Title
Inclusionary Housing Ordinance Update. WORKSHOP to consider recommendations for updates to the inclusionary housing ordinance. General Plan: Citywide. Zoning: Citywide. CEQA Determination: Exempt - Common sense exemption - regulation of affordable housing have no possibility of an effect on the physical environment.
Body
To: Honorable President and Members of the Planning Board
From: Steven Buckley, Secretary to the Planning Board
Allen Tai, Director of Planning Building and Transportation
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The City initiated a review of the inclusionary housing ordinance in response to policies and programs in the Housing Element and the Strategic Plan by preparing a workplan, hiring a consultant, and establishing a working group. The working group met with the consultant several times with a variety of topics on the agenda. The consultant has prepared a report with background information on the existing housing market and inclusionary requirements, and drafted a set of recommendations and options for consideration by the Planning Board. Next steps include outreach to the residential development community and other stakeholders and drafting an ordinance.
BACKGROUND
The Housing Element identified shortcomings in the adopted ordinance and policies. Key issues were:
* No in-lieu fee option as required by state law1
* Moderate income rental units effectively function as market rate units due to higher incomes in Alameda
* Differing prices and costs of development are not accounted for in requirements for ownership and rental housing types.
Therefore, the Council included a program in its 2023 Strategic Plan, Program HH8a: Update Inclusionary Housing Ordinance. The anticipated timeline was to have this completed in mid-2025.
The Housing Element committed the City to "consider modifications to the ordinance to lessen or eliminate the 7% moderate income units and increase the 4% requirement for low- income units and 4% very low income units, or ...
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