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Q&A
Balancing immediate action with long-term comprehensive planning in housing development
0:36:59
·
3 min
Commissioner Leila Bozorg asks Barika Williams how to ensure action on the housing crisis isn't paralyzed by the potentially long comprehensive planning process, referencing Williams' 'fast track' proposal. Williams argues comprehensive planning provides needed predictability, reducing the current 'whack-a-mole' approach, while fast-tracking ensures development continues concurrently.
- Williams contrasts the proposed planning clarity with the current unpredictable system where projects face changing priorities.
- Comprehensive planning aims to give developers and communities clearer expectations, reducing delays and uncertainty.
- The 'fast track' for certain projects allows immediate action while the longer-term plan is developed.
- Predictability helps address issues like rising Area Median Incomes (AMIs) during lengthy approval processes.
Leila Bozorg
0:36:59
Thanks, Greg, for your testimony.
0:37:00
I'm curious.
0:37:01
You all have been thinking about comprehensive planning for a long time, and I'm I'm intrigued by this fast track idea, which seems to suggest you kind of have to do if if you were to do comprehensive planning, we also have to consider other reforms so that we don't end up in a state of, like, planning paralysis.
0:37:14
Especially if we do comprehensive planning, there's an assumption there that we can get every community aboard to agree to targets and put that on paper and have the plan voted on.
0:37:24
So how do you balance, the need for action?
0:37:27
The fact that today, we're in a worse position than we were ten years ago on housing, with the length of time that this type of comprehensive plan, and the types of coordination that's needed.
0:37:38
How do you ensure there's also action stemming from that?
0:37:41
Yes.
Barika Williams
0:37:41
So we will say we have we we go through a lot of these ULIPs, with city agencies.
0:37:47
We have done a number of these, neighborhood rezonings, and our members develop these housing units.
0:37:53
This this takes a lot it's so difficult to sit in front of a community, board and explain to folks that the housing that they're talking about, they won't see for ten years.
0:38:02
And I think it's incredibly big challenge.
0:38:06
And but I I I would challenge you all and encourage you all to think about both sides of what you're talking about, Layla, of the action piece and the and the long term process and planning piece.
0:38:17
I think we've been doing leaning more on the expediency, side, not but not always getting to the results that we run.
0:38:26
Right?
0:38:26
It's, for any of us that are working on the affordable housing and Ulerp side, it's whack a mole.
0:38:32
It's one by one, project by project.
0:38:34
We only have and can only influence whatever projects are coming before us.
0:38:39
Right?
0:38:39
There's no way right now for a community to say, my priority is senior housing, affordable homeownership, and large family size units, and this is what we need to focus on in this neighborhood.
0:38:52
They can't real structurally, they can't do it.
0:38:54
So, yes, we want to we don't the the fast track piece is to make sure that we're not halting, that what we're not doing in the process of this is saying we're gonna stop everything and not develop anything.
0:39:06
And so projects continue to move through the pipeline.
0:39:08
But the other piece, which I think our affordable housing community would welcome, but and the supportive housing community welcome.
0:39:14
But I would also say, I think, the broader including market rate development community would welcome is some clarity and predictability around what people are looking to be developed and created in communities.
0:39:25
It is hard for any and all of us to start a project at year one and year five when it's finally or year three when it's finally going through Euler, find out that the political priorities, the community priorities have changed, and so potentially your project is now being turned down.
0:39:44
And and that is exacerbated by the fact that, Vicky talked about this, but we didn't, specifically say this.
0:39:52
In the course of all of that time, your AMIs are going up.
0:39:55
Right?
0:39:55
So the project gets green lighted in year one, but by the time we're actually opening these units, electives are saying, we were we thought this was an $1,800 2 bedroom apartment, and now it's $25.26.
0:40:08
Right?
0:40:08
So how do we both trim that, give some clarity and predictability, and not and recognize that we've gotta invest some time in, like, the long scale process of this while also continuing to move forward day to day.