Examples of Programs for Cities
Compiled by the Municipal Reference Service
A Member Service of the National League of Cities

Example Number 1 of 10
Jurisdiction: Carlsbad, California
Population: 78274
Address:
City of Carlsbad
Department of Housing and Redevelopment
2965 Roosevelt Street, Suite B
Carlsbad, CA 92008
Contact: Debbie Fountain, Director (760) 434-2815
Email: dfoun@ci.carlsbad.ca.us
Started in: 1993
Carlsbad's inclusionary housing ordinance (No. NS-535) requires 15 percent of all new residential developments with seven or more units to be affordable to low-income residents. For projects with six units or less, developers may pay a fee in lieu of fulfilling the requirement. Most developers partner with nonprofit organizations to construct the required housing. Affordable units are earmarked for residents earning no more than 70 percent of the area median income. The ordinance produced about 1,500 units between 1993 and 2005.
Source: City ordinance produces 1,500 units. by Donna Kimura, Affordable Housing Finance, v13 n9 (Sep. 2005) p59, San Francisco, CA: Alexander & Edwards Publishing.
Find it on the Web at:
http://www.ci.carlsbad.ca.us/housing/devguide.html
Verified: 10/21/2005Example Number 2 of 10
Jurisdiction: Walla Walla, Washington
Population: 29686
Address:
City of Walla Walla
Development Services
PO Box 478
Walla Walla, WA 99362
Contact: City Clerk (509) 527-4535
Started in: 2005
Walla Walla has an ordinance (No. 2005-11) that extends property tax relief to property owners who build or rehab four or more units of second-story downtown housing. The tax incentive relieves developers of new or rehabilitated downtown residential units from paying property taxes on the portion of assessed value that increases as a result of those improvements, for a period of 10 years. The ordinance requires that developers who take advantage of the incentive set aside ten percent of the units, or a minimum of one unit, as affordable housing. The ordinance is part of the city's efforts to encourage residential development in the downtown area.
Source: Property tax incentive to attract housing development. Downtown Idea Exchange, v52 n16 (Aug. 15, 2005) p7, New York, NY: Downtown Research & Development Center.
Find it on the Web at:
http://nt5.scbbs.com/cgi-bin/om_isapi.dll?clientID=319344&headingswithhits=on&hitsperheading=on&infobase=wallawalla.nfo&jump=2.28&softpage=PL_frame#JUMPDEST_2.28
Verified: 11/15/2005Example Number 3 of 10
Jurisdiction: San Diego, California
Population: 1223400
Address:
City of San Diego
Development Services
1222 First Avenue, MS 301
San Diego, CA 92101
Contact: Todd Phillips, Senior Program Analyst, Housing Commission (619) 578-7558
Email: DTODDP@SDHC.ORG
Started in: 2003
San Diego has an ordinance (No. 142.1300) that requires all residential developments of two or more units to include a ten percent affordable housing component. An inclusionary zoning working group, that included developers, conducted a detailed economic analysis of the potential impact of a citywide ordinance, and it convinced developers that they would be able to do business under the new law. The ordinance does not provide incentives or cost offsets for building affordable units because the economic analysis indicated that developers can easily cover the cost of affordable units through the sale of market-rate units. Developers can, however, opt to make a fee-in-lieu payment based on the square footage of the entire project, instead of building the actual affordable units. The inclusionary housing requirements can also be satisfied by providing the same number of units at another site within the same community planning area.
Source: Inclusionary housing: proven success in large cities. by Nicholas J. Brunick, Zoning Practice, n10 (Oct. 2004) p4-5, Chicago, IL: American Planning Association.
Find it on the Web at:
http://www.sandiego.gov/development-services/news/pdf/ahinfo532.pdf
Verified: 8/8/2005Example Number 4 of 10
Jurisdiction: Sacramento, California
Population: 407018
Address:
City of Sacramento
Development Services Department, Planning Division
1231 I Street, Room 300
Sacramento, CA 95814
Contact: Steve Peterson, Principal Planner (916) 808-5981
Email: speterson@cityofsacramento.org
Program Name: Mixed-Income Housing Ordinance
Started in: 2000
Sacramento has an ordinance (No. 2000-03) that requires 15 percent of
all units in residential developments over nine units in ""new growth
areas"" be affordable. The areas affected include large undeveloped
areas at the city's margins, newly annexed areas, and large interior
redevelopment areas. The units can be either single- or multi-family,
which allows developers to choose the more cost-effective way to
construct the affordable units. The city provides a density bonus of 25
percent, and developers may receive expedited permit processing for the
affordable units, fee waivers, and priority status for available local, state, and federal housing funds.
Source: Inclusionary housing : proven success in large cities. by Nicholas J. Brunick, Zoning Practice, n10 (Oct. 2004) p4, Chicago, IL: American Planning Association.
Find it on the Web at:
http://http://www.cityofsacramento.org/dsd/planning/plngserv/lngrng/policies/mixed_income/
Verified: 7/21/2005Example Number 5 of 10
Jurisdiction: Denver, Colorado
Population: 554636
Address:
City of Denver, Office of Economic Development
Division of Housing and Neighborhood Development
201 West Colfax, Department 204
Denver CO 80202
Contact: Laurie Baker, Comunity Development Program Specialist (720) 913-1541
Email: laurie.baker@ci.denver.co.us
Program Name: Inclusionary Housing Program
Started in: 2002
Denver has an ordinance (No. 27-101) that requires both newly constructed housing, as well as existing buildings that are being remodeled for housing, include a ten percent affordable component. The city provides density bonuses, reduced parking requirements, an expedited review process, and a cash subsidy to developers for the affordable units. The ordinance permits the developer to build the required affordable units off-site but within the "same general area." Instead of constructing affordable units, developers also may contribute an in-lieu fee to the special revenue fund in an amount equal to 50 percent of the price per affordable unit not provided.
Source: Inclusionary housing: proven success in large cities. by Nicholas J. Brunick, Zoning Practice, n10 (Oct. 2004) p3-4, Chicago, IL: American Planning Association.
Find it on the Web at:
http://www.denvergov.org/Housing/template34584.asp
Verified: 7/26/2005Example Number 6 of 10
Jurisdiction: Davidson, North Carolina
Population: 7139
Address:
Town of Davidson
Planning Department
216 South Main Street
Davidson, NC 28036
Contact: Kris Krider, Planning Director (704) 892-7591
Email: kkrider@ci.davidson.nc.us
Program Name: Planning Ordinance
Started in: 2001
Davidson's Planning Ordinance seeks public involvement in community planning and clearly articulates the town's vision for its growth. The ordinance requires charettes for every new development project, allowing the developer and the community to understand each other's goals. The town requires pedestrian, bicycle, and street circulation plans for all new development in order to encourage walking. It also requires that 12.5 percent of all new housing be affordable to families making less than the county's median family income. The plan won a 2004 Environmental Protection Agency National Award for Smart Growth Achievement.
Source: Overall excellence in smart growth. www.epa.gov/smartgrowth/sg_awards_publication_2004.htm#overall_excellence, (Nov. 29, 2004) Washington, DC: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Find it on the Web at:
http://www.ci.davidson.nc.us/units/planning/ordinance/default.asp
Verified: 7/14/2005Example Number 7 of 10
Jurisdiction: Dallas, Texas
Population: 1188580
Address:
City of Dallas
1500 Marilla, Room 5D South
Dallas, TX 75201
Contact: Shirley A. Acy, City Secretary (214) 670-3738
Email: sacy@mail.ci.dallas.tx.us
Started in: 2004
Dallas banned prefabricated houses on land that the city sells for affordable housing development. The policy uses a loophole in Texas law prohibiting cities from limiting modular homes. The state law does not apply to deed restrictions, so the city can attach its requirement to land that it or its land bank sells at less than market value to developers of low-income and moderate-income housing.
Source: Dallas moves to block prefab homes. Dallas Morning News, November 12, 2004, Dallas Morning News.
Verified: 6/6/2005Example Number 8 of 10
Jurisdiction: East Palo Alto, California
Population: 29506
Address:
City of East Palo Alto
2415 University Avenue
East Palo Alto, CA 94303
Contact: Wilbert Lee, Interim Housing Services Director (650) 853-3120
Email: wlee@cityofepa.com
Program Name: Affordable Housing Program
Started in: 2000
East Palo Alto passed an ordinance (No. 247) to establish the "Below Market Rate Housing Program." This program seeks to increase the city's housing stock without displacing residents. The legislation specifies that 20 percent of all new residential units constructed in the city be affordable and made available to households with less than 50 percent of area median income. New rental housing would target households with incomes as low as 35 percent of the area median income. The city conducted marketing and outreach to increase diversity in the applicant pool. The program introduced a lottery system because eligible applicants far exceeded the number of available units at any one time. This program won first place in the 2002 City Cultural Diversity Awards, 25,001-100,000 population category, sponsored by NLC's National Black Caucus of Local Elected Officials (NBC-LEO).
Source: 2002 National Black Caucus of Local Elected Officials City Cultural Diversity Awards Application
Verified: 10/21/2004Example Number 9 of 10
Jurisdiction: Salem, Utah
Population: 4372
Address:
City of Salem
PO Box 901
Salem, UT 84653
Contact: City Hall (801) 423-2770
Started in: 1998
Salem has an affordable housing ordinance (No. 61798) which requires that both the new and resale price of a home designated as affordable be affordable to someone who earns 80 percent of the median income for the Salem area. It also requires that homes be owner-occupied and that they be kept for five years before being resold. The ordinances has specific design requirements as well, such as facade materials and roof pitch. Builders must scatter affordable units throughout a subdivision, and must simultaneously build one affordable unit for every two regularly priced homes.
Source: Salem OKs law on affordable housing. by Rodger L. Hardy, Deseret News, July 13, 1998, Salt Lake City, UT: Deseret News Publishing Co.
Verified: 9/30/2004Example Number 10 of 10
Jurisdiction: Santa Fe, New Mexico
Population: 62203
Address:
City of Santa Fe
PO Box 909
Santa Fe, NM 87504
Contact: Linda Hall, Senior Planner (505) 955-6913
Email: lchall@ci.santa-fe.nm.us
Started in: 1998
Santa Fe passed an ordinance (No. 1998-3; amended by 2001-38, 2002-39, 2003-5, and 2004-13) that mandates developer set-asides for affordable housing. It requires a developer who builds homes costing more than what is affordable to a four-person household earning 120 percent of the area median income (AMI) to offer 11 or 16 percent of the development to income-qualified buyers at a price affordable to a four-person household earning 65 percent of AMI. Prices are updated annually using the current year's HUD data and the average of the prior year's mortgage interest rates. The city holds a subordinate mortgage on the house for the difference between the appraised value at time of sale and the amont of the buyer's mortgage. As incentives, the developer is entitled to a density bonus equal to the number of homes provided, waiver of impact and permit fees, and a reduction in utility extension fees on the affordable houses. When the percentile requirement is less than a whole number, and in the cases of extreme financial hardship, the developer may pay a fee in lieu of building the houses, the money going to a trust fund administered for the benefit of the Santa Fe Affordable Housing Roundtable.
Source: City report
Verified: 11/15/2004