Resolution 1728
RESOLUTION NO. 1728
RESOLUTION OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF GILROY
AMENDING THE GENERAL PLAN OF THE CITY OF GILROY
BY ADOPllms AND ADDING THERETO A HOUSING ELEMENT.
WHEREAS, the Planning Commission of the City of Gilroy has
heretofore held hearings in accordance with law upon a proposal
to amend the General Plan for the City of Gilroy by adopting and
adding thereto a Housing Element, and has made its report to the
Council of said City of Gilroy in which it recommends approval
of the Housing Element attached to and made a part of its Resolu-
tion No. 652 and adoption thereof; and
WHEREAS, pursuant to sections 65355 et. seq. of the Government
Code of the State of California, the Council of the City of Gilroy
has heretofore fixed the 5th day of March, 1973, at the hour of
8:00 o'clock p.m. in the Council Chambers in the City Hall, Gilroy,
California, as the time and place for hearing the said report and
recommendation of said planning commission, notice of said hearing
has been given in accordance with law and the Ordinances of the
City of Gilroy, and the Council now having proceeded to the hearing
of said report and recommendation and continued it to this date,
and having duly considered the same and determined that the said
report should be adopted;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Housing Element of
the General Plan for the City of Gilroy as amended and attached
hereto be and the same is hereby approved and adopted as an element
of the General Plan for the City of Gilroy.
PASSED AND ADOPTED THIS 2nd day of April, 1973 by the
following vote:
AYES:
COUNCILMEMBERS:
BATREZ, DUFFIN, lillGHAN, PATE,
SILVA, STOUT and GOODRICH
RESOLUTION NO. 1728
NOES:
ABSENT:
RESOLUTION NO. 1728
COUNCILMEMBERS:
COUNCILMEMBERS:
None
None
APPROVED: dL
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Mayor
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I, SUSANNE E. STEINMETZ, City Clerk of the City of Gilroy. do
hereby certify that the attached Resolution No. 1728
Is an original'
resolution. duly adopted by the Council of the City of Gilroy at a
regular meeting of said Council held on the 2nd
day of Apri 1
. 19 ~ at which meeting a quorum was present.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the
official seal of the City of Gilroy, this
, 1971-.
5th
day of April
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Draft a
Gilroy Planning Department
March .28, 1973
Proposed Housing Element
City of Gilroy
Background
Ever since 1949 when the United States Congress declared the National Goal
of "A decent home and a suitable living environment for every American family',',
all levels of government have tried, in varying degrees, to make that goal a
reality. Yet the goal of 1949 has not been achieved. Even though there have
been promises of massive housing assistance, such aid has not been delivered.
Great technological changes in the building industry were to cause a revolution
in home building which would enable the price of homes to be within the reach
of practically everyone. Such a revolution has not occurred.
Details of specific housing situations vary; however, several underlying
problems have remained constant since the National Goal was adopted over 24
years ago. They include the rising cost of housing, imbalances of housing
supply and demand, and the ex1stance of inadequate and overcrowded housing
units. Despite these problems of high costs and unavailability of enough
decent housing for all its citizens, the City of Gilroy will attempt to attain
the following broad range goals:
1. That all housing needs of the community, both present and future t
will be met.
2. That a pleasant living environment that offers freedom of choice
with respect to location, housing type and housing cost will be
met.
3. That this housing element will be implemented toward that purpose with
these resources that are available to the City.
Specific Housing Goals and Policies
In order to cope with the housing problems in the City of Gilroy, the City
will insure, promote, and implement the following program of goals and policies:
Specific Housing Goals:
1. Safe, sanitary t decent housing for all persons regardless of age,
income, race or. ethnic background.
2. Optimum individual choice of tenure, housing type, and location.
3. The elimination of housing deficiencies and of future blight
through conservation, construction, rehabilitation and removal.
4. A level of housing construction in balance with current new aild re-
placement needs, and consistent with comrmmity growth objectives.
5. The establishment, maintenance, and enhancement of the character t
quality, and livability of residential areas.
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6. The encouragement of a full range of housing and employment
opportunities, open space, and adequate transportation and community
facilities throughout the city.
7. To help facilitate the operation of the housing market in a fair and
open manner, for suppliers and consumers alike so as to increase the
ability of persons and families to meet their housing needs in the
housing market.
HouslnQ Policies to JmDlement Goals:
1. Policies on zoning and housing.
a. The City will not use zoning in ways which exclude persons on
the basis of racial. economic, ethnic or age characteristics.
b. Zoning will be used to encourage variety and mix in housing
types and will provide adequate sites for housing persons of all
income levels.
2. It will be the policy of the City to encourage a mix in type and
cost of housing within neighborhoods through the use of planned unit
development. It will also encourage a variety of zoned areas so
that economic mix will be fostered both between adjoining sub-
devisions; and within each subdivision and apartment complex.
3. Consideration of proposed new housing will include assessments of the
impact upon local public services, utilities and schools, and the
City sha11 discourage such developments as will over-burden such
services and utilities.
4. The City will actively encourage Planned Unit Development within
Gilroy as a means of attaining a more innovative approach to solving
housing problems.
5. In arriving at zoning decisions, cost and supply of housing will be
included in planning criteria.
6. The City will strongly encourage redevelopment or rehabilitation of
any sub-standard housing units within its boundaries to current
standards of safety, sanitation, and neighborhood amenity.
7. The City's policy will be that of not allowing residential uses east
of the South Valley Freeway.
8. Replacement of housing units removed by public action is to be
considered part of the cost of public improvements in accordance
wi th state laws..
9. The State Health and Safety Code and the Uniform Building Code,
Section lit (Housing) will be vigorously enforce.
10. A Housing Code enforcement program should be carried out when ac-
companied by adequate ancillary programs to insure that the stock
of the housing is .not decreased and that hardships are not imposed
upon those people ,ffected by the program. Such programs shall
be service-orient,d, on a neighborhood Improvement basis, and
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integrated with other related programs.
II. The City will not allow housing development to be built on land
which is environmentally unsound to support such development. This
includes such environmentally hazardous areas as earthquake faults,
flood plains, slide areas, or land subject to major liquifaction.
It will also emphasize the need to design with nature, not against
it.
12. The City's policy will reflect the necessity of mixed housing, of
non-concentration and dispersal of assisted and low income housing.
13. The City will support programs and actions to insure fair and open
housing.
14. The City will continually assess and review the housing needs of
Gilroy with input from individual citizens and citizen organization.
15. The City will support and continue to be an active participant in
the Joint Cities-County Housing Program and will foster citizen and
non- governmental organization input into the program.
BackQround on Policies and Goals
The following is the background material that is used as the basis for
the policies and goals that have been established. Each heading represents a
specific area which relates to one or several of the policies.
Residential and HousinQ
The community goal of a pleasant living environment that will offer all
residents the freedom of choice with respect to location, housing type, and
housing cost must be reflected by residential land use provisions. The old
rigid patterns stemmIng from uniform standardized zoning and subdivjsion
ordinace requirements, which tended to produce a monotonous physical environ-
ment composed of homogeneous dwelling units, should be made more flexible,
and greater variety of residential densities should be incorporated into new
neighborhoods. The City's development pattern indicates that the average lot
size of 7,000 square feet is also the norm, with only a small number of
much larger or smaller developed lots. Gilroy's residential pattern, therefore,
can accurately be described as predominatly single family in character on
separate lots of approximately uniform size.
In the General Plan', it is proposed to maintain the overall density at
20 persons per acre in each of the neighborhoods or sub-areas of the City
that are shown on the Plan as predominantly low density in character, while
permitting and encouraging a range of new housing types and development patterns
to be constructed in these areas. A system of incentives and bonuses can be
introduced, whereby a developer can be permitted to exceed the average
density on a carefully calculated basis, if his plans provide greater
amenity (usable open space, greenways. innovative land planning design),
greater variety of housing types, styles, building arrangements, or other
social or developmental benefits. As a principle of sound urban planning,
the higher residential densities will be situated on the outer edge of the
neighborhoods closer to the major secondary thoroughfares, thereby reducing
traffic load on the interior residential service streets.
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In t.he older portiona of the city where the basic developnent pattern
has already been set, the community goal of a pleasant living environment all
reatdents will require in some instances sane form of redevel.opnent or re-
hal.d1itat,ion p1.'ogran1 to improve t.ho qual.ity of housing. Particular at.t.ention
should be given to the def;erlorat.oo living tU\i.+.g tL1.Oln8 1.~ alleys.
The containment of resident,ial expansion has lUready been mentioned
in the first section of this chapter as a fundamental objective of the General:
Plan. In order to minimize the costs and objectionable results of the helter...
skelter development, the Plan sets definite boundaries of urbanization beyond-
which the City should not expand during the time period of this Plan. An
Urban Development Policy should be used to insure that the boundaries will
not be expanded beyond that point.
The limits of probable growth have not been set or defined in the Plan for
intermediate points in tilae between 1968 and 1985. The City should set some
bench marks for the growth it can afford t.o support by its expenditures for
.capital improvement,s.. The cost to the city of extending namicipal services in
a random manner, and the cost to its residents in the inconvenience and loss of
time that results from a leapfrog pattern of growth will be much greater than
if it follows a phased program, geared to the most effecient form for ac-
comodating expansion.
The proposal to contain urban expansion on the eastern side of the South
Valley Freeway in order to preserve the best agricultural lands is disoussed
in some detail in subsequent section which deals with the agricultural aspects.
of the Plan and need not be repeated here. In proposing this course of action.
the Plan recognizes not only the desirability and reasonablligy of retaining
the best agricultural land for agriculture, but also emphasizes the pattern of \
growth to the west, ~orth and south that is already in evidence, and \
proposes the e"Ontinuation and orderly advancement of these trends.
Hous~ Cost
Housing cost can be closely associated with the impact on family income.
It is normally assumed that a family can spend 25% of its income on housing.*
This average is based upon the usual expenditure pattern of middle income
residents. However, there are class defferences of cost impact upon families.
FHA data on federally insured mortgages in Santa Clara County reveal that
upper income households are to spend relatively small portions of their income
on housing and t~t low income households tend to spend considerably greater
shares of income an housing. Such is'the case for Gilroy. According to the
1970 Census, those that make under $5,000 a year pay &l1 :average of 35% of their
income toward rent. Those who have an income between $5,000 and $10,000 spend
an average of 19.6% of their income on rent; those between $10,000 and $15.000
spend and average of 13,4% and those above $15,00 spend Atlave~age of ~.
&ost.,ot"laDd, labor, 8Z1d _tefta1e' have continued to escalate.
Supply and Demand
A standard assumption is that a family can afford to plTchase a house
valued at twice its annual income. Using this standard, it was estimated
that in 1969, there was a sufficient supply of houses valued over $24,000,
for households eart.1ng over $12.000**. Households earning less than $12,000
were confronted by an inadequate supply of houses which they could afford.
On a county...wide basis
* Joint Housing Element; 1971 Santa Clara County (P.i)
** Joint Housing Element; 1971 Santa Clara County (P.i)
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in 1970, the balance of supply and demand had' risen to the $15,500 income level
and' a house value of $31,000. In other words, it took an income of at least
$15,<xx> in 1970 to have a reasonable chance to find a house priced within th
normal budget limitations. Because of the short supply of houses below $'31,000,
many families were obliged to live in housing more expensive than they could
reasonably afford.
For rental hcusing, it is estimated that the 1970 balance of supply and-
demand was at the $140 rent level. . To afford a $140/month rental unit, a house-
hold needs an income of at least $6,700/year. For housing be~CM t.his in~ome, t.herf
were too few rental units which they could afford.
In February 1973, Gilroy contained 4,673 year-round housing units. Approxi-
mately 75% of these were single family detached homes. In 1971, there were 135
new dwelling units authorized' by building permits. By November 1972, there haa
been 385 new units authorized, more than doubling the previous year's total new
dwelling unit growths.
According to the 1970 Census., over 60f0 of the units on East Gilroy Elate
from before 1940, contrasting sharply with West Gilroy f where 40f0 of the stock
has been constructed since 1960 and only 1810 has carried over from the pre-1940
period.
The Market
Housing built within Gilroy during the last part of 1972 reflects the
higher cost for construction and land. For a single family detached home, the
prices ranged from $23,600(.!or a two-bedroom to $32,000 for a three-bedroom.
Some single family common wall homes were selling for $19,000.
Rentals that were builtin the last part of 1972 have also been affected
by the rising cost.- New two-bedroom apartments were renting from $160 to $235
a month. Older two-bedroom apartments generally ranged from $1l5 up. There is
a large difference between the east side of Gilroy and the ltest side in rental
prices. The newer apartments on the west side supply many more amenities such
as dishwashers r drapes, carpeting, etc., than older apartments. These apartments
are reflected in the higher prices in the rentals.
With both the cost of land and the cost of labor and' materials going upward,
the cost for housing will continue to reflect that change.
Because of the relative expensive housing now being built r there leaves
a big gap between what is needed and what is available. The medium income for
the Gilroy Planning Area was $9,558 (1970 Census). Since 1970, the medium income
has gone up but so has the price of housing.
The median value for owner-occupied housing was $22,228 (1970 Census).
With the more expensive homes being built in Gilroy and assessed valuation going
up, the median value is more in the $25,000 category in 1972.*
The median monthly rent, according to the 1970 Census, was $96. With the
new rentals that have been built in 1972, plus landlords generally l'aising their
rent I the median rent is much higher. The estimate in the latter part of 1972
would be in the neighborhood of $120-$125 a month.*
* Estima:t.e: Gilroy Planning Department -
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Housinl'!: Needs
The housing needs of the City cannot be expressed in specific number of
units. Instead, it must be expressed in policies which assure all families living
in Gilroy t nOt(. and in the future f access to a high standard of public services
and amenities. This means that policies adopted by the City in such areas as urban
development and annexation play a significant- role in the amount and type of hous-
ing available. The housing element will insure that new homes will meet certain
criteria. This criteria includes the avoidance of ghettoization, of overwhelming
public services. of segregated uses, of sprawling patterns of growth and shoddy
building practices.
Inadequate and Qvercrowded Housinl2:
The City faces the presence of overcrowded and substandard housing. The
1970 Census reports 523 units occupied as being overcrowded, which was 14% of the
'total housing units in Gilroy. Overcrowded is defined as more than one person-
per habitable room. There are 284 units that have been classified as having in-
adequate plumbing and 48 units lacking complete kitchen facilities.
The City will strongly encourage redevelopment or rehabilitation of any
substandard housing units within its boundaries. However, the City recognizes
the need for ancillary programs to insure that the stock of the housing is not
decreased and that hardships are not imposed upon those people affected by any
program.
Publicly Assisted Housing
As of February 1973, there were 403 government assisted housing units
within Gilroy. 70 of these units were Section 235 units whose ownership is -held
by moderate income families. Most of these were constructed under the self-help
housing program. Section 236 assisted rental accounts for 2.16 units, most of
these loeated within the Gilroy Apartments (1l0). A Senior Citizen Housing Pro-
ject of 48 units has been proposed for the Milias Hotel. 117 low income public
housing units are leased by the Santa Clara County Housing Authority.
The City of Gilroy recognizes the need for usch housing and will accormnodate
and support its use. The City, however, will not allow large concentrations of
such housing in any one area because of its detrimental effect of concentration
f"orall concerned. The City's policy will' reflect the desirability of mixed hous-
ing. within developments and neighborhoods, of non-concertration, of support and
Action to insure fair and open housing practices.
The City supports a county-wide approach of defining the need of federally
assisted housing and will cooperate with the Planning Policy Committee (PPC) of
Santa Clara County in this approach. The concept of encouraging a program to be
, developed upon the criteria that a city shoold' be allowed a certain percentage of
county-wide assisted housing based on the need, housing opportunities and impaction,
will be supported. A city shculd be allowed to distribute public assisted housing
as will be most beneficial to the people in the city. In order to broaden housing ,
chOice, the city will prevent large concentrations of publicly assisted housing
to be located in one section of the comrmmity over that of another.
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The City supports ways which lead to less reliance on government assisted
housing to meet the needs of low and moderate income families. This includes
everything from less expensive building techniques to helping individuals find
and maintain decent jobs. To this end, Gilroy will involve the economic and
educational base for its citizens in order to assure their independence from
government supported programs.
HousinQ and Schools
Schools must playa significant role in the housing policies of the city.
If rapid growth occurs in a city, one of the first public services overwhelmed
isthe school district. A decision for rapid growth without first taking into
consideration schools can drastically affect the public education system.
When development and growth does occur, the following will be considered:
The ability of schools to keep up with the impact of children; the possibility
of creating economic and racial segregation; the quality of life which affects
the educational process.
School officials are now concerned with the relationship of the economic
and social mix in housing; state school balance requirements and the housing
problem; and the impact on social and physical environments on education.
The City will work with the school district in order to achieve mutually
desi rable objectives related to development and growth. The City wi'll also
develop close coordination with school officials in the acquisition of land
for school sites and in, the management of joint recreation facilities.
NeiQhborhoods
The creation of distinct neighborhoods should be a future objective for
Gilroy so as to foster the development of a distinctive identity and unique
character for residential sections that will prevent amorphous, undifferentiated
subdivisions. Neighborhoods would be needed to develop neighborhood specific
plans, crystallize problem solving for a particular area and let people within
an area: relate to the specific community as a part of the greater whole.
. The n,ej'ghborhood pattern is encouraged in the General Plan by dividing
the city into sub-areas approximately one-half to three-quarters mile square,
and bounded by major or secondary thoroughfares. At the average densities
proposed, such a neighborhood area would contain 3,000 to 4,000 persons.
Social Concerns in HousinQ
As elsewhere in the nation, Gilroy has problems in the social aspects
of housing_ These problems can be classified generally into two categories:
The process of placing people into housing, and the conditions under which
they occupy that housing. Problems generated under these categories lead to
social issues and activities in housing. Examples of such social activities
are open housing policies and practices, tenant-landlord information, and
educa t i ona 1 i nforma t i on.
In order to deal with the more important issues, the City will encourage
new programs and work with other agencies and organizations to expand or
continue existing programs which deal wlth the social concerns in housing.
Environment and HousinQ
Environmental quality and Its relation to people and housing will be
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taken into consideration when: reviewing the housing needs of Gilroy.
Housing development will not be allowed in envi~onmentally hazardous areas
such as on earthquake faults, flood plains, slide areas, or probable
llquifaction areas. The City will insist that housing development blend in
with the surrounding environment as much as possible, and be designed wl.th
nature, not against it.
Residential Development Patterns
The General Plan's recommendation on residential patterns are expressed
in terms of four categories of use based upon a range of densities. They
include: Hillside Residential, generally located on one-acre lots; Low
Density, primarily for single-family dwellings; Medium Density for apartment
dwellings; and High Density for specific areas which afford a tightly
structured community area. The General Plan also urges the use of Planned
Unit Development which does not relate to specific densities or uses and would
be allowed in any residential development pattern. The City will use these
residential patterns as a criteria for housing densities and will encourage
the use of Planned Unit Development throughout Gilroy.
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