Commission approves extension and scope change for Affordable Housing Resources contract after title issues

At its Oct. 28 meeting the Metropolitan Housing Trust Fund Commission voted to approve a grant contract amendment — an extension and scope change — for Affordable Housing Resources’ Round 4 Barnes Fund contract to address clouded title and tax-delinquent properties.

James Dean (Barnes Fund staff) presented the amendment request and recommended approval, saying staff supported the extension because the grantee had demonstrated a good-faith effort to resolve title issues and continued to pursue legal remedies. Dean said the amendment responded to “clouded title as well as documented issues associated with tax delinquent properties.”

Eddie Latimer, appearing on behalf of the grantee, told commissioners the title issues were complex and involved a long list of heirs for a parcel originally zoned R6 that permitted additional units; he described prior informal practice of building additional homes on R6 lots and asked the commission to formalize the scope change so the developer could complete the remaining units. Latimer said the heir list required legal work and that some matters would ultimately be judge-decided.

Commissioners asked for status on remediation progress; Latimer described typical resolution paths and said a small subset of heirs was pursuing monetary claims. The commission moved and seconded approval; a voice vote carried the motion.

The extension and scope change were presented as a single action. Staff noted the commission had approved similar combined contract extensions and scope changes in prior rounds when circumstances warranted.