The Housing Element: A Progressive Approach

 

The Progressive Housing Advocates

 

January 13, 2003

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Printed and distributed for the Progressive Housing Advocates Task-force by:

Community Action Board of Santa Cruz County, Inc.

501 Soquel Ave, Suite E

Santa Cruz, Ca 95062

831-457-1741 ext 160

www.cabinc.org

 


 

The Housing Element – A Progressive Approach

Executive Summary

 

Santa Cruz County is experiencing a critical housing crisis. 

 

The report of the Community Assessment Project Year 8, 2002, released in November, 2002 indicates that the percentage of household income spent on housing has increased for all but the wealthiest county residents.   Nearly 65% of those households earning less than $35,000 per year pay more than half their income for housing. 

 

Median home prices continued to climb out of reach for more families.  Now, industry reports say fewer than one in twelve families can reasonably buy a house here.  Overall one fifth of households say they pay 75% of income for housing.  A disturbing 45% of Latinos say they do.

 

Because of the critical nature of the housing crisis in Santa Cruz County, the following report, “The Housing Element – A Progressive Approach,” identifies what significant and dramatic steps are necessary to meet the needs of low, very low, and extremely low income people in the County.

 

The report’s overall goal is to maximize housing opportunities for those populations by removing discriminatory barriers, and by planning for housing development at increased densities, on existing transportation lines, employing green building materials and practices, incorporating child care, supportive services, and access for the mobility impaired in its design.  Specifically, report calls for the following:

 

*      re-zoning of all centrally located residentially zoned land to urban high density, allowing residential uses as part of all commercial and industrial development, identifying parking lots as central sites, and permitting second-unit development with regulations identical to those of other home additions.

 

*      removing unreasonable height restrictions and leveling discriminatory fees, currently far higher per square foot for smaller, more affordable units than they are for larger unit development.

 

*      providing incentives to employers to house some portion of their workers or to contribute to a housing trust fund to create housing opportunities for low wage workers.

 

*      adopting governmental incentives for housing development that is environmentally sound, accessible to mobility impaired people, and which provides supportive services including childcare, job development, educational opportunities, mental health support, and financial planning.  Incentives to include mandatory density bonuses, relaxed parking requirements, reduced design and setback requirements, waivers of fees, and opportunities to qualify for housing trust funds.

 

*      preserving existing affordable housing through amnesty for illegal units, targeted code enforcement tied to rehabilitation funding, the provision of emergency rental assistance for up to 60 days, and adoption of just cause eviction, rent stabilization, and rent shock ordinances to prevent existing rental housing from becoming even less affordable.

 

*      developing a housing trust fund to marshal available funds from public and private sources to for use in the rehabilitation and development of housing affordable to, and designed to meet the needs of, low wage workers, disabled persons, homeless households, farmworkers, single and teen-parent households,  and constructed employing environmentally sound building  practices.

 

*      implementing an anti-NIMBY plan for removal of the public hearing level of review for any proposed housing or mixed use development that is affordable to, and designed to meet the needs of, those portions of the population.

 

*      Designating sites for the development of a minimum of 640 emergency shelter beds for individuals, and 400 units of emergency transitional housing, sites for supportive housing for single and teen parent households, as well as sites for supportive farmworker housing    

 

This report has been prepared by the Progressive Housing Advocates Task Force (PHAT), a broad-based coalition of individuals and community groups dedicated to the development of affordable housing for low, very low income and extremely low income people throughout Santa Cruz County.   PHAT includes representatives of environmental groups, as well as advocates for the disabled, for homeless persons, for farmworkers, for children and seniors, and for low-wage workers who live and work in Santa Cruz County.

 

Additional copies of this document are available from the Community Action Board of Santa Cruz County, Inc.  Contact Paul Brindel at 831-457-1741 ext 160 or visit www.cabinc.org and click on “Resources”.      

 

The PHAT Housing Element Committee:

 

Gretchen Regenhardt, Paul Brindel, Don Burke, Linda Lemaster, Scott Beesley, Michael Bradshaw, Paul Wagner, Virginia Johnson, Nora Hochman, Sandy Brown, David Foster                         

 

For more information contact:

Scott Beesley, scottbeesley@hotmail.com, or Paul Brindel, paul@cabinc.org

 

 

INTRODUCTION

 

        Progressive Housing Advocates Task Force (PHAT) is a broad-based coalition of individuals and community groups dedicated to the development of affordable housing for low and very low-income people throughout Santa Cruz County.   PHAT includes representatives of environmental groups, and advocates for the disabled, for homeless persons, for farmworkers, for children and seniors, and for low-wage workers who live and work in Santa Cruz County.

        PHAT stands for the proposition that the lack of affordable housing is the most critical issue facing our region and that it can and must be addressed by adoption of aggressive programs to encourage and require development of housing at high densities along existing transportation corridors, with provision for mobility accessible units, Childcare and supportive services, and through the use of energy-efficient and recycled materials.    Every person is entitled to live in decent, safe and sanitary conditions in a suitable living environment, regardless of race, ethnicity, age, disability, religion, familial status, income level, gender, sexual orientation, language, or occupation.  Preservation and expansion of housing opportunities for all residents of Santa Cruz County, and removal of barriers to fair housing is essential to our future.

        It is PHAT’s goal to see that existing affordable housing is preserved, that obstacles to fair housing opportunity are removed, and that at least 50% of all future housing development is affordable to low, very low, and extremely low income people.  PHAT seeks to remove existing governmental, legislative, programmatic, and political barriers to these ends.  

 

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

A.  PROGRESSIVE HOUSING ADVOCATES TASK FORCE ISSUES

 

I.   Efficient Use of Land

 

II. Special Needs Groups:

          a) disabled

          b) seniors

          c) farmworkers

          d) homeless households

          e) single-parent HH, including teen parent HH

          f)  low-wage workers

          g) households subject to discriminatory rental/loan or other discriminatory practices

 

III. Preservation Existing Affordable Housing

 

IV. Green Building

 

V.  Childcare

 

VI.  Funding Issues

 

B.  PROGRESSIVE HOUSING ADVOCATES TASK FORCE PROGRAMS

 

I. Programs To Mandate Efficient Land Use

II. Programs to Address the Housing Needs of Special Needs Groups

          a) disabled

          b) farmworkers

          c) homeless households

          d) single-parent and teen parent households

          e) low-wage workers/families

          f) populations subject to discriminatory treatment

 

III. Preservation existing housing stock

IV. Programs for Green Building

V.  Programs To Provide Adequate Childcare

VI.  Programs to Develop Funding

 

 

 

PROGRESSIVE HOUSING ADVOCATES TASK FORCE ISSUES

 

Efficient Land Use

 

        Efficient land use policy requires consideration of two major components: a) zoning and infrastructure; and b) design, planning, permit and fee levels and processes.  Given the extremely high cost of land in the region, efficient land use demands development at the highest feasible densities and creative use and reuse of vacant and underutilized parcels to meet the  critical need for affordable housing. 

 

        Some of the current governmental barriers to efficient land use which interfere with meeting the increasing need for low, very low and extremely low income housing, are:

 

The Zoning Map:

 

        At present, the County of Santa Cruz land use element of its general plan contains only 17.6 acres of land zoned at urban high densities, in contrast to more than 953 acres zoned urban very low, 539 urban low, and 189.4 urban medium. [1]  Under current zoning guidelines, the “urban high density” designation allows only 17 units per acre, a density so low that it can only accommodate home ownership housing such as condominiums and townhouses.   An affordability[2]  map of the unbuilt portion of the County by percentage shows that the land is divided by these proportions:

 

                - Zoning designations for those above median income: 100%

                - Zoning designations for those below median income: 0%

 

        This exclusive assignment of land solely to the highest income households in the population has caused:

 

*      higher rent levels

*      gentrification with concurrent loss of affordable units

*      increased isolation of racial, ethnic, and other minority groups in discrete

neighborhoods

*      population aging as younger families leave the area

*      worker displacement into outlying areas and distant locations

*      traffic congestion as more workers must commute from outside the area

*      underutilization of public transit due to distances between residences and routes

*      sprawl

 

Overspecificity:

 

        The zoning map is over specific.  Sites are zoned for particular specific uses for which they may not be suited, never engaged in or long since abandoned, rather than for residential or mixed-use development.  This has effectively eliminated them from use for low, very low and extremely low-income housing. 

 

        The potential for residential development can be greatly increased by rezoning available vacant, underdeveloped, and underutilized land currently zoned commercial or industrial for residential uses alone, or for concurrent commercial, industrial and residential uses where compatible. 

 

        The County should conduct an inventory of all such available sites, and include all vacant or underdeveloped infill sites and underutilized sites such as large parking lots which could continue to provide parking services while developed overhead as housing.  All sites currently planned as parking lots should be redesigned to permit concurrent residential development.    

 

        To summarize, both economic and environmental considerations point toward development at higher densities along transportation corridors within urbanized areas, as opposed to current zoning regulations, which encourage sporadic development of individual units in rural areas while leaving less than 1% of the land in the urban areas zoned for high density under the County’s current land use plan.

 

Height Restrictions:    

 

        The current zoning ordinance prohibits residential development at heights greater than three stories in rural zones and two stories in urban.  This has two negative effects on providing needed affordable housing in the contest of a sustainable community: a) increased costs as more land is needed to provide the same number of dwelling units; b) increased rent, sale, and equity prices as significantly higher land costs are passed on to renters and homebuyers.

 

Fee Structure:

 

        Fees as currently assessed and collected by local jurisdictions and service providers reward the construction of large single units,  and discourage the construction of smaller ones.   The fees for an average size single family home, which is now 2600 square feet (National Association of Homebuilders 2001) total  approximately $22, 000,  or $8.46 per square foot; the  fees for converting a 400 square foot garage to living space can rise as high as  $17,000 or $42.50 per square foot -- a fivefold differential. 

 

        This significant differential especially affects the production of small second units, which in already-developed areas can make a valuable contribution to meeting the need for affordable housing for smaller households, as well as for senior, disabled, convalescent and other vulnerable populations.  A fee structure that results in exorbitant costs per square foot, however, operates as a major disincentive to their construction, and its  removal is a critical step in increasing the supply of affordable units. 

 

        There are also a number of other governmental barriers to the construction of second units, including a review process which includes public hearings which allow neighborhood opposition to defeat a proposed project,[3] setback and height rules which limit placement and construction of second units on lots, unreasonably costly requirements such as sprinkler ordinances applied to the main home when a garage is remodeled as an ADU, occupancy restrictions requiring that units be occupied either by their owners, family members, or low-income households, and rent overviews which make minimal difference in cost to tenants but cut production dramatically. 

 

        To increase their production and the efficient use of land they occupy, ADUs should be permitted as of right, and be free of unreasonable design, occupancy, economic and review requirements which discourage their construction.

 

Other Barriers:   

 

        Rigid requirements for parking spaces, setbacks, and lot coverage ratios further erode even the lower densities allowed in the land use element and result in a diminution of development potential.

       

        Current planning and approval processes operate as barriers to the development of affordable housing, by setting development fees and standards excessively high, and imposing lot coverage, parking and design requirements that are obstructive.

 

        Public hearing requirements which demand a higher level of review than that imposed for  single family homes, and which allow multi-family housing developments to be defeated by neighborhood groups because of biases, stated or unstated, against lower income housing.

       

Summary   

 

        Overall, the current zoning ordinance and current planning and permit approval processes operate as barriers to the development of affordable housing in that zoning designations are inadequate to affordable housing production and overly rigid and development fees are both high and discriminatory.  Standards for lot coverage, parking requirements, and design criteria are excessive, and review periods are impractically lengthy. The public hearing level of review ultimately creates a bias against lower income housing.  These issues need to be reviewed, and the barriers eliminated, if the cities and the County wish to address the needs of lower income residents.

 

II. Special Needs Populations

 

The Disabled:

 

        While it is difficult to say how many residents of the county have disabilities, national statistics show that nearly one of every five Americans will become disabled at some point in their lives. Planning for housing development must include sites for supportive and assisted housing close to transportation lines and must expand mobility accessibility features in all types of housing planned and constructed in the county. 

Seniors:

        There are approximately 45,000 seniors living in Santa Cruz County today.  This population is particularly affected by high housing costs because many live on fixed incomes.   Future housing plans must include sites for affordable units for the elderly close to amenities and on existing transportation lines.

 

Farmworkers:

 

        The average household income for farmworkers is dramatically below 30% of the median income for the County of Santa Cruz (approximately $14,309 per year).[4]  At that wage, virtually all the housing stock, ownership and rental, is out of reach.  The failure of the agricultural industry to provide housing for its workforce contributes to severe overcrowding, occupancy of seriously substandard or illegal housing units, and predatory rental practices.  Farmworkers face severe housing discrimination and lack access to health, childcare, and education services, and projects designed to meet their needs are subject to strong neighborhood opposition. Housing is needed for migrant workers and their families, migrant unaccompanied workers, and for very low-wage farmworker families who are year-round residents.

 

Homeless households:

 

        It is estimated that 8,500 people experience homelessness in Santa Cruz County in any given year.  Approximately half the homeless people counted in the homeless census were not sheltered: living outdoors or in vehicles.

 

           At the present time, there are 219 emergency shelter beds open year-round, and an additional 122 open during the winter months.  Countywide, there are 400 units of transitional housing in which residents can live for up to 24 months with a range of supportive services. Shelter for disabled homeless persons is in extremely short supply.   There is a need for an additional 641 beds for individuals and 405 units for families with children. Transitional, and temporary assistive and supportive housing for the disabled homeless population must be provided.[5]  

 

          Homelessness can be prevented.  More than half the households that experience homelessness are homeless for less than five months.  Rent or mortgage payment programs, which keep families housed on a temporary basis, can prevent those households from becoming homeless at all.

 

Single Parent/Teen Parent Households:

 

Households with single teenage parents require housing, which provides support for continued education, development of life skills, and adequate childcare.

 

Low-Wage Workers:

 

        There are approximately 5,672 extremely low-income renter families in need of housing in the County.  These families earn less than 30% of the area median income and pay as much as 80% of their income for shelter.  The County’s primary economic industries are tourism and agriculture – industries that rely on low wage workers.

 

Households Subject To Discrimination:

 

        Members of racial, ethnic and language minorities, disabled persons, farmworkers, those subject to sexual harassment or domestic violence, and families with children are often subject to discriminatory rental, sale, loan, or other discriminatory housing practices, including neighborhood opposition (NIMBY).  These groups require programs to ensure equal housing opportunities.

       

III. Preservation of Existing Affordable Housing

 

        The Santa Cruz/Watsonville metro area is the 2nd least affordable owner housing market of the 190 metro areas in the country [6].  The Santa Cruz/Watsonville metro area is the 6th least affordable rental housing market in the nation.[7]  The data in both studies suggest that the County is part of a regional housing market that is forcing low and moderate-income households out of not only the County but also the region. 

 

        The conclusion that households are moving out of the area because of the loss of affordable rental housing is also suggested in the findings two other sources. First, the County Office of Education reports an over-all loss of families with children in the county schools. Second, the Santa Cruz County Community Assessment Project (CAP), Year 8 [8] report provides a comprehensive view of the quality of life in Santa Cruz County. Each year for 8 years this scientific assessment of significant quality of life indicators has included questions that allow researchers to follow trends, among other indicators, in housing affordability and homelessness.   The project report for 2000 indicated that 50% of households in Santa Cruz County paid more than 50% of their income for housing.  The 2001 report saw a decrease in that percentage to a little over 40%.  While some of this shift may be due to an increase in the wages of people living in Santa Cruz County, it is not inconsistent with the data to conclude that a significant number of lower income households moved out of the County and were replaced with higher income households.  The 2002 CAP report, released in November 2002, found that of those households earning less than $35,000, nearly 65% still paid more than 50% of their income for housing and of those 30% paid 75% or more of their income for housing. 

 

        It is difficult not to conclude that the critical nature of the Santa Cruz County housing crisis has resulted in significant numbers of low-income households moving out of the county because of dramatic rental cost increases in market rate rental units.

 

        This increase in housing prices, while driving the poor out of the area, has also resulted in an underground affordable housing market in which only substandard or illegal housing remains affordable to low and very low-income households. 

 

        The very limited amount of publicly subsidized housing is at risk as large projects approach the dates when an opt-out of federal programs guaranteeing low rents is permitted.  Rent subsidies in the form of Section 8 vouchers are limited and often unappealing to property owners unwilling to submit to paperwork, inspection, and rent limits by the Housing Authority of the County of Santa Cruz.

 

 

IV. Green Building and Transportation for a Sustainable Future

 

            In times of shrinking resources, both financial and natural, sustainable development, through green building practices and transportation is critical to long-term local and regional planning.  Incorporating green building practices and sustainable transportation incentives saves money and resources for the residents of the building and the local government entity in charge of maintaining the services used by the residents, (i.e., garbage collection, sewers, power lines, water).  The savings to the residents are immediate in the form of lower utility bills, (garbage, electricity, gas, water).  The savings to the local government public works department are realized over many years.  The savings to the community are permanent and lasting.

 

         Government agencies are responsible by law to ensure the health, safety and well being of the community’s environment, which green building and transportation programs help fulfill.  Green Building” incorporates sustainable environmental concepts into each segment of a building project.  Likewise, “sustainable transportation” refers to any type of transportation that decreases single occupied automobile trips and/or the use of gasoline-powered vehicles toward the goals of mitigating congestion, improving access to community services, and preventing air and watershed pollution. Green programs work because all of the community stakeholders that are affected by the program, businesses, government, residents and non- profits work in partnership.  The programs make financial sense to the businesses and residents because these measures save everyone money in the long term.

 

V.  Childcare Facilities Development

 

          Childcare is a major industry in Santa Cruz County contributing over $35.5 million to the local economy and creating more than 2,469 local jobs. Childcare is every employer’s concern and good, reliable Childcare is crucial to the productivity of the business workforce. The provision of affordable and conveniently located Childcare facilities has been proven to help reduce cross-town commute traffic and help build neighborhood interaction. Childcare programs located in residential areas often contribute to building and neighborhood safety by their presence. Above all else, planning for quality Childcare programs is critical to the development and safety of our precious children.

 

        As the population in Santa Cruz County has grown, so has the need for licensed childcare. According to the 1999 Childcare Needs Assessment, about half of all families in Santa Cruz County (or about 24,945 children ages 0-13) need some form of Childcare.  However, there are just 5,992 Full Time Equivalent licensed Childcare spaces in the County, enough to accommodate only 24% of all of the children needing care. Significant barriers to Childcare facilities development include the high cost of land, restrictive zoning, complex permitting processes and an extremely limited pool of investment capital. Adding Childcare language to the Housing Element will ensure that Childcare is recognized as being as important as other services when long range planning is done.

 

V.  Funding Issues

 

        There is a shortage of funding for the development and preservation of housing affordable to low, very low, and extremely low-income people.  This problem is especially severe because the cost of land and low-density zoning preclude the economy of scale of large multifamily developments.  In the County of Santa Cruz, the problem is exacerbated by years of noncompliance with the housing element law, which has resulted in the County’s ineligibility for many types of state and federal funding.

 

        Innovative programs are needed to bring about the actual construction of housing throughout the county. These could include development of a housing trust fund, the requirement of actual housing development as part of any commercial and industrial construction, the earmarking of all discretionary funds to support “smart growth” projects (dense housing on transportation corridors, affordable to low and very low income households, following green building practices, and “visitable” by the mobility impaired) both as new construction and as renovation, and aggressive pursuit of all funding available through federal and state government.

       

 

PROGRAMS:

 

I. Efficient Land Use:

 

Governmental Constraint                      Program(s) To Address

 

Inadequate land zoned for residential            - the City/County shall rezone all existing

and mixed use development;                        commercial and industrially zoned sites to permit multi-family residential development in conjunction with commercial and industrial development unless the commercial or industrial use would pose a health or safety threat to potential residents

                       

– the City/County shall waive or reduce fees for subdivision of parcels to allow commercial or industrial development on part of the lot and residential development on a separate part of the lot

 

– the City/County shall require those developing commercial or industrial projects, which will employ more than 50 people, to provide, as part of the project, a sufficient number of housing units on site (or nearby on existing transportation corridors) affordable to 20% of  the potential, non-management, labor force to be employed in the commercial or industrial business and shall make public funds (including redevelopment funds, community grants, and housing trust funds) available to assist in such development

 

– the City/County shall waive or reduce fees, require density bonuses, and waive design, setback, and parking requirements for those voluntarily developing mixed-use projects that will include housing units affordable and sufficient in number to house 20% of the potential labor force to be employed in the commercial or industrial business

 

– the City/County shall rezone all current residentially zoned sites with appropriate infrastructure to high density and shall permit multifamily development as of right

 

– the County shall provide incentives for the development of high density, multifamily housing along transportation corridors by waiving permit fees, requiring density bonuses, prohibiting down zoning or lesser use, waiving design, setback, and parking requirements, and by targeting available redevelopment funds and other housing funds to aid in such construction where permitted by state law

 

– the County/City shall permit development of accessory dwelling units as a matter of right where they meet green construction guidelines, are visitable, and/or are affordable to low, very low, or extremely low income households

 

– the County/City shall designate specific sites suitable for the development of at least 1,000 units of housing for low, very low, and extremely low income households, shall zone them accordingly, and shall move to acquire and develop any such sites which are proposed for development other than as high density multifamily housing

 

– the County/City shall subsidize development or improvement of infrastructure where necessary to aid in the development of housing affordable to very low and extremely low-income people

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                                               

II. Special Needs Groups:

 

Governmental Constraint                      Program(s) To Address

 

A. The Disabled:

Inadequate/Nonexistent Incentives                – adoption of incentives including waiving permit

for Visitability: Visitability means that           fees, promoting density bonuses, waiving design,

in order to truly integrate people with            setback, and parking requirements, for residential disabilities into the community at large,                         construction, which meets visitability standards in

those with mobility impairments must            that:

have the means to be able to visit friends              -there should be at least one zero-step

and family, who reside outside of their                   entrance to the home

homes. Often known as “get in and

pee laws”, visitability seeks to make,                    -interior passages should allow a 32" wide

simple, cost-effective changes in                                    path of travel so as not to hinder a person

construction planning, which allow                 with mobility impairments

people with disabilities to visit friends                                          

and family without barriers to navigating                        -light switch and outlet placement available

the home or using the restroom                            at heights accessible to people using

                                                        wheelchairs

 

                                                        -additional blocking placed in the walls of

                                                        at least one, first-floor bathroom to

                                                        accommodate grab bars as necessary

                                         

               

Lack of a central directory of accessible  – establishment and maintenance of a central list of

units                                                 available accessible housing

       

No requirement that accessible units be         – ordinance requiring accessible units to be listed

rented to those with mobility impairments      two weeks prior to making the units available to the

                                                general public to enable those with mobility

                                                impairments to apply to rent said units

 

Insufficient funds to ensure construction        – the use of funds contained in the housing tust fund could be used for construction of housing which is accessible to the mobility impaired, group homes, and/or other supportive housing

 

– the County/City shall permit development of housing which is accessible to the mobility impaired, group homes, and/or other supportive housing, as of right

 

B. Farmworkers

 

Lack of housing for farmworkers            – adoption of an ordinance requiring agricultural employers to provide migrant farm labor housing on site, or, in the alternative, to contribute land or its equivalent dollar value to a housing trust fund for the development and construction of housing for farmworkers and their families

 

– the County/City shall designate one or more sites, appropriately zoned, for the development of farm labor housing, both for single workers and for families as of right and shall waive permit fees and design, setback and parking requirements

                                               

– the County/City shall permit development of farmworker housing as a matter of right where it is designed for 12 or less workers and will be constructed on agriculturally zoned land

 

Inadequate funds for development of             – development of a farmworker housing trust fund

Housing affordable to farmworkers                 (of designation of a portion of an affordable housing

because of extremely low wages           trust fund) earmarked for farmworker housing construction

 

– adoption of an ordinance requiring agricultural employers to provide migrant farm labor housing on site, or, in the alternative, to contribute land or its equivalent dollar value to a housing trust fund for the development and construction of housing for farmworkers and their families

 

– imposition of a tax on agricultural employers to develop a fund for farm labor housing development

 

– designation of construction of housing which is affordable to farmworker individuals and families, and which provides supportive services,  including childcare, health care, Headstart and adult education services, as an appropriate use of funds contained in the housing trust fund to be developed in each local jurisdiction

                                               

       

C. Homeless Households

 

Inadequate year-round emergency shelter       – changes to the zoning ordinance to encourage development of 640 emergency shelter beds for individuals

 

– the County/City shall permit development of emergency shelters, transitional housing, and group homes with appropriate infrastructure as a matter of right and shall waive permit fees and design, setback and parking requirements 

 

Inadequate temporary and transitional           – changes to the zoning ordinance to encourage

shelter services for families                  development of 400 units of emergency, and transitional family housing

 

Inadequate homeless prevention           – continuation and expansion of the emergency services                                                                     rental assistance program to provide temporary

assistance paying the rent for up to 60 days to prevent eviction                                            

 

 

D. Single-parent and teen parent households:

 

Shortage of supportive housing                     – designation of sites appropriately zoned and with adequate infrastructure for the development of shared housing for single parent households and teen parents with on-site Childcare

 

– designation of a portion of RDA tax increment funds from the 80% set-aside or other housing funds to assist in the development of supportive housing for single and teen parent households

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

E. Low-Wage Workers:

 

Inadequate Supply Of Housing Affordable       – the County/City shall rezone all current

To Low-Wage Workers                         residentially zoned sites with appropriate infrastructure to high density and shall permit multifamily development as of right

 

– the County/City shall provide incentives for the development of high density, multifamily housing along transportation corridors by prohibiting down zoning or lesser use, waiving permit fees, requiring density bonuses, waiving design, setback, and parking requirements, and by targeting available redevelopment funds to aid in such construction where permitted by state law

 

F. Households Subject To Discrimination

 

Discriminatory Lending, Rental, and               – the County Counsel shall aggressively investigate

Sale Practices and NIMBY                     and prosecute claims of discriminatory lending

                                                practices in appropriate cases, in conjunction with

                                                the Department of Fair Employment and Housing

                                                and the Department of Housing and Urban

                                                Development and California Rural Legal

                                                Assistance

 

– the City/County shall adopt an aggressive program of education and outreach to lenders, property owners, property management companies, the Housing Authority, City and County employees, housing providers under Title VI, to inform them of their obligations under fair housing laws.  All materials shall be multilingual.  The City/County shall staff or contract out a program of training, public education and outreach, counseling and advocacy for victims of discriminatory practices

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

III. Preservation of Existing Affordable Housing

 

Governmental Constraint                      Program(s) To Address

 

Rents At Unaffordable Levels                – the County/City shall adopt a “rent shock”

                                        ordinance under which Owners/ managers of all

                                        residential and commercial properties in the County

                                        of Santa Cruz will provide tenants whose rental

                                        agreements or leases are of less than one year's

                                        duration with 2-month notice for every 5% intended

                                        increase in rental fees.  This obligation would not be

                                        affected by a change in property ownership

                                       

*      adoption of a local ordinance requiring the

mediation of all eviction actions based on 30-day

notices which do not state good cause, with

authority of the mediator to grant an extension

of time to move, subject to continued payment

of rent, where moving within 30 days presents

an undue hardship

 

– the City/County shall adopt a rent stabilization ordinance to prevent further skyrocketing rents

 

- the City/County shall adopt a just cause eviction ordinance prohibiting eviction except for specified causes, including but not limited to, non-payment of rent, material violation of rental agreement, damage to the premises, drug or illegal activity, denial of access to the landlord, to accomplish repairs, for the landlord or a family member to move into the unit, removal of the unit from the rental market

 

Potential Loss of Subsidized Housing     – incentives for owners to re-contract with HUD to

                                        operate the complexes as low-income housing

 

– program for government acquisition of complexes to ensure their continued operation as low-income housing

 

– The City/County shall provide education and outreach to residents of subsidized housing about their rights in complexes scheduled to convert to market-rate housing

 

Refusal or Reluctance of Property  – the City/County shall adopt an ordinance banning

Owners/Managers To Accept         discrimination against tenants on the ground that

Section 8 Vouchers                      they receive Section 8 assistance, or on the basis of

                                        their occupation or source of income

 

Proliferation of Substandard and    – legalization of existing substandard and illegal

Illegal Housing                           units that can be made safe, sanitary, and decent,

                                        without regard to zoning, parking requirements, lot

                                        coverage, setback or other design or planning

                                        criteria, with funding from RDA and/or other

                                        sources targeted to repair, rehabilitation and/or

                                        renovation

 

– the City/County shall require a certificate of occupancy following an annual or biannual inspection to ensure habitability and shall require repair of substandard conditions prior to issuance of the certificate

 

Displacement of Tenants                      – the City/County shall adopt a Relocation

                                        Ordinance or amend its existing relocation

                                        ordinance to prohibit displacement of a tenant

                                        without relocation assistance, to require payment of

                                        the relocation benefit (three months rent for a unit

                                        of similar size) directly to the displaced tenant upon

                                        the posting of a notice requiring a tenant to vacate a

                                        dangerous, substandard, or illegal dwelling unit

                                        (funds to be recovered via placing of a lien on the

                                        property)

 

Code Enforcement                       – the City/County shall require the replacement of

                                        any unit demolished as the result of code

                                        enforcement

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IV. Green Building

 

Governmental Constraint                      Program(s) To Address

 

Inadequate/Nonexistent Requirements           - the City/County shall waive or reduce fees,

For Green Building:                              require density bonuses, and waive design, setback,

                                                and parking requirements for those voluntarily

                                                developing projects which contain, at a minimum,

                                                the following features:

 

- design criteria to consider building location on the site, to maximize effectiveness of passive solar systems, appropriate insulation and green belt

 

- green building materials and amenities should be specified in the project plans, including, but not limited to:

 

- sustainably harvested lumber

 

- carpet and tile made of recycled materials such as plastic bottles and porcelain use of recycled or reusable paint

 

- energy efficient appliances and light fixtures

 

- toilets, shower heads, faucets and landscape systems that conserve water

 

- “cool roof” materials

 

- if available, asphalt and/or concrete made from recycled materials

 

- landscaping with native plants that minimize water usage

 

- secure storage for one bicycle for each occupant

 

- if there is to be a garage, a charging station to recharge an electric car

 

- subsidy to cover additional costs to enable  compliance for all projects affordable to very low and extremely low income people

 

 

Inadequate/Nonexistent Requirements           – changes to the planning process to require, as part

for Recycling of Building Materials:         of design approval, the recycling and reuse of construction materials.  The use of materials not appropriate for recycling should be minimized.  If any demolition of an existing structure must occur, the design and construction team should look at the feasibility of reusing any building materials, fixtures or foundations. Any of these that are not feasible for reuse should be demolished so that a “re-use construction” business may take the materials and/or a demolition contractor can haul away the materials for recycling or reuse. During construction, leftover building materials, both old and new, should be given to a demolition contractor for reuse or recycling

 

 

Excessive parking requirements:                      – providing a parking space for each anticipated occupant increases the cost of the project and does nothing toward mitigating congestion and preventing air and ground pollution, especially in downtown or densely populated areas. To provide the maximum incentive for occupants to travel sustainably, the following amenities should be provided

 

– adoption of zoning changes to encourage high density residential development near bus stops or other mass transportation modal and/or within walking distance of services

 

– incorporation of design requirements for bike lockers or secure bike cage and, if parking is provided, one or more charging stations for electric cars

 

– issuance of passes for use of mass transportation at rates affordable to very low and extremely low income people

 

 

V.  Childcare Facilities Development

 

Governmental Constraint                      Program(s) To Address

 

Failure to Include Childcare Needs         - include an analysis of the impact on Childcare

In Planning Process:                            whenever environmental reviews are required for larger residential, commercial or industrial developments

                       

Inadequate Funding:                                 – pursue the dedication of a 2% set aside of redevelopment agency funds for Childcare facilities development purposes

 

- require that direct mitigation or in-lieu fees be paid (as is currently required in the County) by developers to address the increased Childcare needs created by new developments

 

 

 

Planning and Zoning Barriers:                       - develop Floor Area Ratio bonuses, traffic

        mitigation measures and other accommodations that will act as incentives for the inclusion of Childcare in residential and commercial developments

 

– zoning should be modified to allow and encourage large and small family Childcare homes in all residential zones as a principally permitted use with reasonable compatibility standards

 

– zoning should be modified to allow and encourage Childcare centers in all residential, commercial and industrial zones with reasonable compatibility and safety standards as a principally permitted use                              

 

– encourage the inclusion of Childcare at major        transportation hubs, along transportation routes and at major employment and housing sites

 

V. Funding Issues

 

Governmental Constraint                      Program(s) To Address

 

Insufficient Funds To Produce Affordable – adoption of a housing element that complies

Housing                                     with state law so as to qualify for federal and state housing benefits

 

– development of a Housing Trust Fund staffed by City/County personnel for the purpose of financing the acquisition, construction, or rehabilitation of a variety of housing units affordable to low and very low income county residents, accessible to the mobility impaired, and/or built in accordance with green building techniques.  Appropriate projects could include homeless shelters, transitional and supportive housing, and farm labor housing.  Fund to be created from a variety of possible sources including, but not limited to, sales tax, real estate transfer tax, business license tax, redevelopment tax increment, settlement fees, an assessment on agricultural lands          

 

– the City/County shall waive or reduce fees, require density bonuses, prohibit downzoning and lesser use, and waive design, setback, and parking requirements for those voluntarily developing mixed use projects which will include housing units affordable and sufficient in number to house 20% of the potential labor force to be employed in the commercial or industrial business or permit payment of an in-lieu fee or land donation to the housing trust fund

 

– the County shall amend its inclusionary zoning ordinance to eliminate payment of in-lieu fees as an alternative to the construction of housing units, to allow flexibility in housing type, size and configuration, shall target construction to housing affordable to low, very low, and extremely low income households rather than moderate income households, and shall increase the percentage of affordable units from 15% to 20%.  The County shall create and maintain a waiting list for those interested in the acquisition of an inclusionary unit developed under the ordinance and shall notify those on the list of units available for resale in the order their names appear on the list

 

        – the City/County shall apply for all available funds for code enforcement and rehabilitation of substandard housing and shall target those funds toward rehabilitation of existing illegal and substandard units

 



[1] County of Santa Cruz General Plan, 1994, Housing Element, Appendix #21, Inventory of Land Suitable for Residential Development

[2] Housing Opportunities Index (National Association of Homebuilders) 1999-2002 statistics show that the share of homes affordable to those at median area income varies from 6.9-12.2 %.

[3] AB 1866, signed into law this legislative session, prohibits public hearing level of review for accessory dwelling units.  Local jurisdictions must act to remove inconsistent local requirements

[4] US 2000 Census

[5] Continuum of Care Working Group,  Santa Cruz County Five Year Strategic Plan, September 2002

6  The National Association of Homebuilders, Housing Opportunity Index, First Quarter 2002.

7  The National Low-Income Housing Coalition

8  The Santa Cruz County Community Assessment Project, Year 8