A city proposal requiring developers to build housing for middle-income workers is one of the issues facing the new City Council. Dubbed the “inclusionary” housing ordinance, it would force developers who want to build at least 10 market-rate homes to set aside at least 20 percent for families that earn between $60,000 and $120,000
Under the plan, in cases where there is not enough land to fit in the extra units, city planners are recommending that the developers pay fees of approximately $300,000 for each unit to a fund for middle-income housing.
The council faces a number of other housing-related issues this year. Officials are also tackling ways to update the 13-year-old neighborhood preservation ordinance to block a trend known as “mansionization.” And the council plans to take another look at altering Santa Barbara’s coastal “funk zone” to prevent “condomania.”