01 - Laserfiche WebLink

Mr. Bocian stated that Kottinger Place's wait list has approximately 50 individuals and is currently closed but is opened either annually or biannually. He estimated the average age to be in the high 70s and said no one has ever been rejected for accessibility issues. Vice -Mayor Cook Kallio asked when a person's eligibility is established. Mr. Bocian explained that an initial eligibility check is performed when a person is placed on the waiting list and a more comprehensive one performed when they are offered a unit. He noted that a significant number of new Kottinger Place residents have little to no income, a situation that requires a length process to verify. Vice -Mayor Cook Kallio asked how often a person on the waiting list no longer needs an apartment for any reason. Mr. Bocian could not confirm specific numbers but said it does happen on occasion and usually because they have waited several years and found housing elsewhere. She questioned and confirmed with Mr. Bocian that the average wait time is 2 years. Mr. Fiedler said that Pleasanton Gardens last opened its wait list for 16 office hours in June 2005. He said that of the 142 applications requested, they received 80 back. He said an open lottery was then used to select 50, 15 of whom are still on the wait list. He stated that the list is purged once annually and that vacancies have averaged 1 per year for the last few years. He offered a conservative estimate of 1,000 inquiries annually. Vice -Mayor Cook Kallio asked if anyone has ever been rejected because of disability related issues. Mr. Fiedler said it would be illegal to reject a person based on disability but that persons with certain mobility impairments would be unable to use the facility. He said the project was designed for an average age of 62 which is significantly lower than the current average age of 78. 5 and noted that it also lacks fire sprinklers and air conditioning. Vice -Mayor Cook Kallio asked if a resident has ever moved out because of mobility or accessibility issues. Mr. Fiedler said that some residents have had to move on to a higher level of care or to stay with family as their situation changed. He said that it may have been directly related to accessibility for some individuals. He stated that the building's bathrooms and kitchens are not ADA compliant and cannot be made so without a full demolition to remove bearing walls. Vice -Mayor Cook Kallio said she understood the advantages in moving the 31 Section 8 units to Kottinger Place and asked if it would be possible to increase that number. Mr. Bocian explained that the financing plan does anticipate efforts to increase that number. Vice -Mayor Cook Kallio asked if the assumption of Pleasanton Gardens' Section 8 units is simply intended to relieve the City of a certain amount of paperwork. Mr. Bocian said that the existing units are needed and that more would certainly like to be acquired. He explained that the transaction can be complex but that generally, HUD is open to replacing a public housing project with newer units by providing some Section 8. Vice -Mayor Cook Kallio said she is considerably impressed with the foresight of those who established Pleasanton Gardens initially as well as the continued work of its board. She said it is a lovely place, credited much of that to Mr. Fiedler, and asked what would happen to the site of the City chooses not to act on this. Mr. Fiedler explained that Pleasanton Gardens has a staff of less than 2 and said that its upkeep has taken considerable effort and assistance from the City, volunteers, community City Council Minutes Page 11 of 16 December 1, 2009