Laserfiche WebLink
<br />Mr. Brozosky asked Council if there was any interest in removing Section 2D from the <br />Affordable Housing Agreement that required exterior and interior finishes for the Affordable By <br />Design Units to be consistent with the other units in the Project. <br /> <br />Mr. Sullivan asked staff why this condition was included in the agreement? <br /> <br />Mr. Bocian pointed out that units often sell based upon the square footage and what <br />needs to occur for an Affordable By Design project is to ensure a quality home is being sold. He <br />believed there was a potential for using lesser quality materials with the units selling for the <br />same price, as there is no restriction imposed upon the developer to sell the units for less. <br /> <br />Mr. Sullivan assumed that a standard offering of appliances and countertops, etc. were <br />available for all of the units and if someone wanted an upgrade, it was an option. <br /> <br />Mr. McMorrow said the developer is trying to standardize the interior and exterior <br />finishes in order to eliminate the number of options. He noted that a base package is offered for <br />flooring. <br /> <br />Mr. Brozosky said he would prefer to allow the Developer to be creative in order to <br />decrease the cost of the units. <br /> <br />Mr. Sullivan believed the only units in the Development that could possibly have lower <br />quality appliances and finishes would be the Affordable By Design Units. <br /> <br />Mr. Bocian said the Affordable By Design Units could have interior materials that are of <br />lesser quality which are subject to approval by the City. He pointed out that these units are <br />being sold significantly below the market price. He said staff's intent was not to tie the <br />Developer's hands to require the exterior and interior finishes to be the same; the idea was that <br />the finishes needed to be consistent, meaning generally of the same quality as the other <br />materials. Staff would make revisions to the wording or Council could change it and include <br />some language that indicated that the exterior and interior finishes could be of lesser quality. If <br />Council wished to proceed, he believed it would only be limited to appliances, carpeting and the <br />hardware. <br /> <br />Mayor Hosterman did not support Mr. Brozosky's direction. She believed this condition <br />was applicable and important to maintain units of equal quality regardless of the level of <br />affordability. <br /> <br />It was moved by Mr. Brozosky to approve the Affordable Housing Agreement with <br />SilverStone Communities with the removal of Section 2D. <br /> <br />Ms. McGovern said she would be interested in supporting the motion if she were <br />assured that the Affordable By Design Units would sell for less. Even if this section was <br />removed from the Agreement, she believed staff was stating that there is no assurance that <br />these units would sell for anything less. <br /> <br />Mr. Bocian did not believe removing this section from the agreement would have that <br />significant of an impact. If the Developer is willing to explore it and come up with a solution that <br />solidifies these units would sell for less and what the quality of the materials would be, staff <br />could explore it. <br /> <br />Pleasanton City Council <br />Minutes <br /> <br />7 <br /> <br />03/07/06 <br />