County supervisors approved its Housing Element Tuesday, which
included an ordinance that will require 30 percent of all new
developments to be affordable housing.
County supervisors approved its Housing Element Tuesday, which included an ordinance that will require 30 percent of all new developments to be affordable housing.
The Housing Element is a part of the county’s long-term general plan required by the state to make sure it’s planning for growth and offering affordable homes.
Much of the plan focused on inclusionary zoning, which creates requirements for low- and very-low income families. Based on the needs of the people in the county, 30 percent of the residential development will have to be set aside for affordable homes.
Affordable housing is a pressing need in the county, some said.
“I’ve received calls from people who can’t keep their employees because of the cost of living here,” said Al Martinez, the executive director of Economic Development Corporation of San Benito County.
The Board of Supervisors passed the inclusionary ordinance in February, which is why it’s such a large portion of the future housing development, according to Mary Paxton, of the county planning office. In 2001, San Benito County was required by the state to plan for 620 homes. Since then, some homes have been built. Of that 620, it only has 375 more homes to plan for – 186 which are low and very low coming homes. A family of four, whose household income is $50,000 or less is considered low income, according to the planning commission’s report.
Hollister resident Maribel Garcia said the county needs a lot of low income housing because prices put a home out of reach for many.
“I’ve been trying to buy a home in the county for years, working two jobs trying to do it,” she said.
Rent in very-low and low-income housing will still cost residents $880 for a two-bedroom apartment. But Kathy Flores, director of the Community Services and Work Force Development, said the approved plan will allow the county to continue to apply for grants, which can help cut down some of the high costs for county residents who can’t afford the rent.
“It makes the jurisdiction to apply for certain types of funding available,” she said. “Without zoning, the low-income housing, we wouldn’t be able to apply for funding anymore.”
During the past few years, San Benito County has received 11 grants, and $5.3 million because its Housing Element states it’s supplying housing for mixed levels of income.
“It’s going to help balance the amount of housing for people here in the community,” Brian Abbott, of the Community Services Development Corporation, said. “With that funding we can subsidize and bring the rent down.”
The county will mail the Housing Element to the State Department of Housing and Community Services this week, and Paxton said they’re expected to hear back within a month. This is the second time the plan has been sent to Sacramento. Paxton is pleased that the Housing Element passed, and said it shows the community is moving in a positive direction.
“I think it (the hearing) was successful but we have a lot of work to do,” she said. “The Housing Element represents the people in our county and their needs.”
The county is required by the state to submit the Housing Element every few years, but the decision Tuesday isn’t written in permanent ink. The plan can be tweaked over the years, and Supervisor Bob Cruz wanted to make that clear.
“It’s a beginning,” he said. “This is something we can all work with.”
Housing Element is a way to keep tabs
It may sound complicated on paper, but a Housing Element is basically a way for the state to keep tabs on San Benito County and all other California counties, making sure housing is available for residents in every income bracket.
Each level of government, including cities and counties, is required to have a long-term general plan for land development. The Housing Element, which was enacted in 1969, is one part of the general plan, which assures that the land used for residential housing includes all economic segments of the community.
San Benito County’s current plan runs from 2001 to 2008. After months of gaining the public’s input through public workshops and discussion groups, the county planning commission created a revised plan which includes the progress made during the past three years, and the projected planning for the next four years.
Housing elements don’t require new homes to be built, but they do require that cities and counties have planned to allow them to be built.
Through geographic and demographic research the Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments, which included Hollister and San Juan Bautista, comes up with the percentage of how many houses the county should plan for.
