Regular 5.
Regular City Council Meeting
- Meeting Date:
- 07/13/2020
- TITLE
- MRM Unified Campus
- PRESENTED BY:
- Chris Kukulski
- Department:
- City Hall Administration
- Division:
- Administration
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends:
1. Request for Letter of Support in regard to the proposed MRM Unified Campus (please see attached Project Description and Letter of Support Information).
2. Notification that, upon a successful award of Low Income Housing Tax Credits, MRM Unified Campus anticipates applying for a real estate tax exemption under MCA § 15-6-221.
3. Opportunity for Public Comment (Required publication will be published in the Billings Gazette – 2 runs 6 days apart to meet the City of Billings requirements and 2 runs 14 days apart to meet the Montana Board of Housing requirements.)
1. Request for Letter of Support in regard to the proposed MRM Unified Campus (please see attached Project Description and Letter of Support Information).
2. Notification that, upon a successful award of Low Income Housing Tax Credits, MRM Unified Campus anticipates applying for a real estate tax exemption under MCA § 15-6-221.
3. Opportunity for Public Comment (Required publication will be published in the Billings Gazette – 2 runs 6 days apart to meet the City of Billings requirements and 2 runs 14 days apart to meet the Montana Board of Housing requirements.)
BACKGROUND (Consistency with Adopted Plans and Policies, if applicable)
The Montana Rescue Mission (MRM), in conjunction with Mountain Plains Equity Group, Inc. (MPEG), is in the process of completing an application to the Montana Board of Housing for an allocation of Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC). If successful in this application, the Housing Tax Credits will help to finance the development of the MRM Unified Campus, a new homeless shelter and affordable housing campus that will include a 166-bed homeless shelter, 29 affordable apartment units and supportive service and amenity space. The MRM Unified Campus will consist of significant renovations and updates being made to the current MRM facilities in downtown Billings at approximately 2822 Minnesota Ave and bring the Men’s Shelter and the Women and Family Shelter under one roof.
The existing buildings that contain the current MRM facilities are near or over 100 years old, and while historic, the existing Men’s Shelter and the Women and Family Shelter are both in need of significant upgrades. One of the most important factors of the MRM Unified Campus development plan is the accessibility upgrades that are planned to be made to the facility. These accessibility upgrades would allow the MRM to be able to properly serve their disabled and vulnerable guests. In addition to the much-needed accessibility upgrades, the existing MRM facilities are constantly facing many other monetary and resource draining issues such as, space constraints, a backlog of deferred maintenance and the general degradation of the old buildings.
When completed, the MRM Unified Campus will boast a completely new homeless shelter with 72 beds for women and families and 94 beds for men. The campus will also house 6 transitional supportive housing apartments that will offer opportunities and supportive services to residents that will allow them to move toward independence, and 23 supportive housing apartments. To be known as the “Mission Apartments” these 29 affordable rental apartment units will be dedicated to qualifying families and individuals earning less than 60% of the area median income. On the campus, a separate building at 21 S. 29th Street will undergo significant updates to create modern classrooms for job and life-skills training, an exercise facility, a 200-person chapel, counseling and healthcare offices, and a childcare space with a secure outdoor playground. This thoughtful approach and creation of a “full service” campus will be instrumental in breaking the cycle of homelessness in our community.
The existing buildings that contain the current MRM facilities are near or over 100 years old, and while historic, the existing Men’s Shelter and the Women and Family Shelter are both in need of significant upgrades. One of the most important factors of the MRM Unified Campus development plan is the accessibility upgrades that are planned to be made to the facility. These accessibility upgrades would allow the MRM to be able to properly serve their disabled and vulnerable guests. In addition to the much-needed accessibility upgrades, the existing MRM facilities are constantly facing many other monetary and resource draining issues such as, space constraints, a backlog of deferred maintenance and the general degradation of the old buildings.
When completed, the MRM Unified Campus will boast a completely new homeless shelter with 72 beds for women and families and 94 beds for men. The campus will also house 6 transitional supportive housing apartments that will offer opportunities and supportive services to residents that will allow them to move toward independence, and 23 supportive housing apartments. To be known as the “Mission Apartments” these 29 affordable rental apartment units will be dedicated to qualifying families and individuals earning less than 60% of the area median income. On the campus, a separate building at 21 S. 29th Street will undergo significant updates to create modern classrooms for job and life-skills training, an exercise facility, a 200-person chapel, counseling and healthcare offices, and a childcare space with a secure outdoor playground. This thoughtful approach and creation of a “full service” campus will be instrumental in breaking the cycle of homelessness in our community.
ALTERNATIVES
City Council may:
- Approve a letter of support to be signed by the Mayor, or;
- Disapprove a letter of support, in which the project may not complete its Montana Board of Housing application requirements.
FISCAL EFFECTS
N/A