From: Adam Foster
To: *Council Members; Brandyn Iverson; Sheri Smith
Subject: Fwd: Comments for Item H.2
Date: Tuesday, January 20, 2026 5:47:01 PM
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---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Adam Foster <[email protected]>
Date: Tue, Jan 20, 2026 at 4:41 PM
Subject: Comments for Item H.2
To: <[email protected]>
Dear Orinda City Council Members,
Former Orinda City Planner Adam Foster here. Having looked at many parcels in Orinda as a planner and subsequently as a housing developer, I believe I offer a unique perspective here.
Orinda is a beautiful area that should grow to be even better. For reasons substantially beyond its control, the community has been sleepy when it comes to market-rate housing development. Tonight you are discussing something the City can control: voluntary, new affordable housing requirements. These requirements could be a knockout punch to potential mixed-use development in Orinda, opposed to something that would encourage affordable housing development.
Think about how little market-rate housing has been built in Orinda recently without affordable housing requirements. Imposing affordable housing requirements in a community with 1) steep terrain, 2) significant constraints from high-voltage power lines, 3) a creek running through its downtown, 4) regional transportation infrastructure severely constraining development, and 5) very few landowners would make a difficult housing market even more challenging. Pieces of property would go from having some mixed-use land value to zero or next to zero land value. If a family was offered $4 million for its land 10 years ago and that value drops to $1.5 million due to new affordable housing requirements, they may wait a generation to sell.
Market-rate developers will build affordable housing when it makes financial sense. Orinda has had organic success attracting affordable and senior housing developments. Market-rate development is a challenge for Orinda. Be mindful that following the regional trend of requiring affordable housing would be like adding a $100,000+ per unit impact fee on marketrate housing. Imposing a new $100,000+ per unit development impact fee would make it extremely difficult for mixed-use projects and housing projects to be financially viable in Orinda. Other cities have flatter land, fewer constraints, and more opportunities for housing than Orinda.
Following a generic approach to affordable housing could put Orinda in a regretful and sleepier trajectory than the one it's on currently (without an affordable housing requirement).
That would be unfortunate.
Sincerely,
Adam Foster
Former City of Orinda Senior Planner
P.S. AI played no role in writing this email. It all came straight from the heart :).