The San Benito County Board of Supervisors has approved a new
affordable housing ordinance Dec. 21, six years after passing an
inclusionary ordinance
– requiring a percentage of homes in developments to include the
lower-priced units – which didn’t produce much construction.
The San Benito County Board of Supervisors has approved a new affordable housing ordinance Dec. 21, six years after passing an inclusionary ordinance – requiring a percentage of homes in developments to include the lower-priced units – which didn’t produce much construction.
The incentive-base plan is intended to persuade residential developers to build affordable housing in their projects. In return, the developers would receive quicker processing and fewer restrictions, among other incentives.
“More lower income housing results in more incentive for the developer,” according to the ordinance.
Other incentives include increased development density, financial assistance and bonus transferable development credits. Developers will be allowed to build more homes in a smaller area.
Developers would also be allowed to build duplexes within single-family residential zones, according to the ordinance.
The ultimate goal of the project it to build affordable homes for people to buy or to rent, Supervisor Margie Barrios said. The old ordinance, adopted in 2004, set a minimum that 30 percent of a development had to be dedicated toward affordable housing.
“History shows that it can’t be done with that – it isn’t going to happen,” Barrios said. “If you build affordable housing you need something that will benefit you.”
The new ordinance does just that, she said. The new plan creates more flexibility for homebuilders and doesn’t set a minimum amount of affordable houses. It is broader in its scope.
“We needed something that was flexible – flexibility we can work with,” she said, “but broad enough that it doesn’t restrict.”
The new housing ordinance took a long time to write and put together, but it was worth it, Supervisor Anthony Botelho said.
“We need to meet the needs of all income levels in our community,” he said, “and remain restraint for good, managed growth that should have been exhibited before.”
The county’s planning department and housing coordinator C.J. Valenzuela worked on the ordinance for more than a year, trying to find a balance between the county and the developers’ needs.
Benefits stemming from the new ordinance will include more people choosing to live in the area because of the cheaper homes, and more businesses moving to the area because of the larger workforce, officials said.
” The county’s workforce will be bigger and better,” Barrios said.
The ordinance represents a new focus and different method for smart growth, Barrios said.
“We are getting into something different and more innovative,” she said.
Botelho was confident that the new ordinance would be beneficial to the county and its citizens.
“Going forward we are going to meet the needs of people that need affordable housing,” he said.
Calls to Planning Director Gary Armstrong and Housing Programs Coordinator C.J. Valenzuela were not retuned before press time.
