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June 10, 1980
<br />
<br />At a regular meeting of the City Council held on June 10, 1980, there were presenT:
<br />
<br />Jack P. Barn~s, Ben A. Beamer, Sr., E. Saunders Early, Jr., J. Robert Gray,
<br />James W. Holley, III, Steven Lieberman, City Attorney.
<br />
<br />Absent: Richard J. Davis, Edward L. Oast, Jr., Robert T. Williams, City Manager.
<br />Vice Mayor Holley presided in the absence of Mayor Davis.
<br />
<br /> Rev. Robert N. Huffman, Rector, Trinity Church opened the meeting with prayer, followed
<br />by the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.
<br />
<br /> Motion of Mr. Beamer and seconded by Mr. Gray, minutes of the called meeting of May
<br />1980; minutes of the regular meeting of May 27, 1980, to be approved as received, and was
<br />adopted by unanimous vote.
<br />
<br />27,
<br />
<br />The City Attorney presented the following reports for the City Manager:
<br />
<br /> 80-206 "Consideration of a resolution amending the 1980 Community Development Program
<br />the 1980 Housing Assistance Plan designating eligible areas within the City for federally
<br />assisted housing programs.
<br />
<br /> This resolution amends the 1980 Community Development Program and the 1980 Housing
<br />Assistance Plan. Two public hearings have been held on this matter and the Citizens' Advisory
<br />Committee's report is attached for your information. Also attached is a letter and materials
<br />detailing the recommended changes. The City Manager recommends adoption."
<br />
<br /> Michael ~. Kay, Executive Director of Portsmouth Redevelopment ~ Housing Authority,
<br />presented the following statement:
<br />
<br /> "On March 25, 1980, Council passed a resolution requesting the City and the Portsmouth
<br />Redevelopment and Housing Authority to investigate alternatives to the provision of housing
<br />assistance in the City in accordance with the 1980 Community Development Program and Housing
<br />Assistance Plan,
<br />
<br /> As a result of that resolution, a proposal for the use of 100 units of Existing Section 8
<br />Housing was submitted to HUD. In subsequent meetings and conversations, it was learned that
<br />HUD has not found acceptable the sole utilization of Existing Section 8 due to the fact that
<br />it cannot be assured that assistance offered to low-and-moderate-income families and individual
<br />under this program would be made available outside of impacted areas. On the basis of an ex-
<br />amination of existing conditions in the City, particularly the number of housing units built
<br />before 1950 and occupied by low-and-moderate-income families which are in need of substantial
<br />~ehabilitation as the only alternative to demolition, it is strongly felt that the preservatior
<br />of our existing housing stock is of critical importance to our city. For this reason, and
<br />because of overwhelming need for rehabilitation, the staffs of the City and,the Authority are
<br />proposing the Section 8 Substantial Rehabilitation Program as the primary method for continuin
<br />to provide safe, decent, and sanitary housing in the City. As Council is aware, there are
<br />housing units throughout Portsmouth which would-fall into the category of being suitable for
<br />this type of rehabilitation, and we feel that this approach is the best one to meet the low-
<br />and moderate-income housing needs of our city since Portsmouth can ill afford to lose any
<br />low-and moderate-income rental housingrunits.
<br />
<br /> It ~ust be pointed out tha~ no~specific site, developer, area, or project has been
<br />selected. Rather, this alternative w~ll encourage the participation of private developers and
<br />owners of rental housing complexes to submit proposals. Further, the designation of specific
<br />areas as eligible for this~ program does not mean at all that any activity will occur in-these
<br />areas.
<br />
<br /> It is felt that there will be significant response from the private sector to this ap-
<br />proach, due to the need for preservation of existing structures. However, if such response
<br />is not forthcoming, we will incorporate sufficient flexibility in the Housing Assistance
<br />Plan in order to respond to proposals involving a combination of rehabilitation together with
<br />a limited numberoof new construction units."
<br />
<br />The following ciZizens spoke:
<br />
<br /> Francene Nowell, Chairperson, Administrative Board, Wright Memorial United Methodist
<br />Church, presented the following statement:
<br />
<br /> "The members of Wright Memorial United Methodist Church unanimously and urgently request
<br />the adDption of an amendment to the 1980 Housing Assistance Plan for the City of Portsmouth
<br />that will be acceptable to the Department of Housing and Urban Development. We do so for
<br />three reasons.
<br />
<br /> In the first place, several members of our congregation and our community own property
<br />in Newtown that is slated Co be acquired by the Portsmouth Redevelopment and Housing Authority
<br />The neighborhood around them has been destroyed and these families are eager to be relocated,
<br />but the authority is stalled until federal funds are released. Your favor~b}e action on a
<br />reasonable program acdeptable to HUD will extricate our church members and neighbors from a
<br />very difficult situation.
<br />
<br /> Secondly, we have been informed that no further federally assisted programs to rejuvenate
<br />the neighborhood around our church will be considered until HUD is satisfied that enough ef-
<br />fort is being made to Situate housing for low income families consistently throughout the city
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