Paving the Way for More Affordable Housing
The “860 on the Wye” project was built in the city of San Luis Obispo by the Housing Authority of San Luis Obispo County. The County provided $20,238 (collected from County fees) and $1.16 million of Federal funds for the project.
In 2017, the County of San Luis Obispo helped create more affordable housing in a variety of ways.
While the County itself does not build housing, it can create laws, adjust and waive building fees, and distribute funding to local housing projects to help address the housing needs of its residents. Because of this work in 2017, more than 40 affordable housing units were constructed throughout SLO County. This includes 20 units in the City of San Luis Obispo and 12 units in the City of Atascadero.
And the County is just getting started. An estimated 80 new affordable housing units are expected to be built in 2018, pending federal government funding.
Experts estimate that the State of California needs to build approximately 1 million houses in the next 10 years to keep up with the need for affordable housing. Within that same time, about 2,000 housing units will need to be built in SLO to meet workforce needs.
At the state level, Governor Jerry Brown also signed 15 laws into effect in October 2017 intended to make it easier for property owners to build affordable housing throughout the state. These laws address everything from reducing construction fees to penalties for jurisdictions that don’t build affordable housing and setting aside a billion dollars for veterans housing (dependent on voter approval).
But the County also took steps to encourage the development of more affordable housing here.
What is Affordable Housing?
The term “affordable housing” refers to housing that can be rented or bought while keeping household costs within certain limits. Housing is generally considered affordable if total housing costs do not exceed 30 percent (30%) of household income. People who typically use affordable housing have very low income, low income, or moderate income levels. However, the County also has two other income categories for affordable housing: “extremely low income”, which are households earning less than 30% of the median income; and “workforce”, which are workers earning up to 160 percent (160%) of median income.
The number of affordable housing units constructed each year in SLO County varies based on several factors, including land costs, permitting constraints, tax credit availability, neighborhood compatibility, and politics.
Funding Affordable Housing Projects in SLO County
Every year, the County distributes an average of $2 million in Federal funding to local affordable housing projects and coordinates with six of the seven local cities to pave the way for more affordable housing projects within city limits. (The City of Grover Beach pursues its own avenues of funding.) The County also collects fees from housing developers who choose to build homes that aren’t considered affordable housing. The collected fees, called “inclusionary housing fees”, then help pay for affordable housing projects throughout SLO County.
One such project in 2017 was the “860 on the Wye” project (pictured above). This project was built in the city of San Luis Obispo by the Housing Authority of San Luis Obispo County. The County government provided $20,238 from the collected inclusionary housing fees and $1.16 million of Federal funds to the project. This new housing community includes 20 units, 10 of which are dedicated to housing homeless veterans.
While the County itself does not build housing, it can create laws, adjust and waive building fees, and distribute funding to local housing projects to help address the housing needs of its residents. Because of this work in 2017, more than 40 affordable housing units were constructed throughout SLO County. This includes 20 units in the City of San Luis Obispo and 12 units in the City of Atascadero.
And the County is just getting started. An estimated 80 new affordable housing units are expected to be built in 2018, pending federal government funding.
Experts estimate that the State of California needs to build approximately 1 million houses in the next 10 years to keep up with the need for affordable housing. Within that same time, about 2,000 housing units will need to be built in SLO to meet workforce needs.
At the state level, Governor Jerry Brown also signed 15 laws into effect in October 2017 intended to make it easier for property owners to build affordable housing throughout the state. These laws address everything from reducing construction fees to penalties for jurisdictions that don’t build affordable housing and setting aside a billion dollars for veterans housing (dependent on voter approval).
But the County also took steps to encourage the development of more affordable housing here.
What is Affordable Housing?
The term “affordable housing” refers to housing that can be rented or bought while keeping household costs within certain limits. Housing is generally considered affordable if total housing costs do not exceed 30 percent (30%) of household income. People who typically use affordable housing have very low income, low income, or moderate income levels. However, the County also has two other income categories for affordable housing: “extremely low income”, which are households earning less than 30% of the median income; and “workforce”, which are workers earning up to 160 percent (160%) of median income.
The number of affordable housing units constructed each year in SLO County varies based on several factors, including land costs, permitting constraints, tax credit availability, neighborhood compatibility, and politics.
Funding Affordable Housing Projects in SLO County
Every year, the County distributes an average of $2 million in Federal funding to local affordable housing projects and coordinates with six of the seven local cities to pave the way for more affordable housing projects within city limits. (The City of Grover Beach pursues its own avenues of funding.) The County also collects fees from housing developers who choose to build homes that aren’t considered affordable housing. The collected fees, called “inclusionary housing fees”, then help pay for affordable housing projects throughout SLO County.
One such project in 2017 was the “860 on the Wye” project (pictured above). This project was built in the city of San Luis Obispo by the Housing Authority of San Luis Obispo County. The County government provided $20,238 from the collected inclusionary housing fees and $1.16 million of Federal funds to the project. This new housing community includes 20 units, 10 of which are dedicated to housing homeless veterans.