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March 29, 2023
Lynn von Koch-Liebert
Executive Director
California Strategic Growth Council
1400 Tenth Street
Sacramento, CA 95814
Re: The Crescent Project, Napa, CA
Dear Ms. von Koch-Liebert,
Napa Valley Community Foundation (NVCF) is pleased to offer our support for the Growth Council’s approval of funding for the proposed Crescent Housing Project in Napa. We have been kept abreast of the proposed plans for the development of the Crescent via Napa Housing Coalition, a group comprised o f more than a hundred citizens, organizations, and businesses supporting housing that is affordable across the broad spectrum of price ranges. NVCF is a member of Napa Housing Coalition for this precise reason: to learn about and have the opportunity to ad vocate for, and/or potentially invest in, affordable housing projects.
We believe that the lack of affordable housing is the primary driver of poverty in Napa County, and fighting poverty and supporting affordable housing is one of our key funding areas. However, as a small community foundation in a semi -rural locale where philanthropic giving is $75 per capita compared to $678 per capita in nearby San Francisco, building affordable housing is a challenge that local philanthropy cannot take on alone. To that end, we are excited to see the Crescent Housing Project move forward, and we are grateful for the potential of funding from your Council in support of the Crescent.
The majority of NVCF’s investments in the community are to assist the very low-, low- and moderate-income members of our community. Napa County does not have a diverse economy, and 30 percent of our labor force earn $21 or less per hour. Further, while Napa County’s poverty rate appears to be low by Federal Poverty Level standards, the Public Policy Institute of California, which takes into account the cost of housing, consistently shows that the Napa County poverty rate is in the teens. Nearly 40 percent of Napa County residents are housing burdened and spend more than 30 percent of their household income on housing (and 64 percent of immigrant households are housing burdened in Napa C ounty). Napa County has also been named as the least affordable small metro market for housing in the country, and median home prices have risen more ATTACHMENT 25
than 60 percent in the last ten years, while median income has risen 6 percent over the same time period.
Another key focus area of NVCF is asset building, and we strongly support programs that will help to build financial security for families and help them to move out of poverty.
That’s why we support the adoption and implementation of a local housing preference ordinance for the City of Napa. We have the impression that all members of the Napa City Council are supportive of such an ordinance and that a movement is underway to make it a reality. We understand that the City of Napa would enthusiastically embrace and use such a tool in their recruitment of buyers for homes in the Crescent.
Lastly, we support historic preservation and projects that promote climate friendly practices, and we understand that the potential of funding from your Council would bring the home ownership opportunity to a broader number of families, and make the Crescent an infill model of climate responsible development including significant use of clean energy practices, walkability, reuse of treasured buildings, and preservation of Napa’s history.
We will continue to partner with Napa Housing Coalition and other stakeholders to show our support of Napa Planning Commission and City Council approval of the Crescent, and will advocate for funding opportunities to leverage local investments.
On behalf of NVCF, I support the Crescent project, and encourage your approval of funding this important project.
Sincerely yours,
Terence P. Mulligan
President & CEO
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1 P
atricia Baring
F
rom: C
hristina Benz < >
Sent: S
unday, April 2, 2023 12:02 PM
To: P
lanningCommission
Subject: P
ublic comment on Item 7B for April 6 Planning Commission meeting [
EXTERNAL]
P
lease share these comments with the Planning Commissioners.
To the City of Napa Planning Commissioners,
I am writing on behalf of Napa Climate NOW! in support of the Old Sonoma Road Mixed Use Project. Napa Climate NOW! is a 501(c)(3) community-based organization formed by concerned citizens to advocate for smart climate solutions based on the latest climate science. Since 2018, we have been working to move the needle toward climate stabilization and ultimately, climate restoration.
We have written a letter of support for AHSC funding for the project because it will achieve the following (with the funding):
provide 96 units of affordable housing for low-income and moderate-income households in an urban in-fill project close to shopping, an elementary school, and public transportation reduce building GHG emissions by incorporating rooftop solar and battery storage reduce transportation GHG emissions by funding EV car charging stations and building bike paths in the area improve air quality and reducing heat island effect through the planting of street trees The project will bring further benefits to the community (and help to decarbonize our building stock and meet the City's goal of Net-Zero climate pollutants by 2030) if the buildings are all-electric with no natural gas infrastructure. Please ask the project developers if this will be the case.
As an example of all-electric new housing in Napa County, the first 300+ units of market-rate housing in American Canyon's Watson Ranch development are all-electric. With the current California building code requirements for prewiring for all appliances, this also makes the homes more affordable than dual-fuel houses.
Thank you for your consideration,
Chris Benz
Napa Climate NOW!
Planning Commission Meeting
April 6, 2023 - 7.B
LC 1- Benz
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Napa Climate NOW! • napa.350bayarea.org
Advocating for urgent climate action based on the latest climate science
March 27, 2023
Lynn von Koch-Liebert
Executive Director
California Strategic Growth Council
1400 Tenth Street
Sacramento, CA 95814
Re: The Crescent Project, Napa, CA
Dear Ms. von Koch-Liebert,
We at Napa Climate NOW! are writing to offer our strong support for the Growth Council’s approval of funding for the proposed Crescent Housing Project in Napa. We will also be supporting this project at meetings of the City of Napa Planning Commission and the Napa City Council.
Napa Climate NOW! is a 501(c)(3) community-based organization formed by concerned citizens to advocate for smart climate solutions based on the latest climate science. Since 2018, we have been working to move the needle toward climate stabilization and ultimately, climate restoration.
AHSC funding for the Crescent Housing project will help achieve the goals of the Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities Program by:
• providing 96 units of affordable housing for low-income and moderate-income households in an urban in-fill project close to shopping, an elementary school, and public transportation • reducing building GHG emissions by incorporating rooftop solar and battery storage • reducing transportation GHG emissions by funding EV car charging stations and building bike paths in the area
• improving air quality and reducing heat island effect through the planting of street trees
The Crescent project is being developed on the location of a historic site in Napa. The developers, Heritage Housing Partners, have worked with the community to preserve the integrity of the site while maximizing the housing benefits it will provide. AHSC funding will allow for more of the units to be available to first-time homebuyers with low- to moderate-incomes and will enhance the climate smart aspects of the project by helping to fund emissions-free transportation and expand our urban forest.
Thank you for your consideration,
The Napa Climate NOW! Steering Committee
Lynne Baker, Co-Chair
Marilyn Knight-Mendelson, Co-Chair
Jim Wilson
Linda Brown
Chris Benz
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P.
O. Box 5157 | Napa, CA 94581 | (707) 258-6318 | www.napabike.org Ma
rch 28, 2023
Lynn von Koch-Liebert
Executive Director
California Strategic Growth Council
1400 Tenth Street
Sacramento, CA 95814
Re: The Crescent Project, Napa, CA
Dear Ms. von Koch-Liebert,
The Napa County Bicycle Coalition enthusiastically offers our support for the Growth Council’s approval of funding for the proposed Crescent Housing Project in Napa City. We are especially pleased that the funding application includes plans to improve nearby active transportation infrastructure, which will be needed with more residents moving to the area.
The
Napa County Bicycle Coalition (NCBC) represents over 2,000 members and supporters throug
hout Napa County in advocating to make riding a bicycle in our communities safe, conveni
ent, and accessible for riders of all ages and abilities. Since 2008, we have worked with local org
anizations, businesses, elected officials, and the public to align our transportation infrastructure wi
th the needs of cyclists and other active transportation users.
The
location of the proposed Crescent Project combined with its inclusion of affordable and middle- in
come units make biking for transportation from the Project an attractive option for working fam
ilies. The proposed location is close to the downtown, to nearby parks, to work and schools, and to shoppin
g centers; providing accessible housing there has a great potential to reduce vehicle mi
les traveled and the greenhouse gas emissions that accompany those miles. Realizing this red
uction is especially likely given the inclusion, in particular, of funding for a Class II bike lane on Ol
d Sonoma Road, from Jefferson Street to the Highway 29 bridge. This segment, which runs along the
Project’s front entrance, is a key and currently missing east-west connection that, when im
plemented, will be a significant addition to establishing a low-stress bike network in Napa City.
Ap
propriate, low-stress networks make going by bike more accessible to residents of all ages and abi
lities, rather than just the minority of riders who are highly confident.
We
look forward to the positive impacts the Crescent Project will have in the Napa community and wel
come the opportunity to show our support for this funding application. Should you wish to di
scuss our support further, please feel free to reach me at [email protected] or (707) 258- 6318.
Sinc
erely,
Kara
Vernor
Executi
ve Director
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Napa Housing Coalition
____________________________________________________
March 16, 2023
Lynn von Koch-Liebert
Executive Director
California Strategic Growth Council
1400 Tenth Street
Sacramento, CA 95814
Re: The Crescent Project, Napa, CA
Dear Ms. von Koch-Liebert,
We at the Napa Housing Coalition are pleased to offer our support for the Growth Council’s approval of funding for the proposed Crescent Housing Project in Napa. The Coalition has now had the opportunity to rev iew the proposed plans for the development of The Crescent with Mr. Loveman and his team and we are excited to see it moving forward in a manner that tremendously pleases and excites us for a variety of reasons. We fully expect to be at our Napa Planning Commission and City Council meetings in the very near future to speak in favor of City approval of The Crescent.
The Napa Housing Coalition is comprised of over a hundred citizens, organizations, and businesses supporting housing that is affordable across t he broad spectrum of price ranges. We especially put an emphasis on “affordable” housing and moderate income / “missing middle” housing. We have also established criteria for our support of projects underscoring that we want to ensure that housing is not just meeting various affordability levels but also quality of life issues.
The Coalition has been actively involved for approximately seven years with the former County Health and Human Services site on Old Sonoma Road in Napa. We authored letters to the Ed itor in favor of using the site for a mix of housing types and affordability levels. We were thrilled to first learn of Heritage Housing Partners (HHP) several years ago when we were introduced to Charles Loveman and HHP by colleagues at Napa Landmarks, an organization focused on historic preservation and renovation. We learned that HHP not only has deep expertise in historic preservation but that they combine that passion with a passion for the creation of for- sale housing attainable by low- and moderate-income families and individuals.
Also, important to note is that for the last year, the Coalition has been actively advocating for the adoption and implementation of a local housing preference ordinance for the City of Napa. We have the impression that all members of the Napa City Council are supportive of such an ordinance and that a movement is underway to make it a reality. We understand from Mr. Loveman that they would enthusiastically embrace and use such a tool in their recruitment of buyers for homes in The Crescent. In that respect, we intend to continue to be fully involved as advocate s and community advisors with The Crescent project as it moves through app rovals, development, and occupancy.
We are excited about the potential of funding from your Council in support of The Crescent. That funding would open the door, figuratively and literally, to a far broader number of families who would have their first opportunity for home ownership. Moreover, that funding would be a key piece in making The Crescent an infill model of climate responsible development including significant use of clean energy practices, walkability, reuse of treasured buildings, and preservation of Napa’s history.
We are huge supporters of The Crescent and we encourage your approval of its funding.
Thank you for your consideration,
Napa Housing Coalition Steering Committee
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