DATE:
April 1, 2025
TO:
LaTanya Bellow, City Manager
FROM:
Chadrick Smalley, Community Development Director
SUBJECT:
Housing Committee’s Annual Report On Committee Goals, Principles And Accomplishments For Calendar Year 2024; And Proposed Committee Priorities For Calendar Year 2025 Recommendation
Staff recommends the City Council accept this report on the Housing Committee’s accomplishments in 2024 and proposed priorities for 2025.
Committee Goals and Principles
The Housing Committee provides input and recommendations regarding City policies, priorities and feedback related to the City’s housing policies and programs.
Accomplishments for Calendar Year 2024
2023 Housing Element Annual Report
On February 7, 2024, the Housing Committee reviewed and recommended that the City Council approve the 2023 Annual Progress Report on the 2023-2031 Housing Element. This report describes implementation of programs in 2023, and housing production from the beginning of the Regional Housing Needs Allocation (“RHNA”) implementation period, which began on July 1, 2022. The City Council approved the 2023 Housing Element Annual Report on March 19, 2024. 2022/2023 Housing Successor Annual Report
On February 7, 2024, the Housing Committee reviewed and recommended that the City Council approve the Fiscal Year 2022-2023 annual report of the Housing Successor Agency. This report describes housing assets and activities of the Housing Successor that occurred in Fiscal Year 2022-2023. The City Council also approved the Fiscal Year 2022-2023 Housing Successor Annual Report on March 19, 2024.
First Home Emeryville Homebuyer Assistance Guidelines
On February 7, 2024, the Housing Committee reviewed and recommended the City Council adopt the revised policy language for the Homebuyer Assistance Program Guidelines, regarding Borrower Contribution, Interest Rates, Front/Back End Ratio Requirements, and Maximum Loan Amounts. This recommendation supported one of the action items within Housing Element Program M: Homebuyer Assistance Programs, and falls within one of the duties of the Housing Committee to provide recommendations for housing program guidelines funded by the Affordable Housing Bond Administration and Expenditure Plan. The City Council approved the Homebuyer Assistance Guidelines on May 7, 2024, and staff launched the First Home Emeryville program in September 2024.
Emeryville Accessible Living Initiative Guidelines
On June 5, 2024, the Housing Committee recommended the City Council adopt the Emeryville Accessible Living Initiative (EALI) Guidelines which provides financial assistance to homeowners to make accessibility and aging in place modifications to their homes, and financial assistance to affordable rental property owners and homeowner associations to make accessibility modifications to property common areas. The EALI program is funded by a Prohousing Implementation Pilot program grant and supports Action Step No. 2 within the Housing Domain of the 2022 Age Friendly Action Plan as well as Goal No. 2: conserve and improve existing housing stock, of the 2023-2031 Housing Element. The City Council approved the EALI Guidelines on June 18, 2024, and staff launched the EALI program in July 2024.
Top Priorities for Calendar Year 2025
The Housing Committee had challenges in 2024 in holding regular meetings due to a high turnover in committee membership. Because of the inability to have a quorum, the committee was only able to meet three times in 2024. To alleviate this challenge for 2025, the City Council has taken action to reduce the number of committee members from nine to seven and modified the meeting schedule from bi-monthly to monthly meetings. The Housing Committee supported these changes and believes they will allow the committee to hold more consistent and frequent meetings so they can focus on accomplishing the two highlighted priorities below.
First Highlighted Priority
The Housing Committee intends to continue the work it began last year regarding policy modifications to the Below Market Rate (BMR) Rental Program Guidelines, including policies that need to be discussed, analyzed, and potentially adopted into the City’s BMR Rental Guidelines. On April 3, 2024, the committee discussed developing a “minimum income to qualify” policy instead of allowing developers to implement their own policies, and on June 5, 2024, the committee discussed devising a policy to allow BMR tenants’ income to increase without losing eligibility to prevent displacement and to encourage tenants’ upward mobility. Additional potential policy modifications identified by staff and the Housing Committee to focus on in 2025 include: how to limit increases in rent and other fees and how BMR waitlists are managed. Additionally, the Budget and Governance Committee has asked the Housing Committee to explore capping the costs of unbundled parking and revising the BMR tenant recertification guidelines.
Second Highlighted Priority
The Housing Committee also wants to continue the work it began last year regarding tenant stabilization methods. On April 3, 2024, the committee was briefed on the four types of tenant stabilization methods a local jurisdiction could implement, such as price controls, direct financial support, operational controls and eviction policy, and the committee has asked for additional information related to eviction trends, causes of evictions, financial resources to support intervention methods and lease requirements. Additionally, the Budget and Governance Committee has asked the Housing Committee to explore expanding tenant protections to BMR tenants and developing a Tenants’ Right to Organize Ordinance.
Conclusion
The Housing Committee is eager to continue having robust conversations on various housing issues in Emeryville and advise the City Council on housing policy issues.
PREPARED BY: Valerie F. Bernardo, Economic Development & Housing Manager Approved and Forwarded to the
City Council of the City of Emeryville:
LaTanya Bellow, City Manager
Housing Committee Annual Report
City Council Meeting | April 1, 2025
City of Emeryville
CALIFORNIA
MEMORANDUM