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MAYOR’S TASK FORCE ON AFFORDALE AND WORKFORCE HOUSING RECOMMENDATIONS
recommended action
RECOMMENDATION
Receive presentation from the Mayor’s Task Force on Affordable and Workforce Housing and provide guidance regarding the recommendations adopted by the Task Force.
It is also recommended that the Mayor’s Task Force be reconstituted to further focus on preservation, placement, and protections relating to housing affordability for Stockton residents and provide a report back to the City Council on these topics by the end of the calendar year.
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Summary
On February 26, 2018, the City Council approved the formation of a Mayor’s Task Force on Affordable and Workforce Housing to advise the Council on how to best address the housing crisis in Stockton. The Task Force and its four sub-committees - Land Use, Finance, Construction, Permitting and Fees - met throughout the course of 2018 to craft recommendations that would encourage the development of housing that is accessible to Stockton residents. Council is asked to receive the presentation and to provide guidance to the City Manager regarding the recommendation adopted by the Task Force.
DISCUSSION
Background
In 2017, Stockton had some of the fastest rising rents in the nation, with rental costs increasing over 10 percent from 2016. Additionally, from 2012 to 2017, Stockton home prices increased 92%. Moreover, a 2017 biannual census showed that the number of unsheltered homeless residents in San Joaquin County continued to increase, with a majority (55%) of those unsheltered living in Stockton.
Given this growing crisis, the Council named housing and homelessness a Tier 1 priority at its January 29, 2018 City Council Priority Setting meeting. In response and to advise the Council on how to focus on this priority, the Council approved the formation of a Mayor’s Task Force on Affordable and Workforce Housing at the February 6, 2018 City Council meeting.
The Task Force was comprised of business leaders, for profit and nonprofit housing developers, local officials, and partner organizations. Carol Ornelas, Executive Director of Visionary Home Builders, chaired the Task Force and appointed sub-committee chairs to the following sub-committees: Land Use; Finance; Construction; and Permitting and Fees.
The Task Force adopted a final slate of recommendations at its November 7, 2018 meeting (Attachment A). These recommendations focused particularly on housing production challenges and opportunities. The Task Force concluded that additional topics around housing affordability, including preservation, placement, and protections, be further studied by this Task Force, though with a different composition that can speak to those issues more closely.
Present Situation
At the Council Retreat on January 31, 2019, the Council again set housing and homelessness as its top Tier 1 priority goal: “Develop solutions to address homelessness including increasing the affordable housing supply.”
The Task Force recommendations developed in 2018 will be presented to the Council to elicit staff direction.
The Task Force is currently accepting applications and will be reconstituted to next focus on preservation, placement, and protections relating to housing affordability for Stockton residents.
FINANCIAL SUMMARY
There is no cost associated with receiving the presentation and providing guidance to the City Manager regarding the Task Force recommendations.
Staff have not completed cost estimates for the recommended actions, but it should be noted that the recommended staffing, procedural improvements, development code changes, financing restrictions and modification would affect resources. Depending on Council’s interest, more analysis would be necessary to determine the financial impact of the recommendations.
Attachment A - Housing Task Force Recommendations