RES 96088 - Laserfiche WebLink

traffic trips. The ordinance also assists employers and business park in better utilizing existing roadways and transit alternatives in order to maintain the City's standard of Level of Service D at all major intersections outside of the Downtown. The City is participating in this joint effort with employers to encourage commuters to use means other than driving to work alone during peak-hour periods. 6. Building Codes and Enforcement Building Codes are not a constraint to residential development. New construction is required to meet Uniform Building Code regulations, but there is no ongoing systematic enforcement of building codes on existing dwellings. Existing units are inspected only when complaints are received by the City, or when an owner seeks a permit for additional construction. Certain types of additions require the applicant to bring the building (or part of it) up to current codes. 7. Affordable Housing Fee In order to promote housing affordability in Pleasanton, the City encourages developers to provide affordable housing as part of new residential projects. This can be accomplished either by constructing affordable units or by paying an impact fee in lieu of constructing affordable units. The in-lieu fee was adopted in 1977 and has been the method used by most developers. The City ordinance which established the in-lieu low-income housing fee includes provisions for adjusting the fee relative to the Consumer Price Index (CPI). The fee amounts were adjusted in December 1994 to their present levels of $1,954 per single-family unit, $651 per multi-family unit, and $0.43 per square foot of commercial building floor area. The fees collected from new development contribute to the Lower-Income Housing Fund, which is used by the City to fund activities related to the construction and acquisition of affordable housing. In cities with development areas, redevelopment law requires that 20 percent of the funds collected by the redevelopment agency go toward affordable housing. This constitutes the major source of funds for affordable housing in many communities in California. Pleasanton, however, does not have a redevelopment agency; therefore, the Housing Fund is the City's major resource for funding activities related to the provision of affordable housing. In July 1994, the City Council adopted a set of policies defining the general uses for the Housing Fund. The policies allow the use of Housing Funds for certain types of activities related to the promotion of affordable housing in Pleasanton, including property acquisition, new construction, rehabilitation, housing counseling, and financial activities. With regard to rehabilitation, the policies emphasize activities related to an increase in the City's stock of lower-income housing, although a provision is also included for maintenance activities which ensure the continued availability of existing units as part of the City's affordable housing stock.