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Public Comment
From:Mariaisabelle Garcia <mariaisabelleg@kennedycommission.org>
Sent:Tuesday, November 15, 2022 3:08 PM
To:Cesar C; Daisy Cruz; Rudibel Barbosa; Public Comment; PublicLands@hcd.ca.gov
Cc:Paul.McDougall@hcd.ca.gov; Megan.kirkeby@hcd.ca.gov
Subject:\[EXTERNAL\] Kennedy Commission public comment 11/15/22
Attachments:The Kennedy Commission Letter_ Item 31 Anaheim City Council agenda 11_15_
22.docx
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Please see the attached public comment from The Kennedy Commission below.
Thank you,
--
Blessings,
MariaIsabelle Garcia
Kennedy Commission Community Organizer
mariaisabelleg@kennedycommission.org
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November 15, 2022
www.kennedycommission.org
17701 Cowan Ave., Suite 200
Irvine, CA 92614
949 250 0909
Mayor Pro Tem Trevor O’Neil
Councilmembers
Housing Authority
City of Anaheim
200 S. Anaheim Blvd.
Anaheim, CA 92805
ORDINANCE NO. 6445(ADOPTION) AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY
RE: Item 31-
COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF ANAHEIM amending the Zoning Map referred to in Title 18 of
the Anaheim Municipal Code relating to Zoning (DEV2021-00123) (1200-1320 South Anaheim
Boulevard, 200 East Ball Road, and 1207 South Claudina Street) \[Reclassification to establish
the Mixed-Use (MU) Overlay Zone on the property; introduced at the City Council meeting of
November 1, 2022, Public Hearing Item No. 16\].
Dear Mayor Pro Tem Trevor O’Neil and City Council Members:
The Kennedy Commission (the Commission) is a broad-based coalition of residents and
community organizations that advocates for the production of homes affordable for families
earning less than $20,000 annually in Orange County. Formed in 2001, the Commission has
been successful in partnering and working with Orange County jurisdictions to create effective
housing and land-use policies that has led to the new construction of homes affordable to lower
income working families.
As the City Council considers both the adoption of an ordinance approving a reclassification to
establish the Mixed-Use (MU) Overlay zone and the determination that the proposed
reclassification (DEV2021-00123) was adequately analyzed pursuant to the approved Mitigated
Negative Declaration for the proposed development at the southeast corner of Anaheim
Boulevard and Ball Road, The Kennedy Commission continues to urge the Council to not
approve an agreement until the City of Anaheim and Greenlaw Development commit to
maximizing affordable housing production on this city-owned land.
The City needs to prioritize developments that are 100% affordable for lower-income families on
this city-owned site to maximize and leverage additional federal and state housing funds,
especially land acquired by the Housing Authority or the city using lower-income housing funds.
At a minimum, 15%-20% of the units should be affordable to low, very low, and extremely low-
income families. We stated our opposition in the letters submitted for the first reading of the
project on October 27, 2020, the second reading on November 10, 2020, the amendment to the
Exclusive Negotiation agreement on December 7, 2021, and the initial study/mitigated negative
declaration mitigation monitoring plan on November 1, 2022.
Mayor Pro Tem Trevor O’Neil and City Council Members
November 1, 2022
As highlighted in the City of Anaheim’s latest Housing Element Annual Progress Report that
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was submitted to the California Housing and Community Development department, the city has
a deficit of affordable housing production. The report points out that the city has approved and
permitted over 8,719 housing units during the current Housing Element period and only 369
have been in the affordability level of low and very low income. The remaining
RHNA for lower-income households is 1,794. The vast majority of the housing units, 8,350,
have been approved at moderate and above moderate-income levels (RHNA in above moderate
has been exceeded by over 300%). Given the City’s track-record of prioritizing moderate and
above-moderate housing on Housing Opportunity Sites, which were identified in the current
Housing Element as sites that can be used to meet the City’s RHNA requirements at the very-low
and low-income levels, the City will have a very difficult time meeting its current and upcoming
RHNA allocation.
It is imperative that city-owned land is prioritized to develop lower-
income housing that is not being addressed by market rate development.
In disposing of city-owned land, the city should prioritize the creation of affordable housing for
low, very low, and extremely low families in compliance with the Surplus Land Act and
successor agency obligations. When disposing of publicly owned land, public agencies have an
obligation to comply with the Surplus Land Act or exemptions to the act. Herein the city is not
complying with the Surplus Land Act or its exemptions, wherein they are not providing a
minimum of 20% of units at low, very low, and extremely low-income levels.
The Commission looks forward to further conversations regarding the use of city-owned land to
increase affordable housing opportunities for lower-income families in Anaheim. Please keep us
informed of any updates and meetings regarding strategies to increase affordable homes for
lower-income households in the city. If you have any questions, please free to contact us at (949)
250-0909 or cesarc@kennedycommission.org.
Sincerely,
Cesar Covarrubias
Executive Director
cc: Ms. Megan Kirkeby, Acting Deputy Director, Housing Policy Development, CA HCD
Mr. Paul McDougall, Housing Manager, CA
HCD PublicLands@hcd.ca.gov
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City of Anaheim, Housing Element Annual Progress Report, June 2022
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