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<br /> <br />5 of 11 <br />existing multi-family rate). Even under this reduced inclusionary scenario, there is room to <br />increase the in-lieu fees for ownership projects, with specific fee levels to be considered by the <br />City Council at a future date and in light of the overall fee program . The report noted that the <br />current market is extremely challenging for multi-family projects, and so increasing either the <br />rate or the in-lieu fee could further impact the feasibility of multi-family development – thus, an <br />increase in the inclusionary rate is unlikely to be feasible in the near term. <br /> <br />August 20, 2024 Workshop <br />The City Council held a follow-up workshop on August 20, focused on the Inclusionary Zoning <br />Ordinance.2 At this meeting, EPS provided additional analysis and refined scenarios for the <br />inclusionary rate and in-lieu affordable housing fee. Staff also provided information and <br />analysis and requested direction on several key policy questions regarding the content of the <br />IZO. A majority of the City Council provided consensus direction on these items, although <br />there was not unanimity on every point. <br /> <br />The outcomes and recommendations made by the City Council are outlined further in the <br />analysis and discussion of the amendments to the IZO, below. <br /> <br />ANALYSIS <br />Direction provided by City Council at the August 20, 2024 workshop has been incorporated <br />into a more comprehensive set of revisions to the IZO, provided in redline/strikeout format as <br />shown in Exhibit A. In addition to items on which the City Council provided specific direction, <br />the proposed revisions include various other updates, clarifications and improvements to the <br />IZO, principally intended to provide more clear and objective standards, clarify procedures, and <br />align the ordinance with more standard language in definitions and other terms. Substantive <br />changes to the IZO are outlined below. <br /> <br />Inclusionary Rate and Affordability Levels (17.44.040.B. and C.) <br />The IZO has been amended to reflect the direction of City Council to establish the inclusionary <br />rate and affordability levels for ownership and rental projects as follows: <br /> <br />• For-Sale Projects (attached and detached): 15 percent inclusionary; units affordable to <br />households making up to a maximum of 120 percent Area Median Income (AMI) – i.e. <br />moderate income <br />• Rental Projects: 15 percent inclusionary; units affordable to households making a <br />maximum of 60 percent Area Median Income (AMI) – i.e. low-income. <br /> <br />Of note, the amended IZO would distinguish between for-sale and rental projects as the basis <br />to apply the inclusionary requirements. As outlined in the May 7, 2024 report, this contrasts to <br />the current structure that uses “single-family” and “multi-family” criteria. Most local inclusionary <br />ordinances reviewed by staff use tenure as a basis to determine the inclusionary rate because <br />there is a strong relationship between tenure and related market-rate and affordable sales or <br />rental price.3 <br /> <br />2 Link to August 20, 2024 City Council Agenda Item and Attachments: <br />https://weblink.cityofpleasantonca.gov/WebLink/0/doc/309074/Page1.aspx <br />3 City Council also recommended modifying the current fee structure to be assessed on a per square foot basis for residential <br />development (rather than per unit), which helps to scale the fee collected to the size of the home, and potentially encourage <br />