Campbell officials are hesitant about a policy change that could increase affordable housing in a city advocates say has been at the forefront of housing solutions.
The Campbell Planning Commission on Tuesday unanimously recommended the city refrain from expanding its inclusionary housing policy, which would require smaller projects to convert at least 15% of homes into affordable housing or pay a fee that funnels into the city’s affordable housing budget. The proposed change would apply to developments with five or more homes. The existing policy applies to projects with 10 or more homes.
The proposal is based on an affordable housing nexus study that found expanding the policy to smaller projects would not deter development. The Campbell City Council has the ultimate say and still has to review the changes, but the proposal brought up concerns and confusion from planning commissioners about how the policy expansion could potentially hamper smaller developments in the city that didn’t have to pay in-lieu fees before. Campbell officials and local advocates who support the idea said the changes are necessary to boost affordability.