Housing, Planning, & Development Committee Meeting on Affordable Housing – April 27, 2026
Housing, Planning, & Development Committee Meeting on Affordable Housing – April 27, 2026
The Housing, Planning, & Development Committee of Lakewood City Council met on April 27, 2026 at 6:00 p.m. to discuss affordable housing. The meeting, chaired by Councilmember Bryan Evans, featured a comprehensive presentation by the Planning and Development Department on existing programs, challenges, and future opportunities. Council members and members of the public participated in Q&A and offered comments, highlighting the need for increased density, expanded resources, and improved education and advocacy.
Consent Calendar
- The minutes of the March 30, 2026 Housing, Planning, & Development Committee meeting were approved unanimously.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Alison Urbanic (Barton Communities, community advocate): Stressed the complexity of affordable housing and urged the city to define it (spending ≤30% of gross income on housing). Noted that 75% of Americans now exceed that threshold. Highlighted two-year waiting lists at senior affordable housing properties (Fedor Manor, Westerly) and that statewide there are 268 people for every affordable housing unit. Requested more information on the down payment assistance program, clarification on owner-occupied vs. two-family forgiveness, and a clear online document listing all programs. Also asked whether CDBG project numbers include Lakewood Alive's Paint Lakewood program.
- George Graham (Barton Communities board): Asked how decisions are made to include affordable housing in new developments (response: city’s tax abatement policy requires 20% affordable units for projects of 100+ units, with 10% at 80% AMI and 10% at 120% AMI). Offered Barton Communities as a partner.
- Mr. Bennett (public): Asked how many offers the city received on the Bell Avenue home sold to an income-eligible buyer, to illustrate the high demand for affordable units. Also explained the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) process and noted that a recent senior affordable housing project could not proceed due to a scoring rubric that disfavored Lakewood’s location. Suggested advocacy on LIHTC allocation.
Discussion Items
- Presentation by Planning Staff: Ian Andrews (Housing & Development Manager), Dan Wyman (Development Officer), and Marty Castelletti (Program Manager) presented an overview of affordable housing in Lakewood. Key facts:
- Of nearly 13,000 one- and two-family homes, 80% are 90 years or older.
- Approximately 55% of housing units are renter occupied; many renter households earn below 80% area median income (AMI).
- About 15% (7,500) of residents are seniors on fixed incomes.
- Since 2016, over $2.7 million in CDBG funds improved 357 owner and rental units; $1.4 million in ESG grants prevented homelessness for 1,547 residents; $780,000 in Home ARP funds assisted 147 very low-income households (297 residents).
- Major HOME projects: 1472 Bell Avenue (single-family rehabilitation sold to income-eligible buyer) and Nelson Court (Eden Development: 10 affordable units created at 50% AMI with $800,000 city investment in a $3.3 million project).
- Challenges: restrictive federal rules (e.g., HUD won't fund garage/driveway repairs), rising costs, limited land, declining landlord acceptance of housing vouchers, and a county HELP loan program with a $250,000 property value ceiling that is now mostly unusable in Lakewood.
- Current efforts: zoning refresh to allow density, evaluating existing programs, considering a comprehensive housing roadmap, and expanding partnerships.
- Councilmember Questions and Comments:
- Vice President Kyle Baker noted that affordable housing involves two sometimes conflicting goals: helping current seniors age in place and enabling new families to move in. Emphasized that density is necessary for affordability and urged the public to support it. Suggested city advocacy on the county HELP loan program, consideration of a senior-targeted exterior repair grant, and returning landlord training to in-person format.
- Councilmember Thomas R. Bullock III asked about HUD income limit updates and the possibility of petitioning HUD for adjusted limits reflecting local inflation. Inquired about the mix of CDBG programs and whether they could be better triaged. Staff responded that the primary uses (owner rehabilitation and rental rehabilitation) are most needed, but they are reviewing program effectiveness.
- Council President Sarah Kepple asked about landlord reluctance to accept vouchers, citing concerns about inspection delays and payment systems. Staff acknowledged biases and systematic issues. She also asked about the zero-deferred loan program (revolving loan fund) and noted its declining balance (from ~$1 million to ~$300,000). Suggested reassessing the $25,000 loan cap given rising repair costs.
- Councilmember Matthew Bixenstine (Ward 4, arrived late) thanked staff and expressed support for the initiative, noting his ward has the highest number of low-to-moderate income census tracts.
- Councilmember Evans (Chair) closed by stating that current tools are insufficient and advocated for both advocacy at higher levels and potential increase in city resources. He proposed taking the conversation to the community for direct feedback.
Key Outcomes
- No formal votes or decisions were taken; the meeting was informational and a first step in a broader community conversation.
- Next steps identified by Chair Evans:
- Schedule additional committee sessions to answer unanswered questions.
- Hold community meetings to educate residents on available programs, gather feedback, and identify gaps.
- Continue evaluating current programs and consider recommendations for amendments or new initiatives.
- Explore advocacy with county and state partners (e.g., HELP loan adjustments, LIHTC scoring).
- Council will consider budget priorities at an upcoming retreat, potentially increasing local funding for housing programs.
- Staff will provide written responses to outstanding questions from council and the public.
Meeting Transcript
All right. Good evening, everybody. I'd like to call the April 27, 2026 meeting of the Housing Planning Development Committee to order. I'll make a motion to approve the minutes of the March 30th, 2026 meeting of the committee. Can I hear a second? Second. All those in favor? Aye. Aye. Motion carries. We're here today to um talk about affordable housing. And this is uh the first of um what's hopefully uh a larger community conversation about this issue. Um I know I've on my time on council, which admittedly hasn't been that long. I've never gotten a full rundown uh from planning uh about all the efforts we do, um, our successes, where we could use some help. So I'm looking forward to hearing from you today. Um we have some folks in the audience who are, I'm sure, gonna have some questions. I'm sure my colleagues will have questions. So I'd like to know if we can, uh colleagues, if we can go through the presentation from the city first and and do questions after, so we make sure we save time for us and to have folks from the audience talk as well. Um but uh just before I kick off, thanks in advance supplying department for putting together and coming out in force this evening uh to talk about this. Um I'm really excited to bring this to the forefront and have this be something we uh put a lot more concentration on on council and uh with and at the city in general. So thank you. And I'll hand it over to you. Thank you, members of council, and thank you, Councilman Evans, for referring this matter to committee. As you know, one of our department's goals is to further affordable housing. Tonight we will provide an overview of our existing programs, resources, and challenges. Additionally, we will talk about the state of affordable housing today in Lakewood and the continual upward trend regarding the average cost of homes and reduction of available affordable units. This discussion is timely. As this year, we created the position of housing and development manager, filled now by Ian Andrews. One of Ian's many tasks is to assist in reviewing our our existing programs as they relate to the current environment in Lakewood, and to provide recommendations on amending or creating new programs as permitted by our Federal funding sources. We understand that programs can always be improved upon. We see tonight not as just an overview of our programs, but as a beginning of a conversation and an opportunity to work with council and the community on this important matter. First, I'd like to introduce our key staff. Dan Wyman is our development officer. Dan manages the city's federal dollars that fund our existing housing programs, as well as capital projects such as street and park improvements and public service programs. He oversees all compliance matters, including eligibility, program policy, and administration reporting, and the fiscal responsibilities tied to the federal funds. Next is Marty Castelletti, our program manager. He is our direct department liaison with the residents, utilizing our programs. He works closely with families and individuals to help them through the process. I'll turn the presentation over to Ian at this point, who will move into the state of the existing housing stock in Lakeland, provide a high overview of our programs, and talk a bit on the eligibility as it relates to household income. Thanks. And uh just one second, one more point of order. Um Matt Dixenstein will be here late. He's um but he will come in. Um he's working on another ward formatter. And uh Councilman Hamilton, councilperson Hamilton Steiner is uh traveling for work. She couldn't be here, but really wishes she could be. And so just wanted to put that for the record. I think all of us know this is a very important issue, so it's um just can't be everywhere at once sometimes. So thank you. Sorry about that.
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