City Council Dark Again Next Week

The City Council will continue its summer break on Monday in observance of Independence Day and reconvene on July 11.

The City Council will hold important public hearings on the South Fair Oaks Specific Plan and a zoning code amendment that would allow affordable housing on religious facilities.

Since last year, the city has been discussing the use of church properties for affordable housing to help the city combat an affordable housing shortage.

The Planning Commission voted 7-2 in April to recommend the amendments to the City Council.

The amendment allows a maximum of 75 dwelling units “by right,” but requires a Minor Conditional Use Permit for projects that will exceed the threshold.

“By right” projects are only subject to a review by the Design Commission — no hearing officer or Planning Commission bearings are required for a Conditional Use Permit or other discretionary entitlement.

In previous public hearings, some members of the Planning Commission recommended allowing affordable housing not just on church property but on property held by institutional facilities, such as schools and nonprofit facilities, but the final proposal that was voted upon by the commission recommended allowing affordable housing only on religious sites as a pilot program.

The Legislative Policy Committee was scheduled to review and discuss SB1336, a bill that allows affordable housing on college campuses and churches, earlier this week.

The bill was introduced earlier this month by Scott Weiner (D-San Francisco). Weiner introduced a similar bill, SB 899 two years ago.

SB 899 passed unanimously in the State Senate and the Assembly Housing Committee, but failed to get out of the legislature.

“Our churches, mosques and synagogues want to do everything they can to help our communities,” Wiener said in a prepared statement. “Many of them have land that they can use for affordable housing, but when they try to build these projects, they face years of delays and arbitrary zoning restrictions.”