Bishop City Council to discuss housing funds
Low-interest loan programs to be reviewed
The Bishop City Council at its meeting Monday is scheduled to consider a resolution regarding state funding through the state’s Permanent Local Housing Allocation Program.
The allocation available to the city of Bishop during the program’s funding period from 2019 through 2021 totals $362,722, according to city staff.
The funding is intended to help cities and counties:
• Increase the supply of housing for households at or below 60% of area median income
• Increase assistance to affordable owner-occupied workforce housing
• Assist persons experiencing or at risk of homelessness
• Facilitate housing affordability, particularly for lower- and moderateincome households
• Promote projects and programs to meet the local government’s unmet share of regional housing needs allocation
• Ensure geographic equity in the distribution of the funds.
City and county staff already have outlined housing projects that they can work on jointly to increase badly needed housing units in the area.
Both agencies are looking at low-interest loan programs as well as making auxiliary dwelling unit plans free and available to the public. Auxiliary dwelling units, or ADU, is a secondary housing unit on a single-family residential lot.
During a city council workshop in October on the issue, the council directed staff to prepare an application to establish a program for low-interest loans and grants for housing unit rehabilitation and ADU construction.
The city of Bishop, according to city staff, will use the funds for the predevelopment, development, acquisition, rehabilitation, and preservation of affordable rental and ownership housing, including new ADU devel
opment, that meets the housing needs of the community. Needs would range from low-income households to workforce earning up between 60% to 120% of the area median income (AMI). ADUs would be available for occupancy for a term of no less than 30 days.
City staff outlined that PLHA funds will be utilized for two programs under this activity:
• Beginning in year one of implementation and continuing through year five, the city of Bishop will use PLHA funds to provide a low-interest loan program for low-to-moderate income homeowners in need of repairs on their single family homes, or mobile homes set on a permanent foundation, and owners of multifamily rental properties where at least half of tenants are low-income households under 60% AMI; and,
• Providing loans to lowto-moderate income homeowners for the development of ADUs for longterm rental, with up to 20% of the loan forgivable if the homeowner can show that the ADU has been rented for at least five years to a tenant with income under 60% AMI. Program income will be returned to the loan fund.
• Costs for staff and overhead to implement the above described programs.
Urban Greening Grant
The city council on Monday also is set to consider a resolution regarding a state Urban Greening Grant.
City staff notes that the state of California Natural Resources Agency has made available the Urban Greening Grant. The city of Bishop and the Friends of the Eastern Sierra Community Gardens have begun the process to submit a proposal to the California Natural Resources Agency.
This potential grant would provide for an expansion of the City Park Community Garden. A general design of the expansion would include a shade structure, native plant demonstration, trees along the Pine to Park Path, composting area and signage to create public interaction.
In September, the California Natural Resources Agency conducted a site visit with the city of Bishop and the Friends of the Eastern Sierra Community Gardens at the Bishop City Park Community Garden.
The Bishop City Council is scheduled to meet in open session at 6 p.m. Monday in the City Council Chambers at Bishop City Hall, 301 W. Line St.
Meeting agendas, including how the meetings can be viewed remotely, can be found on the city’s website, www.cityofbishop.com.