Costa Mesa leaders are considering requiring new housing developments to include affordable units or at least help the city fund future projects.
The city’s planning commissioners have been reviewing the final recommendations pulled together by the city’s staff and consultants. This week, they sent them along to the City Council, though their endorsement was less than full-throated support.
The idea of creating an “inclusionary housing ordinance” that sets affordable housing requirements was baked into the city’s latest housing element, which is a planning document required by the state, and is supported by state housing officials, City Hall staffers said.
The affordable housing requirements are proposed for specific corridors in the city, mainly commercial and industrial areas where housing may be introduced in the future – mostly along the north side of the 405 and sections of Harbor Boulevard, Newport Beach Boulevard, Bristol Street and 19th Street.
In those corridors are locations city officials have already identified as good options for housing to help the city meet needs and where they are creating the allowed density and incentives to encourage housing developments, Nancy Huynh, a principal planner with the city’s economic development office, said.
Commissioner Angely Andrade Vallarta raised concerns that it could seem like the city is “red-lining districts” by just requiring affordable housing in future projects in the corridor areas, “like we are pushing people out to the edges.” She said it would be “great to see some incentive” to include affordable housing in residential areas.
“The intention here is never to limit affordable housing; you can have affordable housing anywhere that is zoned for residential development,” said Economic and Development Services Director Jennifer Le, adding there are other state incentives for encouraging development in residential areas.
“The idea here is to rezone property at a…
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