pages: CityCouncil/2021-07-06.pdf, 41
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CityCouncil | 2021-07-06 | 41 | in providing housing units which are affordable by design; expressed concern for the price of housing at Alameda Point; she does not think the pricing supports the majority of Alamedans; many people cannot write a check for one million dollars; most of the housing at Alameda Point is worth over one million dollars; Council needs to come up with a way to build housing so people can buy property and not have to pay rent for life; the problem is serious; questioned how small a unit has to be in order to bring the price point lower; outlined the pricing for smaller homes; there is a problem with smaller units having a high price tag; the City must work with a developer that can build housing to buy for a price which is significantly under one million dollars; the City is performing gentrification; outlined turn of the century housing prices; stated that she is a long-term renter in Alameda and she cannot pay one million dollars for a home; she is interested in looking at different densities; the densities must be reflected in the price point to purchase; expressed support for being flexible; stated that she would like to strike the reference to Encinal Terminals from the document; she has yet to put her name on the project and she might not do so; she is still negotiating the project and including Encinal Terminals is not appropriate; a plan has been approved without the swap; outlined project viability and costs per unit; she does not know how much revenue developers actually make on projects; a plan has been approved for Encinal Terminals, should the developer want a swap, negotiations will need to occur; any reference to Encinal Terminals in the resolution document alludes to an already Council-approved project swap. Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft stated there is a difference between properties which require four- affirmative Council votes and properties which require three-affirmative Council votes to approve; should the City be told by the State to build housing units at either 2,650 or 5,300, the units must be placed somewhere; the City will look elsewhere if it is not able to use the Encinal Terminals site,; the question to Council is whether or not to approve vacant City-owned land. Councilmember Knox White stated that he has not heard a broad commitment for what a multi-family overlay will look like; he understands flexibility is needed; expressed concern for moving forward with a flexible multi-family overlay; he wants to be clear in his agreement with housing comments provided by Councilmember Herrera Spencer however, the housing policies being pushed including the approval to file an appeal, are the reason why housing costs are so high; the Housing Authority is spending one million dollars per unit to build housing units; 200-square foot homes can be built in Alameda however, they will not sell for $400,000; smaller units will still be extremely expensive; new houses are never cheap; Alameda is not building new houses so the costs cannot filter down the housing costs as traditionally done; the City will continue to ensure the high cost of housing should units not be built; he is lucky to own his home in Alameda and could not afford to live in Alameda in today's rates; his goal is to try to stop the problem occurring to allow others the privilege of living in Alameda; he would like to know there is more; the voters have clearly stated the want for housing to be limited to the greatest extent possible in Alameda; voters want Council to honor the Charter; noted that he is in a difficult place should he vote to violate the Charter and ignore the community which voted; he will be honoring the voters which may cause the City to be Regular Meeting Alameda City Council 18 July 6, 2021 | CityCouncil/2021-07-06.pdf |