By
Joshua Molina, Mercury News - Posted: 09/23/2008
In
a move that has sparked concern among housing activists, San Jose City
Councilman Pierluigi Oliverio wants to stop the construction of new afforda=
ble
homes unless the developers begin to pay thousands of dollars per unit in p=
ark
fees.
Oliverio=
is
bringing his controversial proposal to the city's Rules and Open Government
Committee today along with a separate idea for the city to ease travel
expenditures in favor of Web-based meetings.
The parks
proposal, he said, is long overdue and comes as a response to a slew of
affordable-housing units built without a neighborhood park.
The city currently requires developers of market-rate units to pay park impact fees = for new home construction that range from $14,000 to more than $38,000 a unit.<= o:p>
But unde=
r a
program introduced in 1989 to encourage construction of below-market rate
units, developers of affordable housing don't have to pay park impact fees.
Requiring the fees might further discourage developers from building afford=
able
housing, advocates say.
"Th=
ere is
a sense of urgency," said Oliverio, who also wants to include projects=
in
the pipeline. "We continue to approve more complexes and units that do=
n't
have open space. Why continue to make the same mistakes?"
The firs=
t-term
councilman said he spoke with housing, redevelopment and parks officials, b=
ut
they were resistant to the proposal. He decided to bring the idea forward
anyway.
"It
is a long time coming," he said. "We should have done it
sooner."
City hou=
sing
director Leslye Krutko said she has no problem talking about updating the c=
ity
policy, but the councilman is going about the idea in the wrong way.
"Wi=
th the
need we have for affordable housing, I think it is a mistake," Krutko
said.
In these
difficult economic times, Krutko said a moratorium could hurt a project's
viability and stall construction jobs.
"It
deserves more time so the council could be educated on the impacts," K=
rutko
said.
A
representative for the Home Builders Association of Northern California, a
non-profit group that represents developers, declined to comment on the
proposal.
At least=
one
council member is expressing opposition publicly.
"The
concern I have, and it is a huge concern, is putting a moratorium on any fu=
ture
projects in the pipeline," Councilwoman Nora Campos said, explaining t=
hat
projects in her district would be hurt.
"In=
order
to address this issue we need to look at the big picture."