Make affordable housing a priority in Spa City
By Harry Moran
Sustainable Saratoga has been concerned with the lack of housing diversity and affordability in the city. We received many inquiries regarding the status of the SPA Housing Ordinance and would like to provide an update as to its current status.
In 2015, we recommended reviving the city’s 2006 inclusionary zoning proposal. We discussed this concept with members of the City Council and were encouraged to bring the proposal forward. We developed an updated proposal for consideration, incorporating ideas that had been tested successfully in communities around the country. We felt cautiously optimistic!
The SPA Housing Ordinance is an inclusionary zoning regulation that works well in communities like ours with high housing costs and highend housing demand. In exchange for a density bonus, the ordinance would require developers to set aside up to 20% of the units for middle income households in large new developments. Without depending on federal or state government subsidies, this ordinance would provide more diverse rental and homeownership opportunities.
We were interested in promoting an ordinance that had a real chance of adoption. Before formally submitting the proposal in August 2016, we met several times with local developers and the Chamber of Commerce, reached out to civic organizations and faith-based groups, and spoke with many individuals. We received encouragement to pursue this initiative.
Despite our efforts, the City Council appears stalled in any attempt to move this program forward. Our requests for a vote have gone unheeded.
We remain convinced that the ordinance is workable and that it would be an effective tool to guarantee mixed-income affordable housing.
The Council had more than one year to refine the ordinance. They held two public workshops and five public hearings. Overwhelmingly, citizens in attendance expressed concerns about the impact of housing trends and spoke in support of the ordinance. After closing the public hearing, the Council held a special workshop with development and banking interests. These interests had plenty of opportunity to publicly participate in the discussions about the ordinance and they were well represented on the informal “technical committee” that the City formed to review the proposal. The views expressed at the workshop were largely vague and speculative. We provided a written response each objection. To date, the Council has not taken any action on the ordinance.
Affordable housing policy is the responsibility of the City Council. While the Council may be committed to providing solutions, their failure to vote on this important housing initiative perpetuates large-scale high-end market developments and declines to promulgate public policy that would ensure some consistent level of affordability in the community’s housing stock. If the Council declines to vote on the SPA Housing Ordinance, we respectfully request that they provide their rationale – and reaffirm their commitment to affordability, diversity, and inclusivity in the city’s neighborhoods.
Sustainable Saratoga will continue to work to keep this important issue at the forefront, and we hope that our efforts will result in a more sustainable approach to housing. Saratoga Springs deserves nothing less.
Affordable housing policy is the responsibility of the City Council. While the Council may be committed to providing solutions, their failure to vote on this important housing initiative perpetuates large-scale high-end market developments and declines to promulgate public policy that would ensure some consistent level of affordability in the community’s housing stock.
Harry Moran is chairman of Sustainable Saratoga, a not-forprofit organization that promotes sustainable practices and the protection of natural resources through education, advocacy and action, for the benefit of current and future generations in the Saratoga Springs area.