Mountain View is seeking to make new amendments to the city’s below market rate housing program in order to include the increase of affordable units.
The city council unanimously voted during a meeting Nov. 4 to direct staff to return with changes next year which include modifications to fee formulas for developers and streamlining of approvals.
“I know it’s been a long effort,” said Mayor Ellen Kamei.
The city’s below market rate housing program was adopted in 1999. It is intended to address the high cost of housing by mandating mixed-income residential developments that integrate market-rate and affordable units.
Since December 2023, 30 new BMR rental units have been constructed. There are 216 BMR units in the city at this time.
The new changes are intended to incorporate updates to the city ordinance on below market rate housing from a December 2023 study session on the topic. The amendments include new requirements for physical accessibility units, new rules for alternative means of compliance and other amendments.
The physical accessibility amendments would require that 15% of the total BMR units in a project or one BMR unit, whichever is greater, be part of the designated units if a project is designated “accessible or adaptable.”
“This streamlined approach would ensure that at least one accessible or adaptable BMR unit is available in a project, would not increase development costs, and would be administratively easier to incorporate into the city’s review process,” according to the staff report.
The plans also include the institution of a cost-recovery fee if a development applicant proposes an alternative compliance instead of building on-site BMR units. The master fee schedule would be updated with a fee of $32,000 and will be escalated annually according to the consumer price index.
