Council adopts pilot policy to waive certain fees to speed affordable homebuilding in impacted census tracts

The City Council approved Resolution 2642, a policy to waive select municipal fees to encourage new affordable home construction in disproportionately impacted census tracts. Staff said the measure is a targeted pilot tied to a four‑unit project at the corner of Field and Corine Streets; the policy allows the city to forgive nuisance and penalty fees while requiring property taxes still be paid and conditioning fee relief on verified construction milestones.

City staff explained the policy is structured to protect the city: an applicant must deposit funds or have an escrow arrangement, the city will not remit waived amounts until foundations are poured and documented, and the waiver applies only in specified census tracts and to homes meeting affordability criteria. The policy is not limited to nonprofits; both nonprofit and for‑profit developers who commit to owner‑occupied, low‑to‑moderate income units may qualify under the terms.

Proponents said the pilot converts underused or blighted lots into taxable, owner‑occupied housing and can be scaled if the initial project succeeds. The council voted to expand the agenda to consider the resolution and then adopted the policy; staff will apply the policy to the Field & Corine project and return with any administrative details required for implementation.

Next steps: staff will finalize administrative procedures, define affordability thresholds and escrow mechanics, and process the Field & Corine application under the new policy. Council directed staff to supply timelines and monitor outcomes before broader roll‑out.