July 26, 2005
Butch Lindley, Chair
Members of the Monterey County Board of Supervisors
168 West Alisal Street, 1st Floor
Salinas, CA 93901
Re: East Garrison Development Project
Dear Mr. Lindley and Board Members:
Before you proceed with final action on the various findings, conditions and resolutions needed to approve the East Garrison Project, we urge you to ask the applicants to submit more specific information regarding the affordable housing, particularly the required 20% (280) low and moderate-income housing units.
County policy is that inclusionary units should be scattered throughout a project which also contains market-rate homes, though clustering may be permitted. Neither the East Garrison Specific Plan or recent staff report indicates how the units will be distributed among the three neighborhoods or Phases. There is only a reference to "65 deed-restricted inclusionary residences. . .designed as live/work lofts" in the Arts District.
The Developer's Housing Agreement with the County should explain:
- How many of each type of unit, i.e., single-family detached homes, townhouses, condominiums, and apartments, will be deed-restricted and dedicated to the County's Inclusionary Housing Program;
- How scattering of the affordable units will be achieved;
- How many are planned to be ownership homes, and how many will be rental units.
The developers should be required to prepare a Management and Marketing Plan covering both the 20% inclusionary and the Workforce II units. The type of units, method of sale, and restrictions on resale for the Workforce category should be clearly explained.
The potential for 70 accessory units on designated larger lots (5000+ sq. ft.) in some sections also should be clarified. It appears that homeowners of these parcels would simply be permitted to build a small second unit (or transfer the right to a similar lot) in the future, "water permitting." How will the County deal with individual applications to build such units? Will a separate water allocation be required?
We support the land use concepts involved in this project which allow medium and high density in order to make a more compact community, and to reduce costs of development. It should also result in lower costs to the residents. The term "affordable by design" is used frequently in the Specific Plan for the East Garrison project, and it implies that it will in fact create lower-priced housing than is now on the market for County residents and workers. Buyers will have to have sufficient income to cover not only loan payments and taxes, but the special assessments of the Community Service District and homeowners' association fees. This should be considered particularly in setting prices for the inclusionary homes.
With a total of 1,400 housing units to be built eventually, it is reasonable to expect that the developers could produce more than the minimum 20% low and moderate income units, plus 140 at the Workforce II level. We are frankly disappointed that there has been little discussion of this possibility, given the amount of public testimony and cost analyses presented to your Board and to FORA.
We will appreciate your considering these recommendations.
Sincerely,
Marilyn Maxner, President
