Attachment B
Past Community Engagement Efforts on ADUs
Past Community Engagement on ADUs
In 2013, the City was approached by residents organized by faith-based leaders to develop fairer Accessory Dwelling Unit (“ADU”) laws. The City responded and enlisted Peninsula Conflict Resolution Center to facilitate multi-lingual community study sessions. The following is a summary of the City’s community engagement efforts.
Faith Community White Paper on ADUs
On October 18, 2016, because of increased code enforcement activity that caused many families to be displaced, faith community leaders consisting of Faith in Action Bay Area, Project Sentinel, Tokaikolo Church, Faith Missionary Baptist Church and St.
Francis of Assisi came together and presented a community white paper on legalizing ADUs in East Palo Alto as a vision for long-term solution. The white paper provided short-term solutions such as a moratorium on “red tagging” for any unit other than those identified as posing a health and safety threat, retroactive protections for residents under eviction notice, and 30- and 60-day notices for imminent hazard rather than 10- day notices that provided limited time for tenants to vacate the property due to unsafe conditions. The white paper also provided long-term solutions such as an amnesty period that would allow landlords to come out of the shadows and get help legalizing their units with reduced fees to help them comply with any deficiencies in their ADUs, recommendations for a task force, and for community education and communication, among other things.
Second Unit Task Force Recommendations
In November 2019, the East Palo Alto Second Unit Task Force (“Task Force”) that resulted from faith leaders’ recommendations provided a report on further strategies the City could adopt to address ADU legalization and tenant displacement issues. Task Force members consisted of Faith in Action members, Rebuilding Together Peninsula members, two City Council members, two Planning Commission members, a Menlo Park Fire Protection District member, a Community Legal Services attorney, staff from the San Mateo County Department of Housing and the San Mateo County Health System, and several City Council-appointed residents. The Task Force's ten recommended key strategies included:
1. Outreach Campaign – multilingual community outreach for tenants who live in unpermitted units and are subject to citation for code violation.
2. Support System – case managers who can provide rapid response assistance to landlords and tenants to prevent tenants from having to leave.
3. Amnesty Program – that provides homeowners with a scope of work for minimum health and safety critical issues to address and incentivizes landlords in coming forward.
4. Tenant Protections – the suspension of code enforcement during the legalization process.
5. Temporary Housing – master leasing, home sharing, and other shelters for temporary relocation assistance.
6. ADU Accelerator – streamlining procedures on both sides of the permit counter.
7. Regulatory Report – addressing additional policy barriers beyond state reports.
8. Vehicle Management – increased front yard parking, residential parking permit, shared parking, and improved transit and transit-oriented development to decrease parking issues.
9. Workforce Development – to train the next generation of City and support staff.
10.Financial Resources – including creative financing instruments to incentivize deedrestricting affordability.
The following Task Force diagram illustrates the challenges homeowners with ADUs and ADU tenants face, the strategies that can help address these challenges, and the desired outcomes for these homeowners and tenants:
ADU Working Group Engagement
The culmination of the Task Force in November 2019 created the inception of a working group (“ADU Working Group”) consisting of ADU professionals, including technical assistance providers and community-based organizations, and City staff. Today, the working group consists of the City of East Palo Alto, City Systems, EPACANDO, and Soup. The working group previously also consisted of Faith in Action and Rebuilding Together.
The ADU Working Group is focused on implementing ADU laws, identifying challenges and barriers, and creating lessons learned. The working group has also worked on implementing the Task Force’s recommended strategies and identify ways to build more ADUs and legalize existing ADU structures to support East Palo Alto residents. Aside from working directly with potential homeowners interested in building an ADU, the working group has also participated on panels, provided presentations, and facilitated community discussions.