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CRA reports: residential improvement and resiliency programs active; portable housing initiative slowed by staffing gaps
Summary
CRA staff reported progress on residential property improvement and resiliency contracts and said the portable housing initiative is slowed because the agency has not filled an incentives and land development manager role. Staff provided project counts and said Eastside is not currently accepting new applications.
CRA staff reported program‑level updates at the Eastside Redevelopment Board's May meeting, saying the Residential Property Improvement Program (RPIP) and related resiliency projects have active applications and a small number of contracts while the portable housing initiative and a proposed affordable development at 1,700 Martin Luther King remain on hold pending staffing.
A CRA staff member said there were seven applications in review (noting that number may drop to six as inspections proceed), three projects approved pending inspection, ten total projects to date invited for full application, three projects invited for full application, and two projects under contract (with one project that went under contract the previous day). The staff member said a resiliency contract is expected to wrap up in a couple of weeks and that staff will provide inspection results and addresses so board members can view completed or in‑progress projects.
Staff said Eastside is not currently accepting new applications; the program status will depend on available funds. Staff also said they have been placing yard signs at project addresses to increase community awareness of the programs.
On portable housing, staff said hiring for an "incentives and land development manager" has failed twice and the department remains recruiting. Staff described the position as a hybrid role requiring experience in both affordable housing finance (including tax credits) and commercial development analysis so the city can evaluate and structure incentives to close developer funding gaps. Because the position remains unfilled, staff said the 1,700 Martin Luther King affordable housing project and other new developments that would fall under that position's purview are proceeding slowly.
Sidewalk and other minor capital improvements were described as ongoing annual activities; staff said they will continue incremental investments and report back with addresses and project examples at the next board meeting.
Ending
Staff said they will circulate project addresses for board members to visit and will update the board when the incentives and land development manager position is filled. Eastside acceptance of new RPIP applications remains contingent on available funds.
