Attachment A – Tenant Preferences in Other Cities
There are various types of tenant preferences that have been applied across cities throughout the country. Tenant preferences can be designed for various populations, including displaced households, veterans, residents at-risk of displacement, neighborhood residents, teachers, people experiencing homelessness, and more. City of San José staff researched other jurisdictions that have applied AntiDisplacement and Neighborhood tenant preferences. In the Bay Area, San Francisco and Oakland have adopted Anti-Displacement and Neighborhood tenant preferences. Please see Table A-1, below, for examples of similar tenant preferences in other jurisdictions.
Table A-1: Similar Tenant Preferences in Other Cities
New York San Francisco Oakland Austin Seattle
Policy
• Preference applies to
people who live in
the same “community
district” in which the
new housing is sited.
• Applies only for
initial occupancy of
the units.
• In some cases, where
the subsidized
housing is located
near the boundaries
of two or more
community districts,
the community
preference is
extended to residents
of the nearby districts
as well.
• Preference applies to former
San Francisco residents
displaced in the 1960s and
1970s, during the SF
Redevelopment Agency’s
federally funded Urban
Renewal program.
Displaced Tenant Housing
Preference Program
• Current and former residents
displaced by no-fault
evictions
or fires
• Neighborhood Resident
Housing Preference (NRHP)
• Residents who currently live
in the same Supervisorial
District as, or half-mile from,
the property
• Applicants who currently
live or work (75%) in San
Francisco
• Preference applies to
current and former
residents
displaced by the City of
Oakland/RDA's projects,
Oakland's code
enforcement,
or a no-fault eviction.
• Residents who currently
live in the same Council
District as, or one mile
from, the property.
• Applicants who currently
live or work in Oakland.
Pilot Program
• Preference applies to
households that currently
reside or did reside (back
to 2000) in census tracts
identified as gentrifying
in the University of
Texas study, Uprooted.
• Households that have
been displaced since
2000 due to natural
disaster, government
action, or from properties
triggering the City’s
Tenant Notification and
Relocation Assistance
Ordinance or the federal
Uniform Relocation Act.
• Households that have
immediate family
residing in the city.
• Developers can choose to
participate in local
preference policy through
City-developed guidelines.
Recommended Preferences
• Applicant is a current
resident for projects in
neighborhoods currently
facing high risk of
displacement.
• Applicant, family member,
or ancestor (i.e., greatgrandparent) is a former
resident for projects in
neighborhoods that have
historically been affected
by high displacement.
• Applicant has community
ties or utilizes community
services in the
neighborhood.
Units 50% of units 40% of units 30% of units
50% of the affordable units
when two or fewer units are
available at a time and 40% of
the affordable units when
three or more units are
available at a time
50% of units