(A) The effective implementation of the Workforce Housing Opportunity Act is the policy of the City of Albuquerque. It is hereby acknowledged that in order to achieve the production of housing to serve the city workforce an inter-related set of organizations and interests must work collaboratively to utilize the scarce resources available to carry out this policy.
(B) The amount of Seventy Five Thousand Dollars ($75,000) is hereby appropriated from the unreserved fund balance of the General Fund to the Department of Family and Community Services (DFCS) for the Workforce Housing Plan and Needs Assessment as required by the Workforce Housing Opportunity Act. The Plan will serve as the affordable housing component of the Five Year Consolidated Plan.
(C) The Mayor is requested to develop a package of incentives to support the goals of the Workforce Housing Opportunity Act including but not limited to: a density bonus, fast-tracking of development review for Workforce Housing Projects and Subdivisions, fee waivers and an ombudsman program. After review and analysis by the appropriate City agencies and Commissions the Mayor shall make recommendations to the Council for legislation as needed.
(D) The amount of Two Hundred and Fifty Thousand Dollars ($250,000) is hereby appropriated from the unreserved fund balance of the General Fund to the Department of Family and Community Services for the purpose of providing research and legal services as needed to set up the Workforce Housing Trust Fund, developing a collaborative model of decision-making for DFCS and the non-profit housing developers: increasing capacity of the housing delivery system to utilize City and non-City available resources; supporting a coalition of non-profit housing development organizations; developing recommendations for expanding operating funding for non-profit housing developers; involving constituencies being served to participate in development and policy-making; enhancing the capacity for non-profits to carry out their role as advocates and developing a system of accountability all for City agencies and non-profit housing development organizations. Recommendations and principles resulting from this work shall be considered for inclusion in the Workforce Housing Plan.
(E) The Mayor is hereby requested to initiate a model Workforce Housing project meeting the requirements of the Workforce Housing Opportunity Act on City owned land to demonstrate collaboration among the City, non-profit housing development organizations, private sector builders and the neighborhood(s), the utilization of quality design as applied to mixed-use and mixed-income development and the leveraging of non-City resources to creatively finance the project.
(F) The Affordable Housing Committee is hereby requested to determine a means by which housing lost to use by low income families as the result of actions by the City Nuisance Abatement Team can be replaced or rehabilitated and that such actions be made a high priority in the Workforce Housing Plan.
(G) The City hereby requests the Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Authority to implement a program where its Utility Expansion Charge is waived for projects meeting the requirements of the Workforce Housing Opportunity Act.
(H) The amount of Seventy Five Thousand Dollars ($75,000) is hereby appropriated from the unreserved fund balance of the General Fund to the Department of Family and Community Services to develop and implement, in collaboration with the UNM School of Architecture and Planning and the City Planning Department, a community educational program supporting the Workforce Housing Opportunity Act.