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December 14, 2015 <br />www.kennedycommission.org <br />17701 Cowan Ave., Suite 200 <br />Irvine, CA 92614 <br />949 250 0909 <br />Fax 949 263 0647 <br />Mayor Miguel Pulido and Council Members <br />City of Santa Ana <br />20 Civic Center Plaza <br />Santa Ana, CA 92701 <br />RE: Item 3 - Flower Terrace Apartments - 57 project -based vouchers <br />Dear Mayor Pulido and Council Members: <br />The Kennedy Commission (the Corrunission) is a broad based coalition of residents and <br />community organizations that advocates for the production of homes affordable for families <br />earning less than $20,000 annually in Orange County. Formed in 2001, the Cotrunission has <br />been successful in partnering and working with Orange County jurisdictions to create effective <br />housing and land -use policies that has led to the new construction of homes affordable to lower <br />income working families. <br />The Commission has reviewed the staff report for Item 3 and have concerns over the proposed <br />allocation of 57 project -based vouchers to Flower Terrace Apartments. This development was <br />recently re- syndicated and it renewed its affordability covenants to a new 55 year ten-n. It <br />appears that the proposed use for these 57 project -based vouchers would not create new <br />affordable housing units. Instead, the vouchers would be used to further subsidize the cash flow <br />for units that are already affordable. The staff report outlines that the vouchers would assure the <br />long term affordability of this project. This is confusing since the project has long term <br />affordability and has received the traditional public funding that assures affordability. <br />Given the City's large need for affordable housing for low income large families and the lack of <br />new affordable housing opportunities in Santa Ana, we rewrmnend that the Housing Authority <br />prioritizes project -based vouchers for the development of new construction affordable housing <br />units for extremely low- and very low- income families. <br />Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions, I can be reached at (949) 250 -0909 <br />or cesarc @kennedyconunission.org. <br />Sincerely, <br />Cesar Covarrubias <br />Executive Director <br />Wor dug for systendc change resulting in the production of homes affordable to Orange County's extremely lore- income households <br />