Step Up’s proposal drew new attention
CITYWIDE — It’s already been on the books for the last four years, but the thought of making permanent an exemption for affordable housing projects has drawn criticism from residents and at least one city commissioner.
The exemption, which will expire in March 2007, allows for builders of affordable housing projects with 50 units or less to skip the planning commission and go straight to the architectural review board, expediting the approval process.
City officials and developers of affordable housing credit the exemption — approved in November 2002, and extended in May of 2005 — with increasing the stock of units for moderate-and low-income residents who cannot afford the rapidly rising rents and real estate prices common in Santa Monica.
However, others have expressed concern about the exemption because it limits the opportunities for public input.
With a 5-1 vote, the planning commission recently voted to debate the extension at its regularly scheduled meeting in December. Following the commission’s public hearing, the council will discuss whether or not to make the law permanent.
“I think the idea should be dropped. It’s wrong for the community,” said Jay Johnson, a planning commissioner opposed to the extension. “We are all in favor of affordable housing, but people in the community have a right to be involved in the process. It’s just a simple issue of putting light on the process so everyone knows what’s going on.”
The little-known exemption has been thrust into the spotlight following a proposal by mental health provider Step Up on Second to purchase a triplex near John Adams Middle School in Sunset Park. The triplex was to serve as a halfway house for young adults suffering from the initial stages of mental illness.
The plan fell apart after the city refused to grant a $400,000 loan to the non-profit because the transitional housing program did not meet City Hall’s funding guidelines.
Zina Josephs, the president of the neighborhood group Friends of Sunset Park, which fought the Step Up project, said she was not comfortable with the exemption because it would give city staff too much authority.
“Speaking only for myself, it seems ridiculous that someone planning to put a bed and breakfast next to my home would be required to have a conditional use permit, with a public hearing and city notification of nearby neighbors,” Josephs said, “but someone planning to put a 50-unit affordable housing project next to my home would not be required to do so.”
Andy Agle, assistant director of planning and community development, said the exemption does not allow a developer to break the rules, but rather forces them to comply with current zoning codes, which have been developed to protect the character of a neighborhood.
Agle also said the planning commission has discretionary review duties if the architectural review board’s decision is appealed by the developer.
“There are tight time frames for the allocation of funding for affordable housing projects and this (exemption) was to be sure we could be as responsive as possible.” Agle said.
Under Proposition R, passed by voters in 1990, 30 percent of all new multi-family units constructed in the city each year must be affordable. The city has managed to exceed that figure for most of the last 10 years because of laws such as the exemption, city staff said.
Planning Commission Chair Gwynne Pugh, an architect who designs affordable housing projects, supports the exemption because it allows projects to move through the system quickly. If not, funding could be jeopardized. Pugh also said projects that are allowed to utilize the exemption are “very compliant.”
Joan Ling, executive director of the Santa Monica Community Corp. — the largest developer of affordable housing in the area — said residents need not worry about the exemption because most projects being built require funding from City Hall, which always mandates extensive community outreach.
“There is always consulting up front,” Ling said. “Funding is very fragile and this (exemption) has helped us a lot in getting projects completed.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on November 15, 2006. Read the original PDF.