DRAFT MINUTES
ORGANIZATIONAL MEETING OF THE NATIONAL ALLIANCE’S
AFFORDABLE HOUSING TASK FORCE
August 29, 2002
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Washington, DC

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Participants at the meeting:

Catherine Van Dusen, Fannie Mae
Edgar Sutton, National Association of Home Builders
John Biechman, National Fire Protection Association
Baxter Hill, Rural Housing Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture
David Engel, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
Carlos Martin, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
Dana Bres, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
Robert Wible, National Conference of States on Building Codes and Standards

As secretariat to the National Alliance on Building Regulatory Reform in the Digital Age, Robert Wible thanked the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for hosting the organizational meeting of the Alliance’s Affordable Housing Task Force.

The concept for the task force originated with Fannie Mae earlier this year when it saw the need to fast track the technical work products of the Alliance to use information technology and streamlined building regulatory processes to enable the nation’s housing industry to build "faster, better, safer and at less cost."

Mr. Wible thanked the attendees for joining in this effort and noted that several other organizations within the Alliance had indicated that they would be joining the new task force and attend future meetings. It was noted that the purpose of this session was to review and adopt a mission statement for the Affordable Housing Task Force and discuss and set work products for the group. A copy of the draft proposed mission statement, structure and work products for the task force was distributed (Attachment A).

The agenda for the organizational meeting was reviewed and the attendees were updated on the work of the National Alliance. (View the 2^nd Annual Report to the Governors on the activities of the Alliance.)  Each of the participants shared actions that their organizations were engaged in to enhance the availability of affordable housing. This included HUD’s work to support the Partnership for the Advancement of Technology in Housing (PATH), Fannie Mae’s local streamlining initiatives, the Rural Housing Services and NAHB’s projects and initiatives. Participants also discussed the actions that their organizations wanted to see the Task Force undertake in an effort to increase the availability of affordable housing. Copies of relevant work products of several partners were shared.

In that discussion it was noted that information technology can be especially helpful not only in shortening the building permitting and plans reviews processes but in helping streamline and add more timeliness, certainty and standardization to the building inspection process. For example, it will be especially helpful for home builders to be able to online call for and be updated on exactly when site inspections will be conducted.

The Task Force approved their proposed mission statement and structure and added several items to their list of work products. Those included the generation of a guide for streamlining the building regulatory process for rural jurisdictions, gathering data on sources of costs of regulation on residential construction and reviewing the grant criteria being developed by the Planning and Coordinating Task Force for state and local streamlining efforts. (See Attachment B for the adopted Task Force Mission Statement, Structure and Work Products).

The Task Force briefly discussed other national organizations or agencies that should be invited to join this work group. Contact information for those organizations will be forwarded to NCSBCS, as secretariat, to extend a formal invitation to the next meeting.

There being no further business before the Task Force, Mr. Wible thanked HUD for hosting the meeting and Fannie Mae for their initial grant to help launch the Affordable Housing Task Force. The NCSBCS Executive Director also thanked the Department of Agriculture’s Rural Housing Service for their grant that is in the process of being finalized.

It was agreed that the next meeting of the Task Force would be held at a mutually convenient time in October and that Fannie Mae would host the next meeting.

The goal of this Task Force is to support the work of the National Alliance on Building Regulatory Reform in the Digital Age and both its Planning and Coordinating and Technology Task Forces to examine and recommend changes in policies and approaches for using information technology and streamlined regulatory processes that will enable the nation's housing industry to build, faster, better, safer and more affordable housing.

The National Alliance Affordable Housing Task Force will:

Serve to facilitate the rapid dissemination to homebuilders, local and state building regulators, elected officials, and the public of information on and a set of work tools generated by the National Alliance that increase the effective use of information technology in the nation's building regulatory process. Coordinate these efforts with the ongoing work of Housing Task Force members at the state and local level and the Partnership for Advancing Technology in Housing (PATH).

Among those tools which the Affordable Housing Task Force will disseminate are:

• listing of available hardware and software and information on funding mechanisms to support their use;
• a minimum set of criteria for hardware and software that jurisdictions can ask for when obtaining or implementing new information systems;
• demonstration projects of automated code compliance and other streamlined building regulatory systems;
• techniques for bringing together stakeholders at state and local levels to facilitate streamlining of the building regulatory process; and
• successful models of streamlined regulatory processes for residential construction (including zoning, land use, and construction).

Under the guidance of the National Alliance's Steering Committee, the Affordable Housing Task Force will serve along with the existing Planning and Coordinating Task Force and the Technology Task Force as one of three work committees to fulfill the mission of the National Alliance.

Membership on the Affordable Housing Task Force will be open to all Alliance Members and Affiliate organizations which fulfill their commitment for in-kind services or funding contributions to the Alliance and are interested in facilitating the rapid dissemination of Alliance information and tools to enable the residential construction industry "to build affordable housing faster, better, safer and at less cost".

As funding is made available by Alliance Members and Affiliates, at a minimum the Affordable Housing Task Force will meet is at least four times a year to carryout its mission and develop and disseminate its work products.

NCSBCS as the Alliance's Secretariat will provide administrative support for the Affordable Housing Task Force

The goal of this Task Force is to support the work of the National Alliance on Building Regulatory Reform in the Digital Age and both its Planning and Coordinating and Technology Task Forces to examine and recommend changes in policies and approaches for using information technology and streamlined regulatory processes that will enable the nation's housing industry to build, faster, better, safer and more affordable housing.

The National Alliance Affordable Housing Task Force will:

Serve to facilitate the rapid dissemination to homebuilders, local and state building regulators, elected officials, and the public of information on and a set of work tools generated by the National Alliance that increase the effective use of information technology in the nation's building regulatory process. Coordinate these efforts with the ongoing work of Housing Task Force members at the state and local level and the Partnership for Advancing Technology in Housing (PATH).

Among those tools which the Affordable Housing Task Force will disseminate are:

• listing of available hardware and software and information on funding mechanisms to support their use;
• a minimum set of criteria for hardware and software that jurisdictions can ask for when obtaining or implementing new information systems;
• demonstration projects of automated code compliance and other streamlined building regulatory systems;
• techniques for bringing together stakeholders at state and local levels to facilitate streamlining of the building regulatory process; and
• successful models of streamlined regulatory processes for residential construction (including zoning, land use, and construction).
• develop a guide for streamlining building regulatory processes for rural jurisdictions.
• gather data sources on the cost of regulations for residential construction.
• review grants’ criteria for federal funding to states and localities developed by Planning and Coordinating Task Force.

Under the guidance of the National Alliance's Steering Committee, the Affordable Housing Task Force will serve along with the existing Planning and Coordinating Task Force and the Technology Task Force as one of three work committees to fulfill the mission of the National Alliance.

Membership on the Affordable Housing Task Force will be open to all Alliance Members and Affiliate organizations which fulfill their commitment for in-kind services or funding contributions to the Alliance and are interested in facilitating the rapid dissemination of Alliance information and tools to enable the residential construction industry "to build affordable housing faster, better, safer and at less cost".

As funding is made available by Alliance Members and Affiliates, at a minimum the Affordable Housing Task Force will meet is at least four times a year to carryout its mission and develop and disseminate its work products.

NCSBCS as the Alliance's Secretariat will provide administrative support for the Affordable Housing Task Force