Title
Study Session Summary of February 4, 2020 - Housing Strategy (2017 Study Issue)
Summary
Call to Order:
Vice Mayor Smith called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m.
City Councilmembers Present:
Mayor Larry Klein
Vice Mayor Nancy Smith
Councilmember Gustav Larsson
Councilmember Glenn Hendricks
Councilmember Russ Melton
Councilmember Michael S. Goldman
Councilmember Mason Fong
City Councilmembers Absent:
None
Study Session Summary:
Jenny Carloni (Housing Officer), and the City’s Lead Consultant Matt Kowta (BAE Urban Economics) delivered a presentation that discussed the work completed to date on the Housing Strategy, a 2017 Study Issue. The presentation provided an overview of the background data, outreach input received, and staff’s draft policy recommendations. The goal of the Study Session was to obtain final input on the draft recommendations before the final Housing Strategy report is completed in March 2020.
Councilmembers asked questions on the following items:
• Why is homelessness not addressed more in the policy recommendations?
• Why focus on ADUs if they have not been successful in lowering housing costs in other cities?
• Increasing population density also increases rents, why pursue topics that may not work?
• Will these tasks interfere with Housing Element updates in 2022?
• How many mobile home parks have any MOU?
• Could we increase density further in specific plans or for market rate senior developments?
• Where is the nearest location people can actually afford to live on median salaries?
• What can we do to future promote ADUs?
• Why are we only looking at rent stabilization for mobile home parks?
In addition, the Council made the following comments:
• Relieved to finally be seeing updates on this study.
• Incentivize memory care and other age friendly facilities.
• First time homebuyer program should be revamped.
• Missing middle concept important.
• Address co-living options.
• Need measures of success.
• Consider renaming affordable housing to subsidized housing.
• Measures to keep households in their homes longer is key.
• Increasing ownership inclusionary can be a quick fix to increase affordable stock.
• Concerns over high numbers of extremely rent burdened households.
• Surprised by high cost of condos in Sunnyvale.
• Should house our first responders and teachers, shared equity program.
• Right to lease is important.
• Should consider re-zoning, might be required for Housing Element Update.
• Units per acre might be the problem, instead focus on unit size (i.e. Carrol Street Inn).
• Safe RV parking not currently as critical.
• Sunnyvale referral-based shelter is a great model.
• Consensus among Councilmembers to keep both mobile home park policy options (MOU and Rent Stabilization) in the report and to ideally implement an MOU before considering Rent Stabilization.
Public Comment:
Members of the public made the following comments:
• Commend staff on excellent report and presentation.
• Density and units per acre should be discarded. Focus on building size as primary building factor. Promoting missing middle. More form-based approach
• Housing Mitigation Funds are essential in making affordable housing development happen and for leveraging other funding.
• Support up-zoning, inclusionary percentage increase, senior and missing middle efforts.
• Get experts to look at these mobile home park policy issues and options. Large number of California jurisdictions have rent stabilization. Don’t know how many with MOU.
• 25% of homeless population are chronically homeless, we need to increase the amount of programs to prevent future homeless population increases.
• Prioritizing extremely low and supportive housing, most at risk of homelessness.
• Increasing percentage for homeownership inclusionary will drive developers away.
• Cost of construction $417/square foot highest in the world. Some policies are likely to make it worse.
• Order a thorough housing feasibility study in Sunnyvale. High housing costs exacerbated by high fees and exactions. Look at revenue, where is a look at the commercial linkage fee, new tax, bond or other revenue enhancing measure.
• Lease document in mobile home parks state no ordinance would apply that limits rent. How would any city ordinance have an effect on leases?
• Every office development is not helping the housing situation.
• Home sharing/ room sharing options are under emphasized.
• We are in a housing crisis. Look at homelessness figures. Adding jobs like crazy for ten years now. We don’t have places for people to live.
• Advocate new housing for all income levels, especially affordable. Delighted to see whole subject come together. Go high, dense, and build green.
• Successful increases in housing supply is a multi-prong approach.
• Go dense. Up zoning takes time.
• Allow stand-alone affordable projects and inclusionary on the same property.
• Parking huge part of the cost.
• ADUs are very beneficial.
Adjournment:
Vice Mayor Smith adjourned the meeting at 7 p.m.