The Santa Barbara City Council on Tuesday is expected to adopt an amendment to the city municipal code on inclusionary housing requirements for the Average Unit-Size Density Incentive Program.
According to an agenda report prepared by city project planners Dan Gullett and Jessica Metzger and Housing and Human Services Manager Laura Dubbels, the council has been considering ordinance amendments to require inclusionary housing for Housing Incentive Program rental projects.
During the June 25 meeting the council approved an ordinance to “require Program projects with ten units or more to provide at least ten percent of the units on site at rental rates affordable to households at the Moderate Income level” and “require Program projects with five to nine units either to build a unit affordable to households at the Moderate Income level or to pay a $25-per-square-foot in-lieu fee. Projects with four or fewer units would not be required to provide inclusionary rental housing,”
Moderate-income level households are those making 80 to 120 percent of area median income.
The amendment is exempt from further environmental review under the California Environmental Quality Act because it is within the “scope of analysis,” of the city’s general plan program environmental impact report, according to staff.
“The amendment would implement General Plan land use and housing policies evaluated for citywide environmental impacts in the EIR,” reads the report, which noted that no changes are expected in land use, density designations, pace of development or increase in developmental impacts.
On Dec. 7 the city paid Keyser Marston Associates $35,000 to update the analysis of the 2017 Economic Feasibility Study recommended amendments. On June 4, the council approved an additional $6,000 payment to KMA for supplemental work. The firm has requested another $2,500 for expenses incurred for supplemental meetings.
Also Tuesday, the council is expected to re-adopt the city’s operating and capital budget for fiscal year 2019-20 to correct an error in the fleet management fund and authorize a $390,000 increase in appropriations from the Fire Department’s fleet replacement fund.
Fire Department officials say they need to purchase a new Type III brush engine to meet public safety needs.
The City Council will meet at 2 p.m. Tuesday in council chambers at City Hall, 735 Anacapa St.
