A city (or county) is not an accident but the result of coherent visions and aims

C H A P T E R   4 :   R E Q U I R E D   E L E M E N T S
   |   103
4
maintenance activity such as code enforcement in deteriorating buildings or in response to complaints and improvements to 
the housing stock such as weatherization programs which help reduce housing costs or other actions, policies or programs to 
conserve the affordability of housing such as a mobile home park preservation ordinance.
The housing element can be a tool to identify and address displacement issues by including policies and programs to replace lost 
affordable housing, conserve existing housing, encourage new opportunities, provide rental subsidies to existing families, and 
increase the competitiveness of affordable housing development through removal of governmental barriers, assisting with land 
assemblage, developing a land banking program, or requiring a set-aide for below market rate units. 
Promote Housing Opportunities for All Persons: 
Since State and federal laws uniformly outlaw most kinds of housing 
discrimination, the local government’s role is to identify program strategies that support and implement these laws and 
affirmatively further fair housing opportunities for all persons. Such strategies may include consultation with fair housing and 
counseling organizations in the community to document the incidence of housing discrimination, evaluation of the availability 
of services and identification of opportunities to promote housing and community development choices throughout the 
community. At minimum, a local equal housing opportunity program must provide a means for the resolution of local housing 
discrimination complaints and commitment to disseminate fair housing information and information about housing resources 
throughout the community. 
Preservation of Units At-risk of Converting to Market Rate Uses:
 The nature of conversion risk varies significantly among 
projects depending on the type of subsidy and related affordability controls. When units are identified at-risk, the element must 
include actions to preserve the units such as monitoring, assisting with funding, outreach with developers, meeting noticing 
requirements and actions to assist tenants. Individual program responses should be tailored to the results of the analyses and 
specific local situations.
Innovation in Affordable Housing and Regional Housing Needs
Moylan Terrace, San Luis Obispo
The City of San Luis Obispo is the largest employment center in San Luis Obispo County, but many workers choose to live in 
more affordable surrounding communities. Moylan Terrace – an 80-unit for sale town home project – transforms an existing 
industrial/manufacturing area for smaller, affordable housing units close to downtown, in the Broad Street Corridor. Tandem 
parking, variable street setbacks and reduced parking and greater height allow for 24 du/ac. Form based coding encourages 
density and mixed use residential close to public transit, bike lanes and within walking distance of employment centers. Small 
by design with efficiencies 28-32% above California energy code requirements, the buildings house structurally independent 
units in an auto court layout have individual entry off of landscaped courtyards. 
The land had been purchased a decade ago by the Housing Authority and held for affordable housing. The City provided a 
long term forgivable loan to cover impact fees, a direct transfer of in-lieu fees from a separate local development, and will 
again transfer profits upon sale forward to the next affordable housing project under construction in the city. The Inclusionary 
Housing Program screens applicants intending to insure occupancy over speculative ownership, with an equity gain back to the 
Housing Authority IHP if a unit does not go to another low income borrower upon resale. 

---

C H A P T E R   4 :   R E Q U I R E D   E L E M E N T S
   |   104
4
Parc on Powell, Emeryville
Just north of Oakland and directly across the Bay Bridge from San Francisco, Emeryville grew 46% between 2000 and 2010, with 
double digit growth projected. The city adopted an Affordable Housing Set Aside program in 1990. Parc on Powell received 900 
applications for 36 below market rate units. The site is in a transitional area between medium density residential development 
to the east and mixed use to the west, and is within a one mile radius of shopping including grocery stores, restaurants, two 
schools, a walking trail, Amtrak station and bus service, a post office and three public parks. 
The 166 unit project includes studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments, live/work units and flexible units with 22% 
units affordable to renter households below 120%. Density bonus, parking, height and setback concessions allowed a density of 
71 units in a 45 du/acre zone. The project repurposed an historic building, and incorporates a municipal recycled water system, 
highly efficient irrigation and surface water management. Two four-level towers include commercial, live/work and flexible 
units on the ground floor, and the courtyard between the towers connects to an existing public park. City parking on site is 
decoupled from the unit cost to reduce on-site parking zoning requirements and reduce rents for households without cars.
Other Considerations 
Displacement
 
The opportunity to promote infill and transit oriented development (TOD) can place significant displacement pressures on 
existing lower income residents; potentially exacerbating the challenge to address important planning objectives such as climate 
change. As population continues to grow in California, the pressure on housing grows as well. In these circumstances, programs 
and policies to address displacement issues may be appropriate, such as policies and programs to prioritize the preservation and 
creation of housing affordable to lower-income households in TOD and infill areas. Additionally, ensuring that various types 
of housing supply for multiple income levels continue to be built, while protecting existing residents from market forces has 
many challenges. HCD has compiled a set of best practices to prevent displacement. 
California’s Statewide Housing Assessment
 
examines the need for diverse housing options in the state, and presents both research and options for local governments. 
Partnerships and collaborations between private developers, public agencies, community groups, and other stakeholders have 
utilized creative tools to meet housing needs, such as reduced parking requirements, zoning and building codes that support 
smaller building footprint and design, set back reductions, height increases and density bonuses.
Climate Change
Location and types of housing affect resource conservation in numerous ways, so are worth considering in conjunction 
with climate change and resource impacts. Infill development can reduce demand on natural resources, and inclusion of 
additional conservation strategies can reduce the burden even further. Reducing water and energy use can benefit from policies 
incentivizing conservation, reuse, and recycling in housing developments. 

---