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February 24, 2022 <br /> Pleasanton Housing Element Policies, February 28, 2022 Agenda <br /> Dear Housing Commissioners, <br /> Following are my observations on the recommendations in the staff report and a <br /> few more recommendations. These create an "Affordable Housing Toolbox" of <br /> policies that the Commissions, Council, and staff can pick and choose from in the <br /> future to create affordable housing. <br /> • Low Income Housing Fund <br /> This fund has been nibbled away at with housing-related expenses rather <br /> building affordable housing or purchasing land so non-profit housing <br /> developers can build affordable housing. The fee is too low for commercial <br /> and industrial projects. For housing projects consider charging per square <br /> foot, thereby incentivizing smaller units. <br /> • Inclusionary Zoning Ordinance <br /> Inclusionary housing will never meet our need. 20% of the total RHNA <br /> number of 5,965 units is 1,193. It is certainly a large number, but very short <br /> of our total of 3,652 for Extremely Low, Very Low, Low and Moderate. <br /> IZO is another tool in our Toolbox. Every project should include affordable <br /> units, but this alone will not meet the need. In the past Pleasanton has <br /> accepted LIHF instead of inclusionary units (for example the apartments at <br /> Stanley and Bernal). Something like 50% of the total LIHF was not used to <br /> create housing so units were lost. Do not allow this switch in the future. <br /> • Density Bonus Ordinance <br /> It should be updated. <br /> • Affordable Housing Overlay Zone <br /> Yes, let's explore this. Anther tool in our Affordable Housing Toolbox. <br /> • Define Workforce Housing <br /> I support Definition #1 with a slight adjustment. "Housing intended for and <br /> affordable to Pleasanton employees and households earning local wages...". <br /> Call it "Pleasanton Workforce", which I believe was the intent in the past. <br /> The phrase has morphed over time to represent a specific income subset <br /> which I think is unfortunate. Everyone in the workforce works. Limiting it <br /> implies otherwise. We can build housing targeted for all AMIs relative to <br /> their % of jobs in Pleasanton and our RHNA requirements. <br /> 1 <br />