Laserfiche WebLink
450 West Fourth Street <br />Suite 130 <br />Santa Ana, CA 42701 <br />Ph; 714,542 -7792 <br />Fax; 714 -542 -4853 <br />lati nohealthoccess.org <br />The amendment gave certainty for the development of market -.rate and affordable <br />housing projects and provided different options to meet the city's affordable housing <br />goals. In particular, it provided the developer with the option to provide affordable <br />housing units on -site or to pay an in -lieu fee. <br />In February of 2016, the City Council made a big decision to rezone over 18 acres of <br />land from light industrial to residential, allowing for the development of a 1,221 unit <br />market -rate development, the Heritage Village Project, and providing a significant <br />windfall profit to the developer. At that time the developer elected to receive the <br />incentives and entitlements in full in exchange for paying the reduced in -lieu fee. The <br />Heritage Village Project developer committed to a very important community <br />benefit, specifically the payment of nearly $10 million in incluslonary housing in -lieu <br />fees. <br />The City has made efforts to meet the affordable housing need with the Housing <br />Opportunities Ordinance as a policy to help promote and ensure the development of <br />affordable housing for low and very low income residents. It is necessary that the City <br />continue to move forward in its efforts. The payment of nearly $10 million in <br />incluslonary housing in -.lieu fees is needed now; we cannot afford to wait for phased <br />payments. <br />The approval of this proposed amendment to the Development Agreement will be a <br />setback and provide uncertainty for the future development of affordable housing. <br />We strongly oppose amending the Development Agreement as requested by <br />Heritage Village OC, LLC /Alliance Residential. The developer sought to amend the <br />Housing Opportunity Ordinance and the Planning Commission voted against <br />recommending the proposed amendment to the Clty Council on Monday, July 25, <br />2016. <br />The Housing Opportunities Ordinance has been preserved and adopting this <br />amendment to the Development Agreement would undermine its preservation, The <br />Planning Commission recognized this on Monday, November 14, 2016 when they <br />voted against recommending the approval of the amendment to the Development <br />Agreement to the City Council. We strongly urge the City Council to vote against <br />approving the amendment to Development Agreement No. 2015 -08, <br />Sincerely, <br />Nancy Mejia, MSW, MPH <br />Director of Community Engagement & Advocacy Programs <br />PREVENTION EDUCATION ACTION <br />