HomeMy WebLinkAbout1 - PUBLIC COMMENT_THRIVEDear Members of the Planning Commission,
As working families continue to face economic
uncertainty as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic it is crucial that the City of Santa Ana
(City or Santa Ana) preserve its Housing Opportunity Ordinance (HOO) as a funding source for
creating new affordable housing. The creation of housing at all income levels is vital to our
recovery.
Santa Ana is a renter majority city and despite the City’s progress towards meeting its Regional
Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA) allocation for very low and low income housing, there
continues to be a great need for housing that is affordable to its residents. The current pandemic
has increased the economic and housing pressures on low-income families in Santa Ana. As
incomes are decreasing and jobs are being lost, many low income families are struggling to
remain housed. This is especially true for the majority of Santa Ana’s low-income households
that are suffering with the impacts of housing cost and economic uncertainty. As an example,
according to the City’s local data, 70 percent of Santa Ana renters are low and very low-income
renters. While the City has seen increased production of affordable housing there has been a
larger increase of above-moderate housing with the city’s 2,409 RHNA above moderate
allocation being exceeded by 2,677% per the City’s RHNA progress reports submitted to the
State of California. With average rents of $2000 - $4000, none of these above-market rent units
are affordable to most of Santa Ana’s working families.
THRIVE, SANTA ANA PO BOX 1935, SANTA ANA, CA 92701 / THRIVESANTAANA@GMAIL.COM
August 3, 2020
Chair McLoughlin and Planning Commissioners
City of Santa Ana
20 Civic Center Plaza
Santa Ana, CA 92701
RE: OPPOSITION to Agenda Item 1: Housing Opportunity Ordinance Amendments
The City must retain a $15 in-lieu fee and secure this funding source for much needed
affordable housing. The City risks losing state and federal housing matching funds by
lowering the in-lieu fee, at a time we face economic uncertainty as a result of the pandemic.
Santa Ana residents are those that are most affected by the current economic climate. The
entitled projects in the pipeline would generate well over $30 million in in-lieu fees that is
needed urgently to create new affordable housing. Providing this incentive until April 2021
may result in a loss of 33% of the in-lieu fees expected to be collected, or over $10 million
dollars, that would be used to build much needed affordable housing in the City.
The need will be much greater as the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated needs that were
already existing in our communities. Housing costs in Santa Ana have been out of reach and
will continue to be out of reach in this current economic climate. Households that live in the
92701 zip code, the City’s most affordable zip code, must earn $35.68 an hour to afford two-
bedroom housing. (
). The proposed amendments further incentivize housing units with
market rate rents and are not affordable to the majority of the City’s residents. The proposed
amendments do not address the city’s needs and create further inequity for the city’s residents
with the greatest housing need.
THRIVE, SANTA ANA PO BOX 1935, SANTA ANA, CA 92701 / THRIVESANTAANA@GMAIL.COM
The creation of new affordable housing for Santa Ana residents needs to continue to be a
priority to address the critical housing shortage for lower income working families.
Affordable housing monies should not be diverted to fund code enforcement and health
and public safety programs that are funded from the City’s budget. The City should not
deplete the Inclusionary Housing Fund’s limited funds for these programs. Such an
amendment goes against the purpose of the HOO. Since its inception the HOO has been
clear in its language and purpose in that it states
THRIVE Santa Ana, Inc.
Community Land Trust
Est. 2016
THRIVE, SANTA ANA PO BOX 1935, SANTA ANA, CA 92701 / THRIVESANTAANA@GMAIL.COM