FELTON, CA - Environmentalists squared off with affordable housing advocates on Tuesday as the nonprofit developer South County Housing sought nearly $1.3 million from county leaders to continue planning for a 55-unit project in Felton. The county Board of Supervisors, acting as directors of the Redevelopment Agency, which has already given $700,000 for the development, agreed to provide the additional funds in a 4-1 vote after listening to about 20 San Lorenzo Valley residents voice opposition and support for the housing.
Supervisor Mark Stone voted against the funding, and instead favored delaying the decision until county planners could provide a more detailed breakdown of how the money would be spent. Supervisors said there is a great need for affordable housing across Santa Cruz County, and the project would help fulfill state mandates that require a certain amount of land be set aside for such developments.
"Redevelopment money has to be used for housing," Supervisor Jan Beautz said. "It's been used in Watsonville, Aptos, Live Oak and Soquel, but it has not been used in the San Lorenzo Valley. We haven't built any affordable housing in the valley."
South County Housing, a Gilroy-based affordable housing developer, has proposed building 24 apartments for very low-income seniors and 31 for-sale homes for families with low and moderate incomes on an empty 15-acre meadow next to the Felton Faire Shopping Center on Graham Hill Road. About 9 acres would be preserved as open space. The property has been designated as an affordable housing site in the county's general plan since 1994; South County Housing purchased the land in 2005.
South County Housing believes the location adjacent to the Felton Faire Shopping Center, with access to a grocery store, bank, restaurants, public transportation and parks, make it ideal for a residential development. However, several San Lorenzo Valley residents slammed the project mostly over concerns with sewer disposal, stormwater runoff, traffic and flooding.
"The proposed on-site sewage disposal system is undersized, not sited correctly, and is not supported by adequate soil and groundwater testing," Bonny Doon resident Steve Homan, an environmental consultant, said. "Furthermore, the proposed drain fields are located but 40 feet from proposed new detention pond excavations that will lead by ditches and a pipeline to Zayante Creek."
Some said they simply don't welcome the affordable housing project in the valley. A petition with 4,000 signatures of people opposed to the development was given to the supervisors. "We don't want the taxpayers' money spent on this wasteful project," Boulder Creek resident Gordon Stewart told the supervisors. "Keep your city problems in the city."
Still, many San Lorenzo Valley residents said the housing would be an asset for the community by allowing more families a chance at homeownership. Andy Leif of South County Housing said his organization has been studying environmental issues at the site for the past three years, and plans to have an environmental impact report conducted by a third party.
County Planning Director Tom Burns said the $1.3 million would help cover "pre-development costs" such as taxes, loan fees, interest, technical studies, civil engineering and the community planning process. Burns said the project's rural location requires more intensive environmental studies and community involvement, which make the development more costly and time consuming.
The $1.3 million is a loan with 3 percent interest that becomes part of the permanent financing if the project becomes reality. If the project does not materialize, the Redevelopment Agency would be repaid with proceeds of a sale of the property to a private property.
Source: MercuryNews.com