Fiscal Note
The proposed resolution authorizes the City of Madison to accept a $395,000 grant from Dane County on behalf of Bayview Foundation, Inc. Dane County's UWQG Program requires a municipality to be the primary applicant for grant funds awarded through the program. Bayview will be responsible for the cost-sharing requirements for this program and shall not pass that responsibility on to the City of Madison. The Community Development Division’s 2021 Adopted Operating Budget will be amended upon successful receipt of the Dane County UWQG award.
Title
Amending the 2021 Adopted Operating Budget for the Community Development Division - Affordable Housing to accept $395,000 from the Dane County Urban Water Quality Grant Program; authorizing the City of Madison to submit an application, on behalf of Bayview Foundation, Inc., to the Dane County Urban Water Quality Grant Program to accept the grant award; and authorizing the Mayor and City Clerk to execute agreements with Dane County and Bayview Foundation, Inc. as appropriate.
Body
BACKGROUND
Bayview Foundation, Inc. is an affordable housing community with the mission to support its culturally diverse, low-income residents in realizing their aspirations by providing quality housing, fostering cultural pride, and building community through the arts, education and recreation. While the Bayview community thrives, its fifty-year-old infrastructure is seriously aging. A 2016 capital needs assessment of all the buildings on the site found that there are numerous infrastructure challenges and most, if not all, of the major structures would need to be fully renovated and/or rebuilt. Additionally, the neighborhood sits very close to lake levels and has been vulnerable to flooding. Bayview's Community Center floods every year, and the flood event in 2019 impacted the townhouses as well. After an extensive evaluation, it was decided that a full redevelopment is the Foundation's only financially feasible option for continuing to provide affordable housing and neighborhood services.
Starting in 2018, Bayview staff initiated a comprehensive redevelopment planning and engagement process, in addition to evaluating its needs with regard to a development partner and project financing. In keeping with residents' hopes and wishes, Bayview designed a site that includes as much green space as possible, limits the heights of the new buildings and pushes much of the parking underground. The new site includes more resident gardens and spaces to grow food, as well as a new open green space in the middle of the site for children and adults to gather and play.
Dane County's Urban Water Quality Grant (UWQG) Program provides cost-sharing funds to municipalities to improve the quality of urban stormwater runoff, increase public awareness of urban water quality issues and provide public education about urban stormwater quality improvement practices. Through its Community Development Division (CDD), the City of Madison has committed an award of Affordable Housing Funds and HOME funds to Bayview Rental Housing Development (RES-18-00815, Legistar #53633), and is willing to submit an application on Bayview's behalf for the UWQG program to enhance sustainability goals for the development. As early as 2019, Bayview was in conversation with Dane County engineers to discuss water conservation, quality and stormwater management, including features that would significantly exceed the stormwater management required to meet City and State standards, as well as educational components to illustrate and support water conservation and education. They believe this to be a successful application to the program. Total expected costs for the project are estimated at $788,036, with a requested 50% cost-share of $394,018. The required match is included in the project’s development budget; no new City funds are required.
ACTION
WHEREAS, the Bayview Foundation is preparing to undertake a substantial redevelopment effort focused on the “Triangle” neighborhood, which includes an affordable housing component to which the City of Madison has committed financial support; and,
WHEREAS, the redevelopment includes a variety of strategies and features that qualify for funding through Dane County’s Urban Water Quality Grant (UWQG)program, including permeable pavers, community gardens water collection and irrigation, amending soil and adding native plantings, green roof, interpretive/educational signage and stormwater and water conservation artwork; and,
WHEREAS, Dane County's UWQG Program requires a municipality to be the primary applicant for grant funds awarded through the program; and,
WHEREAS, through its Community Development Division (CDD), the City of Madison has committed $2.9 million in AHF and HOME funds to the housing development at 601 Bay View with the goal of creating 120 affordable units of housing, and seeks to support Bayview Foundation in enhancing sustainability plans for the development; and,
WHEREAS, Bayview will be responsible for the cost-sharing requirements for this program and shall not pass that responsibility on to the City of Madison.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Common Council hereby authorizes the Mayor to sign the City’s Dane County Urban Water Quality Grant application, to be submitted on behalf of Bayview Foundation, Inc.; and,
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that, upon successful receipt of the Dane County UWQG award, the Common Council hereby authorizes the Mayor and City Clerk to execute agreements with Dane County and Bayview Foundation, Inc., as appropriate; and,
BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that the 2021 Adopted Operating Budget is amended to appropriate $395,000 of local grant revenue and purchased services in the Community Development Division - Affordable Housing budget.