Economic Development Commission Meeting 15 Novembre 2001 Notes from Joe Woodard Commissioners attending: John Abrate - Chair Charles Ward Robert F. Kelly Gail A. Wetzork Harry Dahlbert Pattianne Parker Dough deHaan and two others whose names I couldn't see. The big item on the agenda was a presentation by Steve Belcher, assisted by Cynthia Liasun (sp ??, the project manager), of the Housing Element. This was the sixth presentation given in the last 3 weeks, and the last. It is 1 of 7 elements that will be incorporated into the Master Plan. A link to a summary can be found at http://www.alamedareport.org/epac/refs.html The Housing Element is also on-line. A link to it is on http://www.alamedareport.org/epac/links.html The appendicies to the Housing Element are crucially important but are not on-line. You can purchase them from the City. The linked page explains. The current fundamental problem with housing is that rents are high, vacanies are low, and most people can't afford the increasing rents. More than half of renters have said they'll move in the next year because of increasing rents (though how many would move anyway is not clear). But everyone likes Alameda because of its small town feel and charming character. These points are summarized in the Feb 2001 Telephone Survey Results. The City has to create very low, low, and moderate income housing if it wants to keep a work force in Alameda. The housing policy is summarized in Housing policies. Housing needs are calculated by the Alameda County Regional Housing Need Determination (RHND), a group established by the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG). The housing goals established by RHND for 2001 - 2006 are: very low income: 443 units low income: 265 units moderate income: 611 units market rate: 843 units Total = 2,162 units by 2006 Mr. deHaan thought the goals were too ambitious to realize. Many of the market rate units are in development areas, that is, they are units to be constructed. The City wants to add 20% affordable housing in new projects. Even though State law requires the City to adopt a Housing Element by year end, Mr. Belcher repeated that he will continue working on the Element until he submits to the City Council at the end of January for February adoption. This delays doesn't cost the City anything but is demanded by many citizen groups. About a half dozen citizens spoke. Most asked the Commission to consider that the number of housing units planned for low-income people are not enough. Renewed Hope speakers reminded the Commission that Measure A, passed about 10 years ago, requires that new housing include 2000 square feet of land space for every housing unit and this keeps housing density down, lowering the number of possible units, and thereby forcing rents up. I spoke about EPAC and mentioned our concern about the Estuary Park project. I asked that the Commission hold it in mind and help us caution city planning staff not to give the area away to developers before considering the neighborhood's opinion about the park, as promised in the 1991 General Plan. Mr. deHaan asked if EPAC had spoken to the Recreation and Parks Commission. I said yes and gave him the address of our web site. Pattianne Parker, a Commissioner, asked a lot of questions of Mr. Belcher about low-income housing: number, buy/rent ratios, guarantees of availability over the years, possible subsidies, and so forth. A big question was why the Housing Element has to be adopted BEFORE 2000 census figures are available. Mr. Belcher said the City has no Inclusionary housing policy, that no studies measure cost/benefit of rental units versus for-sale units. Ms. Parker thought that rental units may be a better deal for the City. Mr. Belcher also said that ABAG charges Alameda with housing unit goals, but not rental goals. Mr. Belcher also said that he had no studies about the cost/benefit analysis of residential versus business properties. Mr. Belcher said that if Measure A restrictions were removed, the market would create denser housing: smaller, cheaper units, like Fremont. Affordable units can be maintained in perpetuity, said Mr. Belcher. Housing for police, fire, and teachers can overlap inclusionary policy, he said. The Housing Element favors home ownership over rental units. By the way, only one Condo conversion (rentals to private ownership) has happened over the last ten years. Cities with a high proportion of rental units to owned units are, in order: Albany Berkeley Alameda Mr. Abrate, the Chairman, want a variety of housing that is mixed. He doesn't want people to look at Alameda and be able to say, Oh, the poor live there and the rich live over there. The EDC will not meet in December. Their next meeting is the third Thursday in January, Jan 17th. They will meet again January 31st to review their quarterly Economic Development Strategic Plan (EDSP). Ms. Parker mentioned that the Norther Waterfront Plan Proposal Committee will meet December 12, 5 - 7 PM (no location given). They are thinking of development concepts for the Northern Waterfront, still at concept stage but some are far out. (Contact Judith Altschuler in the City Planning Department to find out more.) I gather the Northern Waterfront area extends from Grand to Atlantic Avenues, from Buena Vista to the Estuary. I spoke with Ms. Parker afterwards about the park. She disagreed that planning staff was 'giving it away.' She said it is held privately and without money to buy it, the City could give it away. She said they're looking for alternate spaces for a park. This was vague, she agreed. I mentioned there seem to be no champion in the City government for concerns in our area.