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Report) The proposed amendments further incentivize housing units with market <br />rate rents and are not affordable to the majority of the City's residents. The <br />proposed amendments do not address the city's needs and create further inequity <br />for the City's residents with the greatest housing need. <br />As such, we oppose the following amendments to the Housing Opportunity <br />Ordinance and Affordable Housing Funds Policies and Procedures: <br />Housing Opportunity Ordinance - Sec. 41-1904. — Options to satisfy <br />Inclusionary requirements <br />• (c)(1) The proposed amendment reduces the in -lieu fee from $15 to <br />$5 <br />The City must retain a $15 in -lieu fee and secure this funding source for <br />much needed affordable housing. The City risks losing state and federal <br />housing matching funds by lowering the in -lieu fee, at a time we face <br />economic uncertainty because of the pandemic. <br />• (c)(2)(ii) The proposed amendments provide that the City will now <br />allow Entitled Residential Projects to pay a reduced fee of $10 per <br />square foot as an incentive to obtain building permits during the <br />current economic climate. <br />Santa Ana residents are those that are most affected by the current <br />economic climate. The entitled projects in the pipeline would generate <br />well over $30 million in in -lieu fees that the City urgently needs to <br />create new affordable housing. Providing this incentive until April 2021, <br />will likely result in a loss of 1/3 of the in -lieu fees expected to be <br />collected, or over $10 million dollars, that would be used to build much <br />needed affordable housing in the <br />City. <br />Housing Opportunity Ordinance - Sec. 41-1909. - Inclusionary Housing <br />Fund <br />(a)(1)The proposed amendment allows for the use of inclusionary <br />housing for'... one-time programs for code enforcement, and <br />quality of life, and general health and safety activities.' <br />The city needs to include language in the Ordinance that prohibits a <br />future diversion of these funds to general public safety programs as well <br />prohibits the use of funds for departments or activities that are not <br />directly related to increasing and improving the supply of affordable <br />housing. Since its inception the HOO has been clear in its language and <br />purpose in that it states, "Monies deposited into the inclusionary housing <br />fund must be used to increase and improve the supply of housing <br />affordable to moderate, low, very low, and extremely low income <br />housings in the city... " (Sec. 41-1909. (a)(1)). <br />Affordable Housing Fund Policies and Procedures - Eligible Uses and <br />Activities (Page 75B 92) <br />• The proposed amendment removes Cooperative Housing Programs <br />as an eligible use <br />