July 16, 2024
Planning Commission
City of Salinas
200 Lincoln Ave
Salinas, CA 93901
Re: Support for Development in North of Boronda Future Growth Area (West Area Specific Plan, Central Area Specific Plan, East Area Specific Plan) Dear Planning Commission:
The Salinas Valley Chamber of Commerce urges you to expedite all of the approvals needed to advance and implement the North of Boronda Future Growth Area, consisting of the West Area Specific Plan, the Central Area Specific Plan, and the East Area Specific Plan.
As you know, the City of Salinas achieved 68 percent of its Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) targets for the 2015-2023 Housing Element (5th Cycle), in the end permitting 1,508 of the 2,229 units in the needs allocation. This included achieving 42% of very low income units, 28% of low income units, and 2% of moderate units. This performance in Salinas is better than other Monterey County jurisdictions, but still has room for improvement.
Much of the recent progress in new residential construction in Salinas has consisted of new Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs), which are an important but supplemental part of the solution. Housing developments and multi-unit structures — built by for-profit developers, non-profit developers, employers (for workforce housing), and the government — are the key to achieving RHNA goals for the next
Salinas Mayor and City Council
July 16, 2024
cycle. For the 2023-2031 Housing Element (6th Cycle), the City of Salinas is pursuing a Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) target of 6,674 new units.
A step in the right direction is your June 11, 2024 approval of the first of seven phases of the John Street and Abbott Street Mixed Use Development Project (ultimately planned for 141 new units). The Chamber also hopes to see more multi- story density infill housing eventually built in Downtown Salinas — a transportation corridor, an employer hub, and a center for retail and entertainment.
However, the North of Boronda Future Growth Area will be most critical for meeting the city’s housing needs.
The Chamber continues to monitor efforts to stop construction of new residential units, whether the opposition is brazen or subtle, legally sophisticated or anchored on populist slogans, or based within the city or provoked by outsiders. Please reject these efforts and support new residential construction in the North of Boronda Future Growth Area.
Sincerely,
Kevin Dayton
Government Affairs Director