City accepts $1 million in lieu of affordable housing units
By Nancy Needham nancy@theacorn.com

The Thousand Oaks City Council has settled an affordable housing issue concerning Centex Home's 14-acre housing project in a redevelopment area in Newbury Park near Stagecoach Inn Museum.

The council voted 4-1 Tuesday in favor of the developer's appeal to a recommendation made by the planning commission to require the company to include four very-low-income units in the 82-home project.

Plans involving the development have faced residents' past resistance, but the only issue before the council at its meeting was whether or nothe developer would be required to build four very-low-income units along with other housing the planning commission had already allowed, or if the builder could instead pay $1 million to the city.

The plan includes 13 single family homes and 69 town homes and is situated to the west side of Ventu Park Road at Ramona Drive. The land is a redevelopment area and state law requires some low income housing be provided. Ten affordable units were included in the plan.

The City Council made a recommendation to the planning commission to allow the developer to pay $1 million instead of building the four very-lowincome units, but the commission decided to require the developer to build the units instead of pay the money. Centex brought the issue back to the council on appeal, but the appeal did not affect six moderateincome units which are required and are expected to be built along with the other three-bedroom homes.

The $1 million will be put in a housing trust fund to be included in an agreement to be approved by the redevelopment agency, city senior planner Ed Rinke said.

"That approval should happen fairly quickly and the development will move forward," said Rinke.

"This is good for low-income housing in our community," said Rick Schroeder, executive director of Many Mansions, a nonprofit affordable housing provider for low-income residents that serves Ventura County and surrounding areas.

Schroeder, a past member of a citizens committee on affordable housing, said the $1 million could provide a lot of help to many people who need it in a way that four units could not provide.

"Developers adding units does not really work very well because it is hard to maintain and monitor," said Schroeder.

His citizens committee for affordable housing recommended in 2004-05 that a housing trust fund be established because it could be used in a variety of ways to develop affordable residences, Schroeder said.

Councilmember Claudia Billde la Pea, the one vote of dissent to the appeal, did not feel the outcome was what is needed at this time, she said.

"It is unfortunate a developer was let off the hook with affordable housing requirements," said Bill de la Pea. "We can't wait a few years down the road for affordable housing, we need it now for our work force-our teachers and our nurses."

She said she was shocked to learn that Conejo Valley residents earning $40,000 a year, an amount she said many working citizens earn, can qualify as low-income.