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City advances renter-protection study session and discusses ADU and HouseKeys issues
Summary
Staff briefed the group on a late-October study session on renter protections and signaled a February study session on rental registries; attendees also discussed ADU policy options, county ADU changes, and HouseKeys challenges filling affordable-for-sale units.
City staff updated attendees on housing initiatives, including a study session held in late October on renter protections and a planned February follow-up focusing on rental registries and rental-data collection.
"We'd like to talk further about rental registries," city staff said, describing a set of potential measures to improve the city's knowledge of its rental housing stock: adding landlord unit information to the existing business-license process, distributing a tenant safe-housing checklist, and creating a safe-housing strategic plan for internal use. Staff stressed the city currently lacks clear data on unit counts, ownership and complaint severity, which complicates targeted policy.
Attendees pressed staff on resource and funding implications. Staff said a robust registry or a local rent-stabilization ordinance would require additional staff and legal resources; options for funding include per-unit registration fees or general-fund support. The timeline includes a February study session on rental registries and continued work on a safe-housing checklist and communications to tenants.
The meeting also included discussion of accessory dwelling unit (ADU) policy and county action. One participant said the county plans to allow up to three ADUs per single-family lot and suggested that approach short-circuits local planning work. City staff responded that options to pursue changes include a council-directed overhaul of ADU regulations or using the housing-element process to commit to future ordinance changes; staff recommended a study session to test political support before drafting ordinance language.
On affordable-housing operations, staff urged developers to work early with the HouseKeys program on both rental placements and resales. Staff identified David Amini as the HouseKeys program manager to contact on unit availability and said the city is reworking resale procedures to resemble normal market sales while HouseKeys retains vetting responsibilities.
Staff closed by inviting developers to join a future infill working group and reminding applicants to submit building-permit materials early to meet deadlines tied to the upcoming code cycle.
