Advocates Upset Over Proposed Changes To Affordable Housing Policy

"Affordable housing advocates Wednesday packed the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors chambers to protest what they portrayed as a backroom deal by Sacramento County and the building industry to gut the county's affordable housing policy."

"The county received kudos when it adopted the housing policy. The policy called for 15 percent of all new housing to be affordable to low-income residents."

"The most groundbreaking portion was the requirement that 3 percent of this affordable housing be within reach of extremely low-income residents, the poorest of the poor."

"It's that portion of the policy that housing advocates guard most dearly, and that portion that they assert is at risk."

"The proposed changes to the ordinance include a provision under which the county would "buy down" a developer's cost of building the units targeted for extremely low income residents. The money would come from existing fees charged to developers as part of the affordable housing program. The subsidy would start out at $35,000 to $65,000 a unit and would be adjusted annually."

"Affordable housing advocates say this change would shift responsibility for making sure such units are built from developers to the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency. They worry that the fee money won't cover the full cost."