San Rafael approves $1.55 million in grants for very affordable housing

The San Rafael Town Council has accepted $1.55 million in expenses for two cost-effective housing assignments.

The payments, authorised unanimously, incorporate a $750,000 grant to Homeward Bound of Marin for its 32-residence challenge at 190 Mill St. and an $800,000 loan to Eden Housing for its 67-resident growth at 999 3rd St.

The dollars comes from the city’s affordable housing trust fund. Builders pay out into the fund to bypass San Rafael’s inclusionary housing need, which mandates that 20% of properties in substantial developments be marketed or rented at below-market premiums. Metropolis officers in some situations agree to reduce the prerequisite in trade for payments into the believe in fund.

The city solicited applications this year for belief fund grants, and 4 corporations responded by the June 19 deadline, in accordance to town officials. An software submitted by the San Francisco Community Land Rely on, searching for $500,000 to assistance the business get an eight-household residence, was not accepted for funding. One more application that did not make the cut, submitted by Bridge Housing, sought $1 million towards rehabilitating a 60-house sophisticated.

The Homeward Bound and Eden Housing tasks were picked out in portion “because they are the two new building projects, which was indicated as a funding priority by Metropolis Council,” in accordance to a town report. The projects were also picked due to the fact they supply homes for incredibly-lower-cash flow and extremely-minimal-revenue households, the report says.

Homeward Bound’s task, which the Town Council accepted in April, will deliver very low-money housing for the homeless. The homeless companies nonprofit designs to demolish its one-tale homeless shelter at 190 Mill St. and construct a 4-story making in its place, with a 60-mattress homeless shelter and 32 small-money residences.

The web page will be staffed at all periods with workers supplying help providers for tenants who may possibly if not struggle living on their very own, according to Homeward Bound. Tenants will be authorized to live in the flats indefinitely, the business explained.

Eden Housing’s venture is aspect of a redevelopment program that the City Council authorized in March for 999 Third St. The East Bay authentic estate nonprofit has partnered Vivalon, a San Rafael-centered senior services nonprofit previously acknowledged as Whistlestop, to build a 6-story developing on the website. Vivalon ideas to run a senior center on the first two flooring of the constructing, while Eden Housing will personal and work 67 flats designated for lower-revenue seniors on the four flooring earlier mentioned. The pharmaceutical corporation BioMarin, which acquired the assets in 2015 and donated a portion of it to Vivalon as portion of a land swap, is set to establish two 72-foot-tall place of work properties on the web site.

The $800,000 allocated to Eden Housing is a residual receipts personal loan. In accordance to a town report, “payments would be made to the city’s housing have confidence in fund only if there is profits offered for the challenge to make a payment each 12 months.”

Mayor Gary Phillips explained the metropolis does not count on to get any payment again on the personal loan.

San Rafael’s economical housing fund had a harmony of about $1.6 million when the metropolis sought grant applications in June, but the town has considering the fact that acquired a $1.84 million payment from Marina Village Associates, which owns the Loch Lomond Marina. The enterprise has agreed to pay out an extra $1.84 million into the fund by March 31. The council in April authorised the company’s ask for to shell out the $3.68 million in fees instead of constructing an supplemental 6 affordable properties on the marina assets.

Having to pay into the housing fund alternatively than developing inexpensive housing demands approval from the council, but metropolis officers are thinking about a approach that would give builders the solution to pay the costs by default in some circumstances. Final thirty day period, the council agreed to transfer forward with the plan and asked city employees to create a draft ordinance that would codify the new procedures.

For tasks with a lot more than 15 residences, builders would be allowed to designate 5% of units for affordable housing and spend a charge into the believe in fund equal to an extra 5%. The strategy would also lower the city’s inclusionary housing necessity, bringing the need for inexpensive units from 20% down to 10%. The proposal is aimed at attractive developers into setting up in San Rafael, officials explained.