Low-cost housing coalition praises Yorba Linda

A county-wide coalition of residents and community organizations that advocates for low-cost housing for families earning less than $20,000 per year has praised Yorba Linda's latest effort to support affordable homes in the city's most recent state-mandated housing plan.

The city's new “housing element” outlines methods to meet existing and projected housing needs for families in all economic brackets through 2021. The element will become part of the city's soon-to-be-revised General Plan, updating the 1971 original and 1993 revision.

Comment on the housing plan came from the Irvine-based Kennedy Commission, a non-profit that has been checking compliance with the state's low-cost housing mandates in Yorba Linda and the county's other 33 cities since 2001.

The group's recent letter to the city stated: “The commission would like to commend the city for its leadership and commitment in encouraging and facilitating the development of homes affordable to lower income families especially in the city's new multi-family zoning categories.”

The commission noted the city has “one affordable home development in the pipeline” to be completed next year, a 69-unit “sustainable” SAVI Ranch project, which will be “affordable to workforce families” and “create jobs and provide a boost to the local economy.”

As noted in previous columns, “regional housing needs assessment” numbers, as set by the Southern California Association of Governments for 2014-21 in Yorba Linda, are 669 units in all income categories – 160 very low, 113 low, 126 moderate and 270 above moderate.

That contrasts with a total 2,039 units for the 2008-14 period, including 460 very low, 371 low, 412 moderate and 796 above moderate. The city eventually met the “low” requirements after two rezoning measures for 11 parcels received majority votes on the June 2012 ballot.

Assigned numbers are targets, not quotas, so a city isn't penalized if it has identified sufficient sites for low-cost units and doesn't impose constraints to development. With the new, lower numbers, some of the 11 parcels can be developed with both low-cost and market-rate units.

Income categories are based on percentages of an “area median average”: “extremely low” is from $20,250 for one person and from $28,900 for four persons; “very low” from $33,750 and $48,150; “low” from $53,950 and $77,050; and “moderate” from $71,650 and $102,350.

In addition to the recent commendation, the commission has urged the city to “continue its support for the development of affordable homes” and has provided five recommendations that include continuing “the city's partnership with the commission to facilitate the develop-ment of affordable rental homes for lower-income working families in the city.”

Median monthly rent for a two-bedroom apartment in Yorba Linda is $1,700, but affordable rent is $975 for a very-low income household and $1,625 for a low-income household, the commission noted, adding, “The gap between market rent and affordable rent places a sig-nificant economic burden for lower income families who struggle financially to live and work in this city.”

Among 13 major Kennedy Commission sponsors are four bank foundations – Bank of America, Union Bank, Chase and Wells Fargo – and Orange County United Way.