MONTEREY COUNTY — Monterey County is seeking community feedback on a key policy requiring new housing construction to contribute to affordable housing needs in the unincorporated area.
The county is in the process of updating its Inclusionary Housing Ordinance and wants to hear from the public on affordable housing issues, offering two ways for residents to share their views.
One way to provide feedback is taking an online survey with questions about county affordable housing needs. The survey can be found at bit.ly/3trctk6, and will remain open until April 1.
The other way is attending a series of online community listening sessions, the next of which is Wednesday, March 16, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. via Zoom at bit.ly/3pAigTs. Another listening session will be Thursday, March 24, from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. via Zoom at bit.ly/3HGgtlJ. Spanish interpretation is available.
These sessions offer a way for the public to learn more about the magnitude of housing required, an overview of what the Inclusionary Housing Ordinance has achieved and some of the policy choices that the Monterey County Board of Supervisors will be considering when the draft ordinance is presented to them later this year. Residents can ask questions and share their opinions on what the supervisors should consider during these meetings.
The Inclusionary Housing Ordinance is one tool that Monterey County uses to “encourage the construction of affordable housing for low- and moderate-income households,” according to Maia Carroll, the county’s communications coordinator.
In the 42 years since the Board of Supervisors adopted an Inclusionary Housing requirement, the ordinance has created more than 230 owner-occupied units, 78 rental units and a land donation in-lieu that was subsequently developed with 200 affordable senior units.
“In-lieu fees paid by developers instead of constructing on-site units have been used to leverage other affordable housing funds that have allowed affordable housing developers to construct more affordable housing units than required by the Ordinance and directly assisted with the creation and preservation of affordable housing units for people with psychiatric disabilities and shelter beds,” Carroll explained.
For more information, contact Farzad Mashhood, LeSar Development Consultants, at Fa****@Le**************.com or Darby Marshall, County of Monterey, at ma*******@co.us.
