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increase of above moderate housing with the city's 2,409 RHNA above moderate <br />allocation being exceeded by 2,677%per the City's RHNA progress reports submitted <br />to the state. With average rents of $2000 - $4000, none of these above market rent <br />units are affordable to most of Santa Ana's working families. <br />The need will be much greater as the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated needs that <br />were already existing in our communities. Housing costs in Santa Ana have been out <br />of reach and will continue to be out of reach in this current economic climate. <br />Households that live in the 92701 zip code, the city's most affordable zip code, must <br />earn $35.68 an hour to afford two -bedroom housing (National Low Income Housing <br />Coalition's "Out of Reach: The High Cost of Housing in 2020" Report). The proposed <br />amendments further incentivize housing units with market rate rents and are not <br />affordable to the majority of the City's residents. The proposed amendments do not <br />address the city's needs and create further inequity for the City's residents with the <br />greatest housing need. <br />As such, we oppose the following amendments to the Housing Opportunity Ordinance <br />and Affordable Housing Funds Policies and Procedures: <br />Housing Opportunity Ordinance - Sec. 41-1904. — Options to satisfy Inclusionary <br />requirements <br />• (c)(1) The proposed amendment reduces the in -lieu fee from $15 to $5 <br />The City must retain a $15 in -lieu fee and secure this funding source for much <br />needed affordable housing. The City risks losing state and federal housing <br />matching funds by lowering the in -lieu fee, at a time we face economic <br />uncertainty because of the pandemic. <br />• (c)(2)(ii) The proposed amendments provide that the City will now allow Entitled <br />Residential Projects to pay a reduced fee of $10 per square foot as an incentive to <br />obtain building permits during the current economic climate. <br />Santa Ana residents are those that are most affected by the current economic <br />climate. The entitled projects in the pipeline would generate well over $30 <br />million in in -lieu fees that the City urgently needs to create new affordable <br />housing. Providing this incentive until April 2021, will likely result in a loss of 1/3 <br />of the in -lieu fees expected to be collected, or over $10 million dollars, that <br />would be used to build much needed affordable housing in the <br />City. <br />Housing Opportunity Ordinance - Sec. 41-1909. - Inclusionary Housing Fund <br />• (a)(1)The proposed amendment allows for the use of inclusionary housing for'... <br />one-time programs for code enforcement, and quality of life, and general health <br />and safety activities.' <br />The city needs to include language in the Ordinance that prohibits a future <br />diversion of these funds to general public safety programs as well prohibits the <br />use of funds for departments or activities that are not directly related to <br />increasing and improving the supply of affordable housing. Since its inception the <br />HOO has been clear in its language and purpose in that it states, "Monies <br />deposited into the inclusionary housing fund must be used to increase and <br />improve the supply of housing affordable to moderate, low, very low, and <br />extremely low income housings in the city..." (sec. 41-1909. (a)(1)). <br />