HomeMy WebLinkAbout9/19/2017 Item 15, Rioux
Christian, Kevin
From:Jerry Rioux <jerry@slochtf.org>
Sent:Monday,
To:E-mail Council Website
Subject:Comments for 9/19/17 Council meeting
Attachments:Avila Ranch CC letter 17-09-19.pdf
Attached are my comments for on the Avila Ranch project, item 15 on your September 19, 2017
Agenda.
Jerry
Gerald L. "Jerry" Rioux, Executive Director
San Luis Obispo County Housing Trust Fund
71 Zaca Lane, Suite 130, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
phone: (805) 543-5970; e-mail: jerry@slochtf.org; website: www.slochtf.org
1
71 Zaca Lane, Suite 130, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401 (805) 543-5970 www.slochtf.org
September 18, 2017
Delivered via email to emailcouncil@slocity.org
City Council
City of San Luis Obispo
990 Palm Street
San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
Re: Support for Avila Ranch – Item #15 on your September 19, 2017 Agenda
Dear Mayor Harmon, Members of the City Council and Staff:
I am excited to write today to wholeheartedly support the approval of the Avila Ranch project. I
encourage you to unanimously approve Avila Ranch because it complies with all requirements
and offers a wide variety of benefits to the City of San Luis Obispo and our community as a
whole.
While I have always liked the Avila Ranch project, I raised concerns to the Planning Commis-
sion that the project failed to meet the land dedication requirements of the City’s Inclusionary
Housing Ordinance. By just offering to dedicate the minimum amount of land for 24 units of
low income housing, $1 million in development costs would be passed on to the ultimate
developer of the affordable units.
I then met with the developer – Andy Mangano. He told me that he was in negotiations with an
affordable housing developer over the terms for the land dedication. He also assured me that he
would develop the affordable units if an affordable housing developer was unable to. This
condition was subsequently added to the development agreement for the project. My concerns
have been satisfied by the developer’s commitment and the language in the development
agreement. I now support the Avila Ranch project without reservation.
As I mentioned in my first paragraph, Avila Ranch offers many benefits to the City of San Luis
Obispo and our community. The first of this is providing 720 new housing units that are sorely
needed in our community. Instead of providing only large single family homes, Avila Ranch
will include a variety of housing types and sizes, including small detached homes, town homes
and apartments. This unit mix ensures that the project will serve a broader range of our commu-
nity than do typical residential developments. The developer is also committed to meeting local
housing needs by giving a first priority to local employees and instituting a five year owner
occupancy requirement.
I especially applaud the developer for his innovative workforce housing program. Under this
totally voluntary program, he will offer 25 detached single family homes at prices that are
San Luis Obispo City Council
September 18, 2017
Page 2 of 2
$100,000 to $150,000 below market values. He will also provide a $500,000 down payment
assistance fund to assist individual home buyers. This program meets a real local need and far
exceeds the requirements of the City’s inclusionary housing program.
Avila Ranch will also help fund critical gaps in our local infrastructure including improvements
to roads and intersections, bike paths and parkland. Connecting Buckley Road to Higuera has
long been needed and will now be possible thanks to Avila Ranch. Traffic congestion through-
out much of the city will be relieved because the project will contribute funds for various other
infrastructure improvements.
Avila Ranch will also help meet the GHG goals of the City’s Climate Action Plan. Commuter
traffic from the tens of thousands of people who work in San Luis Obispo but cannot live in the
City is probably the largest single source of GHGs in the county. Avila Ranch will take more r
than 1,000 commuters off the highways each and every morning and evening by improving the
City’s jobs-housing mismatch. Fewer commuters means less GHGs.
Once again, please vote to approve Avila Ranch for these and other reasons.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Gerald L. Rioux
Executive Director