CREATING AFFORDABLE HOUSING OPTIONS

By Karen Woblesky

The lack of affordable housing in our city is an issue that impacts everyone in a different way. It has created stratification between those who have lived here for a while and newcomers to our community. It has led to inadvertent demonization, accusations, consternation, and condemnation.

I believe that we must not limit our thinking to just building affordable housing, but also pursuing affordable housing options. We are very nearly a completely built out city, so the challenge of creating affordable housing options becomes critical for this community. We have all seen the impacts and consequences related to the high cost of housing in our community. Young adults, our families, our seniors, our teachers and others that support our social infrastructure, our artists and creative spirits that want to contribute to our community - we all have a stake in the outcome of this issue. I believe that Santa Cruz has a very narrow window of opportunity remaining to make any progress in providing affordable housing options for those who participate in making our community work.

We need to move Santa Cruz forward in a new direction. To me, moving in a new direction means:

· building effective partnerships with developers and others to find suitable sites to build high density housing that would include units that are "below market rates" and be located near existing transportation systems, employment opportunities, restaurants, and shopping areas;

· developing effective partnerships with UCSC and others to encourage clean software, intellectual, or scientific businesses to locate in our city, and then within and around these facilities, integrate unique mixed-use buildings;

· pursuing the expansion of existing criteria for rental subsidies, rental security deposits, and assistance for community members on a fixed income;

· pursuing private and public partnerships to fund a mortgage assistance trust fund to provide down-payment assistance, silent second mortgages, or low-interest loans; and,

· supporting additional educational programs for first-time homebuyers, renters, and property owners.

I believe that our community must insist upon leadership that is willing to think out of the box concerning the development of affordable housing options for Santa Cruz. For example, affordable housing concerns are not unique to our community, or even in the greater Bay Area. Communities across the nation are struggling with ways to solve their affordable housing problems.

The City of Santa Cruz needs to take a leadership role regarding this issue. I would like to see our community generate a list of criteria that would be the basis for a call for entries in an international design competition to discover what the best design talent around the globe would suggest for our community. We have a very unique set of circumstances and environment in Santa Cruz, and we have a need to discover equally unique solutions. We can help set the standard for developing affordable housing options that would not only benefit our community residents, but serve as an example to others of how a community can creatively address their affordable housing issues.

We have a lot of work ahead of us. But together, we can accomplish great things. I am committed to working diligently to keep this wonderful and unique community an exceptional place where people from all walks of life can play, live, and work.