The City Council and Planning Commissioners received a presentation on the Housing Element from staff and consultants and discussed the various policy options presented, with a consensus on the following:
- Issue #1. Sites and Zoning. Agreed with the recommendation to not rezone. - Issue #2. Accessory Dwelling Units. Agreed with the recommendation to increase ADU assumptions up to as many as 6 units per year, through an education program and promoting City Council preferred ADU model types.
- Issue #3. No Net Loss. Agreed with the recommendation to decrease development capacity assumptions to 80% and create an administrative “B” list of project sites. - Issue #4.
Housing on Church and Schools Sites. This option was not generally supported.
Any further discussion would need more specifics and examples to consider.
Workforce Housing. This option was not generally supported. Any further discussion would need more specifics and examples to consider.
Density Bonus Program. The consensus was that the state has already pushed the envelope in this area, so any further density was unlikely to make sense in Cotati.
Only would be considered on a case-by-case basis; parking solutions and overall City benefit would be considered.
Incentivizing Smaller Units that are Affordable “By Design”. This program option should be explored further; particularly acknowledging lower impacts of smaller dwelling units, potentially through modified fee assessments to incentivize. Higher than allowable density would only be considered on a case-by-case basis; parking solutions would need to be considered.
Other issues where there was consensus:
- JPA Funding. There was agreement to explore the possibility of JPA funding structures to purchase existing development or build new development in priority development areas for workforce housing (mixed income). - Very Low Income (VLI) Housing. Consider a program to waive, set to zero, or pay down certain impact fees for the most difficult units to develop (VLI). - Create a priority review process for projects providing a high percentage of affordable housing units, which clearly meet the City’s RHNA needs.
General:
Before new programs are decided, the City Council wants to review the programs in the existing Housing Element, including how they have functioned. Focus new programs to encourage development in PDAs. There was general consensus that affordable housing is a high priority, as well as smaller “affordable by design” single family homes. Other considerations are GHG and other environmental impacts of development.
Public comment:
Laurie-Ann Barbour of Cotati
Calum Weeks of Generation Housing