Fremont City Council Meeting: 01/10/23 07:00 PM
3300 Capitol Avenue Div/Dept: City Clerk's Office
Fremont, CA 94538 Category: Code Adoptions & Amendments
SCHEDULED
Sponsors:
COUNCIL STAFF REPORT (ID # 4787) DOC ID: 4787
Updated: 1/5/2023 12:18 PM by Alberto Quintanilla Page 1
SECOND READING AND ADOPTION OF AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF FREMONT AMENDING FREMONT MUNICIPAL CODE TITLE 18 PLANNING AND ZONING, CHAPTER 18.155 AFFORDABLE HOUSING, ADDING SECTION
18.155.095 LIVE/WORK LOCAL PREFERENCE AND MAKING FINDINGS OF CEQA EXEMPTION (CEQA GUIDELINES SECTIONS 15162, 15183, AND 15061(B)(3)) Contact Persons:
Name: Susan Gauthier Lucia Hughes
Title: City Clerk Housing Manager
Div/Dept: City Clerk's Office Community Development
Phone: 510-284-4076 510-494-4506
E-Mail: [email protected] [email protected]
Executive Summary: The City’s longstanding practice is to require that affordable housing projects receiving City funding and/or developed pursuant to the City’s Affordable Housing Ordinance (Fremont Municipal Code (FMC) Chapter 18.155) provide a local live/work priority preference to applicants for units. This practice is based on City Council direction to ensure that affordable developments serve those living and/or working in Fremont to the maximum extent allowed by law. To-date, staff has included the live/work requirement in announcements of the availability of City funding for affordable housing. In order to strengthen the requirement and to ensure that it is transparent to all stakeholders, staff recommends that the requirement be integrated into the Affordable Housing Ordinance and apply to any projects subject to an Affordable Housing Agreement with the City. The Planning Commission voted unanimously on November 17, 2022 to recommend that Council adopt the proposed Zoning Text Amendment.
The purpose of the local live/work preference policy for affordable housing units is to remedy or mitigate the displacement and gentrification impacts that may result from development activities and increasing job opportunities in the City. The local resident preference is designed to increase the probability that current residents can remain in the community in the face of increasing market rate rents and housing prices and loss of affordable units due to the expiration of covenants restricting rents. The local worker preference for affordable housing units is to maximize the effect of an improved jobs to housing ratio by increasing local housing opportunities for local employees.
The ordinance was introduced by the City Council at its December 10, 2022 meeting. The ordinance is now before the Council for adoption.
RECOMMENDATION: Waive second reading and adopt ordinance amending Fremont Municipal Code Title 18 Planning and Zoning, Chapter 18.155 Affordable Housing, Adding Section 18.155.095 Live/Work Local Preference and Making Findings of CEQA Exemption (CEQA Guidelines Sections 15162, 15183, AND 15061(B)(3)).