August 24, 2026 Special Meeting Minutes
August 24, 2026 Meeting Minutes
MINUTES OF A MEETING
DRAFT- NOT YET APPROVED
These minutes are subject to approval by the Board at a future meeting and may be revised.
A Special Meeting of the Norwalk Housing Authority Board of Commissioners was convened at 5:32pm on August 24th, 2026.
Location: Zoom Video Conference (Audio Recording Available Upon Request)
Present:
Brenda Penn-Williams, Chair
Liza Bermudez-Montgomery, Vice Chair
Isaac Walcott, Treasurer
John Church, Commissioner
Teneshia Jacobs, Commissioner
Staff Attending:
Adam Bovilsky, Executive Director
Lisa Endo, VP of Development
Charmaine Davis-Ford, Director of Finance (arrived after roll call)
Michael Fisher, Asst Director of Finance
Leala Marlin, Development Project Manager
Donna Lattarulo, Outside General Counsel, Lattarulo Law Firm, LLC
Roll Call:
At 5:32 pm, Chair Penn-Williams opened the meeting. Chair Penn-Williams recognized Vice Chair Bermudez-Montgomery, Treasurer Walcott, Commissioner Jacobs and Commissioner Church as present and acknowledged the presence of a quorum.
Old Business:
22-92 Treasurer Walcott moved to accept:
A. Torti Gallas and Ken Boroson as the Architect for 26 Monroe Street
Commissioner Church seconded the motion.
Lisa Endo took the floor to present the background on the 26 Monroe Street project. Ms. Endo shared that the goal is to have 200 mixed income units on the 2.2-acre parcel. In addition, the building will be mixed use as the NHA offices will be located in the building. Ms. Endo shared that the board already approved the co-developer, National Housing Trust, for the project. Financing will include 9% low-income housing tax credit and the target application date is early 2028, Due to the complexity of the project, NHA is starting pre-development and design now.
Chair Penn-Williams asked whether the project had to be a mixed income model. Ms. Endo stated to qualify for the 9% tax credits, 20% of the units need to be market rate due to state requirements.
Chair Penn-Williams questioned the success rate of mixed income apartments at other developments, specifically Soundview Landing.
Ms. Endo shared that the goal is to have the Norwalk Housing Authority manage the property itself to better address issues that have been identified.
Charmaine Davis-Ford confirmed that all market rate units at Soundview Landing are leased up except for approximately three apartments that were under contract. Chair Penn-Williams asked for a full report on the market rate apartments at Soundview Landing.
Commissioner Church asked what the funding options would be if the board chose not to do mixed income. Adam Bovilsky confirmed that the project would need to be scaled down and would utilize 4% tax credits. Commissioner Walcott expressed concern that this would make the project financially challenging.
Leala Marlin took the floor to present the architect selection process. The committee recommends the selection of Torti Gallas and Ken Boroson due to their transit-oriented development experience, extensive knowledge of CHFA guidelines, extensive local experience and competitive pricing.
Treasurer Walcott asked clarifying questions regarding the selection committee, selection process and other finalists. He stated that due to the size, scope, location and multitude of stakeholders this will be the largest development project to date and each decision needs a high level of scrutiny.
Commissioner Church asked whether Torti Gallas and Ken Boroson have collaborated previously. Ms. Marlin confirmed they collaborated on multiple projects, including their most current partnership on a transit-oriented project in New Haven, CT. Mr. Bovilsky also confirmed that Ken Boroson has worked on successful modernization projects for the Norwalk Housing Authority.
Ayes
Chair Brenda Penn-Williams
Vice Chair Bermudez-Montgomery
Treasurer Isaac Walcott
Commissioner John Church
Commissioner Teneshia Jacobs
All in favor. Motion passed.
New Business:
22-93 Treasurer Walcott moved to adopt:
A. Colonial Village Operating Budget & Approved OCAF 2026- 2027
Vice Chair Bermudez-Montgomery seconded the motion.
Michael Fisher took the floor to present the 2027 Colonial Village Operating Budget that includes a 5% increase in income and a 5% increase in expenses as compared to 2026. Mr. Fisher reminded the team that this does not mean an increase in rent for tenants. Tenants only pay 30% of their income and the rest is subsidized by the Section 8 program.
Commissioner Church asked whether the number being presented would be different if the board had moved forward on the solar panel project. Mr. Bovilsky confirmed that the solar panels would impact the utility allowance, but that impact would not have been seen in 2027.
Ayes
Chair Brenda Penn-Williams
Treasurer Isaac Walcott
Vice Chair Bermudez-Montgomery
Commissioner John Church
Commissioner Teneshia Jacobs
All in favor. Motion passed.
22-94 Vice Chair Bermudez-Montgomery moved to adjourn the meeting.
Commissioner Jacobs seconded the motion.
Ayes
Chair Brenda Penn-Williams
Vice Chair Bermudez-Montgomery
Treasurer Isaac Walcott
Commissioner John Church
Commissioner Teneshia Jacobs
All in favor. Motion passed.
The meeting was adjourned at 6:06pm.
Respectfully submitted,
_______________________
Adam Bovilsky, Executive Director