NEWS
Marina Affordable Housing Panel Gets an Earful
by Roger Templeton
SEPTEMBER 8 – The task force charged by the County Board of Supervisors with the job of developing a policy to bring Los Angeles County into compliance with the State's Mello Act (the State Law that mandates the provision of a portion of 'affordable housing' within a new development plan) heard from Marina del Rey and Venice residents last evening.
Representatives of developers and Marina leaseholders also commented on the policy that will determine the future of affordable housing stemming from new Marina development on land controlled by the County.
"This [policy change] is part of the larger plan for the Marina," Venice Community Coalition activist, David Ewing, told the Task Force, "which includes the freeway extension, widening Admiralty Way, approval of large projects and converting recreation use areas to commercial development."
The County's Task Force's draft policy sets "goals" of 5% 'very low' or 10% 'low income' units to be built and set aside out of any increase in the total number of housing units a new development will build in the Marina.
While the policy contemplates that these affordable units will be on the site of the new development, the Task Force's recommendation provides for the construction of those units at another location if "on-site affordable housing initially appears infeasible."
The plan prioritizes the location of off-site housing to, first, in the one-mile Coastal Zone, and if not there, "within three miles of the Coastal Zone" with priority given to unincorporated areas administered by the County of Los Angels.
The flexibility of locating required affordable housing several miles inland from developer's Marina del Rey new projects drew sharp differences between residents and developers.
"The County needs to create affordable housing in more cost-effective ways," said Estela de Llanos of the Latham & Watkins law firm representing the Villa Venetia Apartments developer, Lyons Venture Capital. "Off-site [affordable units] provides lower land costs. Not in the Coastal Zone."
David Levine of Del Rey Shores apartments emphasized the benefit that market-rate development in the Marina provides to the County:
"Over 50% of rents collected [by the County] go to County health services," he claimed. "That means for every $2.00 of rent lost, you lose $1.00 of subsidies for health services. The social good of affordable housing must be balanced against the social cost to other valued social programs," he cautioned.
Steve Clare of Venice Community Housing Corporation countered, "I am very concerned about the loss of affordable housing in the Coastal Zone."
Clare asserted that the draft policy did not adequately address the problem. "There is a serious shortage of decent housing for very low and low income people, and this plan fails miserably," he said.
Susanne Browne, a lawyer with the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles agreed. She urged that "on-site units [must] comply with the Mello Act, which was designed to mitigate gentrification."
VCC's Clare pointed out that the draft policy does not set hard and fast requirements for developers to provide affordable housing, "only a 'goal,' and that is at the low 5% or 10% level."
The City of Los Angeles provides for 10% very low, or 20% low income housing for Mello Act compliance in the neighboring Venice Coastal Zone.
Residents Seek Diversity
Helen Garrett, a Marina resident and organizer of People Organized for Westside Renewal was joined by Jitaun Valentine of Venice and several other residents in demanding the Task Force recommend the higher City of Los Angeles levels.
"For the County to just do 10% and 5% is just wrong," Valentine told the panel.
Developer's compliance with the policy will be determined on a case-by-case basis for each new housing project, and the developer of a property will be obligated to provide the Mello Act units as affordable housing for 30 years.
Several residents urged the Task Force to lengthen the covenants to provide affordable housing for the full duration of the leaseholder's contract. "Otherwise, in 30 years we're going to have a major loss of affordable housing," Browne said.
The Marina is County property, and developers lease the ground they build on for a period of up to 60 years, according to the draft policy.
The Affordable Housing Task Force meeting was chaired by Santos Kreimann of the County's Chief Administrative Office. The panel is composed of representatives from the Department of Beaches and Harbors, the Community Development Commission, the Department of Regional Planning and the County Counsel's office. They will present their final report and policy recommendations to the Board of Supervisors in October.
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