March 19, 2024
Community Development
DATE: March 19, 2024
TO: Mayor Martinez and Members of the City Council
FROM:
Lina Velasco, Director of Community Development
Kaitlyn Quackenbush, Housing Fellow
Subject: Equitable Public Land Disposition Policy
FINANCIAL IMPACT: The policy development work of the Housing Fellow is funded by a Breakthrough Grant, received from the San
Francisco Foundation for the period of June 2022
through May 2024. After the policy is adopted, staff will present on the expected budget for staffing related to the policy implementation and administration.
PREVIOUS COUNCIL
ACTION:
December 19, 2023 - City staff provided a summary
report of the key components of an Equitable Public Land Disposition Policy and Draft Policy Framework for the
City Council’s and public’s consideration. City staff
incorporated feedback received on the draft into the
proposed policy framework.
STATEMENT OF THE
ISSUE:
Currently, the City does not have a comprehensive policy to inform both process and priorities for the use of its surplus properties. The City of Richmond would benefit
from an established policy whereby the public and City
staff have a common framework for how City-owned
properties will be utilized to achieve public benefit.
Furthermore, the use of public land for affordable housing is a state law requirement and regional strategy, and a local policy would align with those processes and carry out the City’s housing goals and objectives from the
Housing Element. City staff provided a summary report of the key components of an Equitable Public Land
Disposition Policy and Draft Policy Framework for the
City Council’s and public’s consideration on December
AGENDA
REPORT
March 19, 2024
19, 2023. City staff incorporated feedback received on
the draft into the proposed policy framework.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
ADOPT a resolution establishing the Equitable Public
Land Disposition Policy - Community Development
Department (Lina Velasco/Kaitlyn Quackenbush 510-
620-6841). This item was continued from the March 5,
2024, meeting.
DISCUSSION:
Background
In 2021, the City, along with the Richmond community-based organization RichmondLAND1, applied for a Breakthrough Grant from the Partnership for the Bay’s Future to: 1) design and implement strategies to enable community land trusts to acquire public land; 2) create an inventory of vacant and blighted properties; and 3) create a Public Land Policy package to encourage and enable production of permanently affordable housing.
Managed by the San Francisco Foundation, the Breakthrough Grant requires that local governments partner with local community organizations to ensure community voices are represented in the policy process. A housing policy fellow is then embedded in each entity to serve as a catalyst to advance policy innovation. The City of Richmond and RichmondLAND were awarded the grant, and a housing fellow was assigned in June 2022, for a 24-month period.
Upon placement, the housing policy fellow worked with City staff in the Community Development Department and RichmondLAND staff to co-develop policy goals and objectives to meet the priorities set out in the Breakthrough Grant. The Equitable Public Land Disposition policy is one of the grant’s key policy objectives.
What is an Equitable Public Land Disposition Policy?
Equitable Public Land Disposition policies can maximize public good by selling or leasing the land at below market prices to reduce development costs and improve the financial feasibility of public good investments, such as the affordability of housing.
The City of Richmond’s Equitable Public Land Disposition Policy proposal outlines the goals for developing housing on city-owned land and criteria to guide the process to select and then lease or sell parcels of surplus city-owned land in order to prioritize the creation of affordable rental and homeownership housing, with a strong preference for development proposals that maximize affordability and create permanent affordability through a community ownership development model.
1 RichmondLAND became a 501c3 community land trust in 2020.
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Utilizing Public Land for Affordable Housing is a State and Regional Strategy
The Equitable Public Land Disposition Policy is an integral part of a broader state and regional strategy for addressing housing affordability.
The California Surplus Land Act – updated by AB1486 in 2020 – requires that unused public land be prioritized for affordable housing while reducing cost barriers to housing development. Local jurisdictions are required to submit designated surplus land to the State, to market to affordable housing developers, and to notice the Housing and Community Development Department (HCD) of development negotiations. HCD will then review development proposals, ensuring that affordable housing thresholds are met.
Public land reuse for affordable housing is one of the eight housing strategies identified in Plan Bay Area 2050 – the Bay Area’s long-range regional plan – to meet present and future housing needs. According to Plan Bay Area 2050, reuse of public lands would provide 170,000 permanently affordable homes for low- and middle-income families, with homes in transit- and opportunity-rich communities across the Bay Area.2 In the region, only the City of San Francisco has an adopted Public Land Policy, and the City of Oakland is currently developing a framework for a Public Land Policy. If adopted, Richmond’s public land policy could serve as a model for other Contra Costa County and Bay Area jurisdictions for both complying with state law and prioritizing local community and development needs.
In addition to aligning with state and regional processes, Richmond’s Equitable Public Land Disposition Policy would carry out key policies and programs within the City’s 6th Cycle Housing Element Update (HEU).
Per City’s Housing Element Program 6.R: Equitable Public Land Policy, the City will conduct robust community engagement, including engaging a minimum of 300 residents from Richmond’s lower income neighborhoods by December 2023; adopt a new Equitable Public Land policy in consultation with Community Land Trusts, Limited Equity Cooperatives, and other non-profit entities that prioritize permanently affordable housing while supporting homeowner equity attainment and renter stabilization; immediate and long-term housing solutions for unhoused residents; and issue annual Notice of Availability, for one to two parcels to provide a minimum of six units beginning September 2024.3 Richmond's Equitable Public Land Disposition Policy plays a vital role in a broader state and regional strategy aimed at addressing housing affordability and meeting local housing objectives.
2 Plan Bay Area 2050, Public Lands Playbook (2021) p. 2 3 Certified 6th Cycle Housing Element Update Appendix F (2023). Richmond, CA
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Affordable Housing Production and Need
Richmond’s Affordable Housing Production
The City of Richmond has made significant efforts to meet the needs of residents and generate affordable housing. In contrast to other Contra Costa County jurisdictions, during the 2015 to 2021 planning cycle, Richmond issued permits for 100 percent of its very low-income housing goal (438 Units) and 70 percent of its low-income housing goal (214 Units).4 Below is a map of the existing affordable housing developments within the City as of February 2024. The map shows that the City has 29 affordable housing developments, totaling 3,991 units. In addition to the developments mapped below, the City recently approved two additional projects: the 131-unit 100 38th Street project, proposed by Eden Housing and Community Housing Development Corporation and the 150-unit Metrowalk Phase 2 project proposed by Pacific West Communities, with several others also in the development pipeline. An important item to note is that qualifying low-income rental housing with rents 80% or below of Area Medium Income, owned and operated by qualifying organizations, can seek a welfare exemption from property taxes, further reducing the City’s property tax revenue.
Figure 1
Figure 1. Source: City of Richmond (2024)
4 As of December 31, 2022, City of Richmond Annual Element Progress Report to CA Housing and Community Development Department.
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Regional Affordable Housing Production
The Bay Area region faces a dire shortage of affordable homes, especially for the lowest income families. Bay Area cities are not producing enough affordable housing to meet housing needs and continue to lose existing affordable homes. This shortage drives up housing costs. Figure 2. shows that only an estimated 12% of Bay Area housing units are affordable. Only 9% of housing units are affordable within Contra Costa County. Richmond’s need for more affordable housing is part of a much larger regional crisis.
Figure 2. Bay Area Affordable Units
Figure 2. Source: Department of Finance (2023) and California Housing Partnership (2023) According to analysis by the California Housing Partnership, as of May 2023, within Contra Costa County 60% of the total residential units were unsubsidized affordable and 40% subsidized affordable, meaning developments assisted and/or subsidized by HUD, USDA, CalHFA, and the Low-Income Housing Tax Credi. Nine percent of all residential units are affordable in Contra Costa County. See Table 1. below comparing unsubsidized and subsidized affordable housing across all Bay Area counties. Next, Table 2, looks specifically at subsidized affordable housing across Contra Costa County jurisdictions, taking the unit count mapped above in Figure 1 and comparing it to the subsidized unit counts for neighboring Contra Costa County jurisdictions. Richmond has the highest subsidized affordable housing unit count in the county, and it also has the highest number of developments.
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Table 1: Unsubsidized and Subsidized Affordable Housing Units – 9 Counties County Unsubsidize
d Affordable
Units
% of
Affordable
Unsubsidize
d
Subsidize
d
Affordable
Units
% of
Affordable
Subsidize
d
Total
Affordabl
e Units
Total
Residentia
l Units
% Total
Affordabl
e Units
Alameda 52,328 64% 28,967 36% 81,295 641,809 13%
Contra
Costa
24,558 60% 16,260 40% 40,818 430,712 9%
Marin 6,908 72% 2,727 28% 9,635 112,183 9%
Napa 1,837 41% 2,627 59% 4,464 55,910 8%
SF 43,470 58% 31,757 42% 75,227 418,139 18%
San
Mateo
22,220 74% 7,718 26% 29,938 287,967 10%
Santa
Clara
61,847 64% 35,516 36% 97,363 701,539 14%
Solano 6,912 53% 6,053 47% 12,965 165,043 8%
Sonom
a
8,176 44% 10,529 56% 18,705 208,234 9%
Table 1. Source: California Housing Partnership total units, unsub affordable, sub affordable May 2023 Table 2: Subsidized Affordable Housing Alone – Contra Costa County City Developments Affordable Units Total Units
Antioch 15 1691 1709
Brentwood 10 654 803
Clayton 1 64 86
Concord 20 1826 2007
Danville 1 73 74
El Cerrito 3 181 183
Hercules 4 298 328
Lafayette 3 126 188
Martinez 3 154 156
Oakley 14 1083 1113
Orinda 2 216 217
Pinole 5 438 445
Pittsburg 25 2251 2145
Pleasant Hill 4 220 223
Richmond 275 3635 3715
Rodeo 1 49 50
San Pablo 8 568 579
5 Note: California Housing Partnership’s analysis is of May 2023. City of Richmond data as of February 2024 shows a total of 29 developments and a total of 3,991 units. For the sake of accurate comparison across the County, the May 2023 California Housing Partnership data is used here.
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San Pablo 1 49 50
San Ramon 5 659 991
Unincorporated County 17 1506 1426
Table 2. Source: California Housing Partnership total units, unsub affordable, sub affordable May 2023 Richmond has made great progress in building affordable housing over the past decades and in meeting its regional housing needs allocation for very low income in the most recent planning cycle. Relative to Contra Costa County jurisdictions, Richmond is amongst the leaders in affordable housing production. Yet, the need for affordable housing still exists. Richmond residents experience the impacts of a regional and statewide housing shortage in addition to a growing gap between wages and housing costs. These dual pressures mean there is much more the City of Richmond must do to meet the needs of its current residents.
Richmond’s Affordable Housing Need
Richmond’s history, demographics, and geography create distinctive and pressing requirements for affordable housing. Overall, household income in Richmond is lower than that of Contra Costa County. Richmond’s median household income in 2020 was $68,472 compared to the County’s median income of $99,716. The concentration of high-income households in Richmond is lower than in the County and the region.6 Additionally, Richmond is often the first place lower-income people move to when relocating into Contra Costa County because of its lower housing prices. As a result, while Richmond has a higher need for, and consequently concentration of, affordable housing, this fact attracts new residents to Richmond, which in turn, increases the competition for and cost of housing as well as the need for more affordable housing.
This additional demand for housing contributes to rising rental and home prices in Richmond. Housing costs in Richmond grew considerably over the past decade.
Between 2011 and 2020, the typical value of a Richmond home increased by 159 percent from $247,317 to $641,530. Additionally, between 2015 and 2019, Richmond median rent increased by 25 percent.7 See Figure 5. and Figure 6. below illustrating the rising cost of housing in Richmond, Contra Costa County, and the region.
6 Certified 6th Cycle Housing Element Update Appendix F (2023). Richmond, CA Note: 2020 is the most recently available verifiable income data from the U.S. Census. 7 ibid.
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Figure 5. Zillow Home Value Index 2001 – 2020
Figure 5: Source: ABAG 2021 (Zillow, Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI))
Figure 6. Median Contract Rents 2015-2019
Source: ABAG 2021 Pre-certified Housing Needs Data (U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Data releases, starting with 2005-2009 through 2015-2019, B25058, B25056 (for unincorporated areas). County and regional counts are weighted averages of jurisdiction median using B25003 rental unit counts from the relevant year
Higher rents and housing costs have left significant portions of the population struggling to secure stable, affordable housing. According to Zillow, as of February 2024, the median rent for a two-bedroom apartment in Richmond is $2,495, while the Richmond Minimum Wage is $17.20. Someone working full time earning minimum wage and
March 19, 2024
renting a two-bedroom apartment would have approximately $575 remaining after paying rent in an average month. Looking beyond minimum wage earners, over 50 percent of all Richmond residents are rent burdened, meaning they pay more than 30 percent of their income on rent.8 This means that many residents have limited disposable income and are one unplanned expense, such as a medical bill or car accident, away from not affording rent and possibly facing eviction and homelessness.
According to the Contra Costa County Homeless Continuum of Care 2021 Annual Report, 30% of County residents who lost their housing did so in west county, including the City of Richmond.9 As noted in Homelessness is a Housing Problem, “High rental costs and low vacancy rates create a challenging market for many residents in a city, and those challenges are compounded for people with low incomes and/or physical or mental health concerns.”10
The Equitable Public Land Disposition policy is an equitable economic development tool that can ameliorate current housing cost burden and risk of homelessness by maximizing affordability and community serving uses on public land.
Utilizing City-Owned Land to Address the Need for Affordable Housing and Foster Economic Development in Richmond
A recent study revealed that rent-burdened households would have significantly higher disposable incomes if not for the strain of excessive rental payments. The average disposable income for rent burdened households in Contra Costa County overall would have been $9,262 higher with no rent burden.11 This reality not only impacts individual families but also stifles the potential for robust local economic growth. However, there exists a pathway towards alleviating this burden and fostering economic development:
the availability of affordable housing. By reducing the housing cost burden, households could redirect funds towards essential family needs and local businesses, nurturing economic resilience and the emergence of diverse, mixed-income neighborhoods. 12
The City of Richmond currently owns hundreds of vacant sites, and many more with structures or current city uses. In 2020, the City Council passed resolution 146- 20approving the City’s inventory of leased and owned properties pursuant to Government Code Section 50569 and declared 14 parcels as Surplus Land and 71 parcels as Exempt Surplus Land in accordance with the California Surplus Land Act.13 Today, these 14 parcels could be marketed and developed for housing that meets the needs of Richmond residents. Currently, the City does not have a comprehensive policy to inform both process and priorities for the use of its surplus properties. The City of Richmond would benefit from an established policy whereby the public and City staff have a common framework for how City-owned properties will be utilized to achieve
8 Bay area equity atlas. Bay Area Equity Atlas. (n.d.). https://bayareaequityatlas.org/ 9 City of Richmond Homelessness Strategic Plan, 2023 p. 7 10 Ibid. P. 29
11 Bay area equity atlas. Bay Area Equity Atlas. (n.d.). https://bayareaequityatlas.org/ 12 ibid.
13 See Attachment 3 for list of currently designated surplus and surplus exempt parcels
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public benefit. Going forward, the Equitable Public Land Disposition Policy would ensure a sustainable process for designating land surplus and exempt-surplus and it would guide the development of hundreds of city-owned parcels over the years to come; thereby ensuring access to safe affordable housing, economic development opportunities and mixed income neighborhoods.
The Equitable Public Land Disposition Policy Compliments Richmond’s Housing and Land Use Policy Landscape
The Equitable Public Land Disposition Policy seamlessly integrates with Richmond's housing and land use policies. Richmond has implemented several programs to address housing needs: (1) the Fair Rent, Just Cause for Eviction, and Homeowner Protection Ordinance stabilize rents and protect tenants; (2) the establishment of the City’s first Community Land Trust fosters affordable ownership opportunities; (3) the Fair Chance to Access Affordable Housing Ordinance regulates housing provider inquiries into arrest and conviction records; (4) the Tenant Anti-Harassment Ordinance prevents landlord harassment; (5) the Inclusionary Housing and Linkage Fee Ordinance mandates affordable housing in new developments and generates funding; and (6) the Zoning Ordinance of 2016 promotes density and incentivizes affordable, senior, and accessible housing.
Richmond's success in meeting its production goals for above-market-rate housing reflects its commitment to fostering a diverse range of housing options. By facilitating the production of both market-rate and affordable housing, Richmond aims to create vibrant communities with mixed income neighborhoods. Currently, many of Richmond’s subsidized affordable housing is concentrated in central and south Richmond. The Equitable Public Land Disposition policy will be a critical tool for facilitating the development of affordable housing across the city of Richmond, including in currently economically exclusive areas. City-owned land exists across the entirety of the city, in every neighborhood and council district. Alongside the current Inclusionary Housing Ordinance, the Equitable Public Land Disposition Policy complements Richmond's efforts toward creating equitable housing and inclusive communities.
Developing the Equitable Public Land Policy
Cross-Sector Collaboration
As part of the Partnership for the Bay’s Future Breakthrough Grant, the community engagement and policy development processes were grounded in a cross-sectoral approach, bringing together leaders from the Richmond community and government to find the solutions. RichmondLAND, as the community partner to the City of Richmond, has worked to ensure that Richmond resident voices are represented in this policy process. As partners, they support the Housing Fellow by helping them understand local context and build trust with the community, as well as providing input for the policy development process.
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Community Engagement
The City of Richmond through its partnership with RichmondLAND began engaging Richmond residents about a possible public land policy in July 2022. From July to November 2022, the City of Richmond initiated robust community engagement around a potential public land policy. First, through the Resident Advisory Council (RAC) for the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) initiative. Post-AFFH, the City intensified its commitment with Neighborhood Outreach and Community Meetings, fostering continuous direct communication with residents. Targeted efforts extended to Neighborhood Councils, and in September and October 2023, Focus Groups engaged Non-Profit Affordable Housing Providers and Richmond Community-Based Organizations, to glean insights for shaping the public land policy. The ongoing Community Survey since August 2023 provided a platform for residents to voice opinions about development on City-owned land. Pop Up Events facilitated by the City further gathered community input. These efforts have empowered Richmond residents' priorities and needs to deeply inform the policy development process. In total, the City of Richmond and RichmondLAND have collectively engaged 350 residents and held over 30 community engagement meetings and/or focus groups.14
Why this is important to Richmond residents and Community-Based Organizations Through the community engagement process, the City has surprised residents by revealing that it owns many of the vacant lots they have seen in their neighborhoods throughout their lives. When asked, residents asserted that publicly owned land should be utilized to address the housing crisis displacing their neighbors. Residents want opportunities to support and lead the solutions to address housing unaffordability and instability in the City of Richmond. Richmond community-based organizations working on issues ranging from park development and environmental justice to housing justice are recognizing that residents need to be in the driver seat for development decisions.
Equitable Public Land Disposition Policy Purpose
Establish Policy Standards: The primary purpose of this policy is to establish a set of standards to guide the City's process for the disposition, which can include either the lease or sale of city-owned land, ensuring alignment with the goals of the Equitable Public Land Policy.
Promote Community Serving Uses: In addition to maximizing affordable housing potential, this policy supports the development of neighborhood serving commercial and recreational spaces such as community gardens, playgrounds, grocery stores, community centers, and other businesses/services that contribute to the health, education, safety, and general wellbeing of residents. Projects will be favored where commercial uses promote community control by utilizing co-operative ownership models.
14 Public engagement efforts are tracked for Breakthrough Grant purposes by the Housing Fellow and analyzed by the evaluation firm, Informing Change.
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Ensure Transparency and Community Involvement: The policy aims to ensure transparency in the City's property lease or disposition process and requires the active involvement of local communities in the entire process, including developer selection, proposal review, and the project development itself.
Maximize Permanently Affordable Housing15,16: The policy sets forth a clear objective that all housing built on public lands in Richmond should maximize the amount of affordable housing at extremely low, very low-, low-, and moderate-income affordability levels, and ideally produce permanent affordable housing.
Sustain Inventory Maintenance: The policy requires that the City establish a standardized process for assessing City-owned land, including a staff lead, and, that no later than one year following approval of the policy, begin providing an annual inventory of surplus and underutilized sites for City Council and public notice, promoting efficient land use.
Promote Community Control: The City seeks to promote community-controlled permanent affordable housing, favoring project proposals that meet or exceed affordability requirements and establish community ownership and/or permanent affordability through a 99-year ground lease, Community Land Trust, or similar model.
Enable Land Discounts: Projects that meet the criteria of the "Equitable Public Land Policy" and maximize affordability may receive land discounts if the reduced development costs enable housing affordability beyond minimum requirements.
15 The Public Land Policy aligns with the City of Richmond's Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) Analysis from the 6th Cycle Housing Element Update. It addresses Fair Housing Contributing Factors, such as market-force displacement and the lack of historic public investments in specific neighborhoods.
To tackle displacement due to rising rents, the AFFH analysis recommends expanding land trust programs and prioritizing affordable housing development in public land policies. The Public Land Policy also aims to counter historic disinvestment in low-income neighborhoods of color by repurposing vacant City-owned parcels for community-serving affordable housing. 16 The Public Land Policy complements other City of Richmond development initiatives, including the Inclusionary Ordinance and the 6th Cycle Housing Element Sites Inventory. The Sites Inventory, which identifies potential sites for housing development across the city, proposes diverse development, including moderate, mixed, and above-moderate sites in neighborhoods with surplus city-owned land. By promoting affordable housing on this surplus land, the aim is to ensure these neighborhoods have a range of housing options, not limited to moderate and above-moderate or low-income alone.
Simultaneously, the Inclusionary Ordinance secures affordable housing opportunities in higher -income and resource-rich neighborhoods. Collectively, these policies and plans work together to provide affordable housing options for low-income and housing-cost-burdened households throughout the City of Richmond. See AFFH Appendix F 151-156.
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Codify Anti-Speculation Measures: Conveyances of city-owned property under this policy must include covenants that prohibit any developer from reselling, transferring, or subleasing the property above moderate income levels or 120% of area median income at a profit , incorporating "anti-speculation" requirements.
Equitable Public Land Disposition Policy Benefits
This policy represents a crucial step towards fostering a more inclusive, resilient, and vibrant community. The Equitable Public Land Disposition Policy serves as a comprehensive framework to guide the city's approach to the use of public land, ensuring that it is harnessed to maximize the public good. The Equitable Public Land Disposition Policy addresses the following:
Affordable Housing Crisis: Richmond, like many cities in California, is grappling with an escalating affordable housing crisis. Higher rents and housing costs have left a significant portion of the population struggling to secure stable, affordable housing.17 As of 2019, 56 percent of Richmond residents are rent burdened, meaning they pay more than 30 percent of their income on rent. 27 percent pay more than 50 percent of their monthly income on rent.18 The Equitable Public Land Disposition policy directly tackles this crisis by prioritizing affordable housing as a primary land use for city-owned land.
Displacement Prevention: According to the Urban Displacement Project, over 60 percent of low-income households in Richmond live in neighborhoods at risk of gentrification and displacement.19 Residents with low income should have the opportunity to remain and thrive as new investments arrive in their neighborhoods. By incorporating community land trust development models, this policy creates a unique pathway for residents to access affordable housing while participating in community wealth-building. Community land trusts are a proven mechanism for achieving long-term affordability, preventing displacement, and facilitating intergenerational wealth transfer.20,21
17 According to Zillow, as of February 2024, the Median Rent for a 2-bedroom apartment in Richmond is $2,495, while the Richmond Minimum Wage is $17.20. Someone working full time earning minimum wage, would have approximately $575 remaining after rent in an average month. 18Just Cities, LLC. (2022). (rep.). Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing, Appendix F. Richmond, CA. 19 UC Berkeley Urban Displacement Project; American Community Survey | Bay Area Equity Atlas 20 Factors Affecting Spillover Impacts of LIHTC Developments: An Analysis of Los Angeles (January 3, 2023). Cityscape: A Journal of Policy Development and Research) 21 Nelson, K., DeFilippis, J., Kruger, R., Williams, O., Pierce, J., Martin, D., & Hadizadeh Esfahani, A. (2020). The Commodity Effects of Decommodification: Community Land Trusts and Neighborhood Property Values. Housing Policy Debate, 30(5), 823–842. https://doi.org/10.1080/10511482.2020.1768573. Also see: Ellen, Ingrid Gould & Ioan Voicu. “The Impact of Low Income Tax Credit Housing on Surrounding Neighborhoods: Evidence from New York City.” NYU Furman Center for Real Estate & Urban Policy Working Paper 07-02 (May 2007).
Smith, Brent C. “The Impact of Community Development Corporations on Neighborhood Housing Markets.” Urban Affairs Review 39:2 (Nov. 2003), pp. 181-204. Community Land Trusts for Sustainably Affordable Rental Housing Redevelopment: A Case Study of Rolland Curtis Gardens in Los Angeles Cityscape: A Journal of Policy Development and Research • Volume 24, Number 1 • 2022
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Economic Resilience: The average disposable income for rent burdened households in Contra Costa County overall would have been $9,262 higher with no rent burden. If renters weren’t overpaying rent, they could spend more on family needs and in the community.22 Economic inclusion is a critical component of this policy. By ensuring affordable housing options for a broad range of income levels, the City actively contributes to the economic resilience of Richmond. Workers across various sectors, including essential services, can access affordable housing, reducing transportation costs and enhancing overall workforce stability.
Homelessness Reduction: The Equitable Public Land Disposition Policy plays a vital role in reducing homelessness. It directly addresses the homelessness crisis by providing stable, affordable housing options for individuals and families who are unhoused or at risk of becoming unhoused. This is a powerful strategy to connect vulnerable populations to housing and essential support services. Additionally, by increasing the supply of affordable housing, this policy will prevent more residents from becoming unhoused due to housing cost burden. This policy is an upstream solution to the homelessness crisis.
Social Equity and Inclusivity: The policy actively promotes social equity by making sure that affordable housing, as well as community land trusts, are accessible to all residents, regardless of their socioeconomic background. This approach combats the segregation of poverty by encouraging affordable housing developments in various parts of the city where City-owned land exists, fostering diverse and inclusive communities.
Health and Well-being: Access to stable, affordable housing is intrinsically linked to improved physical and mental health outcomes. Affordable housing is a critical factor in breaking the cycle of health disparities often associated with housing instability. This policy fosters healthier and more prosperous communities.
Educational Opportunities: Affordable housing near quality schools is an investment in the education of Richmond's youth. Stable housing leads to improved attendance rates and academic outcomes for children. This policy supports not only the well-being of residents but also the prospects of the city's youth.
Economic Stimulus: The development of affordable housing generates economic activity, creating jobs in construction and property management and stimulating local economies. This leads to increased consumer spending and further economic benefits for the city.
Long-term Sustainability: The Equitable Public Land Disposition Policy represents a long-term commitment to providing stable, affordable housing for generations to come.
By securing stable housing for all residents, the city builds a foundation for long-term
22 Bay area equity atlas. Bay Area Equity Atlas. (n.d.). https://bayareaequityatlas.org/
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growth and resilience, ensuring that Richmond remains a thriving and equitable community.
Future Implementation
In order to make the Equitable Public Land Disposition Policy real for the City and Richmond residents, City staff anticipate implementation to include the following key steps: form an Implementation Oversight Committee or identify lead staff person for implementation; create a Monitoring and Evaluation Framework to gauge impact, develop a detailed Request for Proposals (RFP) for potential developers; establish clear Selection Criteria, publish the RFP to attract proposals; form a diverse Review Committee for proposal evaluation; negotiate with and select developers; and conduct an evaluation of the implementation process.
The Housing Fellow will implement at least one Request for Proposals (RFP) for a City- owned site and based on that process, will develop a detailed plan for implementing the policy going forward. This plan will include an analysis of staffing needs to bring to the City Council, ensuring sustainable implementation of the Equitable Public Land Disposition Policy.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW:
The Resolution adopting the Equitable Land Disposition Policy is not a project subject to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Any project constructed because of this policy will be evaluated under CEQA, as applicable.
DOCUMENTS ATTACHED:
Attachment 1 – Resolution Adopting the Equitable Public Land Disposition Policy Attachment 2 – Equitable Public Land Disposition Policy Attachment 3 – 146-20 CC reso surplus land inventory - CONFORMED - Adopted 12- 22-2020