In what could be seen as an episode of “Keep JP Happy” [a spin off from “Keep JP Weird”] Mayor’s Office of Housing (MOH) Chief Sheila Dillon came to the Feb. 17 Jamaica Plain Housing Committee (JPHC) to explain “a lot of what is happening with affordability.”

“Sheila has come to talk to us about this,” said committee chair Danielle Summer Kieta, “out of a lot of questions about 3326 Washington Street.”

“So much is happening,” Dillon said. “In all my years [in housing] I’ve never seen an administration quite as dysfunctional.”

“Good news and not-so-good news: the new (Federal Office of Housing and Urban Development) HUD bill will be mostly level funding most projects (e.g., CDBG, HOME funds), at least for one more year.”

“We’re just biding our time before a saner government comes in.”

“We spend a lot of time fighting,” Dillon said.

“We sued to restore $16 million in funds for homeless that affects 1,600 households. This was stopped but we have another year.”

“At the state level we’re doing really well in the latest funding rounds. Rental funding is satisfactory, [but] not enough for affordable home-ownership.”

At the meeting and throughout Jamaica Plain, there seems to be a lot of nostalgia for Plan JP Rox which the Boston Planning Department has concluded was not successful; but JPHC members persist.

Committee members and others on the call seemed impatient for a reprise of Plan JP Rox; they said they want more community input, which they feel is being lost.

Dillon suggested that Boston Planning Director Kairos Shen be invited to the next JPHC meeting.

“He’s doing more holistic, neighborhood planning,” she said.

Summer-Kieta recognized that since Plan JP Rox was approved in March 2017, the affordable agreements have been moved from the Planning Department to the MOH.

“How will MOH keep the commitments of Plan JP Rox?” she asked, admitting these were only guidelines.

“At a minimum all new projects will be looked at by the current Inclusionary Development Policy (IDP) requirements,” Dillon said.

“It’s hard for developers to make the [Plan JP Rox] numbers work. This is becoming reality. Tens of thousands of units are stalled because the numbers don’t work.”

“Now it’s 20 percent, 17 percent plus 3 percent vouchers. That’s the starting point for new projects. It’s hard to get lower area median income (AMI) through market-rate projects,” Dillon said. “All high affordability are all subsidies... like The Lyndia, 3371 Washington St., so much of Jackson Square.”

“What is the way to judge affordability?” asked Carolyn Royce.

“Do you just accept the numbers?” added committee member Sarah Horsely.

“[Developers] get some equity from various sources, all have real estate measurements,” Dillon said “To get equity, some projects are stalled.”

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“We look closely at the operating numbers. We want projects to get as close as we can to what the community wants.”

But “its imperative” to get projects built. “Housing supply, construction jobs, the tax base” all depend on housing starts.

“Many sit on the shelf for years... three, four, five years. The carrying costs are in the millions, then these are no longer feasible.”

One example of that is 121 Brookside Ave., a four-story, 21 for-sale units effort that was approved but has been sitting vacant for over six years.

“What is the workable solution?” asked Dillon. “It’s not that developers are getting out of their [affordability] commitments. It’s just meeting them in a different way.”

“I think we do an adequate job doing due diligence. We’re pretty careful,” Dillon said.

Benjie Mauer got to the point. “Is replacing the IDP requirements [at 3326 Washington St.] with section 8 vouchers, is this acceptable?” he asked.

“The new IDP policy is 17 units onsite, with three voucher holders,” Dillon said. “To make the project feasible the use of Section 8 is a good idea.”

“Most voucher holders have a difficult time getting into new buildings.”

“The building at 3326 Washington Street is nowhere near the density to where 30 percent on a market rate development can cover the costs.”

“It’s harder to get lower AMI at market-rate properties,” Dillon said. “All (projects) with higher AMIs have subsidies.”

Dillon explained that in past year or so MOH has been acquiring privately-owned multi-family housing to take them off the private market. “We provide shallow subsidies and then partner with a non-profit. We’ve done this in Mattapan and Roslindale.”

“I love this program,” Dillon said. “It’s going gangbusters! “To stabilize and acquire is half the cost of building new. Nonprofits preserve all the housing we have.”

“Term two of the Wu administration,” Dillon said,“will be more challenging. We’re thinking about this. There will be a less money in the next four years. To build as much with less won’t be easy.”

“We’ll have term two strategy in the near future,” Dillon said.