The purpose of this article is to implement a general plan policy to establish an incentive system for the local workforce, such as a lottery, as part of the city's buyer selection process for low-moderate and middle income ownership units. The system is intended to provide the highest number of lottery tickets to households with a member of the local workforce.
The city council hereby finds:
(a)
The State of California Government Code Sections 65580 and 65589.5 state the following findings and goals for housing:
(1)
Local governments have a responsibility to use the powers vested in them to provide for the housing needs of all economic segments of the community considering economic, environmental, and fiscal factors and community goals set forth in the general plan. Each locality is best capable of determining what efforts are required by it to contribute to the attainment of the state housing goal.
(2)
California housing has become the most expensive in the nation. Among the consequences are lack of housing to support employment growth, imbalance in jobs and housing, reduced mobility, urban sprawl, excessive commuting, and air quality deterioration.
(b)
The establishment of an incentive system for the local workforce by the City of Davis is consistent with the state legislature's housing goals and intent in that:
(1)
The City of Davis is interested in providing housing which is affordable to its local workforce as well as other underserved households.
(2)
The City of Davis is using its vested powers to provide for the housing needs for all economic segments of the community and the local workforce in particular.
(3)
The City of Davis is attempting to provide housing for the local workforce to support the community's growth in employment, retain a balance of jobs and housing, provide mobility, and preserve air quality. The City of Davis is attempting to avoid urban sprawl and excessive commuting.
(c)
The establishment of an incentive system for the local workforce by the City of Davis is consistent with the city's general plan policies which call for a mix of housing types that meet a variety of needs. These policies include:
(1)
Vision 2. Base residential growth on internal housing needs, primarily the needs of the local workforce.
(2)
Policy Housing 4.2. Provide affordable housing opportunities for the local workforce in the Davis area.
(3)
Policy Housing 4.3. Promote a linkage between new ownership housing and the local workforce.
(4)
Action Housing 4.3a. Implement an incentive system for the local workforce, such as a lottery, as part of the city's buyer selection process for low-moderate income and middle income affordable ownership units. The system shall provide the highest number of lottery tickets to households with a member of the local workforce.
(d)
The Davis housing market is not providing adequate ownership housing opportunities for the city's local workforce. The city's goal is to provide a range of housing for its local workforce and has chosen to take action to ensure that affordable housing is constructed and maintained within the City of Davis. The city council directed staff to research mechanisms for providing such housing.
(e)
The implementation of a incentive system for the local workforce within a lottery does not exclude any household from the affordable ownership opportunities within the City of Davis and allows structural opportunity within the system for the city to compensate for any disparate impacts to protected groups, such as seniors and persons with disabilities.
(f)
The city council finds that the incentive system for the local workforce would not discriminate against protected classes including minorities, persons with disabilities, seniors, and families with children.
The incentive system would not discriminate against racial minorities considering the "planning area" where employees are given a preference in the lottery system. The racial and ethnic make-up of the employees within the "planning area" (including the City of Davis, UC Davis and the parts of unincorporated Yolo County within the "planning area") is similar to that of the employment in the larger Yolo-Sacramento Consolidated Metropolitan Statistical Area (CMSA).
In general, persons with disabilities and seniors tend to have a lower labor force participation rate than the general adult public. Therefore, it is likely that under a local employee incentive system the persons with disabilities and seniors may have proportionately fewer opportunities to obtain housing than the rest of the community's households. This occurrence has been corrected by the inclusion of additional categories for both seniors and persons with disabilities that provide these groups with additional tickets in the lottery, regardless of their participation in the local workforce.
It is difficult to characterize the potential impact of a local employee incentive system on households with children. Households with children, however, are more likely to have a member in the workforce than the public at large, in which case it is unlikely that a local employee incentive system would adversely affect households with children.
(g)
Protected classes would have reasonable opportunities to obtain housing in Davis and not be excluded from housing due to the local employee incentive system. The vast majority of new homes available for sale would not be subject to the local employee incentive system and would be available to any household able to pay purchase price. There are ample opportunities in the resale of existing homes in the community that would not be subject to the local employee incentive system. The incentive system will provide one lottery ticket to interested persons who are not local employees. Rental housing opportunities are not affected by the incentive system.
(h)
The public purposes served by providing housing opportunities for the local workforce include:
(1)
Helping the city, school district, and local hospital to better serve the public with vital services;
(2)
Helping businesses by facilitating greater employee productivity and morale;
(3)
Enhancing recruitment and retention efforts, and increasing service levels;
(4)
Reducing traffic congestion and air pollution by people who otherwise would live outside Davis and commute longer distances to work;
(5)
Improving the quality of life for Davis employees by bringing them closer to their place of work.
(i)
The city council has considered the potential environmental effects from the incentive system for the local workforce to buy housing units produced under the city's inclusionary requirements and finds that the project would not have a significant effect on the environment or a cumulatively considerable environmental effect in that the project. The incentive system would not affect the amounts or allowable densities of residential development in the general plan. The project would have cumulatively beneficial effect by providing housing opportunities for the local workforce. Workforce housing would reduce traffic congestion and air pollution by Davis workers who otherwise would live outside Davis and commute longer distances to work. City council approves Negative Declaration No. 03-05 for this project.
(Ord. 2242 § 1, 2006)