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153 <br />SP-55 Barriers to Affordable Housing <br />Barriers to Affordable Housing <br />A barrier to affordable housing is a public policy or nongovernmental condition that <br />constrains the development or rehabilitation of affordable housing, such as land use <br />controls, property taxes, state prevailing wage requirements, environmental protection, <br />cost of land and availability of monetary resources. Barriers to affordable housing differ <br />from impediments to fair housing choice in that barriers are legally permissible, whereas <br />impediments to fair housing choice are typically unlawful. <br />The City’s 2021-2029 Housing Element includes an identification and prioritization of <br />significant contributing factors that impede fair housing and/or result in disproportionate <br />housing needs. Through discussions with stakeholders and fair housing advocates, <br />community feedback, and the assessment of fair housing included in the Housing Element, <br />the City identified the following fair housing issues: <br />-Displacement risk <br />-Lack of safe and sanitary housing <br />-Housing overcrowding <br />-Low household incomes <br />-Exposure to environmental hazards <br />-Lack of quality education and job training <br />The primary factor contributing to these housing issues is the limited availability of <br />resources to subsidize housing development to the point that units are affordable to low- <br />and moderate-income households. The elimination of local Redevelopment Agencies by <br />the State of California resulted in the loss of a crucial resource for the development and <br />preservation of affordable housing. This was the most significant public policy change <br />impacting affordable housing and residential investment. While there are mechanisms <br />whereby certain affordable housing assets tied to the former Redevelopment Agencies may <br />be utilized today, these resources are finite and scarce. <br />Strategy to Remove or Ameliorate the Barriers to Affordable Housing <br />As described in the 2021-2029 Housing Element, the City is taking several actions to remove <br />or ameliorate barriers to affordable housing. These actions are summarized below. <br />1.Facilitate construction of 723 ADUs between 2021-2029 by publishing preapproved <br />ADU plans and publicizing ADU program through dedicated web page in various <br />languages to facilitate ADU construction. <br />2.Enforce the City’s inclusionary housing ordinance, known as the Affordable Housing <br />Opportunity & Creation Ordinance (AHOCO), to require eligible housing <br />development projects of five or more units, including condominium conversions, to <br />include at least 15 percent of the units as affordable to low-income households; or <br />EXHIBIT 1