2007-03-16 THUSSEY - Laserfiche WebLink

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DOMINGO:In this particular issue, how much impact would it be on the developer of these lands all these parcels thatwere rezoned? YUEN:Well, I dont know the exact financial impact. It is an 8-lot subdivision. The basic requirement is that they earn one affordable housing credit for every 5 lots; its a 20-percent requirement. And you can earn a credit in several ways. You can sell lots; it means selling lots at a I think the affordable price is something like 100,000 but you have to earn double credits when you sell a lot rather than sell a house because you are not creating the house. So in a subdivision like this it is financially difficult to sell lots. The alternatives are they can develop housing off-site, they can also buy credits from developers who have produced more affordable housing than they need to produce and have what we call excess credits under the Ordinance. So there is this market mechanism. There are developers who have excess credits in the area. They are allowed to transfer within a 15-mile radius of their site. So those arebasicalternativesavailabletoadeveloper.Thealternativesarethesameforeverydeveloper. DOMINGO:IfImay.Youknowfor-.Icanlookatthisparticularincidence where perhaps it would be subdivided and sold to others, and that those others would probably come in and build homes. And, well, hes doing this for speculative purposes. But in a case where you have a bona fide farmer who has some fairly large parcel and decides to rezone it and subdivide into smaller parcels for farming purposes, and not with the intent of selling and to make a profit on that sale, but for the sake of perpetuating agriculture in the particular area, would that not be a bit too harsh to be demanding of them to come up with further additional cash, so that they can still maintain the farming endeavor in that particular area? YUEN:Well, first question is how do you know what they are going to do. Second is that there is the ability to build a house with the property; its not strictly being subdivided as simply a farming lot, you know, you can put a house on it. So the question is what is a line to be drawn between a subdivision that looks like its primarily agricultural and should not contribute toward affordable housing, and the decision was basically at this sub 5-acre. We could look at a lot of 3-acre subdivisions, and youre going to see particularly the ones done in the last 20 years or so primarily residential uses rather than primarily agricultural uses. And whether you want to measure by the value of the property or the value of the uses being put on it, I stand by the statement. DOMINGO:You know, I can appreciate this condition. And in view of the fact that many Agricultural lands are being developed for the sake of just building homes and not going into agriculture. And this perhaps would curtail some of those applicants and address the concern. But my primary concern is that our ability to maintain those Agricultural lands in agriculture. Thats my concern. I just needed to say that because in the event in the future if anything like this would come up, then I will again bring it up, and that would indicate my concern. Thank you. GRAHAM:Thank you, Commissioner Domingo. Commissioner Siracusa? SIRACUSA:Yes. A question for Jeff. The Change of Zone Ordinance was approved in 1990. Since that time, they have come in three times for extensions: A one-year, a 3EXHIBIT A