Affordable housing project in Heritage District moves forward

Oct. 19—The developer of a highly contested affordable housing project proposed for the city's Heritage District received his second nod of approval last week.

During a special Friday night meeting, the Lodi Planning Commission unanimously approved a growth allocation request to Jack Kautz for 12 high-density units at 620 S. Central Ave.

While the project's facade and specifications received approval from the city's Site Plan and Architectural Review Committee last month, planning department staff said growth allocations must be issued before applicants can obtain building permits.

The project itself — a two-story, 12-unit affordable housing project planned for a currently vacant piece of land — was not approved Friday.

The planning commission will consider the actual project, which will include parking and traffic concerns from neighbors, once the Lodi City Council approves and issues the growth allocations, a staff report said.

According to staff, growth allocation approvals involve three basic factors: a project's relationship to priority areas, a project's relationship to the city's maximum 2% annual growth rate, and the city's growth allocation points system.

Staff said the project is located in a "phaseable" priority area where the city is planning to increase housing and population.

The Heritage District is not the only area of town where population growth is a priority. Others areas include the neighborhood bounded by Lockeford Street, Lodi Avenue, Pleasant Avenue and Cherokee Lane; as well as the southeast portion of Lodi east of Highway 99, according to a map presented by staff.

The city's annual growth allocation has been capped at a maximum of 2% each year since 1989. Applying that growth limit to the city's 2020 population, Lodi could grow by 1,375 people in 2021, staff said.

Assuming there are 2.85 people per household, staff said, 150 homes would generate 485 new residents. The project would not generate 485 residents, and it qualifies for the growth allocation, staff said.

The growth allocation points system is used when the number of allocation requests exceeds the maximum annual amount available, and projects compete based on points, staff said.

Because the request from Kautz was the only one made this year, there is no need to implement the point system, staff said.

"I think this had good documentation, and a good write-up," commissioner Rick Maciel said.

Kautz said he understood the concerns of drug use and prostitution discussed by Heritage District residents at previous SPARC meetings, and suggested his project could prompt an increased police presence in the area to quell those activities.

He added the project has never been, nor will it ever be a homeless shelter as some residents believed.

"The project is supposed to give 24 people a fresh start and a nice place to call home," he said. "It's hard for me to believe that people object to this housing project, when everybody has a roof over their heads. The city needs more affordable housing. The city backs this project 100%. The city doesn't want to see this project fail, because if this project fails, then future projects — affordable housing — are going to have a tough road to come up."

Kathy Ruotolo, a neighbor who spoke in opposition at a Sept. 22 SPARC meeting, said there are 93 existing apartment complexes in the district, and 12 additional units would only bring more residents with more vehicles in an area troubled by traffic.

Some residents of the project might be couples with adult children, each of which would have their own vehicles, and she questioned where they would park.

"I just don't see how you can find it in your hearts to put in another apt complex on the east side," Ruotolo said. "And stating we're going have extra patrols. It's not going to happen."

Ramon Yepez has spoken against the project at both previous SPARC meetings, said the city has already approved several other low-income housing developments in the Heritage District and that opposition from neighbors was not a case of "Not in My Backyard."

He said "NIMBY" was the city's way of ignoring residents, and asked if any locations in other areas of Lodi were considered.

"In the end, I know that you are going to force this project down our throats over our objections, just like you always do," he said. "But we're not going to let you pretend our opposition is just another case of NIMBY and we're not going to let you break the law and get away with it."

The commission did not discuss the project Friday night. The allocation request will be considered by the city council at a future meeting."