SLO County News BlogGolf, Wine, Real Estate, Business & Travel NewsSLO Affordable Housing PlanFriday, March 25, 2005City gets an award for program of affordable homes, downtown housing and faster approval of projectsSan Luis Obispo is part of an elite group -- one of only four cities that earned state awards for their housing plans. Under the city's new housing plan, 4,087 new homes should be approved by 2009. The largest annexation in city history, for example, is scheduled to have 870 homes developed on the property. To meet the plan's goal, city officials will give people living or working in San Luis Obispo first crack at affordable housing programs, making the process move more quickly. The plan gives the go-ahead for more housing downtown and speeds up the approval process for small residential developments by limiting the number of city commissions that must approve them. "The plan seriously attacks the housing crisis that is plaguing many California communities," said Cathy Creswell, deputy director of the state's Housing and Community Development department. Creswell gave the rare Local Government Leadership award to city officials Tuesday night, in part, because of the long battle to develop a state approved housing plan, Draze said. While the state recognizes 70 percent of municipalities' proposals for developing new homes, it approved the city's plan for the first time last year. With the designation, the city can apply for state grants to develop housing that sells below market price. The city is already up for a $60,000 grant for affordable senior housing. Officials earmarked that money for a senior housing project on Johnson and Ella streets. That grant is only the beginning, Deputy Director of Community Development Mike Draze said. Some grants could bring in more than $100,000. "We can now apply for any grant awarded by the state," he said. The city has long battled to cap housing growth at 1 percent, an idea the state approved for the first time last year. Homes restricted to sell below the city's $500,000-plus median housing price aren't added toward the cap. "The adoption (of a state approved housing plan) is real landmark for the city," Creswell said. The state rejected a 1994 housing plan because it did not help create enough new housing. The city spent more than two years creating its newest housing plan, a move Mayor Dave Romero credits for helping them "get it right" this time. But Creswell said the difficult work is about to begin. "To do justice to all of the hard work you have put into it, you need to put the plan into effect," she said. State sky high over SLO's housing plan The Tribune, Leslie Griffy To see more of The Tribune, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to www.sanluisobispo.com. (c) 2005, The Tribune, San Luis Obispo, Calif. Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News. Read More
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