Affordable Housing

What is Affordable Housing?

In general, housing is considered affordable if a household spends no more than 30% of its gross income on housing costs (35% for for-sale housing). Using the table shown above, the following tables are examples of what households of various sizes and incomes can afford in Lafayette.

Sometimes, affordable units are referred to as “below-market-rate” or BMR. A BMR unit is a housing unit that is priced to be affordable to households that are moderate income or below. These housing units are often built by local government, non-profits, or as a requirement of the developer as part of an inclusionary housing ordinance. As a result, these homes have certain deed restrictions recorded on the property which ensure the home remains affordable for future generations.

This means that a single person earning $45,700 per year (almost $22 per hour) is considered very low income, while a three-person household (say, one working parent, one stay-at-home parent, and a child) earning $94,000 is considered low income. (Note that the very low-income category in the RHNA allocations must be divided in half to create an extremely low-income category.)

Who qualifies as "low income" in Lafayette?

The State, in conjunction with the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), establishes income category standards for a variety of housing programs, including for the Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA). State Income Limits apply to designated programs, are used to determine applicant eligibility (based on the level of household income), and may be used to calculate affordable housing costs for applicable housing assistance programs.

State Income Limits

Very low income (VLI): 50% of median income or less

Low income (LI): 50-80% of median income
Moderate income (MOD): 80-120% of median income
Above moderate (Above MOD): 120% of median and above

The median income for a family of 4 in Lafayette is $119,200. For comparison, below are common jobs labeled with their corresponding income categories based on the average income for these roles:

Lafayette Public School Teacher - Low Income: $56,000 annual salary or $28 per hour
Contra Costa County Firefighter - Moderate Income: $86,000 or $41 per hour
Waiter - Extremely Low Income: $20,000 annual salary or $10 per hour
Starbucks Barista - Extremely Low Income: $26,000 annual salary or $13 per hour

Affordable Housing in Lafayette

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Is the City required to build housing?

Currently, state law requires a city to identify enough land, zoned at appropriate densities, to ensure that affordable housing can be built by the private market. The city does not itself build housing; market-rate and non-profit developers do. In addition to ensuring there are adequate sites for housing, including market-rate housing, the Housing Element outlines a number of policies and programs to ensure there are no unreasonable constraints to the development of housing.

How Can I Find Affordable Housing in Lafayette?

To find affordable units in Lafayette, please see our Housing Information handout or use the City’s affordable housing web page to contact developments with affordable units.

To find affordable units in Contra Costa County, view the county's Affordable Housing page and click on "Affordable/Subsidized Rental".

H-1.8

Retention of Existing Lower-Income Units. Seek to retain existing subsidized very low-, low- and moderate-income housing units, especially those that will be available for conversion to market rate housing. Retention of such units should have high priority for available funds.

Program H-1.8.1: Ongoing Monitoring of Conversion Risks: Monitor affordable projects at risk of conversion to market rate. Maintain regular communication with the owners of any subsidized projects in Lafayette to keep up-to-date on plans to maintain affordability. Assist in outreach and education to tenants as needed. No market rate conversions are anticipated during 2009-2014.

Responsibility: Community Development Department
Financing: City
Scheduling: Annually as an ongoing program

Program H-1.8.2: Ongoing Monitoring of Federal Preservation Activities: Monitor Federal actions and appropriations regarding extension of Section 8 contracts, and actively support additional appropriations.

Responsibility: Community Development Department
Financing: City
Scheduling: Annually as an ongoing program

Program H-1.8.3: Respond to Notices of Intent to Prepay: Support efforts to retain existing FHA and HUD subsidized low-income units through use of local, regional and national resources, CDBG funds, Redevelopment Housing Set-Aside funds, and other solutions.

Responsibility: Community Development Department
Financing: City
Scheduling: Annually as an ongoing program

Program H-1.8.4: Support Ongoing Rental Subsidies in Lafayette: Continue to support the County Housing Authority housing rental subsidies to lease units in Lafayette for very-low and low-income households. The Section 8 program is the most useful program the City has to subsidize families in rental apartments, and its continuation is important to maintain some subsidized rentals for families

Responsibility: Community Development Department
Financing: City
Scheduling: Annually as an ongoing program

Goal H-2 Facilitate and encourage the development of diverse housing types and additional affordable housing units to accommodate a diversity of Lafayette citizens in terms of age and socio-economic background and to meet regional housing needs as quantified in this Chapter.

H-2.1

Mixed Use: Encourage the rehabilitation and development of residential uses in commercial areas where the viability of the commercial activities would not be adversely affected.

Program H-2.1.1: Housing Rehabilitation in Non-Residential Areas: Encourage housing rehabilitation in commercial zoning districts.

Responsibility: Planning Division
Financing: City
Scheduling: Ongoing

Program H-2.1.2: New Mixed-Use Developments: Support projects that include a mix of both residential and commercial development in the Downtown, as appropriate. For projects fronting downtown streets, consider requiring that housing be located on upper floors, allowing for commercial uses on the ground floor.

Responsibility: Planning Division
Financing: City
Scheduling: Ongoing

Goal H-3 Expand affordable housing opportunities for persons with special housing needs such as the elderly, developmentally disabled, households with very low to moderate incomes, and first time home buyers.

H-3.2

Senior Housing: Provide opportunities for senior housing.

Program H-3.2.1: Senior Housing Overlay: Consider creating a Senior Housing Overlay Zoning District. Include criteria that protect neighborhood character and assure good design, as well as flexible parking, setback and other requirements, where applicable.

Responsibility: Planning Division
Financing: City
Scheduling: Completed

H-3.3

Housing for the Disabled: Continue to facilitate housing for disabled persons.

H-3.4

Density Bonus: Provide a density bonus to projects that provide a required percentage of total units affordable to very-low and low-income households and for units meeting the special housing needs identified in this Element.

Program H-3.4.1: Density Bonus Regulations: Consistent with State Density Bonus Law, support developments that provide affordable housing and/or senior housing utilizing density bonuses, when affordability is provided above and beyond what is already required in the redevelopment area. Provide concessions and waivers as required by law.

Responsibility: Planning Division
Financing: City and developers
Scheduling: Ongoing

H-3.5

Large Families: Recognize the need for providing multifamily housing for large families. Encourage developers of housing to include larger units (2+ bedrooms) in their proposed projects for families.

Program H-3.5.1: Consider requiring that developers include three-bedroom units in proposed multifamily developments. As part of this analysis determine what percentage of the total units should be three bedroom units, and what size of development should trigger this requirement. Provide fast tracking to projects that provide larger units suitable for families.

Responsibility: Planning Division
Financing: City
Scheduling: 2012