To: Board of Supervisors
Re: Pro-Housing Designation
Dear Supervisors:
Citizens Planning Association has reviewed the County application for this designation and we have some concerns. This program does little to provide the adequate funding for the affordable housing that is needed in our County. But something is better than nothing. If you go ahead and apply for a Pro-Housing status, we would ask that you also do the following:
- Urge the State to provide a realistic funding source to build affordable housing. It costs almost $ 1million to build one unit in places like Goleta and SB city. Since the state eliminated Redevelopment Agencies, communities like ours have been left without a dedicated funding source to build affordable housing. CPA understands the County must now seek out every possible resource to meet our low income workforce’s growing, unmet needs.
- We are very concerned about some of the vague language in the application. If you move ahead to apply for this pro-housing designation, you should clarify whether the County can withdraw or amend the designation later if this ends up undermining the ability to advocate for stronger inclusionary housing or to follow established local planning policies.
- The County still needs to push for a permanent local funding source. If the real issue is a lack of flexible dedicated funds to build deeply affordable housing, the county needs to solve that directly without having the state attach strings. The County needs to pursue a local funding source, whether it is a bond, impact fees, or a mansion tax. so we can invest in the affordable housing our essential workers actually need.
- CPA suggests you pursue funding and not pursue streamlining. Several bills pending in the State legislature aim to dismantle CEQA and strip away our local control to fast-track even more market-rate housing. We need more state funding for affordable housing And we need to maintain CEQA to help us negotiate for reasonable projects that mitigate their impacts.
Marell Brooks, President Citizens Planning Association
Citizens Planning Association