Anaheim Inches Closer to Mandating Affordable Housing

Developers successful Anaheim could soon person to physique affordable homes successful definite residential projects oregon wage a fee as portion of a caller metropolis ordinance that aims to boost the city’s debased income lodging stock.

After implicit an hr of statement astatine their Tuesday meeting, officials voted 5-2 connected a projected instrumentality that would bash conscionable that successful Anaheim – a metropolis wherever autarkic investigators alleged developer favoritism astatine metropolis hallway successful a study published past year.

It comes amid calls connected officials to enforce authorities rent caps and tenant protections successful Anaheim and aft years of advocacy from section activists calling for an affordable lodging ordinance which officials person long resisted.

[Read: Calls For Mandatory Affordable Housing Grow successful Anaheim]

Mayor Ashleigh Aitken, who spearheaded efforts to make a mandate successful Anaheim, said it’s a archetypal measurement to get homes for low-income residents.

“This is simply a fantastic happening that we’re doing for our residents that we perceive from each gathering astir however costly it is,” she said astir lodging successful Anaheim. “This is conscionable 1 much happening that we tin beryllium arrogant of to truly effort to tackle what is an extremely, highly analyzable issue.”

Councilmembers Jose Diaz and Natalie Meeks were the dissenting votes.

Diaz said specified a mandate – often called an inclusionary lodging ordinance – doesn’t code the basal origin of stagnant low-income lodging accumulation and said expanding costs connected developers makes it harder to get operation loans. 

“Taxing the lodging creators is not the mode to nutrient much housing,” Diaz said “This ordinance volition decidedly impact the lodging production.”

Meeks said she couldn’t enactment it due to the fact that it’s “subsidizing affordable lodging connected the backs of different assemblage members.”

“I deliberation we request to fig retired ways to find it that doesn’t load our mediate people that’s trying to determination guardant and wage their bills and enactment hard and present they’re going to subsidize their neighbor. I conscionable dont deliberation that’s fair,” Meeks said.

Anaheim Councilmember Natalie Meeks connected April 16, 2024. Credit: ERIKA TAYLOR, Voice of OC

Councilman Stephen Faessel said this is the closest specified a mandate has ever travel successful Anaheim.

“Tonight we brought it implicit the extremity line,” said Faessel, noting it could get changed earlier officially becoming metropolis law. “I anticipation we don’t prime this isolated by the clip the 2nd speechmaking comes, but I deliberation this is thing we tin unrecorded with.”

Tuesday’s gathering comes aft a series of caller nationalist discussions connected affordable lodging improvement policies arsenic officials look astatine ways to spur the accumulation of debased income homes successful Anaheim – thing that has proven to beryllium a situation successful OC’s largest city.

According to a state database, 92% of the implicit 5,000 homes built successful Anaheim betwixt 2018-2023 were for supra mean income families portion astir 6% were for debased and precise debased income families.

The median income for a four-person household successful Orange County is $128,000, astir $13,000 much than what is considered debased income, according to the state’s Department of Housing and Community Development. 

A four-person household that’s making little than $72,000 a twelvemonth is considered precise debased income.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Anaheim’s median household income is conscionable nether $85,000. 

Meanwhile, implicit 30,000 Anaheim households are presently waiting for Section 8 lodging vouchers, with much than 4,000 further households waiting for affordable lodging options, according to a staff report.

Anaheim’s Proposed Inclusionary Housing Ordinance

The ordinance volition necessitate 10% of rental residential projects with 35 homes oregon much to beryllium lodging for debased and precise debased income families oregon necessitate the developer to alternatively wage the metropolis $10 per quadrate ft of the project.

The wealth collected would beryllium restricted to beryllium utilized solely for gathering affordable homes astatine the petition of Councilwoman Natalie Rubalcava.

It volition not use to for merchantability residential projects aft pushback from Councilmembers Norma Kurtz, Rubalcava and Faessel.

The ordinance inactive needs a 2nd ballot by metropolis officials and would instrumentality 30 days aft that to instrumentality effect.

Activists & Real Estate Interests Weigh In

Audience speakers travel guardant during the assembly gathering astatine Anaheim City Hall connected April 16, 2024. Credit: GIL BOTHWELL, Voice of OC.

Leaders with groups similar Chispa, the Kennedy Commission, the Orange County Communities Organized for Responsible Development (OCCORD) and immoderate residents spoke retired successful enactment of an inclusionary lodging ordinance, pushing for stronger affordable mandates successful Anaheim than primitively proposed.

Marisol Ramirez, interim co-executive manager with OCCORD, said the ordinance was agelong overdue, arguing that a batch of moving people families are surviving successful overcrowded azygous household homes and struggling to parkland successful their neighborhoods.

“This ordinance is simply a important measurement toward addressing the multifaceted situation we look successful the city, and we indispensable guarantee it’s robust capable to marque a existent difference. We cognize that this won’t wholly lick and resoluteness our lodging situation but it is simply a starting point,” she said astatine Tuesday’s meeting.

Adam Wood, vice president of the Building Industry Association of Southern California OC chapter, said astatine Tuesday’s gathering inclusionary lodging ordinances termination much lodging than it creates.

“I’d accidental inclusionary is astir apt the worst approach. It puts the load and outgo close backmost connected others,” Wood said.

“Essentially what we’re doing is creating a lottery system. There’s going to beryllium a fewer fortunate winners who are going to get immoderate of these heavy subsidized lodging units that are created but the bulk of radical are going to extremity up paying much for it.”

Carolina Mendez, a nonmigratory and section activist, said developers won’t permission due to the fact that of the Disneyland Resort. 

“Some of you person argued that someway this argumentation is going to thrust developers away. Let’s beryllium honest, we’re location to Disneyland, a satellite people normal halfway and a booming tourism industry. Developers aren’t going to battalion up successful droves due to the fact that we asked them to lend to affordable lodging and to look retired for their neighbors,” Mendez told assembly members.

Rubalcava argued those attractions don’t needfully support developers successful the city. 

“We privation to marque definite Anaheim remains competitive. And I cognize we get a batch of radical who get up and accidental ‘Well of people Anaheim’s going to stay competitory due to the fact that we person Disneyland and each these things.’ That’s not needfully true. We privation to marque definite we’re not creating a metropolis wherever radical don’t privation to develop.”

Editor’s note: Ashleigh Aitken’s father, Wylie Aitken, chairs Voice of OC’s committee of directors.

Hosam Elattar is simply a Voice of OC newsman and corps subordinate with Report for America, a GroundTruth initiative. Contact him astatine [email protected] oregon connected Twitter @ElattarHosam.

Gigi Gradillas is simply a Voice of OC Tracy Wood Reporting Fellow. Contact her astatine [email protected] oregon connected Twitter @gigigradillas.

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