Final approval of the restrictions, which would initially limit
conversions to 25 percent of apartment construction in the previous
two years, is set for Sept. 4.
Hollister – The City Council gave the nod Monday to restrictions on the apartment-to-condominium conversions that some believe have cut the amount of housing available for the city’s poorest residents.
Final approval of the restrictions, which would initially limit conversions to 25 percent of apartment construction in the previous two years, is set for Sept. 4. With Hollister still under a building moratorium, that means conversions won’t be allowed, at the earliest, until the end of 2008, when the moratorium is scheduled to lift.
City councilmembers and planners who put the ordinance together said Hollister needs to protect its renters and rental housing.
“This is really for folks working in really lower-class jobs or jobs that don’t have the ability to purchase condominiums or homes,” Councilwoman Monica Johnson said.
But local resident Marty Richman, who has spoken against the restrictions at past meetings, said the new rules could create an “economic disaster.”
Richman noted that the housing market is slowing, which could threaten the real estate development Hollister is counting on to fill its empty coffers.
“No one builds homes they can’t sell,” Richman said.
In such an environment, Hollister can’t afford to scare away apartment developers, Richman said.
In her comments, Johnson also emphasized that the city has been developing the new rules for some time.
“This isn’t the first time we’re seeing this,” she said.
The council approved a temporary moratorium in February, following councilmembers’ and staffers’ concerns about the conversion of four apartment complexes, totaling 44 rental units, in the preceding months. At the time, councilmembers said the moratorium would give them time to come up with long-term solutions.
The ordinance introduced Monday represents that long-term solution. Many of its general principles were hammered out at a joint workshop between the City Council and the Planning Commission in May.
