From: Serge Bonte
To: City Council
Cc: Chen, Wayne
Subject: 10.10.23 Meeting re: Agenda Item 3.1 Displacement Response Strategy - Local Replacement Requirements Date: Monday, October 9, 2023 11:17:23 AM
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Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
I largely agree with the replacement strategy (especially around SB330) that is proposed after a very comprehensive review of the issues and associated legislation.
There is one displacement element that I feel is overlooked (my apologies if it's to be addressed in the second part of the displacement response strategy).
When a housing redevelopment is approved, displacement is frontloaded , happens shortly after approval or even before since the TRAOs are already in motion while Staff reviews applications. Further, it could be years until a building permit is approved and in some cases entitlements might just lapse (financial or legal difficulties for a developer, projects no longer "penciling out" ....)
As a result, even with a replacement strategy guaranteeing no net loss of units nor affordability, the loss is nearly immediate and the replacement years away (and at times never when a project goes sideways).
I feel that the Displacement Response Strategy should try to minimize the immediacy and the length of the housing loss.
Mountain View has long had great protections for trees. First, tree removal (or replacement) is only done for good reasons. But when the City approves the removal of a tree in a redevelopment project, the removal can only happen when building permits are approved AND outside of nesting season.
I would like the City explore similar policies to delay residents displacement and shorten the length of the resulting housing loss:
Keep residents in place until the final stages of the building permit process (it's rare that a project goes sideways at that stage)
Delay TRAO to that new limit
Delay displacement until the end of the school year (akin tree removal delayed until after nesting season)
Sincerely,
Serge Bonte
Mountain View