The Morgan Hill City Council unanimously passed the Draft
Housing Element Update, but not until various community members
weighed in on what affordable housing means to them.
The Morgan Hill City Council unanimously passed the Draft Housing Element Update, but not until various community members weighed in on what affordable housing means to them.
The Association of Bay Area Governments expects the city to ready itself for at least 1,312 units being built over the next seven years. And they expect 43 percent of those units to be affordable to low income earners.
But, what the association wants the city to zone for is different from what the city expects to happen.
“It’s apples and oranges,” City Manager Ed Tewes said.
Calming affordable housing critics, city staff pointed out that the city projects building about 170 homes in the low income range, affordable to households that earn between $53,050 and $84,900.
There are two income brackets below this one, very low and extremely low to cover those making $31,850 or less. The city doesn’t expect any new housing allocations to go to developers for homes in either category. However, there are 64 homes allocated already that would service this group.
Staff took efforts Wednesday night to explain that the stigma surrounding affordable housing may be misguided, when considering how much those in such deed-restricted homes makes. A moderate unit in the city’s below market rate program would be sold to a family making between $84,900 and $126,600, for example.
While the Housing Element Update only sets in place policies to assure that housing could be built at all income levels in the city, the passing of it again brought forward the divisive topic of affordable housing and how the city provides such housing.
Glenn Ritter said he lives near four below market rate homes and they’re a blight to his neighborhood. Ritter said the high percentage of affordable homes mandated by the state will force Morgan Hill to recruit people to live in such homes from areas outside Morgan Hill.
“How does this expense of city public funds help our local community?” he asked.
Jan Lindenthal, an affordable housing advocate who served on the task force that worked on the document, questioned Ritter’s notion.
Lindenthal said while people are critical of below market rate homebuyers who are from outside Morgan Hill, but don’t question outsiders who buy market rate homes.
“To me it begs the question … is that just because they make more money? What does that say about what our community values are?” she asked.
Elaine Hays, who has lived with her husband and five children at Jasmine Square Apartments for five years, said renting an affordable unit has given them a better quality of life than they would have had if they rented a three-bedroom home for $2,000.
“Living at Jasmine Square has provided our families some opportunities they would not have been able to have. They participate in ballet, volunteering and aquatic programs in Monterey and my handicapped son can participate in social programs three times a week,” she told the council. Hays said Jasmine Square has formed a tight community that holds each other accountable.
Living in subsidized apartments is “not as bad as what they make it out to be … It’s our home,” she said.
Rosemary Thompson, a Morgan Hill teacher, recently bought a Madrone Plaza below market rate home.
“I’ve heard many comments about how low income is maybe not an element we want to provide for in this community. I will never attain anything higher than low income. I can never move into the moderate income category based on (teachers’ salary scales),” she said. “There shouldn’t be a stereotype.”
The Morgan Hill City Council unanimously passed the Draft Housing Element Update, but not until various community members weighed in on what affordable housing means to them.
