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June 28, 2007: FOCUS on Bay Area Housing
Workshop Proceedings
Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates welcomed the audience and applauded the audience for trying to tackle the important issue of affordable housing. He joked that the public opposes both sprawl and density, and that those involved in development – planners, developers, and non-profit housing builders – have difficult jobs. In Berkeley, there is currently a 20% set-aside for workforce housing, which means that an approved 1,200 housing units would yield 240 workforce housing units. Berkeley is working hard to build affordable housing. ---
Carol Galante of Bridge Housing presented numerous strategies for developing affordable housing. These include rezoning for higher densities, inclusionary zoning, creative land reuses, expedited planning processes, and the leveraging of financial resources, particularly from foundations and philanthropic institutions. Ms. Galante also offered remarks in the second panel: she noted that being aware of context and specific neighborhood characteristics can help cities avoid costly and drawn-out legal challenges. Further, stakeholders must be involved throughout the planning and permitting processes. Other topics addressed by Ms. Galante included CEQA reform and anti-snob ordinances. BRIDGE Housing is the largest nonprofit developer of affordable housing in California. BRIDGE specializes in the development of affordable apartments and homes in an array of revitalization, transit-oriented, urban infill, and mixed-use/mixed-income developments. BRIDGE has created almost 12,000 homes. Links
Carol Galante's PowerPoint presentation --- ABAG’s new housing report, A Place to Call Home 2007, was the subject of Gillian Adam’s talk. The report focuses on the regional impacts of the Bay Area housing shortage and documents the progress that the region has made in meeting its housing needs. It is designed to spur a region-wide conversation about how we can incorporate housing into the existing fabric of our communities.
The report examines some of the reasons why housing production in the region has not kept pace with demand, including community resistance, government regulation, and inadequate funding. At the same time, many Bay Area communities have taken steps to encourage housing construction. This report recognizes these achievements and highlights specific strategies to meet the continuing region-wide housing need. Links
Gillian Adams' PowerPoint presentation A Place to Call Home 2007 (full pdf report) A Place to Call Home 2007 (purchase the printed report) --- Panel One - Regional Housing Needs: State Law, Regional Needs, & Local Challenges Linda Wheaton, Assistant Deputy Director, Housing Policy Division Linda Wheaton opened the panel discussion by describing possible effects of Propositions 1C and 46 as funding sources. She addressed the Regional Housing Needs Allocation methodology by emphasizing the need to integrate it with other regional planning processes. She also discussed recent amendments to state housing regulations to increase requirements for specificity, transparency, and the supply/mix of housing types. Paul Fassinger, Research Director Paul Fassinger discussed the methodology for distributing the Regional Housing Needs Allocation and emphasized the role of local governments in housing the region. After suggesting financial incentives to promote the right type of housing, he commented on the decreasing cost of housing as one moves away from the urban cores. For every mile outside of the Bay Area, housing costs drop approximately five thousand dollars. Douglas Shoemaker, Mayor's Office of Housing Douglas Shoemaker made remarks on issues ranging from housing discrimination to climate change, noting that contemporary decisionmakers along with their planning infrastructures must be committed to acknowledging a variety of values. After discussing inclusionary zoning, in lieu fees, rezoning, and underused sites in San Francisco, Mr. Shoemaker stressed the need to change frameworks and focus on what we as a society wish to preserve for future generations. Dan Marks, Director of Planning & Development Dan Marks commented on Berkeley’s recent housing boom in light of its inability to meet the goals set forth in its Regional Housing Needs Allocation. The discrepancy between greenfield development and infill development creates an uneven playing field for different cities and jurisdictions. The market must be adjusted to attract new types of development, particularly infill. He also suggests the importance of Regional Discretionary Transportation funds in the billions of dollars from the state, along with other state and regional bonds. --- Panel Two - Best Practices Developing Affordable Housing Programs Rick Holliday, President Rick Holliday of Holliday Development shared his experience launching first Eden Housing and later BRIDGE Housing Corporation, two of the most successful affordable-housing corporations in the nation, before starting Holliday Development in 1988. He suggests that the private market is always shifting, and never wants to be affordable. He stressed the importance of researching precedence and talking directly with stakeholders when trying to be innovative. John Lucero, Housing Specialist John Lucero presented his city’s best practices for developing affordable housing programs. He discussed myriad practices including a first-time home-buyer program via in-lieu fees, annual surveys, and a rehabilitation loan program with three percent interest Troy Fujimoto, Senior Planner Troy Fujimoto discussed his city’s relaxing of height and size restrictions in order to guarantee the development of affordable housing by developers, along with parking, trees, and various amenities. He brought up a point to find economies of scale when subsidizing low-income housing projects. Links
John Lucero's PowerPoint presentation Troy Fujimoto's PowerPoint presentation --- Ken Kirkey closed the conference by discussing the FOCUS program and outlining its goals and foreseeable challenges. He emphasized the importance of targeting Priority Development Areas within existing communities, near existing or planned transit, and near existing or planned housing. Co Sponsors: Bay Area Air Quality Management District, Bay Conservation and Development Commission, For Information contact Felila Toleafoa |
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Welcoming Remarks
Keynote Speaker
A Place to Call Home 2007
Concluding Remarks