Fairfax approves 54-unit affordable, senior housing project

May 05--The 54-unit, affordable senior housing project Victory Village is closer to reality, earning approval this week from the Fairfax Town Council.

The council on Wednesday voted 4-0 on a series of actions, setting the stage for a final vote in the coming weeks to create the new housing at 2626 Sir Francis Drake Blvd.

Councilwoman Barbara Coler recused because she lives close to the location where the project would be built -- a 2-acre parcel owned by Christ Lutheran Church.

The Victory Village plan calls for the construction of 47 one-bedroom apartments, six studio apartments and one two-bedroom apartment to accommodate a property manager. All of the units, with the exception of the property manager's apartment, would be priced to be affordable for seniors with annual incomes ranging from $24,000 to $45,000.

The project has been delayed by battles between residents who fear the loss of Fairfax's small town character and those who see a need to respond to Marin's critical shortage of affordable housing. Nevertheless, no one voiced opposition to the project at Wednesday's meeting.

"In my time I have never seen such an outpouring of support for so important a project," said Councilman David Weinsoff. "It is a project that reflects the very best of Fairfax, the generosity and kindness of its citizens."

Resources for Community Development, a Berkeley-based nonprofit, is developing the senior housing project for Christ Lutheran Church.

"We're just thrilled," Alicia Klein, a senior project manager at the nonprofit, said following Wednesday's vote.

Public support

Klein said a number of local organizations -- Marin Organizing Committee, Coalition for Livable Marin and Marin Environmental Housing Collaborative -- played a role in building public support for the project.

Klein said there were also a number of individual Fairfax residents, such as Lisel Blash, who also made a big difference. Blash canvassed her neighbors, made phone calls, organized meetings, gathered signatures of support outside local stores and even baked cookies for people willing to come to Town Council meetings.

"We're feeling like with all that is happening in Washington D.C. right now we really want to do more than just resist," Lisel said. "We want to build something positive in our own community."

Patti Breitman, a member of the Marin Organizing Committee, said, "We're kicking off a campaign this year called "Yes in my backyard," and Victory Village is one of the first projects we're putting under that umbrella. So we're very pleased with the 4-0 vote."

Amy Gosman, a member of Christ Lutheran Church's council, said, "This is a huge step. It was a very longtime coming. We were amazed that the process took on a life of its own. We had no idea it was going to be as deep and long a process as it has been."

Financing hurdles

The Victory Village parcel was one of several sites rezoned by the Fairfax Town Council in 2014 to make way for affordable housing. Opponents to the rezoning gathered more than 1,000 signatures on a petition forcing the council to backtrack and undo the zoning change.

Once Resources for Community Development gets its final approvals from the council it can concentrate on its next big hurdle, financing. Klein said the nonprofit has to wait for local approvals before it can apply for low income tax credits, which are awarded by the state.

The senior housing project is estimated to cost $29 million, and RCD is hoping to secure tax credits worth about $19 million.

Klein said the election of President Donald Trump has been a setback for affordable housing developers that have come to rely on tax credits.

"The talk of reducing corporate tax rates has somewhat destabilized the market for investing in low income housing tax credits," Klein said. "That said, the decrease in tax credit equity pricing has affected rehabilitation developments more and investors in low income housing tax credits seem to be still interested in new construction developments like Victory Village."

On Tuesday, RCD got word that the Marin Community Foundation is increasing its grant for the project from about $400,000 to more than $1 million.

Loan required

RCD is hoping to receive about $847,000 from the county of Marin; final approval from the Marin County Board of Supervisors is expected within weeks. And RCD is getting about $250,000 from the Tamalpais Pacific Foundation.

In addition to these monies, RCD estimates it will also require a conventional loan of about $7 million to secure the balance of the needed funding.

"Most of that conventional loan is based on also getting a commitment of project-based rental subsidies from Marin Housing Authority, and they're still reviewing our application," Klein said.

RCD wants all of its Victory Village units to be available to holders of Section 8 vouchers. In addition to making the units more affordable, this approach will make it more likely that people already living or working in Marin will get to take advantage of the Victory Village housing. That is because people who live or work in Marin get priority points when applying to the Marin Housing Authority for Section 8 vouchers, Klein said.

The land where Victory Village is slated to be built is zoned to allow only one unit per 7 acres. Among the actions that the council approved on a first reading Wednesday was the creation of a new senior housing zoning district and the rezoning of the Victory Village to this district.

This zoning designation will allow Victory Village to have 20 units per acre. A state density bonus law gives RCD the right to build the additional 14 units.

___

(c)2017 The Marin Independent Journal (Novato, Calif.)

Visit The Marin Independent Journal (Novato, Calif.) at www.marinij.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.