Item 19 - Density Bonus Agreement No. 2024-02 Property Located at 510 and 520 N. Harbor

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DBA No. 2024-02 — Santa Ana-8 Townhomes (510 & 520 N. Harbor Boulevard) May 6, 2025 Page 4 designed to fully screen all mechanical equipment within the structure, parapet walls, and screened with landscaping. Overall, the project will include a design and solid construction materials that will ensure that the project ages well for the duration of the building's lifetime. Density Bonus The California Density Bonus law allows developers proposing five or more residential units to seek increases in base density for providing on -site housing units in exchange for providing affordable units on site. To help make constructing on -site affordable units feasible, the law allows developers to seek up to five incentives/concessions and an unlimited number of waivers or reductions in development standards. The concessions/incentives are generally reductions in site development standards or modification of zoning code requirements or architectural design requirements, and waivers are essentially variances from development standards (a site or construction condition). The first version of the Density Bonus Law was adopted in 1979 and has since been amended at various times. In early 2017, the law was amended to restrict the ability of local jurisdictions to require studies to "justify" the density bonus and requested incentives/waivers and places the onus on local jurisdictions to prove that the incentives/concessions or waivers are not financially warranted. Pursuant to the California Density Bonus law, a project's affordability level is determined by dividing the number of proposed affordable units by the allowable "base" density (i.e., 50 du/ac). Moreover, the State density bonus law states that units added by a density bonus are excluded from the calculations. The base density for the 2.5-acre site at 50 du/ac is 125 units. Of the total units in the development, five units are proposed to be affordable. Therefore, the project would have an 11 % affordability rate. As such, State density bonus law allows the developer to request a maximum density bonus of 6%. Due to the project's 11 % affordability rate, the developer can seek one density bonus incentive/concession and unlimited waivers, pursuant to Section 65915 et al. of the California Government Code (Density Bonuses and Other Incentives). In addition, California Assembly Bill No. 2345, approved September 28, 2020, revised the State Density Bonus Law originally adopted in 1979 to provide additional benefits for projects that include qualifying affordable housing. For this project, the developer is not requesting a state density bonus for additional units but will avail themselves of the incentive/concession and waivers that are required to be provided by State density bonus law for projects with the requisite affordability. The purpose of the State Density Bonus Law is to encourage the development and availability of affordable housing. Pursuant to California Government Code sections 65915 (d)(1) and 65915 (e)(1), a local jurisdiction is limited in its ability to deny requested incentives, concessions, and waivers. The City has analyzed the project and has identified several areas of potential impacts; however, the conditions of approval proposed for the project are intended to address the project's potential impacts.