Highlights

Measure A Guidelines Approved by Board of Supervisors

The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors took action Tuesday to approve staff’s proposed program guidelines, setting the stage for approval of the first Measure A projects this fall.  Check out the Board memo and guidelines. While SV@Home provided comments to the guidelines, the Board approved them without change, with both the Board and the staff noting that changes could be made at a later date if needed.

Many affordable developers have projects in the pipeline, so it is anticipated that there will be significant interest.  A total of $250 million will be available, with $25 million set aside for a first-time homebuyer downpayment assistance and the remainder for multi-family rental development for households earning less than 60% of area median income (with the lion’s share of the funds targeted to Permanent Supportive Housing, Rapid Rehousing, and ELI housing, all for households earning 30% of area median income and below).  Note that funds for the $100 million targeted for workforce housing will be considered later in 2017.

For the $225 million available under the multi-family rental program, the staff anticipates releasing a Notice of Funding Availability as soon as early September. Applications will be accepted on an over-the-counter basis. For the $25 million in homebuyer funds, staff anticipates announcing a formal competitive process in early October.  More to come!

Sunnyvale Council Acts to Add More Housing Capacity

Three cheers to the Sunnyvale City Council, which answered the call for more housing in the City’s El Camino Real Specific Plan by voting 5-2 to approve the Residential Plus alternative at its meeting on Tuesday. This alternative, which was supported by SV@Home will add 6,900 additional housing units along the El Camino Real Corridor, divided into four “nodes”, brings the total number of units to 8,500. The plan also includes commercial and mixed-use developments, creating a more sustainable, pedestrian-friendly community. The plan will now go under environmental review and come back to the City Council for adoption in mid-2018.  Read SV@Home’s memo here.

San Jose Explores Amendments to Housing Impact Fee

The City of San Jose’s Housing Department recently released its recommendations regarding potential modifications to the City’s Affordable Housing Impact Fee (AHIF) and Inclusionary Zoning ordinances.  These include the creation of an “onsite mitigation” option, which, as proposed, would allow developments built on publicly owned land to reduce their required AHIF by providing affordable apartments on site, under certain conditions.

SV@Home supports this change with amendments.  The AHIF is intended to offset the impact that new market rate development has on the need for affordable housing.  If the impact is mitigated in another manner– such as with the development of on-site or off-site units– then there is no additional impact to mitigate.  As a result, the option should be made available for all market rate development, not just development on publicly owned sites. This is a feature included in other impact fee ordinances inside and outside the County.  While in some cases collecting a fee is the best action, in other cases standalone development can create additional affordable housing options, serving more households than an impact fee would.  Remembering that the goal is to create affordable homes and to offset the impact of new residential development, the inclusion of alternative means of compliance is a positive action.  Read SV@Home’s analysis of the proposed AHIF modifications on our website.

It is anticipated that the Housing Department will bring recommendations forward to the City Council in September.

Upcoming Public Meetings

San Jose City Council Meeting: Urban Village Infrastructure Financing Plan

Tuesday, August 29th at 1:30 pm
San Jose City Hall
200 East Santa Clara Street

City Planning and Economic Development staff will bring forward a proposal to establish an infrastructure financing plan for Urban Villages that includes requirements for enhancements and Community Finance Districts.  It is expected that the City Council will provide staff with direction at this meeting to come back with more detail.  General Plan amendments may move forward as soon as October, and implementation plans for each Urban Village will be prepared separately over time.  Code modifications aren’t planned until the winter of 2019.  SV@Home will provide more information as it becomes available.

#HousingForAll in North Bayshore – When and How to Get Involved!

Tuesday, September 12th, 6:30pm
Mountain View City Hall
500 Castro Street, Mountain View

The Mountain View City Council is nearing a decision on the North Bayshore Precise Plan and will kick off a series of three important meetings on September 12th.  As currently proposed, the Plan includes a goal of 9,850 new homes and a minimum of 20% affordable housing units.   However, alternate proposals would phase the units, with the potential to limit the number to as little as 1,500 or 3,000 homes.  SV@Home and community partners are supporting a master planning process for North Bayshore that would plan for 9,850 new housing units at full build out.

Please join us on September 12th in support of the North Bayshore Master Planning process and make sure to put the following meetings on your calendar:

Tuesday, September 26th, 6:30 PM
Mountain View City Council Study Session: North Bayshore Precise Plan w/ community rally prior to start of meeting
** IMPORTANT: Meeting to decide phasing policy (Master Plan) **

Tuesday, November 14th, 6:30 PM
Mountain View City Council: North Bayshore Precise Plan – Adoption

San Jose City Council Meeting: Mobilehome Park Closure Ordinance is Back

Tuesday, September 12th at 1:30 pm
San Jose City Hall
200 East Santa Clara Street

San Jose’s 59 mobilehome parks have become one of the last affordable housing options for over 35,000 residents in one of the most expensive markets in the nation. The San Jose City Council is revisiting the proposed Mobilehome Park Closure Ordinance, as the moratorium on park closures expires this month.

CASA – the Committee to House the Bay Area to Launch in September

Wednesday, September 27th, 12:00PM -2:00 PM (Steering Committee)
3:00PM-5:00PM (Technical Committee)
Bay Area Metro Center
375 Beale Street, Suite 800, San Francisco

CASA is a year-long, multi-sector, blue-ribbon initiative that brings together diverse interests to identify game-changing solutions to the region’s chronic housing affordability challenges.

From Summer 2017 through Fall 2018 CASA will develop a comprehensive Regional Housing Implementation Plan for the nine-county Bay Area, which is expected to include innovative financing strategies, State and local legislation, and recommendations to address the current regulatory environment.

Stay up to date on CASA’s progress on SV@Home’s website, where we will regularly post news and information on upcoming CASA meetings, all of which are open to the public.

SV@Home Events

SV@Home Forum: How do we keep teachers and education sector employees from being priced out of Silicon Valley?

Securing Silicon Valley’s Future: Solutions for Housing our Education Workforce
Wednesday, August 30 from 11:30 AM -1:00 PM
(lunch available at 11:30, program starts at noon)
Independence High School
1776 Educational Park Dr, San Jose
Register on Eventbrite

This question is at the top of mind for many Silicon Valley school districts, jurisdictions, employers, and community members. Did you know that in the San Jose metro area where the median income for teachers is approximately $75,000, only 2.04 percent of all home listings are affordable on a teacher’s salary? How do we ensure that our teachers and others employed by the education sector can stay in Silicon Valley?  How do we keep new education sector employees from being priced out?

Answering these questions is key to securing Silicon Valley’s future. Please join SV@Home at our next lunchtime forum on August 30th for a discussion with Bay Area leaders who have been working to respond with new approaches and solutions.

Confirmed Speakers:

• Barbara Christensen, former Director of Community/Government Relations, San Mateo County Community College District

• Chris Funk, Superintendent, East Side Union High School District

• Deborah McCoy, Executive Director, UC Berkeley Center for Cities and Schools

• Councilmember Teresa O’Neill, City of Santa Clara, and Santa Clara Unified School District Trustee (1998-2006)

Make Sure to Put the Next Happy Housers on Your Calendar!

Friday, September 22nd from 5:30-7:00pm
Piazza Piccola Italia
350 W Julian St, San Jose

Our next Happy Housers will be held on Friday, September 22nd at the Piazza Piccola Italia behind our office in Little Italy San Jose. Join fellow housers, advocates, and policymakers for drinks and conversation!

See the photos from our July Happy Housers event here.

Save the Date for SV@Home’s Member Holiday Party!

Wednesday, December 13th from 5:30-8:00 PM
Silicon Valley Capital Club
50 West San Fernando, San Jose

On December 13th, we will celebrate our members and another year of housing advocacy at our annual holiday party. We hope to see you there!
Note: The holiday party is for SV@Home members only, so make sure to become a member before you RSVP. If you are not sure whether or not you are a member, please email gina@siliconvalleyathome.org.

Partner Events

City of Cupertino Creating Community Together Speaker Series: August 24th Housing Panel

Thursday, August 24, 2017 from 6:30-8:30 pm
Cupertino Community Hall
10350 Torre Avenue, Cupertino

Hear from a panel of housing professionals and experts as they discuss the current issues facing housing in the greater Silicon Valley area and Statewide. Learn about the ways in which the public and private sector work towards solutions.  For more information, visit the City of Cupertino’s Creating Community Together website.  SV@Home member Julie Quinn, Director of Resource Development at the Housing Trust Silicon Valley, will be on the panel!

NPH Fall Conference: Standing Together

October 6, 2017, 8:00 AM – 5:30 PM
Hilton San Francisco Union Square
Hosted by Non-Profit Housing Association of Northern California

From NPH: “Our theme for this year – “Standing Together” – reflects our commitment to standing with our members, partners, and allies and the broader community to create an equitable, sustainable, and vibrant region and state through creating and preserving affordable homes. Our Conference will provide you with the tools, knowledge, and networks to do just that.”

See the full details on NPH’s website.

In Case You Missed It

MTC Adopts Plan Bay Area 2040

Plan Bay Area 2040, the region’s long-range plan on jobs, housing, and transportation, was adopted by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission earlier this month.  Check out this excellent recap of the plan by Kevin Forestieri of the Mountain View Voice:

“Regional plan aims to ease traffic by boosting housing”

Los Gatos Town Council Approves North 40 Project

Earlier this month, the Town of Los Gatos approved the North 40 development, which will add 320 new homes to the Town’s housing stock, including 50 affordable senior homes — a key win for a Town that has permitted only 26 units since 2014. Read more about the project’s story –  and what lies ahead for Los Gatos – on the SV@Home website.

New Members

Thank you to our newest members: ROEM Development Corporation, Ron Roman, and Pamela Baird!