Newark council adopts inclusionary housing ordinance, codifies local "live‑work" preference and lowers small‑project exemption

Newark —s City Council on the evening of the meeting introduced and adopted amendments to the city—s affordable housing code to require inclusionary housing and to formalize a local "live‑work" preference aimed at reducing residential displacement.

Housing policy and programs manager Michael Coolum opened the public hearing with a presentation linking the changes to the city—s sixth‑cycle housing element and a displacement study staff commissioned. The study, Coolum said, documented a job‑housing mismatch in Newark from 2010 to 2020, rising rents (for example, asking rent for a two‑bedroom was about $2,300 in 2019) and a loss of lower‑income households. "For every three jobs created from 2010 to 2020, only one home was permitted," Coolum said, summarizing a key finding staff used to justify the proposed preference and inclusionary requirements.

The ordinance package does two things. First, it incorporates a local preference (sometimes described as "live‑work" preference) into the municipal code so that where the city funds or entitles below‑market‑rate (BMR) units,…