Moorpark City Council to Consider Affordable Housing Options

The City Council will meet Wednesday for a regular meeting. Items listed on the agenda are consideration of Area Agency on Aging Advisory Council appointments, an engineer's report for landscaping and lighting maintenance as well as  a report for parks and recreation maintenance and a report on transit, streets and roads funding. The council will also consider calling for an election giving the city the ability to construct low rent affordable housing.

According to a staff report, the city's projected housing need for the next planning period, if the regional housing needs allocation doesn't change, is 1,164 units, of which 486 units should be affordable by very low and low income households.

With the loss of the redevelopment agency in February, one of the methods left to the city to provide low-income housing is to construct and own rented units; however, to do so requires voter approval according to Article 34 of the California constitution (no vote is needed for low income affordable ownership units, however, according to the staff report).

Without Article 34 authority, the city can only develop affordable housing through development agreements and partnerships so the city staff is reccomending the council consider the authority to provide an additional tool for the city to develop low income housing.