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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 />homes in Pleasanton. The 2008 maximum household income for a low income (80% of <br />the Area Median Income, or AMI) family of four is $68,900, while the moderate income <br />level (120% AMI) is $103,320. The program, which is limited to first time homebuyers, <br />is seen as an important addition to the City's other main home ownership effort which <br />includes providing below-market homes as part of new residential developments (e.g., <br />the 56 duet homes on the Bernal property and the seven townhomes in the recent Birch <br />Terrace project). <br />Since its inception, the DPA has been funded through agrant/loan from CaIHFA's HELP <br />program and the City's Lower Income Housing Fund (LINE). To date a total of <br />$627,972 ($338,986 CaIHFA and $288,986 LIHF) has been loaned to assist 15 first time <br />homebuyers in achieving home ownership in Pleasanton. Loan amounts have ranged <br />from $20,000 to $60,000. CaIHFA funds are allocated to the City in the form of a ten- <br />year loan at 3.5% interest. The City draws down on these funds as necessary and <br />consolidates them into a single loan supplemented with money from the City's LIHF. <br />Borrowers are required to enter into a Promissory Note and Deed of Trust with the City. <br />In the event of a default, the City is obligated to repay the CaIHFA portion of the loan. <br />To date, no loans have defaulted. The basic terms of the Promissory Note are: <br />• The loans are "partially deferred" (i.e., divided into two separate loans, one of which <br />is amortized over the first 10 years while the other is deferred for 10 years). As a <br />result, borrowers make fixed monthly payments for 20 years (or until paid off). <br />• DPA loans carry a 3.5% interest rate (the same interest rate at which the HELP <br />funds are "loaned" to the City by CaIHFA). <br />• There is no penalty if a buyer chooses to prepay a loan. Funds from repaid loans <br />are recycled back into the DPA program. <br />• DPA loans are not assumable and must be paid off if the home is resold. <br />• The DPA loan does not impose any restrictions on the resale price for the home <br />(unless the loan is used to buy one of the specific below-market priced homes with <br />resale restrictions that the City has made available through the Pleasanton <br />Homeownership Assistance Program). <br />• DPA loans can only be used to purchase a home that will be the borrower's primary <br />residence. The City may approve, under certain circumstances, the rental of a home <br />purchased with a DPA loan provided that the borrower agrees to rent the unit to a <br />low income tenant at a restricted rent level for a designated term. <br />In April 2007, the City Council reviewed the DPA and discussed options to address <br />CaIHFA's termination of funding for the program due to the inability to match an <br />adequate number of qualified borrowers with appropriately priced housing. The basic <br />problem with the program was that the price of housing exceeded the amount that could <br />be afforded by low income/moderate households, even with the benefit of the loans. At <br />the time, the Council approved moving forward with another application for CaIHFA <br />funds and providing interim City funding necessary to continue the program. In August <br />Page 2 of 5 <br />