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expanding either would provide a public benefit. In many cases, <br />however, decisions must be made between two desirable options. <br />There are good reasons to allocate surplus property sales proceeds <br />for either affordable housing or park acquisition/development. <br />According to the county's comprehensive plan, the funds should be <br />allocated to affordable housing. That plan policy was established, <br />because the county plan identified an affordable housing need and <br />the county had not identified other means of meeting that need. <br />Now with the SHIP program housing incentive plan requirement, the <br />state is requiring those local governments receiving SHIP funds to <br />review their policies and develop ways to provide affordable <br />housing. While not required by the state, the use of surplus <br />property for affordable housing purposes is one opportunity for the <br />county to take action locally to address the affordable housing <br />issue. <br />Recommendation: <br />The staff recommends that the Board of County Commissioners endorse <br />the recommendation of the original Affordable Housing Advisory <br />Committee that 50% of the proceeds from the sale of surplus <br />property be contributed to the Affordable Housing Trust Fund and <br />50% be used for the park acquisition and development. <br />Community Development Director Robert Keating explained that <br />staff is here today to ask for some policy direction from the <br />Board. The present county policy is that 100% of the proceeds from <br />the sale of surplus properties goes to the development of County <br />parks. However, this is an opportunity to set.new policy whereby <br />50% of the funds would go toward affordable housing. He pointed <br />out that we are not talking about a substantial amount of property. <br />There are only about a dozen properties that would qualify as <br />surplus properties and we are working right now with the Property <br />Appraiser's Office to get an inventory of all County -owned <br />property. It is something that will come up when the County <br />acquires property through non-payment of taxes and other means, and <br />this is a suggestion for specific policy direction for how the <br />County will proceed in that regard. Even though the current <br />Affordable Housing Committee is recommending 75%, staff is <br />45 <br />1994 <br />BOOK 91 F,A,UAM <br />