Loomis planning commission backs lower "non‑like‑kind" in‑lieu fee, asks council to review ordinance thresholds

The Town of Loomis Planning Commission on May 20 recommended that the Town Council adopt an alternative, lower “non‑like‑kind” methodology for the town’s inclusionary housing in‑lieu fee and asked the council to review the ordinance’s thresholds and fractional rules.

Planning staff presented an updated application memo and fee study after discovering an error in a January memo that had applied a fractional multiplier incorrectly. Christy (planning staff) said the commission’s task was “to consider the inclusionary housing ordinance in‑lieu fee study of 2024,” and to recommend an in‑lieu fee to the council. She described the earlier memo error and the corrected calculations, and said the fee study itself remained correct.

The corrected estimates by consultant Matthew (AECOM) show an affordability‑gap ("like‑kind") estimate of roughly $17 per square foot for for‑sale projects and $22 per square foot for rental projects; staff also added a lower “non‑like‑kind” option meant to reflect smaller, less amenitized affordable units, at about $10 per square foot for for‑sale and $11 per square foot for rental projects. Christy…