Title
Introduction of Ordinance Amending the Alameda Municipal Code by Adding Section 2-23 to Article II Concerning the Creation of a Rent Review Advisory Committee; and
Introduction of Ordinance Amending the Alameda Municipal Code by Adding Article XIV to Chapter VI Concerning the Review of Rent Increases. (Community Development 481005) REVISED AS OF JULY 21, 2015
Body
To: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
From: Elizabeth D. Warmerdam, Interim City Manager
Re: Introduction of Ordinance Amending the Alameda Municipal Code by: a) Adding Section 2-23 to Article II Concerning the Creation of a Rent Review Advisory Committee; b) Adding Article XIII to Chapter VI Concerning the Review of Rent Increases
BACKGROUND
On January 20, 2015, the City Council directed staff to prepare an ordinance that would address six discussion points, developed through a community-based process, regarding concerns expressed by tenants about rent increases and concerns expressed by housing providers that the City not create or impose significant procedural or financial hardships on them.
In addition, because the procedures that were proposed to address the identified issues would continue to rely on the use of the Rent Review Advisory Committee (RRAC), Council directed that an ordinance be drafted that would formalize the RRAC by establishing it as one of the committees in the Municipal Code and better define its duties.
On May 5, 2015, staff presented two draft ordinances to the Council for its consideration. One ordinance continued the current practice of allowing a tenant to request a rent review hearing regardless of the amount of the proposed rent increase. The other ordinance required a minimum percentage rent increase and provided an informal conciliation process to address those rent increases that did not meet the minimum percentage increase. In addition, staff requested Council direction regarding undertaking a study to analyze th...
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