Abby Nadeau
Staff Writer

Somewhere between the interruptions, constant bickering, five minute rants and lack of respect for speakers, Forest Lake's Affordable Housing Task Force is struggling to make any progress.

Whether they are arguing about open meeting laws or the Duffy Development/HSI lawsuit, the 12-member, city council appointed task force has trouble keeping on task and has seen at least one of its 11 active members quit.

Now the task force's lack of concentration and unwillingness to work together could threaten the city's settlement agreement with Duffy Development and Human Services Inc.

The agreement

On Dec. 27, 2006 the city of Forest Lake settled more than a year long lawsuit with Duffy Development and Human Services Inc.

Among other stipulations, the three parties agreed to have the city's current comprehensive plan amended, and prepare the 2008 plan, where affordable housing is concerned.

The purpose of the Affordable Housing Task Force is to "review, discuss and provide comments on the issue of affordable housing, including goals, objectives and implementation of policy."

The settlement requires the city to submit a proposal of their amendments to the comprehensive plan, where it concerns affordable housing, to the Metropolitan Council by May of 2007.

It also states that when the city reviews its comprehensive plan, zoning and subdivision ordinances, it must complete a number of different items including:

ï the creation of an affordable housing task force,

ï the preparation of a comprehensive housing study,

ï participation by city staff, members of the planning commission, and the city's elected officials in a training program on affordable housing,

ï a review of the housing study,

ï a review of the comprehensive plan amendment,

ï holding public hearings to review and recommend a comprehensive plan amendment to the city council, and

ï a city council meeting to "consider a comprehensive plan amendment, contingent upon Met Council review regarding affordable housing."

Although the May 2007 deadline is still five months away, just the process for getting it there could take another month.

Prior to the affordable housing proposal reaching the Met Council, the task force must make a recommendation to the city's planning commission who will in turn make a recommendation to the city council.

Once the city council has approved the recommendation, then the proposal will be sent to the Met Council for consideration.

Therefore, the task force's goal is to get their recommendations made by April, a goal that is making some task force members uneasy.

Group dynamics

The affordable housing task force is compromised of a number of different city residents from all ages and abilities.

From an architect to a real estate agent and from a former planning commission member to a teacher, the group seems to have a variety of housing opinions.

During last Thursday's meeting 11 of the 12 members showed up. Former council candidate Earnest Caine volunteered for the task force but has yet to attend a meeting.

Community Developer Doug Borglund attempted to start the meeting so Tina Goodroad, a planner from DSU/Bonestroo, could start her presentation on the task force goals. However, he was stopped by task force member Jim Heck.

Heck questioned Borglund's role in the meeting and asked that the task force's chair, Craig Anderson, run the meeting and not the city.

The group then discussed the meaning of an open meeting law and the lack of necessity of having city officials present at their meetings.

When Anderson began discussing the various deadlines their recommendations must make before May, member Dale Swanson stated that after a conversation he had with John Duffy, of Duffy Development, the May deadline could be negotiated.

Swanson said he had spoke with Duffy on whether he would "propose to the city to amend the apparent May 5 deadline, in light of the progress of this task force to date."

City Administrator Chip Robinson quickly stated that the dates were set in the settlement agreement and if there were negotiations they would have to be made through each party's attorneys.

As the conversation turned back to open meeting laws and meeting minutes, City Attorney Dave Hebert interrupted and said he has been to thousands of meetings and is surprised that for the last 35 minutes the group has not talked about anything relevant.

The group then quieted and listened to the presentation made by Goodroad.

Housing Study

The city hired Goodroad and Jay Demma, of DSU/Bonestroo, to complete a city-wide housing study. The study was created, among other reasons, to show the task force where the city's housing market was and ideally where it needs to be in the future.

The presentation featured ideas for affordable housing goals; goals to increase availability, to increase housing development and to improve housing maintenance.

Following the presentation the task force started their own discussion and added several personal goals they would like to see for existing and future affordable housing developments.

Some wished to see each developer designate a portion of their development to affordable housing while others wanted the city to come up with a set of requirements that all affordable housing must meet.

Over a dozen different goals were written down, but the cohesive discussion was short lived.

As some members were coming up with goals others debated the reason why the city wasn't able to keep up with the need for affordable housing.

Duffy told the task force that they should ask themselves "how are we going to try and achieve these [housing] goals by 2010?"

Borglund replied that it was not just about achieving a number of units. He said that the city is setting up policies for the future that will make affordable housing more available.

Duffy added to Borglund's comments saying the purpose of the settlement agreements were to allow the "citizens to make the decisions rather than the courts."

John Buzza, from the Metropolitan Interfaith Council on Affordable Housing, stood up and suggested the group discuss not how the city got to the point they are now, but how they want to define affordable housing in Forest Lake and what they would like to see built in their community.

He brought up the city of Minneapolis who requires each of their developers to offer a percentage of their development as affordable housing.

If the developer is creating multi-million dollar developments, or creating housing on large lots, they are given a "buy-out" option.

The option allows the developer to "purchase" the land for a set dollar amount in lieu of having affordable housing. The money would then go toward building affordable housing in other parts of the city.

Buzza said there are several options available and the task force could come up with policies like Minneapolis.

Buzza then commended the group for the work they are doing.

"The city council needs to hear from you and your friends because the buck stops with them," Buzza said. "They will create the culture which makes developers like John Duffy come here; it makes them eager to come here.

"If you follow what you are doing here, you will be a shining star in the metropolitan area."

1 resigns,

3 threaten

Council member Susan Young asked the task force to not look at the specific number of affordable housing units the settlement requires, but to look at the ways to have the housing available. She also said Anoka County was looking for ways to bring more transportation out to the Forest Lake area.

Duffy replied that he thought the city was "quite a bit of time behind" for not considering the amount of housing available and waiting on transportation.

Robinson again stepped in and said that if Duffy was having some legal issues he should not bring it up at the meeting.

"He cannot direct this council," Robinson said, "he should not try to impose what is going on here."

The task force once again started arguing over the obligation of the task force. Some members got up and left the conversation.

The meeting ended with two or three people agreeing to meet at the American Legion on Tuesday at 6 p.m. and others stating they would not return again.

The morning after the meeting Deputy Clerk Chantal Doriott took several phone calls from task force members stating their frustrations with the meeting.

Corbett Johnson gave his written resignation to Mayor Stev Stegner on Friday.

In a phone interview on Tuesday Johnson said, "I decided to resign from the task force because I've never attended a more dysfunctional meeting in my entire life," Johnson said. " The inappropriate and disruptive behavior of Dave Verness and Dale Swanson, who should both know better, was absolutely uncalled for.

"There seems to be a misunderstanding about the task force's role. They serve the pleasure of the mayor and city council, not the other way around. Nothing productive can come from a committee where bullies are dominating. It is unfortunate that so much of staff and consultant time is being ignored. The best thing the city council and mayor can do is start over with a better selection process. We need to move the city forward."

Three other task force members threatened to resign stating they felt bullied, and that the meetings were out of control. However, all three have said they will try one more meeting.

The next Affordable Housing Task Force meeting is scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 1 at 6 p.m. at Forest Lake City Hall.

The task force has also been invited to attend a joint meeting with a full city council and the planning commission on Thursday, Jan. 25 at 6 p.m. at City Hall.

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