Welcome to SV@Home’s Policy Rundown, your need-to-know overview of important housing policy actions and developments from the past two weeks.

On June 3rd, after three hours of deliberations, the Palo Alto City Council voted 6-1 to study the inclusion of 112 units of housing as part of the revamp of the Cubberley Community Center. This study is just the first step in the process of developing a plan for the area. SV@Home joined local housing advocates, led by Palo Alto Forward, to speak in favor of studying up to 164 new homes at the site, including for teachers, school staff, and low-income seniors. Palo Alto Forward continues to gather petition signatures in favor of housing at Cubberley, and the issue is expected to return to the Council’s agenda for an August study session.

Also on June 3^rd, the Palo Alto City Council approved a $10 million loan to Palo Alto Housing to fund predevelopment and construction costs for the 100% affordable Wilton Court housing development at 3705 El Camino Real. In January, the Council unanimously approved the Wilton Court development, which includes 59 new homes, 21 of which are reserved for people with developmental disabilities. SV@Home was proud to strongly advocate for this development throughout its approval process and is excited to see these affordable homes get built.

On June 4^th, by a 7-3 margin, and with one councilmember absent, the San Jose City Council voted to move forward with continuing to explore potential 2020 ballot measures to fund affordable housing and address homelessness. The City will conduct further research and analysis on revenue sources including a real estate transfer tax, a non-residential parcel tax, and a vacancy tax prior to conducting further polling among likely voters. SV@Home will continue to lead the coalition of housing advocates working to secure a ballot measure that will provide much-needed additional funding for affordable housing.

Also on June 4^th, the San Jose City Council received a report on a number of issues related to the Diridon Integrated Station Concept plan (DISC), including proposed station alignments and multi-modal transit improvements. SV@Home was there to urge the Council to ensure that any decisions taken on station alignment and set-up do not reduce the amount of land available for housing or otherwise constrain housing development.