We’re thrilled to report that the City of Santa Clara has just adopted several smart policies to address the city’s severe housing affordability crisis.
On December 5, 2017, Santa Clara City Council supported affordable homes by:
- Establishing an Inclusionary Housing ordinance that ensures at least 15% of homes in new developments will be affordable, a 50% increase from the City’s prior policy.
- Applying this inclusionary policy to both for-sale and rental homes, with a promise to develop alternative compliance options including in-lieu fees.
- Raising additional funds for affordable homes through a Commercial Linkage Fee, generating up to $20 per square foot of new commercial development.
These policies will help foster inclusive communities and allow more people to live close to jobs and transit, rather than face long commutes to the farthest edges of the region. It’s an inspiration for cities throughout the Bay Area at a time when we all need to step up to address our region’s housing affordability crisis.
We worked with many partners over the last year to help make this smart decision happen. Our South Bay Regional Representative Kiyomi Honda Yamamoto served as an appointed member of the City’s Affordable Housing Working Group and collaborated with many thoughtful, passionate community leaders to encourage the city to take action. Many thanks especially to SV@Home, as well as City staff for their leadership.
Let’s keep the momentum going! The City is about to kick off a planning process to envision the future of its portion of the El Camino Real corridor. We hope they take this opportunity to craft a smart plan that provides more opportunities for homes we can all afford near transit and jobs to enliven the corridor and create more sustainable, equitable communities. To get involved, contact Matt Vander Sluis at mvandersluis@greenbelt.org.
Photo: Courtesy of the Yes on A Campaign, 2016
