11-13-2002 Council Agenda - Laserfiche WebLink

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LE -7. State and /or County Licensed Residential Facilities (group homes) (AH) 3 4 Issue: As the need for more residential -based care facilities increases, sufficient funding 5 is also needed to ensure residents living in group homes and licensed facilities have appropriate 6 care and supervision. In view of cities' responsibilities to accommodate group homes and 7 residential -based facilities, it is important state and county government work with local officials 8 to address residential care and public safety issues. Cities have reasonable concerns for special 9 care necessary for group home residents, particularly in case of public safety emergencies. Since 10 operators of certain residential facilities and services are not required to notify cities when they 11 intend to purchase housing for group homes, cities do not have opportunity to raise concerns and 12 requirements regarding the special care and public safety measures these residences may expect. 13 14 Response: The Legislature should provide sufficient funding for such residential - 15 based services. The Legislature should also require agencies and licensed providers that 16 manage and operate group homes to notify cities in a timely manner when they request to 17 operate such facilities or to renew their license, and allow cities to require them to identify 18 and take appropriate measures to respond to the special care residents need in case of 19 emergencies. 20 21 Legislation should also require establishment of non - concentration standards for 22 state or county- issued requests for proposals (RFPs) and direction to avoid clustering residential facilities. Licensing authorities must also be responsible for removing any residents incapable of living in such an environment, particularly if they become a danger 25 to themselves or others. 26 27 LE -8. Inclusionary Housing (AH) 28 29 Issue: Housing advocates and developers have pointed to local zoning and land -use 30 regulations as a source of increased housing construction costs. But steeply rising land prices, 31 building materials, and labor costs, as well as the imbalance in the supply and demand for 32 affordable housing, account for a far greater proportion of the problem. Cities have responded to 33 these challenges by adopting development agreements that achieve cost savings and include 34 affordable units in return for regulatory relief. 35 36 Response: The Legislature should: 37 38 • Strengthen cities' authority to carry out policies that offer developers a range of 39 incentives in return for including a designated number of affordable units in their 40 projects. 41 ® Identify strategies to ensure long -term affordability of rental and owner - occupied 42 housing produced as a result of such policies and practices. 43 w Focus attention on and support local assessment of housing needs and direct state resources toward development of both affordable rental units and financing to increase access to entry -level owner - occupied housing. 1.1