From: "Kelley, Craig" <ckelley@cambridgema.gov> Date: Sunday, March 24, 2019 at 11:21 PM Subject: Affordable housing on Council's Monday night agenda and a Housing Committee meeting on Thursday Hey Everyone: The Housing Committee is having another meeting on Thursday evening to talk about the proposed Affordable Housing Overlay District. My understanding is that the City will present actual zoning language at that meeting which will get referred to the Council at which point the Ordinance Committee and the Planning Board will start having hearings as they would for any zoning proposal. There are also a couple of Council Orders, one related to the proposed overlay district (calling for a roundtable to talk about it on Tuesday, 9 April) and one asking the Manager to explore a Pilot Displacement Program as Boston apparently has. I’ve attached (copied below) an info paper on that program. If you’d like to come talk about these Council issues at City Council, you can sign up by phone between 9 AM and 3 PM on Monday at 617-349-4280 or on line via this link and in person from 5-6 PM at the Sullivan Chambers at City Hall. Public comment, limited to three minutes per speaker, starts at 5:30(ish) and lasts at least until 6:00, though if there are enough speakers we often go later. At the end of public comment, people who missed the sign-in window are generally asked if they’d like to speak anyway. The entire Council may be emailed at Council@Cambridgema.gov. Thanks and have a great day. Craig Thursday, March 28, 20195:00 PMThe Housing Committee will conduct a public hearing to continue discussions on the Affordable Housing Overlay District. (Sullivan Chamber) ORDERED:That a Roundtable/Working Meeting be scheduled for Tuesday, April 9, 2019, at 5:30 p.m. in the Sullivan Chamber of City Hall for the purpose of discussing the Affordable Housing Zoning Overlay proposal; and be it further ORDERED:That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to direct the appropriate City Departments to televise and record the Roundtable/Working Meeting on April 9, 2019. WHEREAS: The City of Cambridge has neighborhoods with people from many backgrounds, and said residents are facing displacement despite the city’s efforts to provide stable, affordable housing; and WHEREAS:The preservation of neighborhood character, defined by our racial and socioeconomic diversity, and prevention of displacement are stated goals of the Envision process; and WHEREAS:Most new housing, both affordable and inclusionary (up to 20% affordable), is being built in the emerging post-industrial districts of Alewife’s Triangle and Quadrangle and North Point, which lack Cambridge’s traditional social infrastructure (institutional meeting places, elementary schools, libraries, etc.); and WHEREAS:The City of Boston created a pilot program in 2016 entitled the “Diversity Preservation Policy” (aka Pilot Displacement Preference) that gives “preference for existing neighborhood residents for up to 50 percent of the units in projects located in non-segregated geographies with high rates of displacement or households at high risk of displacement;” and WHEREAS:Boston will continue the Pilot Preference until the end of 2020, when it will be reevaluated; and WHEREAS: This pilot program will only be for initial rent or sale of inclusionary affordable units not funded by the state or federal government and does not apply to Federally funded HUD programs and addresses housing discrimination by stipulating that the project target area contain no more than 60 percent of any one race, and that if the population percentage is higher “the target area may be expanded to ensure diversity or the percentage of units subject to the preference may be reduced to ensure that access for persons of color is not hampered;” now therefore be it ORDERED:That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to direct the appropriate City staff to examine the need and possibility of implementing the Pilot Displacement Preference program in Cambridge, especially when new housing is constructed in an existing neighborhood where displacement is occurring and present the findings to the City Council.                                ***************************************************************************** Diversity Preservation Policy (aka Pilot Displacement Preference) The goal of the policy is to stabilize neighborhoods and minimize displacement by providing a preference for existing neighborhood residents for up to 50% of the units in projects located in non-segregated geographies with high rates of displacement or households at high risk of displacement.  The pilot preference will only be for initial rent up or sale of units. The Pilot Preference will run until the end of 2020 and an assessment and decision regarding the extension of the policy will be made at that time. We will evaluate the impact of the policy after each completed project. The policy will not be applied to Federally-funded or State-funded projects prior to obtaining HUD and/or DHCD approval to do so. Applicable Neighborhood Geographic Target Area (Project Buffer) Eligible geographic target area for the displacement preference varies depending on number of units in the subject housing development. · <20 units = within 1/4 mile buffer · 20-50 units = within 1/2 mile buffer · 50+ units = within 3/4 mile buffer DND will submit the demographics, including the racial and ethnic composition, tenure characteristics and rent burden data, of each geographic target area to Fair Housing & Equity for review. Eligible Neighborhood Target Areas Racial/Ethnic Diversity The project target area (buffer) may not have a population that is comprised of 60% or more of any single racial or ethnic category. If the proposed target area has a population that is comprised of 60% or more of any single racial or ethnic category, the target area may be expanded to ensure diversity or the percentage of units subject to the preference may be reduced to ensure that access for persons of color is not hampered. High Risk for Displacement Target areas (buffers) with 35% or more of its low-income1 renter households with a moderate or greater rent burden (paying over 35% of their household income for rent). Household Eligibility Criteria for Displacement Preference Household living within the target geographic area and at least one of the following criteria: 1 Low income is defined as having a household income under $50,000 1) Rent-Burdened Households not already living in a subsidized housing unit Rent Burdened: Household income under 30% of AMI paying more than 30% of income for rent or household income over 30% but under 60% of AMI paying more than 50% of income for rent. Includes Section 8 voucher holder in unsubsidized unit paying more than 30% of Income for rent (tenant paying amount of rent over FMR) 2) Elderly homeowners (62+) with household income under 80% of AMI (preference for rental housing only) 3) Renters with a disability and household income under 100% of AMI 4) Renter household with household income under 80% of AMI with school age children in a Boston school