HomeMy WebLinkAboutIR 8505 INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS NO- 8,505
Date: July 8, 2003
To the Mayor and Members of the City Council
Page 1 of 2
Y� SUBJECT: Affordable Housing
At the June 20-21, 2003 City Council retreat, several Council members expressed interest in the
formulation of a policy that would disperse affordable housing throughout the city. In response to
those comments, staff would like to inform the Council about an initiative that has recently been
undertaken by three local civic organizations: the Fort Worth/Tarrant County Region of the National
Conference for Community and Justice (NCCJ), the Fort Worth League of Neighborhood
Associations, and the Fort Worth Human Relations Commission.
This initiative, called "Good Neighborhoods, Good Neighbors," seeks to promote better
understanding among citizens from different social and economic backgrounds in order to integrate
affordable housing more effectively into the mainstream of Fort Worth. Toward that end, the three
organizations in February sponsored a well-attended community forum featuring Henry Cisneros,
president of American CityVista and former U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, as
well as former Mayor Kenneth Barr, Mayor Pro Tern Ralph McCloud, and other community leaders.
response to numerous requests, the same organizations subsequently invited interested citizens
i participate in two additional discussion sessions in May.
All of these activities have resulted in the preparation of a proposed resolution to be adopted jointly
by the governing boards of the three sponsoring organizations and eventually to be presented to
the City Council and to the Board of Commissioners of the Fort Worth Housing Authority. In short,
the proposed resolution would affirm that affordable housing is essential to a well-balanced
community; that public officials, developers, and neighborhood leaders should seek to integrate
affordable housing into neighborhoods throughout the city; and that the residents of those
neighborhoods should participate meaningfully in decisions that affect them.
The following schedule outlines the next steps in this regard:
Wednesday, July 9, 6:30 p.m.: League of Neighborhood Associations Executive Committee
meets to adopt proposed resolution.
Tuesday, August 5, 5:30 p.m.: Human Relations Commission meets to adopt proposed
resolution.
To be announced (in July or August): NCCJ Board of Directors meets to adopt proposed
resolution.
Tuesday, September 2, 7:00 p.m.: Sponsoring organizations present joint resolution to City
Council.
Thursday, September 18, 5:00 p.m.: Sponsoring organizations present joint resolution to Fort
n Worth Housing Authority Board of Commissioners.
ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS
INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 8505
Date: July 8, 2003
To the Mayor and Members of the City Council
Page 2 of 2
fats SUBJECT: Affordable Housing
Upon receipt of a presentation on this subject'i'n September, the City Council may wish to refer the
joint resolution to its Housing and Workforce Development Committee for consideration of a
corresponding City Council resolution and/or a policy statement that might be incorporated into the
housing element of the Comprehensive Plan.
If you have any questions about this matter, please contact Vanessa Ruiz Baling, Director of the
Heiman Relations Commission, at 817-871-7534; or Fernando Costa, Planning Director, at 817-
871-8042.
ary W. Jackso
ity Manager
1
ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS