works with the property. These are low income families who may not have the means to maintain the properties. He’s seen maintenance issues on the duplex that was built including siding that’s coming apart and one resident doesn’t mow their lawn, so these are all things that are very concerning to him. He knows this things are concerning to people in his neighborhood. He thinks a couple people on the block have listed their homes because they’re worried about this. What’s concerning is the low income part of this, the increased police activity they’ve had in the last few years from the duplex, and more of a minor point, the loss of their community garden and green space, which he understands this is an area to be developed to generate tax income for the city. He is wondering if it is excessive to have this many Habitat homes on one block, essentially making it a low income block. If there were this many sites on Washington Ave or another more prominent street, would eight Habitat homes be going up? He is wondering if this will benefit the community and he is unsure. He is very concerned about this and depending on how this goes, they might not be living on Grove Street anymore. Ms. Amy Aschenbrenner stated that she is also resident of the 600 block of Grove Street. She would like to understand more about how the homes will look because in the packet she received, they appeared to have single car garages. She would like to have more detail about the look of the housing units. Mr. Tom Simon, the Executive Director of Habitat from Humanity, stated that they have built 39 homes in the City of Oshkosh. To those on Grove Street, he would like to note that several Habitat homes already exist in their neighborhood. The situation with the twindo, they are working with the owners and are meeting with them next week. They have been working with the City for quite some time on Grove Street. This is something that will develop over time and not all at once. They are single family homes and they are working right now on how to better integrate their families into the neighborhood. The fact is they are building on Eastman Street right now and their program director is walking door to door introducing the new homeowner to the neighbors. They have worked with the City and the Rock the Block program. They are trying very hard to reach out to neighborhood associations as the homes are built. They expect this will be a very attractive addition and they will maintain the properties. In regards to the community garden, it will depend on which lots the homeowners select. Homeowners build with them and do not have the homes given to them. He believes there are other members of Plan Commission who are familiar and have volunteered with Habitat and understand the program. They will be working really hard to make sure the homeowners are welcomed and are an active part of the neighborhood association. They will be single family homes, but a lot of how the actual homes will look depends on the size of the family and many things that they will choose. It will be a good development for Oshkosh bringing in a lot of people to the neighborhood. These are great solid families who will be an active part of the neighborhood for years to come. Mr. Mitchell stated that Mr. Frederick brought up some concerns about maybe behavior, or ability to keep up a property, or to fit in maybe with the neighborhood expectations. He asked if Mr. Simon could talk a little bit about the training and education the homeowners go through. Mr. Simon replied that he took over as the Executive Director in November 2018. The twindos occurred before he was part of the program. They are trying to copy a lot of what is done by Fox Cities Habitat, which is a national leader. They are increasing the amount of homeowner education with classes about being a good neighbor and maintaining a home. They are looking to integrate the new homeowners into the neighborhood association so they are going to the meetings and being active participants. They are doing more selection, more training, and working more with the neighborhood associations. They realize that for their homeowners, they want to be part of the neighborhood. They have to make that a mutual situation working back and forth between the homeowner and the neighborhood association. Ms. Propp asked what kind of role Habitat plays after the homeowner has purchased the home and technically they’re independent. She asked if Habitat supervises or mentors or works with the neighbors and the owners if there are problems after they’ve moved in and after they own it. Mr. Simon replied that in the past the record was sometimes great and sometimes not so great. They are working on that especially going forward and especially with this development because this is a major thing for Habitat’s reputation as well. They have a strong obligation to work with the neighborhood associations. With regard to the twindo, they’ve now been arranging meetings with owners and they’re working hard with them to understand what it is to be a good neighbor. They are also working with their board to go return to previous homeowners who they’ve worked with to again reinforce the idea that homeownership is a responsibility and not just a right. Most people do not realize that there are Habitat homes all over the City already with very few complaints. They see this as an opportunity to educate people on Habitat and to get more great families into the neighborhood. Ms. Davey stated that having been a former employee of Habitat many years ago, she wanted to address some of the concerns. There was mention of low income families, but she would recommend checking into the Habitat philosophy a little bit. Families need to put in equity on their own before they are able to purchase one. Having seen all of the applications as an employee, something like 95% of them were because of an unplanned medical emergency, which could happen to anyone. It doesn’t mean that they’re bad people. As far as the houses themselves go, Mr. Simon is correct that there is another block in Oshkosh that is totally built up of Habitat homes and she doubts very much that anyone would know where that is because it doesn’t look like a low income area or anything of the kind. It was built back before Habitat was allowing building garages because it started out as a southern organization that didn’t see the need for them. In the mid-80s, it was explained to them quite clearly by one of the Oshkosh donors who donated money to put garages on with the houses. It’s a very good organization, it’s a Christian organization. She doesn’t want it to sound like that defines them, but it is a group of very good people and the volunteers are very wonderful and considerate. She thinks the neighbors will want to be there and celebrate with them to see the joy on their faces when they get into their new homes. She thinks the neighbors will find that these are some of the best neighbors in the world. They work very hard to get a house and are very dedicated. At least nine out of ten of the homeowners she has known have been exemplary. She hopes that helps to alleviate some concerns and she thinks they will be pleasantly surprised. Mr. Coulibaly stated that he agreed with Ms. Davey and that Mr. Simon has been doing a wonderful job with Habitat in the Fox Valley and now in Oshkosh. He has only good things to say about Habitat and the work they are providing for low income people in the area and the world. This is something that the neighborhood could take pride in and the homeowners earn it. They put the hours in and it is something that is a community effort. It is wonderful and sustainable way to improve the community. He knows it often comes to people who are in need and he assumes Habitat does a good job selecting people. He was wondering if there is some vetting or background check during the selection process that could reassure the neighbors, not that he doubts the new homeowners are going to be great because they will be coached as Mr. Simon said about taking care of their place and having a good relationship with the neighbors. He is wondering if there is something similar to a background check, whether formal or not, in the selection process. Mr. Simon replied that these processes have always been part of the Habitat culture. He is recently bringing down many of the Fox Cities processes. They have a family selection committee and there is a set application period each time. There are background checks, credit checks, they look at criminal background, and assess a variety of factors including their willingness to partner as well as commitment to the neighborhood. They are really working more and more now to make sure that people understand that this is an opportunity, especially with this location,. They have had numerous people applying now for Habitat homeownership which has raised the quality of their candidates over time. If they met the candidate who is currently finishing their house on Eastman, they would be please because she is an incredible addition to the neighborhood and has been going door to door and the neighbors really like her. This is an opportunity to bring more people who really want this to be a great street into the neighborhood association. He really does think they can make something that hopefully they can copy in other areas in Oshkosh moving forward. His final comment is that he believes in the years to come, you will be able to drive down Grove Street and not know that these are Habitat homes because they will fit into the neighborhood. Mr. Frederick stated that he wanted to clarify his point. It is not an attack on Habitat. He thinks they do great things. His father in-law has volunteered for them in Milwaukee. His main concern was the excessive amount of homes on Grove Street and if that was going to be a problem. He asks the commission when they cast their vote to think of it as though they’re voting for this in their own neighborhood. Ms. Propp closed public comments. Motion by Mitchell to adopt the findings and recommendation as stated in the staff report. Seconded by Coulibaly. Ms. Propp asked if there was any discussion on the motion. Mr. Mitchell stated that he wanted to acknowledge that the concerns brought forth by Mr. Frederick are legitimate. The things he has experienced as a neighbor have caused frustration. Part of the structure of this development moving forward may help with addressing those things, the twindo project in particular. There’s no yard whatsoever there. Their life spills out into everyone else’s front yard because there is no back yard, perhaps due to a lack of foresight in the planning of that project. He sees that the layout of these homes as proposed has the front of the homes aligning with the front of the twindo, which is very close to Grove Street, enabling a nice back yard and a place for activity that isn’t spilling out into Mr. Frederick’s front yard. He did have some conversations with Mr. Simon about the site and developments in general and he thinks one recommendation that he would support is getting a specific list of concerns from neighbors and incorporating those into the training that the participants go through. Their training exceeds ten hours of coursework related to home ownership, excluding the 500 hours the family has to put into volunteering for the build or related activities. He thinks that engaging the neighborhood association and the neighbors upfront is something that is essential for a development like this and he is confident that Mr. Simon would be eager to do that. He is himself a member of the Menominee South neighborhood association and so while he does not live anywhere as close as Mr. Frederick, it is a development in his neighborhood and he is very happy to see this. It addresses a gap in our community and provides affordable home ownership opportunities for lower income families. It’s one of the very rare avenues in which a low income family can develop long term wealth and Habitat homes are not necessarily the end living site. It often allows the family to develop wealth so then they can move into an unsubsidized standard market rate unit, which creates potentially another opportunity for affordable housing and the cycle continues. He wants to say that the City’s willingness to provide this land to Habitat speaks volumes for their confidence in the vision and capabilities and leadership of Mr. Simon and Habitat. He wants to commend Ms. Brandt who has worked really hard on this particular area. Ms. Davey stated that she has already made it pretty clear how she feels about this project. She thinks it is a great thing for Habitat and Grove Street, but she also wants to mention that it is very sustainable. They do not have a lot of areas in Oshkosh for these projects. This is a perfect example of using space that is already there instead of expanding more, so that’s part of the sustainability plan and she appreciates that they’re fulfilling that. She wanted to say that she will definitely will be voting yes for this because it’s a wonderful project. Motion carried 8-0-1 (Perry present). IV. PUBLIC HEARING: APPROVE AMENDMENT TO COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT 2020 ACTION PLAN AND CITIZEN PARTICIPATION PLAN RELATED TO CARES ACT FUNDING Staff report accepted as part of the record. Staff requests approval of an amendment to the approved 2020 CDBG Annual Action Plan to increase the 2020 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) allocation of $840,914 to include $494,757 in Round 1 CDBG-CV funding from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) in response to the COVID-19 health crisis. Staff is also requesting approval of amendments to the previously approved CDBG Citizen Participation Plan to add language specifically in reference to the COVID-19 funding response with a HUD waiver to provide for a 5 day review/comment period and to allow virtual hearings in the event federal, state or local authorities recommend social distancing. Ms. Brandt presented the item. Oshkosh has received three rounds of funding under the CARES Act to prevent or prepare for the COVID-19 health crisis. Staff solicited proposals from public service organizations to identify the needs in the community to address the pandemic health crisis. Twenty-one applications were received. Staff felt the best approach would be to have the Grant Review Committee recommend funding only utilizing Round 1 funds until the first or second quarter of 2021 in the event of a public health crisis/pandemic outbreak to ensure the City would have funds available to immediately address the situation. The Grant Review Committee includes members of the Oshkosh Area Community Foundation, United Way and community members. Based on this approach, the Review Committee is recommending various organizations identified in the staff report be funded with Round 1 CDBG-CV funds. Staff is requesting approval of amendments to the Citizen Participation Plan to add language in reference to the COVID-19 funding response with a HUD waiver to provide a 5 day review/ comment period versus the current 15 or 30 day comment period, and allow for virtual hearings in the event federal, state or local authorities recommend social distancing. These amendments are being recommended by HUD to expedite citizen input and approval of amendments relating to a public health crisis or emergency. She said that staff recommends approval of the amended 2020 Annual Action Plan to allocate $494,757 in Round 1 CDBG-CV funds from HUD and approval of amendments to the CDBG Citizen Participation Plan as requested. Ms. Propp opened technical questions to staff. Mr. Mitchell asked about accessibility of the benefits or the resources. His understanding is that the funds are to benefit individuals who may be at or are below the county median income, and he is wondering if there are plans for a COVID resource database or some sort of page on the website explaining the programs and types of assistance to individuals so that if someone needed these benefits they could easily find that information. Ms. Brandt replied that it’s not something she has thought of, but the City does have a COVID-19 webpage already. The community foundation has one and United Way has one. She can coordinate something with those two agencies so that all of the information is the same. She can definitely look at something. Ms. Propp asked if the proposal that was withdrawn last time has anything to do with any of the organizations and activities that are included here. Ms. Brant replied that it does not. Her understanding is that COTS does not accept any federal funding because of the requirements associated with that funding. They were sent an application, but they did not apply. Ms. Propp opened up the public hearing. There were no public comments on this item. Ms. Propp closed the public hearing. Motion by Hinz to adopt the findings and recommendation as stated in the staff report. Seconded by Kiefer. Ms. Propp asked if there was any discussion on the motion. There was no discussion on the motion. Motion carried 9-0. There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at approximately 5:23 pm. (Hinz/Ford) Respectfully Submitted, Mark Lyons Planning Services Manager