Memorandum

City of Lawrence

City Manager’s Office

TO:	Diane Stoddard, Interim City Manager
CC:	Scott McCullough, Planning and Development Services Director
FROM:	Casey Toomay, Assistant City Manager
DATE:	January 14, 2016
RE:	Request for Proposals for Affordable Housing Demonstration Project

Background

In 2015, the City Commission established an Affordable Housing Advisory Board.  The duties of the board include making “recommendations to the Governing Body regarding the expenditures of money from the Affordable Housing Trust Fund in order to fund projects, as reviewed and approved by the Board, that are consistent with the purpose of the Affordable Housing Trust Fund.”

In 2015 the City Commission also authorized an expenditure of $100,000 from the Affordable Housing Advisory Board for an affordable housing demonstration project. 

The Advisory Board has prepared the attached Request for Proposals (RFP) for that demonstration project. If authorized by the City Commission, the RFP would be distributed and responses would be reviewed by the Board.  A recommendation would then be forwarded to the City Commission for approval. 

A proposed timeline is shown below. 

January 20 – post and distribute RFP

February 19 – RFP response deadline

February 22 - Special meeting of the Affordable Housing Advisory Board to review the proposals and develop a recommendation

March 1 - Recommended proposal on City Commission agenda for approval

The Board anticipates receiving proposals for “shovel-ready” projects that can be complete in 2016 in order to show how the Affordable Housing Trust Fund can be used to make progress toward this important goal of the City Commission. 

Action Requested

The Board requests the City Commission authorize staff to distribute a Request for Proposals for an affordable housing demonstration project to be funded through the Affordable Housing Trust Fund.