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Staff tells commission Program 2.04 proved difficult; most candidate sites were constrained
Summary
Staff and consultants described a months‑long due diligence process for housing element Program 2.04 that narrowed options to one vacant city‑adjacent site (2170 Columbus Parkway) because other parcels were deed restricted, had environmental/topographic constraints, or lacked willing owners.
Commissioners pressed staff on why the city is focusing Program 2.04's 75 required lower‑income units at a single site rather than spreading them across several properties. Staff and the consultant said they conducted an extensive review of the four census tracts identified by the housing element and found few parcels that met feasibility criteria: many were deed restricted, steep or had environmental constraints, or property owners (including religious institutions) were not interested in redevelopment.
A city representative summarized the process: staff and council evaluated several alternatives (rezoning open space at Hastings/Southampton, adapting religious institutional properties, and other vacant parcels) but ruled many out due to lack of suitability or cost and timeline of environmental review. The city emphasized a preference to distribute units across multiple sites if feasible but said 2170 Columbus Parkway is a vacant, urban‑adjacent parcel without deed restrictions and therefore the most feasible option identified to meet the program's timeline.
