Tag: Housing

More Places, Less Spaces: California is Driving Down Development Costs

In an effort to decrease the skyrocketing development costs and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, Assembly Bill 2097 (AB 2097) aims to eliminate a key obstacle for new developments: parking. More specifically, starting on January 1, 2023, this law prohibits public agencies from imposing minimum automobile parking requirements for residential, commercial and other development projects if the project is located within a 1/2-mile of a “High-Quality Transit Corridor”[1] or a “Major Transit Stop.”[2]

Prior to the enactment of AB 2097, cities and counties retained the authority to impose a minimum number of parking spaces required for new developments. This condition is typically the result of a calculation found in the city or county’s zoning code, and is usually determined based on the use or type of project being developed, regardless of project specifics. Oftentimes, the use of a universal calculation results in excess parking. For example, a new restaurant may be required to provide 4 parking spaces for every 100 square feet of use even if the restaurant concept does not necessitate a large number of parking spaces or if the restaurant is in a pedestrian- or transit-friendly location. While California remains in the throes of a housing crisis, some areas within the state boast an oversupply of parking spaces. For example, Los Angeles County has 18.6 million parking spaces, which equates to almost 2 parking spaces for every 1 resident.[3] This statistic is similar in the Bay Area where there are 1.9 parking spaces for every 1 resident.[4]

Moreover, not only can a static calculation result in unnecessary parking (and blacktop), it can add untenable costs to new developments. For example, new residential developments are typically required to provide 1 to 2 parking spaces per unit. The requirement results in an additional cost of approximately $36,000 per unit.[5] As the cost to develop residential projects is at an all-time high,[6] builders are welcoming all efforts to reduce the cost and eliminate unnecessary development “standards.”

To avoid a complete free-for-all, under AB 2097, public agencies will still retain the ability to impose a minimum parking requirement, if, within 30 days of the receipt of a completed application, the public agency makes a written finding that not imposing a minimum automobile parking requirement would have a substantial negative impact. However, there are a number of exceptions to this caveat that wholly restrict public agencies from imposing a minimum parking condition. These exceptions include certain affordable housing projects or small residential housing projects.

For parking spaces that are voluntarily included in proposed project designs, public agencies may still require: (i) spaces for car share vehicles; (ii) parking spaces to be shared with the public; or (iii) for the project to charge for parking. Nothing in AB 2097 shall reduce or eliminate the requirement that new developments provide for the installation of electric vehicle supply equipment (i.e., EV-charging stations) or to provide parking spaces accessible to persons with disabilities.

AB 2097 is intended to give developers more flexibility and lower the costs associated with development, which will – hopefully – result in an influx of housing and the redevelopment of vacant buildings where it may not have been previously feasible to provide parking in a quantity necessary to meet a jurisdiction’s minimum requirements. By reducing the oversupply of parking, there is the expectation that the use of mass transit will increase, thereby reducing traffic, greenhouse emissions and air pollution.

Critics of AB 2097 are concerned that the elimination of parking requirements could actually weaken local efforts to provide more affordable housing as many public agencies offer reductions in parking requirements to incentivize developers to add on-site affordable housing units to the project.[7] There is also concern that, despite the decrease in availability, many residents will continue to own vehicles, which – ironically – will lead to increase parking demand and congestion.

Although there is a lot of speculation of AB 2097, many are hopeful that it is a step in the right direction when it comes to addressing California’s housing crisis. As Governor Gavin Newsom stated when he signed the bill: “Reducing housing costs for everyday Californians and eliminating emissions from cars: That’s what we call a win-win.”

FOOTNOTES

[1] “High-Quality Transit Corridor” means a corridor with a fixed-route bus service with service intervals no longer than fifteen minutes during peak commute hours.

[2] “Major Transit Stop” means a site containing an existing rail or bus rapid transit station, a ferry terminal served by bus or rail, or the intersection of two or more major bus routes with a frequency of fifteen minutes or less during peak commute periods.

[3] Aguiar-Curry, Cecilia. Assembly Committee on Local Government – AB 2097 (Friedman) – As Introduced February 14, 2022. (April 20, 2022. )

[4] Inventorying San Francisco Bay Area Parking Spaces: Technical Report Describing Objectives, Methods, and Results. Mineta Transportation Institute – San Jose State University. (February 2022.)

[5] Some estimates place the aveage cost of one residential unit at $1,000,000 in development costs. (The Costs of Affordable Housing Production: Insights from California’s 9% Low-Income Housing Tax Credit Program. Terner Center for Housing Innovation – UC Berkley. A Terner Center Report [March 2020].)

[6] Dillon, Liam and Posten, Ben. Affordable Housing in California Now Routinely Tops $1 Million per Apartment to Build. Los Angeles Times. (June 2, 2022.)

[7] California Daily News.

Article By Amanda S. Lee of Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP

For more real estate legal news, click here to visit the National Law Review.

Copyright © 2022, Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP.

How to Improve Cities After COVID-19: What to Know About the Revitalizing Downtowns Act

In July, Democratic Senators Gary Peters and Debbie Stabenow (along with Democratic  Representatives Dan Kildee, John Larson, and Jimmy Gomez) introduced the Revitalizing Downtowns Act (“The Act”) to Congress. With the goal of reviving urban districts and downtown commerce, the Act would establish a new federal tax credit that encourages property developers to convert unused office space into residential or mixed-use space.

The Act defines an obsolete office structure as a building at least 25 years old, and at least 20 percent of the residential conversion must be dedicated to affordable housing. If these criteria are met, 20 percent of the conversion expenses will be covered by the tax credit. The Act has  growing support from economic development organizations across the country, including the International Downtown Association and the Federal City Council. Together, 37 organizations formed the Revitalize Our Cities coalition, committed to reenergizing downtown spaces and strengthening the U.S. economy.

The Act presents a substantial opportunity to improve American cities of all sizes. Justin P. Weinberg, Partner in Charge at Taft Stettinius & Hollister’s Minneapolis office, said of the Act, “It’s an opportunity to revitalize and reenergize existing spaces. Giving new purpose – and attracting new tenants – to buildings that would otherwise be vacant means more people, customers, and workers to build and sustain a strong community and business district where there wasn’t one before.”

How Can Federal Tax Credits Help Unused Office Space Redevelopment?

With employees still working from home and a permanent return to the office for countless businesses seeming more uncertain as the COVID-19 pandemic continues, many office buildings may remain vacant and unused, leaving downtowns with fewer opportunities for investment and revenue generation.

“This Act would be huge in encouraging all types of business to invest in downtown markets. It would be most helpful though if the tax credit provided could be used in conjunction with other credits, such as historic tax credits, Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (“LIHTCs”) and/or new markets and also incentivized business owners to open. Residential development works best if it is in conjunction with other retail, services and other amenities and, of course, plenty of parking,” said Kelly Rushin Lewis, partner in Jones Walker’s tax practice and leader of the firm’s tax credit finance team.

For buildings needing a lot of work, tax credits are essential to ensuring the project has the necessary financing. Without them, many projects requiring a lot of renovations and updates may not be able to move forward, Ms. Lewis said.

“Tax incentives are a key tool in attracting private capital in neighborhoods or towns in need of revitalization. These conversions can be much more challenging than building from the ground up, especially if dealing with vacant buildings that may have environmental, zoning, code compliance, or other latent issues that may be expensive to correct. The projects often are just not financially feasible and will not get done without those incentives,” she said. “A credit or some other incentive for potential tenants in the commercial spaces would be helpful – many business owners may be reluctant to be the first or one of few to open in what may be an otherwise quiet downtown. Tax incentives would encourage them to come and hopefully give them a cushion while the neighborhood is being revitalized.”

Another potential impact of the bill would be the increased investment in affordable housing. With many cities large and small struggling to provide enough affordable housing, the Act would create an opportunity to develop vacant buildings into much-needed affordable housing developments.

“Now more than ever, investment in affordable housing is critical.  Housing costs are at an all-time high with demand outpacing supply. The costs of acquiring housing is high and the cost of building it is as well,” Ms. Lewis said. “Affordable housing developments do so much more than create housing – they create jobs and careers in everything from construction, accounting, legal work, property management, and more.”

In addition to creating jobs, the creation of affordable housing has the potential to slow down the gentrification affecting many large cities, said Lacy Clay, a former congressman from Missouri and a Senior Policy Advisor at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP.

“If you can convert these older buildings into affordable housing units, then you will slow down the gentrification process taking place in quite a few of these urban centers. You can look at any major city now and see that low to moderate income families and people of color are being pushed out of those cities, and then to further into the suburbs,” he said. “This would help reverse those trends.”

How Investing in Affordable Housing Actually Can Help with the Current Labor Shortage.

The Revitalizing Downtowns Act is a timely piece of legislation for investing in urban centers during the COVID-19 pandemic. For many industries, it appears that widespread remote work is here to stay, and it is critical that American cities reflect that new reality. By providing incentives for developers and property owners, the Act makes these necessary overhauls far more viable. “Tax incentives reduce investors’ financial risk,” explained Mr. Weinberg. “[This makes] taking on such a project highly attractive.”

The bill’s emphasis on affordable housing is especially notable. Through this provision, legislators hope to provide equal footing for renters and thereby attract young talent to fill employment needs.

“I want to compliment Senator Stabenow and Gary Peters and Dan Kildee for coming up with this innovative way to be able to bring populations back in a way that does not exclude communities of color, but will include communities of color,” Mr. Clay said. “If you build enough affordable housing units, according to the legislation, at least 20 percent of any of those redevelopments have to be dedicated to affordable housing.”

Through investing in affordable housing, downtowns would benefit from an increased flow of commerce, as well as a buffer against the ongoing U.S. labor shortage and or talent mismatch.

“The trick is to prioritize affordable housing without eliminating or displacing families in market-rate housing that do not otherwise qualify for affordable housing,” said Mr. Weinberg. “But if done well, a city that strikes the right balance of available affordable housing benefits from additional economic stability and makes itself a sustainable destination for business, families, and communities.”

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New Chicago Affordable Housing Ordinance Means Greater Costs for Developers

chicago_skyline

The Chicago City Council recently passed an amendment to the existing Affordable Requirements Ordinance (the 2015 ARO), which will increase the cost to develop most affordable housing projects in Chicago.  With the passage of the 2015 ARO, developers must now provide on-site or off-site affordable housing in addition to the in lieu fees which makes it impossible for developers to circumvent the purpose of the affordable housing requirements mandated by the ordinance.  In addition, the 2015 ARO significantly increases the in lieu fees that developers must pay in order to satisfy the requirements of the ordinance.

The Affordable Requirements Ordinance was enacted in 2003 and revised in 2007 to expand access to housing for low-income and moderate-income households and to preserve the long-term affordability of such housing in the Chicago.  Housing is considered “affordable” if the sales price or rent for the housing unit does not total more than a certain percentage of a family’s household income.  To qualify for affordable housing, the household must make at or below a certain percentage of an area’s median income as established by the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Before the 2015 ARO, developers could pay an “in lieu fee” in the amount of $100,000.00 for every affordable unit they elected not to include in their projects to completely satisfy the affordable housing requirements.

You can click here for a complete summary of the 2015 ARO.  It is a quick reference guide for anyone considering the development of residential projects in Chicago.

Application

The 2015 ARO applies to residential projects that contain ten (10) or more residential units and satisfy one of the following requirements:

  • The project receives a zoning change that permits a higher floor area ratio, changes the use from non-residential to residential or permits residential uses on ground floors where that use was not previously allowed;

  • The project includes land that was purchased from the City of Chicago;

  • The project received financial assistance from the City of Chicago; or

  • The project is part of a planned development in a downtown zoning district.

Minimum Percentages of Affordable Housing

While there are certain exemptions, the 2015 ARO creates minimum percentages for affordable units in projects as follows:

  • Rezoning – In the case of a rezoned property, the developer is required to designate 10% of the units in the project as affordable housing (or 20% if the developer receives financial assistance from the City of Chicago).  Financial assistance from the City of Chicago includes grants, direct or indirect loans or allocation of tax credits to the development.

  • City Land Sales – Where the City of Chicago sells property to a developer and such property is subsequently developed for residential purposes or is incorporated into a residential housing project site in order to satisfy City of Chicago Municipal Code requirements, the developer must designate no less than 10% of the units in the project as affordable housing (or 20% if the developer receives financial assistance from the City of Chicago).

  • Existing Buildings | Zoning Change – Where there is an existing building that contains housing units at the time of an approved zoning change or an existing building that contains a mixed-use occupancy with use being residential at the time of an approved zoning change, only the additional housing units permitted under the rezoning are subject to the affordable housing requirements of the ordinance.  However, in the event the developer has received financial assistance from the City of Chicago, then the entire building is subject to the affordable housing requirements of the ordinance.

Additional Considerations for Affordable Housing Units by Project Location

Compliance with the ordinance will depend on the area where the project is located:

1.  Low-Moderate Income Areas 

  • For low-moderate income areas (designated by the City of Chicago Department of Planning and Development), a developer must provide at least 25% of the required affordable units on-site.

  • For the remaining 75% of the required affordable housing units, the developer has the option of satisfying the requirements of the ordinance by (a) establishing additional on-site affordable housing units; (b) paying an in lieu fee in the amount of $50,000.00 per unit; or (c) any combination of (a) and (b).

2.  Higher Income Areas 

  • In higher income areas (those areas that are not designated as low-moderate income areas), the developer must provide at least 25% of the required affordable units on-site or off-site.

  • For the remaining 75% of the required affordable housing units, the developer has the option of satisfying the requirements of the ordinance by (a) establishing additional on-site or off-site affordable units; (b) paying an in lieu fee in the amount of $125,000.00 per unit; or (c) any combination of (a) and (b).

  • All off-site units must be located within a two (2) mile radius of the residential housing project at issue and in the same or a higher income area or in a district zoned “D” (downtown district) under the City of Chicago Zoning Ordinance.

3.  Rental Units in Downtown Districts

  • In downtown districts and planned developments in a downtown district (zoned “D”), a developer of rental units must provide at least 25% of the required affordable rental units on-site or off-site.

  • For the remaining 75% of the required affordable housing units, the developer has the option of satisfying the requirements of the ordinance by (a) establishing additional on-site or off-site affordable units; (b) paying an in lieu fee; or (c) any combination of (a) and (b).

  • The in lieu fee is $140,000.00 per unit through and including the first anniversary of the publication date of the ordinance in the Journal of the Proceedings of the City Council of the City of Chicago.  The in lieu fee is increased to $175,000.00 thereafter.

  • All off-site units must be located within a two (2) mile radius of the residential housing project at issue and in the same or a higher income area or in a district zoned “D” (downtown district) under the City of Chicago Zoning Ordinance.

4.  Owner-Occupied Units in Downtown Districts 

  • In downtown districts and planned developments in a downtown district (zoned “D”), a developer of owner-occupied units (i.e., condominiums) may establish affordable housing in the following ways: (a) establishing affordable owner-occupied units as part of the residential housing project; (b) establishing off-site affordable owner-occupied units; (c) paying an in lieu fee; or (d) any combination of (a), (b) and/or (c).

  • The in lieu fees are the same as rental units in downtown districts; however, in the event the developer elects not to provide a minimum of 25% of the required affordable owner-occupied units either on-site or off-site, the in lieu fee shall be increased to $160,000.00 per unit through and including the first anniversary of the publication date and $225,000.00 per unit thereafter.

  • Off-site affordable owner-occupied units may be located anywhere in the City of Chicago, subject to the Department of Planning and Development’s approval.

In summary, the 2015 ARO has significantly increased a developer’s cost to develop residential units in the City of Chicago.  It also mandates that affordable housing units be built even if it is off-site.  It remains to be seen if these new laws will in fact inhibit developers from constructing residential projects in the City of Chicago.  To learn more about 2015 ARO and its implications for your business, contact a member of the Much Shelist Real Estate practice group.

ARTICLE BY

Harold S. Dembo & Kristin A. Nordman of Much Shelist, P.C.
© 2015 Much Shelist, P.C.