Council Study Session

MINUTES CITY COUNCIL STUDY SESSION CITY OF MONTEREY Wednesday, March 27, 2019 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. FEW MEMORIAL HALL OF RECORDS, 580 PACIFIC STREET MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA Councilmembers Present: Councilmembers Albert, Haffa, Williamson, Roberson Absent: Councilmember Smith City Staff City Manager, Interim Assistant City Manager, City Attorney, Police Chief, Present: Acting City Clerk, Community Development Director, Housing and Community Development Manager, Parks Operations Manager, Housing Analyst CALL TO ORDER Mayor Roberson called the meeting to order at 4:01 p.m. PUBLIC COMMENTS Mayor Roberson opened the floor for public comments on non-agendized matters. Demetrius Kastros gave an update about the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) and urged interested residents to volunteer. City Manager Uslar said that CERT is a worthy cause for which the City is working to provide increased funding. Esther Malkin praised the CERT program and urged the City to increase its funding. With no further requests to speak, Mayor Roberson closed public comments. STUDY SESSION 1. Receive Report and Presentation on Affordable Housing Issues and Policies (Not a Project Under CEQA per Article 20, Section 15378 and Under General Rule Article 5, Section 15061) (Public Works - 207-03) Action: Received report and public comments Mayor Roberson briefly provided historical context on the subject of affordable housing. City Manager Uslar gave a presentation setting the stage for the discussion on housing. Housing and Community Development Manager Caraker presented the staff report and answered Councilmembers’ questions. On question, she said that there are currently no inclusionary restrictions on buildings with one to four units, and explained that area guidelines and design plans define different levels of compatibility and architectural review. She said that staff is working on an updated inventory of City-owned properties, which will include date of expiration of inclusionary requirements in order to make sure properties remain affordable in perpetuity. She said that required affidavits certify that homeowners still live in deed-restricted properties. She provided a number of examples of local employers’ recent workforce housing efforts. The Council shared thoughts about and personal familiarity with the housing crisis, and asked the public to be mindful of community members’ experiences and share ideas for solutions. It was stated that the City could celebrate its successes, such as the inclusionary housing ordinance, the Van Buren senior housing project, the Monterey Hotel Apartments, allocations of water to incentivize affordable housing, and homelessness initiatives. It was stressed that more needs to be done to meet or exceed the goal of 650 housing units by 2023, and to find solutions to help renters with affordability and help families stay in their community. It was City Council Minutes Wednesday, March 27, 2019 stated that it would be good to add water allocation data to the inventory of City-owned properties. It was observed that creating public/private partnerships, and encouraging room rental and home sharing programs, could help to increase affordable housing opportunities. Mayor Roberson opened the floor for public comments. Cynthia Tiberend; Jorie; Rhonda, Seaside resident; Sonia Villalobos, Monterey County resident; and Jessica Maldonado, Housing Choices; and Karen O’Neal spoke about the scarcity of affordable local housing and the difficulty of receiving adequate help from resources which were described as limited and insufficient, including 211, Salvation Army, Section 8, and the City’s and County’s affordable housing referral lists. Suggestions were made for the City to talk to landlords to prevent people from evicted, limit rent increases to 3%, and allow RVs for housing. Julie Engall, Monterey resident, said that the ratio of 80% market rate/20% affordable housing should be flipped, which was echoed by Jean Rasch, Monterey resident, and Esther Malkin. Suggestions were made for the City to start the inclusionary requirement at four or five units, buy hotels and turn them into housing with social services, change ordinances to require inclusionary units in high density residential areas such as the Park Lane, encourage appropriate growth with quality of life in mind, limit rent increases to the Consumer Price Index (CPI), streamline processes for adding accessory dwelling units (ADUs), and lead the charge for a regional approach to housing issues. Laurie Hambaro said that legal short-term housing takes housing off the market, and suggested the City help people financially with burdensome rental deposits. Timothy Barrett suggested that the City encourage economic development and infill housing, make it easier to process ADUs, and work together with other jurisdictions to standardize impact fees in order to encourage desirable projects. An unidentified woman asked the City to schedule meetings about housing when working people can attend, and asked if Council has plans to address rent increases. Gabe, student at the Middlebury Institute, said that water allocation and consumption standards should be reassessed, and wondered if the City could subsidize appliances and building. Kevin Dayton, Monterey Peninsula Chamber of Commerce and Monterey renter, and Luis Osorio, Monterey resident, cited groups of residents with political power. It was urged that the Council should do the right thing, even if it means risking recall, and allocate land, build infrastructure, partner with developers, and break down barriers to solve problems regionally. Matt Huerta, Ashley Gauer, and Rafael Hernandez, Monterey Bay Economic Partnership (MBEP), suggested that the City work with MBEP on suggested policy changes, such as changing impact fees to per-square-foot instead of per-unit; lowering fees including the park fee; implementing impact fee deferral and comprehensive ADU policy programs. It was stated that the County is looking at a shared house program, and that MBEP supports development projects like those on Garden Road and Fremont Boulevard with water already allocated. Britt Bassoni, Covia, and Home Coalition, expressed support for MBEP’s recommendations, and advocated for solutions such as tiny homes and shared housing programs like Covia’s Home Match. Dan Silverie, Silverie Partners, shared that his Franklin Street project received approval for a grey water system that should increase the project’s scope to 20 units, and said that he has proposed building approximately 50 units of 100% affordable housing at the Calle Principal parking garage. He cited available State funds for affordable housing, which he said are going fast, and said he should be able to get the tax credits to complete the Calle Principal project if the City grants the property and helps with water. 2 City Council Minutes Wednesday, March 27, 2019 Bill McCrone, Monterey resident, cited pending legislation that he said would automatically change zoning within range of major transit centers, and AB1598’s provision to allow local affordable housing authorities to issue bonds, and urged the City to rezone for greater density and create a plan to let private developers buy land and put up apartment complexes. Mike Brassfield said that NIMBY (“not in my backyard”) is the “pink elephant in the room,” and that the State does not address the repercussions of their proposals, stating that density creates social pressures and infrastructure and requires increased recreational opportunities. An unidentified woman described her difficulty finding a safe place to stay when domestic violence shelters in Monterey County are few and unavailable, and stressed that people in all walks of life have the basic human need for shelter and care. Lisa Griffin Burns called attention to Pivot Learning’s “Crisis on the Coast” publication about Monterey County’s homeless youth, and said that Councilmembers need to find the personal, emotional motivation to work collectively toward progress. With no further requests to speak, Mayor Roberson closed public comments. The Council thanked the speakers for their thoughts and participation in the conversation. It was suggested that the City rejoin as an MBEP member. Councilmembers commented that more time would be needed to follow up, and topics suggested for further discussion included: closely evaluating MBEP’s recommendations to see what can be achieved short- and long- term; looking at how to make it easier for developers to produce more affordable housing; tenant protections and what they could entail, including potentially mandated mediation when tenants have certain concerns; ways that the City could be creative and/or take leadership toward securing an additional water supply; ways that the City could incentivize a non-profit to organize a shared housing program; finding money in the budget to augment Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding in order to purchase more affordable housing; adopting a resolution in favor of any new water source; and discussing and envisioning what neighborhoods should look like with regard to density. ADJOURNMENT The Council adjourned at 6:46 p.m. Respectfully Submitted, Approved, Clementine Bonner Klein Clyde Roberson Acting City Clerk Mayor 3