Inclusionary Zoning: To Be or Not Be?

"San Diego's local developers and realty professionals seem to believe that local efforts to force developers to either set aside a certain percentage of the units they create for a certain income level, or pay into a fund that will sponsor the creation of such homes is a poorly thought-out plan that may only make the problem worse....Developers, already complaining about the ever-burgeoning red tape they have to cut through to build homes, see inclusionary housing ordinances or the alternative in-lieu fee as just another cost that ultimately gets passed on to the buyers of other units." Others disagree "with the assumption that developers can pass on costs to buyers." However, everyone concurs "that a deficient inventory of homes is at the root of the housing crisis....San Diego city's inclusionary housing ordinances adopted in June require developers to set aside 10 percent of a housing complex that can be priced affordably for a family that earns up to 150 percent of the median income in the area....And even when there is money, initiative and commitments behind inclusionary housing plans, sometimes there's one final barrier-- land."

Thanks to Connie Chung