Response to Mayor Hughson provided by Amanda Hernandez, Assistant Director of Planning & Development:
Was there discussion on a time limit for how long the council committee can hold up a project before it goes to the full Council for decision? That was not part of the discussion at the Committee level.
Process wise, if the committee has questions or concerns, staff will work with the applicant between meetings. So long as the applicant provides what is needed staff moves these forward as quickly as possible until a recommendation is made by the Committee. Following Committee recommendation staff selects the next available regular meeting for the hearing – taking into account notification requirements and internal deadlines.
This notes "tax exemption" - have we had one that is "tax exempt" that isn't the property of the SM Housing Authority? In that case, it will be tax exempt forever, correct? Yes, there are others. An example from last year is Legacy Square Senior Living who is partnering with Capital Area Housing Finance Corporation (CAHFC). Tax Exemptions remain until a time when there is a non-tax-exempt owner of the property or until the payment in lieu of taxes (PILOT) period expires which is typically 30 years.
How would a plan to place the property back on the tax roll work? The updated policy is asking developers of tax-exempt properties to bring their plan to us with their application. One example, as noted above, is the property conveys to another entity that is not tax exempt – the project could sell to a regular MF developer to take over management.
Is it enforceable? Reference to the plan would be part of the ordinance approved by City Council.
