By Khalida Sarwari
A document that addresses the city’s housing needs within the next eight years has been submitted to the state for review.
The Saratoga City Council at its Aug. 20 meeting unanimously approved the 2015-2023 draft housing element, which shows how the city will accommodate 439 affordable housing units assigned by the Association of Bay Area Governments in compliance with the Regional Housing Needs Assessment. The vote authorized city staff to submit the document to the state Department of Housing and Community Development for review.
Though the vote on the motion was unanimous, the document was not approved without criticism from council members.
Saratoga was denied last year its appeal of ABAG’s recommended allocation. City officials had maintained that the allocation was flawed, particularly for small communities, because ABAG failed to take into consideration such factors as Saratoga’s limited employment opportunities and access to transportation in comparison to other municipalities in the county.
“I think given the bad situation that we were dealt, that we tried to get overturned but we were stuck with, I think we did absolutely one of the best housing elements we’ve ever had in the history of the city so I’m very, very happy with that,” said Vice Mayor Howard Miller after expressing his disappointment with state lawmakers and ABAG.
Councilwoman Jill Hunter said that the document is “very readable, very understandable” and applauded the efforts of the planning commission as well as the consultants who assisted with the update of the element. She was joined by Councilman Manny Cappello, who acknowledged them for “putting together a package that isn’t perfect by any means, but I think it’s optimized given the requirements that we had to comply with as well as the constraints that we have within our city.”
One of seven state-mandated elements of the city’s General Plan, the housing element contains policies and programs that encourage housing development for a variety of income levels.
The approved sites were chosen after a series of public meetings earlier this year, during which residents gave opinions regarding locations in the city that could be rezoned to accommodate the 439 units. The city narrowed sites to Prospect Road, the Saratoga Village Center, the Saratoga Gateway and the Fellowship Plaza.
To encourage mixed-use development, the city plans to amend the C-N district standards from a minimum of 20 dwelling units per acre to a minimum of 30 dwelling units per acre and increase the allowable building height from 30 feet to 35 feet and from two to three stories.
State law mandates that all California cities update their housing element plans every eight years. ABAG determines the number of units each city must accommodate using a combination of state law and projected population growth and its plan to have affordable housing near public transit systems.
The state has until Jan. 31, 2015 to approve the housing element.
For more information about Saratoga’s housing element update, visit saratoga.ca.us/cityhall/cd/general_plan_housing_element_update.asp.
Link: Saratoga draft housing element is approved for state to review
