The state of Gilroy’s affordable housing; Barberi development
forges on
n By Serdar Tumgoren Staff Writer
Gilroy – An affordable housing workshop next week could inspire major policy changes aimed at creating homes for low-income families. Or at the least, officials hope it will help them agree on the intent of existing policies.
“We’re going to be talking about the role that the city plays in creating and maintaining affordable housing in Gilroy,” said Housing Planner Regina Brisco. “I’m going to give them an overview of the city’s activities that we participate in to that end.”
The workshop next Wednesday is open to the public and will provide an overview of the effectiveness of existing housing policies, the city’s current stock of affordable units, and the challenges to creating more housing within reach of low-wage earners.
The city’s four-year “resale restriction”, which governs the length of time a home must remain affordable before it can be sold at market rates, has proven to be a problem, according to Brisco.
“In a less hot housing market, the units may be easier to offer to low income people (after resale),” she said. “But at $600,000 they’re not affordable to the next buyer without deep subsidies.”
While a Housing Advisory Committee is crafting policy recommendations on such practical issues, city council members have tangled over the precise intent of broader policies.
In recent months, council members have butted heads over the appropriate application of existing guidelines such as the Neighborhood District Policy, a broad set of regulations aimed at encouraging neighborhoods of mixed housing types and income levels.
Councilman Craig Gartman questioned a decision by his colleagues in recent months to approve a 225-unit affordable housing project in north-central Gilroy. He claims the project runs foul of the Neighborhood District Policy and represents preferential treatment for nonprofit developer South County Housing.
Meanwhile, Mayor Al Pinheiro has called for an inclusionary zoning policy that would require developers of large projects to offer a percentage of homes at affordable rates. Gartman opposes such a policy, saying he prefers to see council encourage projects that are “affordable by design” – a theory that housing projects with a large number of units that are smaller in size will naturally sell for less.
But before new policies are discussed, Gartman wants agreement on those already in place.
“One of the things that I’m trying to get is a good understanding of what the council’s vision is of affordable housing as it pertains to this community, as it pertains to the General Plan, as it to pertains to the Neighborhood Districts,” he said. “Right now, with recent decisions from council, I found it to be in conflict with those. It’s got to be confusing for the developers. I just want us to have a clear vision so we all understand what’s going on.”
Barberi moves forward
A local family is moving quickly to develop their land in south Gilroy after emerging victorious from years of battle with regional land-use officials.
On Monday, City Council will vote on a request to establish a task force to craft a master plan for 26 acres on the southern edge of Luchessa Avenue. Earlier this month, the Local Agency Formation Commission, a regional agency with veto power over annexation requests, freed Gilroy officials to bring the land within city borders. The move allows the Barberi family and its development partners to proceed with plans for 220 single-family homes, 30 apartments, and 80,000 square feet of commercial space. The development is expected to create 51 jobs and house more than 800 residents.
The 10-person group, which has yet to be chosen, will be charged with developing conceptual maps and ensuring that land uses conform with the city’s Neighborhood District Policy. The development guidelines approved last year require mixed housing types affordable to all income levels, including 15 percent in the low-income range.
The Barberi project represents the first test of a city policy requiring landowners to preserve one acre of farmland for every acre of tillable land they develop. The preservation of farmland as part of the Agricultural Mitigation Policy will take place at the end of the approval process, likely several years from now.
The master plan process, which is the first step in the development effort, is expected to last 10 months, according to City Planner Cydney Casper.
“The intent is to have the master plan ready to go,” she said, “so when annexation does occur, they can take the development plans forward to City Council.”
Development datebook
– May 3: Affordable Housing workshop for city leaders and public to review Gilroy’s current housing policies, their effectiveness, and potential changes. 6pm at the Senior Center, 7371 Hanna St.
– May 4: Planning Commission regular meeting (see agenda). 6pm at City Council Chambers, City Hall, 7351 Rosanna St.
– May 9: Housing Advisory Committee will review options for revising resale restriction agreements, which govern the length of time that a home must remain affordable before it can be sold at market rates. 6pm at the Senior Center, 7371 Hanna St.
When: May 4 at 6pm
Where: City Hall, 7351 Rosanna St.
Commission meeting
On the agenda:
– Housing Grade System – A second draft of revisions to the city’s grading system for housing projects will go before commissioners. The changes would give preference to projects that are affordable to low-income families, eco-friendly, or help subsidize “community benefits” such as downtown paseos or sidewalk repairs.
– McCarthy Ranch – The developers of a future Pacheco Pass industrial park will ask commissioners for the first round of approval on the commercial component of the project, a 146,000-square-foot shopping center on the south side of the city’s eastern gateway.
– Garlic Festival – The city’s nonprofit festival association will seek commission approval to build condominiums above its future downtown headquarters.
– Cannery project – South County Housing will ask for approval of 78 commercial and residential lots as part of its conversion of the old cannery in downtown Gilroy, a project involving 200 homes and 40,000 square feet of retail space.
– Las Animas School – The Gilroy Unified School District will seek approval of a zoning exemption to set the stage for conversion of Las Animas Elementary School into 99 homes.
To view the planning Commission agenda, visit www.ci.gilroy.ca.us.
Contact Planning Commission Chairman Tim Day at 842-1270 or td**@****ic.com
