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BACKGROUND <br />The purpose of the DPA is to provide low and deferred interest mortgages that <br />supplement bank financing to help low and moderate income households purchase <br />existing homes in Pleasanton. (Maximum household income for a family of four at lower <br />income level (80%) is 66,400; the moderate income level maximum is $99,600.) The <br />program, which is directed to first time homebuyers, is seen as an important addition to <br />the City's other main home ownership effort which includes providing below-market <br />homes as part of new residential developments (e.g., the 56 duet homes on the Bernal <br />property). <br />Since its inception in 2003, the DPA has been funded through agrant/loan of $450,000 <br />from the California Housing Finance Agency (CaIHFA) "Housing Enabled by Local <br />Partnerships" (HELP) program and $150,000 from the LIHF to create a total program <br />amount of $600,000. Based on the criteria established for the program (see Attachment <br />1), the City anticipated providing DPA loans to 10 to 15 low and moderate income home <br />buyers. <br />HELP funds are provided to the City in the form of a ten-year loan at 3% interest with <br />funds drawn down from CaIHFA as each loan is funded. Qualified buyers are required <br />to enter into separate mortgage loan agreements with both the City and CaIHFA. <br />Technically, the CaIHFA provides the funding to the City and as such the City is <br />exposed in the event of a default. The initial grant agreement with CaIHFA (executed in <br />November 2003) assumed the City would issue loans required to utilize all funds by <br />November 2005. <br />At the time the DPA program was approved and introduced, market housing prices in <br />Pleasanton were experiencing a period of significant increase. Since 2003, the average <br />home price in Pleasanton has increased by more than 30%. The median sales price for <br />a single family home in Pleasanton is presently $860,000 while the median price for a <br />condominium is $505,000 (source: Bay East Association of Realtors). The combination <br />of high market housing prices and the income eligibility requirements established by the <br />City essentially created an impediment the issuance of loans and the DPA program. <br />The following graph illustrates the divergence between market sales prices and the <br />maximum affordable sales prices for low and moderate income households. The graph <br />shows that the median sales price for even the lowest priced homes (typically <br />condominiums, which used to be somewhat affordable for even low income households) <br />has increased in 2006 beyond an amount considered affordable to a moderate income <br />household (even with the assistance of a loan through the DPA program). <br />Page 2 of 6 <br />