Affordable Housing Overlay (Page 51)

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The so-called “Affordable Housing Overlay" would result in non-focused residential developments that would not meet the Twelve Guiding Objectives, and that would also not produce enough genuinely affordable housing for local workers and residents.

Our recommended alternative, shown below, would truly achieve affordable housing goals, specifically by linking new jobs and housing, and by profoundly stimulating affordable housing developments in the areas where the County can best serve such developments.

Housing Element –
Goals and Policies to be Retained (renumber as required)

• Goal H-1 - Housing Within Existing Residential Areas
• Policy H-1.1- Intensification of Already Developed Areas
• Policy H-1.2- Rehabilitation Assistance within Unincorporated Areas
• Policy H-1.3- Replacement Housing
• Policy H-1.4- Neighborhood Compatibility and Historic Character
• Policy H-1.5 - Energy Efficiency
• Policy H- 2.1 – Major Employment Center Job-Based Housing Demand
• Policy H-3.2 – Community Plan To Improve Existing Residential Areas
• Policy H-3.3 – New Housing within Community Areas
• Policy H-3.4 Community Area Development Standards
• H-3.5 – Public Participation
• H-3.6 – Proactive Promotion
• H-3.7 – Monitoring of Community Plans
• Goal H- 4 Housing Affordability and Diversity
• Policy H-4.1- Housing Variety
• Policy H-4.6 - Federal and State Housing Grant Programs
• Policy H-4.8 - Funding Assistance
• Policy H-4.9 - Assistance to Achieve Affordability and Diversity
• Policy H-4.10 - Homeless
• Goal H-5 - Employer Assisted and Workforce Housing
• Policy H-5.1 - Workforce Housing
• Policy H-5.2 – Housing Trust Fund
• Policy H-5.3 - Employer Assistance
• Goal H-6 - Regional Housing Allocation
• Policy H-6.1 – Regional Allocation
• Policy H-6.2 - Ongoing Tracking of Production
• Policy H-6.3 - Future Allocations
• Goal H-7 - Equal Opportunity and Accessibility in Housing
• Policy H-7.1 - Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity

Housing Element –
Goals and Policies to be Changed

Replace Goals H-2, H-3, and H-8 with new Goal H-2, as indicated in the middle column. Eliminate Policies H-2.2, H-3.1, H-3.8, H-4.2, H-4.3, H-4.5, H-4.7, H-5.4, and H-8.1, revise Policy H-4.4, and adopt the new policies shown in the middle column.

[New]

Goal H-2 – Residential Growth Goal

Provide significant new affordable housing opportunities in the unincorporated portions of Monterey County, focusing that development in the communities of Boronda, Castroville, Pajaro, and the former Fort Ord; balance new job creation with the creation of new housing opportunities for those who will fill the new jobs; and specifically promote the construction of housing that will be affordable to current Monterey County residents and workers.

Policy H-2.3 – Housing Unit Allocation System -- Beginning in the year 2005, Monterey County shall establish an annual “housing unit allocation" for the unincorporated portions of Monterey County, based on new jobs created in the unincorporated portions of Monterey County during the previous year. This housing unit allocation shall be based on AMBAG job data. Each year, the housing unit allocation shall allocate the number of new housing units necessary to provide new housing for the workers in new jobs created in the unincorporated portions of Monterey County during the previous year, and shall not exceed that number. The housing unit allocation shall be divided into segments specifically designated for very low income, low income, moderate income, workforce, and market rate housing, according to the income level of the jobs created in the unincorporated portions of Monterey County during the previous year.

Any person wishing to build one or more residential housing units in the unincorporated portions of Monterey County shall be required to obtain a housing unit allocation for each such unit, prior to obtaining a building permit. Housing unit allocations shall be made available for residential housing units created in the very low, low, and moderate income segments only for housing units that will be restricted to remain available to persons in that income category upon each subsequent sale and resale of the unit. The County may make the annual housing unit allocation available on a “first come first served" basis, or on the basis of a competitive system established by the Board of Supervisors. Any unused housing allocation, in any segment, may be carried forward from year to year.

To promote the construction of housing affordable to current residents and workers of Monterey County, projects that meet the following requirements (“exempt projects") will not be required to obtain a housing unit allocation, prior to obtaining a building permit However, all housing units constructed within exempt projects for persons in the very low, low, median, and moderate income levels shall be restricted to remain available to persons in the same income category upon each subsequent sale and resale of the unit. Market rate units included within projects that include exempt units shall be given priority for housing unit allocations. The following projects are “exempt projects":

• Single family homes on legal lots of record.
  
  
• Farm labor housing projects constructed consistent with state law, and specifically including any redevelopment, renovation, and improvement of existing Farm Labor camps, as long as such redevelopment, renovation, and improvement remains within the physical boundaries of the existing site
  
  
• Projects under ten acres in size which provide a minimum of 10% very low, 20% at median (not more than 100% AMI), 20% moderate (100-120% AMI) and no more than 20% Workforce I and 10% Workforce II housing, and in which the remaining 20% of units are either moderate or below moderate.
  
  
• Projects over 10 acres in size which provide a mix of rental and for-sale housing, and which provide a minimum of 20% very low, 10% low (defined as not more than 60% AMI), 15% median (not more than 100% AMI), 15% moderate, and 40% Workforce housing, with not more than 25% of the total units in Workforce II housing.

All exempt projects except single family homes on legal lots of record and farm labor housing projects constructed consistent with state law must also:

1. Be located within a Community Area identified in the General Plan.
   
   
2. Provide one or more of the following amenities, open to public use: public open space or recreation space, a community center, a community garden, day care facilities, after school centers, or a senior center.
   
   
3. Provide adequate public services and facilities to serve the project including availability of public water and sewer.
   
   
4. Be of demonstrably high quality design.

[New]

Policy H-2.4 Community Area – Specific Plan Requirements – Exempt projects may be approved in Community Areas prior to completion of specific plans.

[Revised]

Policy H-4.4 Inclusionary Housing Program – The County shall assure consistent application of the Inclusionary Housing Ordinance. At least twenty percent (20%) of new housing units must be affordable to very low, low, and moderate income households, and shall be restricted to remain available to persons in the same income category upon each subsequent sale and resale of the unit.

The policy recommended here allows single family development on existing lots of record to proceed with no new requirements.

Farmworker housing projects are also exempted from any new requirements.

The main impact of the policy will be to give a significant “advantage" to housing developments that truly serve local workers and residents; that contain significant and permanent affordable housing opportunities; and that incorporate the kind of community amenities and high quality design that will improve the communities in which they are constructed.

“Luxury" housing developments in the unincorporated area can still get approval, but they will need to be sized to serve the new jobs created in the upper income categories.

The recommended policy discourages the construction of housing developments aimed at upper income buyers from out of the County.