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Transmittal - 8/14/2023ERIN MENDENHALL DEPARTMENT of COMMUNITY Mayor and NEIGHBORHOODS Blake Thomas Director SALT LAKE CITY CORPORATION 451 SOUTH STATE STREET, ROOM 404 WWW.SLC.GOV P.O. BOX 145486, SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH 84114-5486 TEL 801.535.6230 FAX 801.535.6005 CITY COUNCIL TRANSMITTAL ________________________ Date Received: _________________ Lisa Shaffer, Chief Administrative Officer Date sent to Council: _________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ TO: Salt Lake City Council DATE: August 14, 2023 Darin Mano, Chair FROM: Blake Thomas, Director, Department of Community & Neighborhoods __________________________ SUBJECT: Thriving in Place Draft Plan STAFF CONTACT: Blake Thomas, Director, Community and Neighborhoods, 801-718-7949, blake.thomas@slcgov.com Angela Price, Policy Director, Community and Neighborhoods, 801-599-3850, angela.price@slcgov.com Sooz Lundmark, Transportation Planner III, 801-535-6112, Susan.Lundmark@slcgov.com DOCUMENT TYPE: Ordinance RECOMMENDATION: Council adoption of Thriving in Place as recommended by the Planning Commission. BUDGET IMPACT: None BACKGROUND/DISCUSSION: This transmittal follows up on a transmittal sent on May 9, 2023. Thriving in Place (“TIP” or “the Plan”) is the City's proposed anti-displacement and mitigation plan, which has been developed with significant public engagement and support from a broad coalition of residents and community organizations. The Plan comprises five guiding principles: 1.Prioritize tenant protections; 2.Partner with those most impacted; 3.Increase housing everywhere; 4. Focus on affordability; and Lisa Shaffer (Aug 14, 2023 16:16 MDT)08/14/2023 08/14/2023 5. Build an ecosystem for action. These guiding principles run throughout the entire Plan, informing the six goals and 22 action items described in the Plan. While the action items are categorized by the goals that they support, many of the action items address multiple goals. The goals of Thriving in Place are: 1. Protect the most vulnerable from displacement; 2. Preserve the affordable housing we have; 3. Produce more housing, especially affordable housing; 4. Expand capacity for tenant support and affordable housing; 5. Partner and collaborate to maximize impact; and 6. Advocate for tenants at the state level. Based on the City Council's direction received at a briefing on TIP on December 13, 2022 and January 3, 2023, the Administration is working on policies in the Two-Year Action Plan (Exhibit B) including items adopted in the FY24 budget, and replacing the Housing Loss Mitigation ordinance with the Community Benefit Policy. An overview of the Near-Term Action Items that are in development is provided in the table below. It is important to note that Near-Term Action Items that require legislative action will be processed separately from the Draft TIP Plan and will have an individualized transmittal, public engagement process, and public hearing with the Planning Commission and formal recommendation, where applicable. Near-Term Action Items • Develop New Funding / Leverage Existing Funding (4A) • Adopt Community Benefit Policy (2A) • Tenant Relocation Assistance Program (1A) • Displaced Tenant Preference Policy (1B) • Data Collection and In-Lieu Fee Analysis (4B) • Create Tenant Resource Center + Navigation Service (1D) • Establish City Implementation Team (5A) • Help Tenants Become Owners (1E) • Invest in Community Land Trusts (2C) • Utilize Publicly Owned Property (3D) • Acquire & Rehabilitate Unsubsidized Housing (2B) • Make Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) Easier and Less Expensive to Build (3B) • Adopt the Affordable Housing Incentives (3A) Community Engagement As presented to the City Council on July 12, 2022 and outlined in the Phase 1 Report, TIP has undergone a thorough public engagement process. From February 2022 to July 2022, the TIP team heard from 2,150 residents through a survey (online and in-person), conducted focus groups with 50 participants, conducted 70 in-depth interviews, and engaged with 200 students in schools from elementary through high school. Additionally, the TIP team has held regular meetings with a Community Working Group, comprised of over 20 participants from various community organizations, and convened a City Steering Committee representing 16 departments and divisions. Furthermore, a Core Policy Team consisting of staff from the Redevelopment Agency, Housing Stability Division, Transportation Division, and the Planning Division worked collaboratively to ensure the goals and action items aligned with the responsibilities of their respective divisions and departments. The feedback received from these various partners contributed to the development of the draft Plan. In response to comments received from the Planning Commission and to public comments received during the 45-day public comment period, the following changes were made to the draft plan: • Changes to include create quantifiable metrics. o Added a new page (p. 14) showing how Housing SLC goals and Thriving in Place strategy align. • Changes to include language about use of publicly owned land. o Added language to Strategic Priority 3D to make the connection between publicly owned land and affordable housing more explicit. • Developed materials to increase accessibility. o Added an overview video to web site. o Developed a graphic overview of Two-Year Action Plan. PUBLIC PROCESS: The following is a list of public meetings that have been held, and other public input opportunities, related to the proposed project since the 45-day public comment period commenced: • May 12, 2023 – All recognized community organizations in the city were sent the 45-day required notice. Other stakeholders and members of the community working group were sent 45-day notice. Comments were received from one recognized community organization. • May 12 – June 30, 2023 – A full draft of the plan was available for review at www.thrivinginplaceslc.org/draft-strategy along with a comment form. Social media posts and newsletter mailings were also used to advertise the availability to comment. • May 25, June 7, June 8, 2023 – Presentation to three recognized community organizations (by request). • June 3, 2023 – Tabling at Utah Asian Festival. • June 9, 2023 - Tabling at Homeless Resource Fair. • June 13 and June 27, 2023 – Tabling at Partners in the Park. (Jordan Park and Poplar Grove Park) • June 14, 2023 – Planning Commission briefing was held to provide the Planning Commission an opportunity to offer feedback and to inform the public on the plan. • July 26, 2023 - Planning Commission public hearing o At the Public Hearing, there were three public comments. All comments were in support of the proposed plan. There were two supportive public comments submitted via email. • August 1, 2023 – Presentation to Salt Lake City Human Rights Commission Summary of Public Comment To date, 28 responses have been collected through the online comment form and two comments have been received to a dedicated email inbox. One of the comments received to the inbox was from a recognized community organization and one was from an individual. Three comments were delivered at the Planning Commission public hearing (all in support), one of which was also emailed to staff. Additionally, one community member was not able to attend the public hearing but asked that an op-ed in support of the Plan be included as public comment. Respondents who used the online comment form were asked to comment on which priorities stood out as especially important, what they thought was missing, their level of support for the Plan, and what additional factors should be considered as the Plan is finalized, along with demographic information. A majority (75 percent) of respondents identified their current housing situation as Renters (46 percent) or Other (29 percent), with a few identifying as owners (18 percent). This information is important to note because Thriving in Place is a plan that will primarily impact renter households and households in other, often more precarious, housing situations. Overall support for the Plan was high, with 82 percent of respondents supporting the Plan. A mere 7 percent of respondents indicated opposition to the Plan and 11 percent were ambivalent. Those who supported the Plan “as-is” cited the need for more affordable housing, the need for increased tenant support, and the need for larger units as important factors for consideration. Those who support the Plan but would like to see changes pointed to the need to overlap services along with the anti-displacement strategies (such as daycare, vocational rehab, etc.). Additionally, there were concerns about how difficult it can be to find and get into affordable housing. The main opposition to the Plan was opposition to government intervention in the housing market and a preference for broad upzoning. Generally, the comments received through email were supportive. The response from the recognized community organization identified areas of concern, including the long-term viability of the tenant relocation assistance, the lack of inclusionary affordable housing requirements, and concerns about short term rentals with additional ADU and other zoning changes that are promoted. The long-term viability of the tenant relocation assistance is something that staff are currently considering. That a pilot program was funded this year in the annual budget is a significant step forward. The lack of inclusionary zoning requirements is due primarily to state preemption. However, the Community Benefits Policy in the draft Plan incorporates density bonuses in exchange for affordable housing in certain circumstances. The concern about short term rentals has also been at least partially addressed through the creation of two new enforcement positions that were funded in the annual budget. The resident email posed questions about strategies for keeping senior residents in their homes in the face of rising property taxes. While not contemplated explicitly in TIP, strategies such as community land trust opportunities as well as strategies outlined in Housing SLC have the potential to help. The comments received through email and a spreadsheet of the survey responses have been attached to this transmittal (Exhibit D) as part of the public record. Planning Commission (PC) Records a) PC Agenda for July 26, 2023 (click to access) b) PC Meeting Summary of Actions for July 26, 2023 (click to access) c) PC Meeting Minutes for July 26, 2023 (click to access) EXHIBITS: Exhibit A – Thriving in Place At-a-Glance Exhibit B – Thriving in Place Two-Year Action Plan Exhibit C – Ordinance Adopting Thriving in Place Draft Exhibit D – Public Comments Received During 45-Day Comment Period and Public Hearing Exhibit A Thriving in Place At-a-Glance Thriving in Place at-a-glance a one-page overview of Salt Lake City’s Anti-Displacement Strategy From the Phase 1 Report: Displacement in Salt Lake City is significant and getting worse. There are no “more affordable” neighborhoods in Salt Lake City where families can move once displaced. Salt Lake City is growing and there aren’t enough affordable units for low-income families. Plus a shortage of units overall is creating more competition for lower cost units Almost half of Salt Lake City households are rent burdened. More than half of all families with children live in displacement risk neighborhoods. Latinx and Black households have median incomes that are lower than what is required to afford rent in the city. Displacement affects more than half of White households in Salt Lake City and disproportionately affects households of color. Many areas experiencing high displacement risk were redlined in the past and are still highly segregated today. Community members are very concerned about displacement and its impacts. They want more affordable housing and support for those being impacted. GUIDING PRINCIPLES: prioritize tenant protections / partner with those most impacted / increase housing everywhere / focus on affordability / build an eco-system for action Caveats: there are no magic fixes (it will be hard work) / we will build on what we are already doing / state pre-emption limits what we can do / we have finite resources + things we don’t control / the housing crisis is regional / we must work together 2 PRESERVE the affordable housing we have 2A Develop and Adopt a Community Benefit Policy 2B Acquire and Rehabilitate Unsubsidized Housing 2C Invest in Community Land Trust Models 2D Address Short-Term Rentals’ Impacts on Housing 6 ADVOCATE for tenants at the state level 6A Work to Advance Tenant Rights and Affordable Housing at the State Level 6 Interrelated Goals / 22 Strategic Priorities 3 OUTCOME GOALS: Protect – Preserve – Produce 3 SUPPORTING GOALS: Expand Capacity – Partner + Collaborate – Advocate 3 PRODUCE more housing, especially affordable housing 3A Adopt the Affordable Housing Incentives Policy 3B Make ADUs Easier and Less Expensive to Build 3C Create More Diverse Housing Choices in All Areas 3D Utilize Publicly Owned Property 3E Prioritize Long-Term Affordability, Support Services, and Transit Access 5 PARTNER + COLLABORATE to maximize impact 5A Form a City Implementation Team 5B Work with Partners to Convene a Regional Anti-Displacement Coalition 5C Launch an Ongoing Community Partnership to Coordinate Action + Investment in the Highest Risk Areas 4 EXPAND CAPACITY for tenant support + affordable housing 4A Develop New Funding Sources and Leverage Existing Resources 4B Define Indicators to Track Displacement and Develop Data Systems to Track Progress 4C Strengthen the City’s Capacity to Enforce Deed-Restricted Housing Commitments 1 PROTECT the most vulnerable from displacement 1A Develop a Tenant Relocation Assistance Program 1B Adopt a Displaced Tenants Preference Policy 1C Improve and Expand Tenant Resources and Services 1D Create a Tenant Resource Center and Navigation Service 1E Help Tenants Become Owners 1F Promote Affordable Living and Better Jobs Near-Term Action Priorities Support Tenants 1A Develop a Tenant Relocation Assistance Program Provide support to tenants directly impacted by redevelopment. 1B Adopt a Displaced Tenants Preference Policy Design and put in place a policy for eligible deed-restricted units so that displaced tenants are given a preference when those units become available. 1C Improve and Expand Tenant Resources and Services Increase awareness of tenant resources; innovate on service delivery; make changes to the Landlord Tenant Initiative. 1D Create a Tenant Resource Center and Navigation Service Partner to create a Tenant Resource Center website; develop and launch a navigation service to connect tenants with the resources and support they need. Preserve + Create Affordability 2A Adopt a Community Benefit Policy Mitigate the loss of existing affordable housing on redevelopment sites through an incentives approach. 3A Adopt the Affordable Housing Incentives Policy Incentivize the creation of affordable housing in new development. 2B Acquire/Rehab Unsubsidized Housing Partner to acquire priority sites to create long-term affordability. 3B Make ADUs Easier + Less Expensive Facilitate the creation of more ADUs. 3D Utilize Publicly Owned Property Identify key properties that can be used to create affordable housing. 2C Invest in Community Land Trusts Grow the Community Land Trust model for long-term affordability. 1E Help Tenants Become Owners Invest in shared equity programs that help tenants build wealth, improve financial security, and help them become owners. Partner for Action 5A Form a City Implementation Team Create a cross-department team to oversee implementation of the Thriving in Place strategy. 4B Define Indicators / Develop Data Systems Define key indicators and put in place needed data systems to track progress. 5B Partner to Convene a Regional Anti- Displacement Coalition Regularly convene key partners to coordinate regional action on anti- displacement initiatives and housing. 4A Develop New Funding Sources and Leverage Existing Resources Ensure ongoing funding to provide needed resources for affordable housing and tenant assistance. 5C Launch Ongoing Community Partnership Create cross-dept. team to coordinate investments and work in partnership with community to counter displacement (in Westside, Ballpark, Central City, and Liberty Wells areas). Exhibit B Thriving in Place Two-Year Action Plan 2023 2025 2024 THRIVING in PLACE / Salt Lake City’s Anti-Displacement Strategy Two-Year Action Plan Overview RESOURCES + PARTNERSHIPS TENANT SUPPORT TEAM AFFORDABLE HOUSING TEAM POLICY TEAM 5A - Form City Implementation Teams 2A - Develop and Adopt Community Benefit Policy 1A - Develop Tenant Relocation Assistance Program 1B - Adopt Displaced Tenants Preference Policy / Develop Program 2C - Adopt Community Land Trust (CLT) Legislative Policy 4A - Finalize Funding Needs / Prioritize New Funding Sources JULY 2023 Public Review and Input 5A Implementation Teams 2A Community Benefit Policy 3B ADU Policy + Programs 1A Tenant Relocation Assistance 3A Affordable Housing Incentives Policy 1B Displaced Tenant Preference Policy 2C CLT Policy + Investements First Things First - Review + Adopt Plan / Form Teams Foundations - Adopt Key Policies / Support Displaced Tenants / Develop Data Systems Investment + Action - Strengthen Tenant Supports / Create More Affordable Housing / Grow Shared Equity Models 2B Acquire + Rehab Unsubsidized Housing1C Expand Tenant Resources + Services 1D Launch Tenant Navigation Service 4B Indicators + Data Systems 3D Utilize Publicly- Owned Properties 1E Help Tenants Become Owners Council Adoption 2C - Prioritize CLT Investment Opportunities 5B - Work with Partners to Form Regional Anti-Displacement Coalition 5C - Launch Community Partnership 4A - Implement Funding Plan / Develop and Leverage New Resources 3A - Finalize and Adopt Affordable Housing Incentives Policy 4B - Finalize Indicators / Develop Data Systems and Reporting Mechanisms 5C - Manage Partnership 1C + 1D - Expand Tenant Resources / Develop and Launch Tenant Resource Center and Navigation Service 1E - Help Tenants Become Owners / Identify Shared Equity Housing Priorities 3D - Identify Priority Publicly Owned Lands for Housing 3B - Improve Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) Processes and Resources 1E - Implement Priority Projects and Investments 3D - Develop Projects / Partnerships 2B - Expand Investment in Acqusition and Rehabilitation of Unsubsidized Housing 5B - Manage Regional Anti-Displacement Coalition Exhibit C Ordinance Adopting Thriving in Place Draft SALT LAKE CITY ORDINANCE No. _____ of 2023 (Adopting the Thriving in Place plan) An ordinance adopting the Thriving in Place plan as part of Salt Lake City’s general plan. WHEREAS, the Salt Lake City Planning Commission held a hearing on July 26, 2023 on a petition to adopt the Thriving in Place plan as part of Salt Lake City’s general plan as governed by Part 4 of Utah Code Chapter 10-9a; and WHEREAS, at its July 26, 2023 meeting, the Planning Commission voted in favor of forwarding a positive recommendation to the Salt Lake City Council (“City Council”) on said petition; and WHEREAS, after holding a public hearing on this matter, the City Council has determined that adopting this ordinance is in the city’s best interests. NOW, THEREFORE, be it ordained by the City Council of Salt Lake City, Utah: SECTION 1. Adopting the Thriving in Place plan. That the Thriving in Place plan provided in Exhibit “A” attached hereto is adopted as part of Salt Lake City’s general plan as governed by Part 4 of Utah Code Chapter 10-9a. The adoption of this plan serves to identify the goals and objectives identified within the plan, all of which are subject to future budget appropriations. SECTION 2. Effective Date. This ordinance shall become effective on the date of its first publication. Passed by the City Council of Salt Lake City, Utah, this ______ day of ______________, 2023. ______________________________ CHAIRPERSON ATTEST AND COUNTERSIGN: ______________________________ CITY RECORDER Transmitted to Mayor on _______________________. Mayor's Action: _______Approved. _______Vetoed. ______________________________ MAYOR ______________________________ CITY RECORDER (SEAL) Bill No. ________ of 2023. Published: ______________. Ordinance adopting Thriving in Place plan APPROVED AS TO FORM Salt Lake City Attorney’s Office Date:__________________________________ By: ___________________________________ Paul C. Nielson, Senior City Attorney August 4, 2023 EXHIBIT “A” Thriving in Place plan SALT LAKE CITY’S ANTI -DISPLACEMENT STRATEGY Why It’s Needed | Strategi c Priorities | Two-Year Action Plan JULY 2023 UPDATED DRAFT for COUNCIL REVIEW THRIVING IN PLACE SALT LAKE CITY Message From the Mayor 2 MESSAGE FROM THE MAYOR Salt Lake City is an incredible place that’s home to families who have been here for generations and recent transplants alike. But as we’ve grown, many of our friends, neighbors, and families have been priced out of the communities they love. I initiated the ‘Thriving in Place’ project to help us better understand the factors driving gentrification and displacement in our communities, and to identify actionable strategies that could help our residents who are at risk of displacement to stay here and thrive. We were humbled by and so grateful for the level of community engagement and input, and the personal stories that were shared during the development of this plan. Thousands of residents gave their time, perspectives, and ideas as part of this process. This resulting anti-displacement strategy is dedicated to all of you: the people who make Salt Lake City such a great place to be, and give us hope for an even better future. There is a lot of work ahead that will build on the important efforts already underway to preserve and improve the housing we have, grow our supply of affordable housing, increase our support for renters, and partner more closely with communities that are being the most impacted. None of this work could happen without the dedication of our amazing City team who put in countless hours to make sure that this process was deliberate, reflective of our community’s values and desires, and focused on policies that will make a real, tangible difference to our residents for generatio ns to come. Thank you, team! The road ahead will be challenging. There are no easy solutions. But as the Spanish poet Antonio Machado reminds us in his poem about pilgrimage: we make the road by walking. Let’s continue walking and working together, to create a more just and secure future for all of us. MAYOR ERIN MENDENHALL Caminante, son tus huellas el camino y nada mas; Caminante, no hay camino, se hace camino al andar. Wanderer, your footsteps the road, and nothing more; Wanderer, we have no road, we make the road by walking. from poem by Antonio Machado; translated from the original Spanish THRIVING IN PLACE SALT LAKE CITY Acknowledgements 3 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS CITY COUNCIL Victoria Petro, Vice Chair, District 1 Alejandro Puy, RDA Chair, District 2 Chris Wharton, District 3 Ana Valdemoros, District 4 Darin Manio, Chair, District 5 DAN DUGAN, District 6 AMY FOWLER, District 7 CITY STEERING COMMITTEE Arts Council Felicia Baca; Renato Olmedo-Gonzalez Building & Licensing Services William Warlick City Attorney’s Office Kimberly Chytraus; Paul Nielsen City Council Office Allison Rowland; Nick Tarbet Civic Engagement Rachel Paulsen; Jamie Stokes Communities and Neighborhoods Tammy Hunsaker; Ruedigar Matthes; Angela Price; Blake Thomas Economic Development Cathie Rigby Finance Elias Ayon; Jennifer Madrigal Housing Stability Erik Fronberg; Tony Milner Mayor’s Office Ashley Cleveland; Dirie Fatima*; Andrew Johnston; Kaletta Lynch*; Hannah Regan Parks & Public Lands Tyler Murdock; Kristin Riker Planning Nick Norris; Mayara Lima, Kelsey Lindquist; Michaela Oktay; Kristina Gilmore Public Services Jorge Chamorro Public Utilities Holly Lopez; Marian Rice Redevelopment Agency of Salt Lake City Ashley Ogden Sustainability Debbie Lyons; Sophia Nicholas; Maria Schwarz Transportation Susan Lundmark Youth & Family Services Kim Thomas *employee no longer works for Salt Lake City COMMUNITY WORKING GROUP Communidas Unidas, Mayra Cedano Community Development Corporation of Utah, Mike Akerlow Crossroads Urban Center, Bill Tibbitts Disability Law Center, Karlee Stauffer Giv Development, Chris Parker Industry/Q Factor, Vinny Johnson Neighborhood House, Rosa Bandeirinha, Jennifer Bean, Sarah Scott NeighborWorks Salt Lake, Maria Garciaz, Sara Hoy, Jasmine Walton Pandos, Our Unsheltered Relatives, Carl Moore People’s Legal Aid, Marcus Degan, Danielle Stevens, Emily Blakeley PIK2AR, Jakey Siolo, Susi Feltch-Malohifo’ou Property Owner/Community Advocate, Cindy Cromer The Road Home, Downy Bowles, Tessa Nicolaides, Tyeson Rogers, and Meredith Vernick Salt Lake City Human Rights Commission, Esther Stowell Salt Lake County Aging and Adult Services, Kelly Roemer Salt Lake Valley Coalition to End Homelessness, Randy Chappell University Neighborhood Partners, Jarred Martinez Urban Indian Center of SLC, Alan Barlow, Maurice Smith Utah Community Action, Sahil Oberoi Utah Housing Coalition, Tara Rollins Utah League of Cities and Towns, Karson Eilers Wasatch Front Regional Council, Megan Townsend THRIVING IN PLACE SALT LAKE CITY Acknowledgements 4 PROJECT TEAM DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITY AND NEIGHBORHOODS Blake Thomas Director Tammy Hunsaker Deputy Director Angela Price Policy Director; Project Co-Manager Susan Lundmark Transportation Planner; Project Co-Manager Ruedigar Matthes Policy and Program Manager; Housing SLC lead PROJECT CONSULTANT TEAM COMMUNITY PLANNING COLLABORATIVE (formerly BAIRD + DRISKELL COMMUNITY PLANNING) David Driskell Principal and Project Manager Victor Tran Associate Planner Bowen Close, Creative Director /Document Design UNIVERSITY OF UTAH, DEPARTMENT OF CITY AND METROPOLITAN PLANNING Ivis Garcia Zambrana, PhD Assistant Professor Alessandro Rigolon, PhD Assistant Professor Caitlin Cahill, PhD Visiting Professor THE URBAN DISPLACEMENT PROJECT (UDP) AT UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY Tim Thomas, PhD Research Director Julia Greenberg Research Manager FOR MORE INFORMATION: thrivinginplaceslc.org • thrivinginplace@slcgov.com GRATITUDE A huge thanks to the thousands of residents who gave their time, input, and constructive ideas to this effort, and to the dozens of students at the University of Utah’s Department of City and Metropolitan Planning who helped make the broad and deep community engagement process a reality: putting up posters, surveying residents, attending community meetings, doing research, analyzing data, facilitating focus groups, and summarizing what they heard. The City is also deeply grateful to the many community partners, including those on the Community Working Group, our Community Liaisons, and everyone who helped host events, convene meetings, facilitate outreach, and shape the final policy and program recommendations. This Thriving in Place strategy is the result of your input and collective effort, underscoring our community’s tremendous assets and what can be achieved when we work together. THRIVING IN PLACE SALT LAKE CITY Table of Contents 5 TABLE OF CONTENTS Message From the Mayor 2 Acknowledgements + Gratitude 3 Thriving in Place at-a-glance 6 1 About Thriving in Place 7 What This Plan Is About 7 How Community Input Shaped the Plan 8 Plan Overview and How to Use It 9 2 Why We Need an Anti-Displacement Strategy 10 What We Mean When We Talk About Displacement 10 What We Heard and Learned About Displacement in Salt Lake City 11 What This Plan Does (with caveats) 13 Alignment Between Housing SLC's Goals and Thriving in Place 14 3 Salt Lake City’s Anti-Displacement Strategy 15 Five Guiding Principles 15 Six Interrelated Goals 17 22 Strategic Priorities 18 Attachment A: Two-Year Action Plan + Graphic Summary 69 THRIVING IN PLACE SALT LAKE CITY Thriving in Place At -a -Glance 6 THRIVING IN PLACE at-a-glance a one-page overview of Salt Lake City’s Anti-Displacement Strategy Thriving in Place at-a-glance a one-page overview of Salt Lake City’s Anti-Displacement Strategy From the Phase 1 Report: Displacement in Salt Lake City is significant and getting worse. There are no “more affordable” neighborhoods in Salt Lake City where families can move once displaced. Salt Lake City is growing and there aren’t enough affordable units for low-income families. Plus a shortage of units overall is creating more competition for lower cost units Almost half of Salt Lake City households are rent burdened. More than half of all families with children live in displacement risk neighborhoods. Latinx and Black households have median incomes that are lower than what is required to afford rent in the city. Displacement affects more than half of White households in Salt Lake City and disproportionately affects households of color. Many areas experiencing high displacement risk were redlined in the past and are still highly segregated today. Community members are very concerned about displacement and its impacts. They want more affordable housing and support for those being impacted. GUIDING PRINCIPLES: prioritize tenant protections / partner with those most impacted / increase housing everywhere / focus on affordability / build an eco-system for action Caveats: there are no magic fixes (it will be hard work) / we will build on what we are already doing / state pre-emption limits what we can do / we have finite resources + things we don’t control / the housing crisis is regional / we must work together 2 PRESERVE the affordable housing we have 2A Develop and Adopt a Community Benefit Policy 2B Acquire and Rehabilitate Unsubsidized Housing 2C Invest in Community Land Trust Models 2D Address Short-Term Rentals’ Impacts on Housing 6 ADVOCATE for tenants at the state level 6A Work to Advance Tenant Rights and Affordable Housing at the State Level 6 Interrelated Goals / 22 Strategic Priorities 3 OUTCOME GOALS: Protect – Preserve – Produce 3 SUPPORTING GOALS: Expand Capacity – Partner + Collaborate – Advocate 3 PRODUCE more housing, especially affordable housing 3A Adopt the Affordable Housing Incentives Policy 3B Make ADUs Easier and Less Expensive to Build 3C Create More Diverse Housing Choices in All Areas 3D Utilize Publicly Owned Property 3E Prioritize Long-Term Affordability, Support Services, and Transit Access 5 PARTNER + COLLABORATE to maximize impact 5A Form a City Implementation Team 5B Work with Partners to Convene a Regional Anti-Displacement Coalition 5C Launch an Ongoing Community Partnership to Coordinate Action + Investment in the Highest Risk Areas 4 EXPAND CAPACITY for tenant support + affordable housing 4A Develop New Funding Sources and Leverage Existing Resources 4B Define Indicators to Track Displacement and Develop Data Systems to Track Progress 4C Strengthen the City’s Capacity to Enforce Deed-Restricted Housing Commitments 1 PROTECT the most vulnerable from displacement 1A Develop a Tenant Relocation Assistance Program 1B Adopt a Displaced Tenants Preference Policy 1C Improve and Expand Tenant Resources and Services 1D Create a Tenant Resource Center and Navigation Service 1E Help Tenants Become Owners 1F Promote Affordable Living and Better Jobs Near-Term Action Priorities Support Tenants 1A Develop a Tenant Relocation Assistance Program Provide support to tenants directly impacted by redevelopment. 1B Adopt a Displaced Tenants Preference Policy Design and put in place a policy for eligible deed-restricted units so that displaced tenants are given a preference when those units become available. 1C Improve and Expand Tenant Resources and Services Increase awareness of tenant resources; innovate on service delivery; make changes to the Landlord Tenant Initiative. 1D Create a Tenant Resource Center and Navigation Service Partner to create a Tenant Resource Center website; develop and launch a navigation service to connect tenants with the resources and support they need. Preserve + Create Affordability 2A Adopt a Community Benefit Policy Mitigate the loss of existing affordable housing on redevelopment sites through an incentives approach. 3A Adopt the Affordable Housing Incentives Policy Incentivize the creation of affordable housing in new development. 2B Acquire/Rehab Unsubsidized Housing Partner to acquire priority sites to create long-term affordability. 3B Make ADUs Easier + Less Expensive Facilitate the creation of more ADUs. 3D Utilize Publicly Owned Property Identify key properties that can be used to create affordable housing. 2C Invest in Community Land Trusts Grow the Community Land Trust model for long-term affordability. 1E Help Tenants Become Owners Invest in shared equity programs that help tenants build wealth, improve financial security, and help them become owners. Partner for Action 5A Form a City Implementation Team Create a cross-department team to oversee implementation of the Thriving in Place strategy. 4B Define Indicators / Develop Data Systems Define key indicators and put in place needed data systems to track progress. 5B Partner to Convene a Regional Anti- Displacement Coalition Regularly convene key partners to coordinate regional action on anti- displacement initiatives and housing. 4A Develop New Funding Sources and Leverage Existing Resources Ensure ongoing funding to provide needed resources for affordable housing and tenant assistance. 5C Launch Ongoing Community Partnership Create cross-dept. team to coordinate investments and work in partnership with community to counter displacement (in Westside, Ballpark, Central City, and Liberty Wells areas). THRIVING IN PLACE SALT LAKE CITY About Thriving in Place 7 1 ABOUT THRIVING IN PLACE What This Plan Is About The project is in response to growing community concern about gentrification and displacement , driven by an increasingly severe shortage of affordable housing and a sense that new market-driven development is catering to higher income newcomers and contrib uting to displacement. Through a community-driven engagement process, the City worked with its partners to develop th is Anti-Displacement Strategy, which recommends policies, programs, and actions to counter displacement while strengthening long-term community stability and access to opportunity for all. The strategy and its actions aim to balance growth and investment in new housing with the preservation of existing housing, tenant protections , and a focus on equitable development that benefits all residents, including those most at-risk of displacement. Through the process of developing the strategy and its proposed actions, Thriving in Place seeks to combat involuntary displacement, help all residents benefit from new development and investments, and continue making Salt Lake City a great place to call home. Thriving in Place is focused on understanding the forces and impacts of gentrification and displacement in Salt Lake City, and on identifying priority actions that the City can take to help people stay and thrive in our community as we grow. THRIVING IN PLACE SALT LAKE CITY About Thriving in Place 8 How Community Input Shaped the Plan Thriving in Place engaged those most impacted by displacement in understanding it and identifying what to do. It happened in two phases. PHASE ONE: LISTENING AND LEARNING Starting in late 2021, the project team partnered with community groups, service agencies, and residents to understand and document the impacts of gentrification and displacement across Salt Lake City. This involved gathering and analyzing a lot of data, including stories and perspectives from nearly 2,500 residents via surveys, interviews, focus groups, and workshops. The results—including analysis and mapping from a leading-edge model that measures displacement risk across Salt Lake City and the region—were summarized and presented to the community and City Council in July 2022. PHASE TWO: CRAFTING COLLABORATIVE SOLUTIONS Starting in Fall 2022, the project team worked with City staff and community partners to develop the Anti-Displacement Strategy: first as a high-level framework, and then refined and detailed to set forth interrelated strategic priorities in response to what was learned in Phase One. The draft framework, strategic priorities, and near-term actions were shared on the project website for community feedback; discussed with members of the Community Working Group; shared at a Westside community meeting; and discussed through further community engagement undertaken as part of the Housing SLC process in Fall 2022 by students from the University of Utah. The Draft Strategy was presented for public review in May and June 2023, with minor refinements incorporated based on community feedback, which are reflected in this final draft for Council’s consideration and adoption. APA AWARD FOR UNIVERSITY OF UTAH TEAM The Department of City and Metropolitan Planning at the University of Utah—a key part of the Thriving in Place project team—was recognized by the Utah Chapter of the American Planning Association with their 2022 “High Achievement Award.” The award is well-deserved recognition for the CMP student and faculty work facilitating the project’s extensive community engagement as well as their project contributions through research, analysis, and documentation. Congratulations, and thanks for a job extremely well done! Visit the project website to read about what we heard and learned in Phase One and dig deep into the data and community input. THRIVING IN PLACE SALT LAKE CITY About Thriving in Place 9 Plan Overview and How to Use It The plan is presented in three sections, plus an overview and a two-year workplan: THRIVING IN PLACE “AT-A-GLANCE” A one-page overview of the strategy and its key co mponents. 1 ABOUT THRIVING IN PLACE A brief overview of how the plan was developed and what it’s about 2 WHY WE NEED AN ANTI-DISPLACEMENT STRATEGY A brief overview of what we mean when we talk about displacement, why a strategy is needed, and the core values and principles that guide it (plus some important caveats to keep in mind). 3 SALT LAKE CITY’S ANTI-DISPLACEMENT STRATEGY This is the core of the plan, presenting six interrelated goals and 22 strategic priorities to counter displacement and secure a more equitable future. Each priority includes details on why it is needed, who will lead it, the budget and timeline, implementation steps, and relevant case studies. ATTACHMENT A: TWO-YEAR ACTION PLAN + GRAPHIC SUMMARY Timing, resources, and roles for near-term actions. "THRIVING IN PLACE” AND “HOUSING SLC” — WORKING TOGETHER TO ACHIEVE THE CITY’S HOUSING GOALS Thriving in Place is an anti -displacement strategy focused on those most vulnerable to involuntary displacement. Housing SLC is the City’s five-year action plan for moderate- and lower- income housing, as required under state law. These two plans are companion documents that work in tandem to define priorities for investment, action, and partnership , to create more affordable housing options, and to help the most vulnerable tenants access and remain in affordable living situations. See how the Housing SLC goals and metrics align with Thriving in Place in the summary on page 14. The Thriving in Place plan is both a strategy and an action plan. As a strategy, it identifies key areas of work necessary to address the multiple factors that drive displacement and to create long-term solutions that can help residents and communities remain in place, particularly lower income renters who are most susceptible to invol untary displacement. As an action plan, it defines near-term priority actions and structures for supporting ongoing collaboration, implementation, and monitoring of success over time . For ease of use and updating, the initial two-year action plan is presented as a stand-alone document, included as Attachment A. THRIVING IN PLACE SALT LAKE CITY Why We Need an Anti -Displacement Strategy 10 2 WHY WE NEED AN ANTI- DISPLACEMENT STRATEGY What We Mean When We Talk About Displacement Salt Lake City has seen significant growth and investment in recent years, but not all are benefitting from it, and in some cases people who have been a part of our community —sometimes for many years—are having to leave because they can no longer afford to live here. When growth happens and new development doesn’t keep pace with demand, housing prices go up. While this is a complicated process driven by a combination of factors, the end result is that housing can become unaffordable for many residents—especially lower income residents and those on fixed incomes. Evictions and foreclosures become more common, along with people doubling up or finding other ways to make their income stretch to meet the cost of living. Some people can find no alternative and must then live in their vehicle or on the street. Most often, people move out before they face eviction because they can’t afford a recent rent increase or they’ve had a personal crisis (like a job loss or medical emergency) that drains their resources. They have to move to find a place they can afford. In some cases, lower cost housing units and commercial spaces are demolished to make way for new (and needed) housing, but the new housing and retail spaces are higher priced, catering to higher income households. While desired amenities and neighborhood improvements might be created, the people and communities who used to live in the area are forced out and experience the loss of a place they loved. In short, when incomes and housing costs are out of sync, people are displaced: to a different neighborhood, a different city, or—far too often—to the street, with deep and lasting impacts on them, their children, and our entire community. In developing the Thriving in Place strategy , three types of displacement were considered: DIRECT DISPLACEMENT This is when households are forced to move because they are evicted or because their building was torn down, often to make way for new and more expensive development. This is not as widespread as indirect displacement, but it is highly visible and extremely disruptive in people’s lives. INDIRECT DISPLACEMENT When rents get too high for families, particularly low -income households, they are compelled to move to a more affordable living situation that is sometimes far from their social networks, jobs, schools, and places of worship. When a low er income household is already paying over half their income on rent, even a rent increase of $50 to $100 a month can be the breaking point. This is the largest force of displacement, and often hard to measure or effectively counteract. THRIVING IN PLACE SALT LAKE CITY Why We Need an Anti -Displacement Strategy 11 CULTURAL DISPLACEMENT Both direct and indirect displacement can result in neighborhood changes, as current residents and businesses are replaced with new ones. The people who are displaced are often lower income households of color and immigrants, while the people moving in are often higher income and white. As a result, even people who are able to stay may feel a sense of loss as their friends and neighbors leave, familiar businesses close, and their neighborhood transforms. This is the aspect of displacement that affects everyone, even those who can afford to remain in place. What We Heard and Learned About Displacement in Salt Lake City In Phase One of the Thriving in Place planning process, we heard from thousands of people throughout the community and had hundreds of hours of conversation. We also dug deep into the data, documenting the extent of displacement risk and its realities, helping to develop a more complete and robust understanding of displacement in Salt Lake City and to build a shared understanding of the problem we are working to solve. The results were profound: • Displacement in Salt Lake City is significant and getting worse, and is an issue of high concern in the community. • There are no “more affordable” neighborhoods in Salt Lake City where lower income families can move once displaced. This is a particularly striking finding, that the research team at the Urban Displacement Project has not seen before in their work around the country. • Salt Lake City is growing and there are not enough housing units overall, and a significant lack of affordable units for low-income families—an issue that is occurring along the entire Wasatch Front. • Over half of Salt Lake City’s renter households are rent burdened, spending more than 30 percent of their income on housing and making them highly vulnerable to displacement when rents increase. • Displacement affects more than half of White households in Salt Lake City and disproportionately affects households of color. • The patterns of displacement reflect historic patterns of discrimination and segregation, with areas experiencing high displacement risk closely aligning with areas that were redlined in the past. A recent report from the Kern C. Gardner Policy Institute (The Changing Dynamics of the Wasatch Front Apartment Market, September 2022) underscores these trends and their significant impa cts. The full Phase One report details what we did, who we heard from, what they said, and what we learned from the data analysis. THRIVING IN PLACE SALT LAKE CITY Why We Need an Anti -Displacement Strategy 12 The Phase One Summary Report tells the whole story. Key aspects of that work included: ENSURING AN INCLUSIVE PROCESS Interviews with community stakeholders and leaders as a very first step in the process to get their input about key issues and shape the engagement strategy. A City Steering Committee representing 16 departments and divisions to ensure input and coordination. A Community Working Group of over 20 stakeholders to help direct the engagement strategy, serve as a sounding board, and provide input on the project’s work. DOCUMENTING AND ANALYZING THE DATA Modeling, analysis, mapping and ground - truthing by the Urban Displacement Project to better understand and document displacement risk and trends. Review of current City policy and programs plus documentation of “best practices” from other places. BROAD OUTREACH AND ENGAGEMENT A bilingual project website, in English and Spanish, as a platform for education and engagement. An online and in-person survey, also in English and Spanish, that engaged over 2000 respondents. Email blasts, social media, and 4000+ multi- lingual flyers, postcards, and door hangers, plus stenciling the project name and website info over 150 times on walkways around different neighborhoods. Presentations at 14 community events or gatherings and at 13 community council meetings to let people know about the project and encourage them to participate. REACHING THE MOST AT-RISK Six Community Liaisons (trusted members of the community) engaged to talk with folks they know about experiences of displacement and neighborhood change. Five focus groups and nearly 70 interviews to hear people’s stories and delve into their experiences, perspectives, and ideas. Seven youth workshops with over 200 students to hear their thoughts about changes in their neighborhoods and how to make the city a better place for everyone. THRIVING IN PLACE SALT LAKE CITY Why We Need an Anti -Displacement Strategy 13 What This Plan Does (with caveats) The Thriving in Place process has been a valuable opportunity to better understand the causes, extent, and impacts of displacement in Salt Lake City. Adoption and implementation of the Thriving in Place plan will be an important next step toward addressing displacement in a more impactful way and—as part of that—building a more collaborative and inclusive approach to understanding and acting on the needs of Salt Lake’s most vulnerable community members. As we launch into implementation of the Thriving in Place strategy, several important caveats must be stated: • There are no magic fixes; success will be incremental. It will requ ire hard, ongoing work and difficult decisions. • We will build on what we are already doing; this is the next step. Sequencing and coordination of actions will be key. • State preemption limits the range of potential action. We will work to change that but there will be limits and it will take time. • We have finite resources and capacity. The need will continue to be much greater than the resources we have. • The affordable housing crisis is nationwide as well as regional in scale, the result of many forces that we do not control. • It’s not just what we do, but how we do it. We must work together, build trust, be transparent, and have honest conversations. ca·ve·at /ˈkavēˌät/ Noun. A warning or proviso of specific stipulations, conditions, or limitations. Five key things that the Thriving in Place plan aims to do: 1 Elevate anti-displacement as a citywide priority. 2 Increase City investment and services to help lower income tenants avoid eviction and remain in Salt Lake City. 3 Prioritize creation of more affordable housing, especially “community - owned” and shared-equity housing that will be affordable long-term. 4 Change how the City works with impacted communities and key partners. 5 Call for new policies and tools that utilize land use decisions to incentivize affordable housing and public benefit. THRIVING IN PLACE SALT LAKE CITY Why We Need an Anti -Displacement Strategy 14 Alignment between Housing SLC’s Goals and Thriving in Place Thriving in Place sets out the City’s strategy for countering the forces of displacement. While the Two-Year Action Plan (page 69) provides a magnitude-of-cost estimate for each near-term priority, the strategy document does not establish specific budget amounts o r funding requests. Those amounts are developed and agreed to through the City’s annual budget process. Similarly, the strategy does not establish specific quantified targets for each area of action, but leaves that level of detail to subsequent action planning efforts. For example, determining the number of affordable housing units that can be created through the use of publicly owned properties (Strategic Priority 3D) will require a more detailed inventory of opportunity sites. Housing SLC is the five-year action plan for moderate- and lower-income housing, as required under state law. As an action plan, Housing SLC does establish quantified goals for housing production and tenant assistance. Those goals have been informed by the work of Thriving in Place, and are shown in the graphic below, mapped to the most relevant strategic priorities of Thriving in Place. Additionally, Thriving in Place’s “Strategic Priority 4D: Define Displacement Indicators and Develop Data Systems” outlines draft indicators (page 60) that will be further developed and refined in the initial year of the strategy’s implementation, providing a better system for tracking progress and informing future goal-setting for the City’s housing and anti-displacement efforts. THESE “HOUSING SLC” GOALS 10,000 low-income individuals assisted annually through programs that increase housing stability 10,000 new housing units entitled throughout the city 5,500 deeply affordable homes (progress toward closing the gap) 1A Tenant Relocation Assistance 1B Displaced Tenants Preference Policy 1C Tenant Resources and Services 1D Tenant Navigation Service 6A Tenant Rights and Affordable Housing at State Level 1,000 low-income households able to attain affordable homeownership and equity-building opportunities 1E Help Tenants Become Owners ALIGN WITH THESE “THRIVING IN PLACE” STRATEGIES 2A Community Benefit Policy 2B Acquire/Rehab Unsubsidized Housing 3A Affordable Housing Incentives Policy 3B Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) 3C More Diverse Housing Choices 3D Publicly Owned Property 3E Long-Term Affordability and Integrated Services 4A New Funding/Leveraged Resources 6A Tenant Rights and Affordable Housing at State Level THRIVING IN PLACE SALT LAKE CITY Salt Lake City’s Anti -Displacement Strategy 15 3 SALT LAKE CITY’S ANTI- DISPLACEMENT STRATEGY Five Guiding Principles The Thriving in Place strategy was guided by five foundational principles: Salt Lake City’s workforce includes many service employees who work hard but do not earn enough to meet rising housing costs. There are also residents on fixed incomes: retirees, people with disabilities, and others. Many of these folks are renters and at very high risk of displacement. While creating more affordable housing is a critical long -term solution, that will take time. The City will do what it can, as soon as it can, to advocate for changes in state law to strengthen tenant rights, expand investment in tenant assistance, and deliver needed services through strong community partnerships. The City and its partners need to ensure a coordinated investment and action strategy in neighborhoods facing the highest displacement risk, working across departments and sectors and in close collaboration with community representatives to align on priorities, leverage investments, and maximize community benefi t. In addition to housing-focused actions and support for tenants, holistic solutions are needed to help keep local businesses, community services, and cultural institutions in place as neighborhoods grow and change. 1 PRIORITIZE AND STRENGTHEN TENANT PROTECTIONS, ESPECIALLY FOR THE MOST VULNERABLE Work to strengthen tenant rights and continue to invest in tenant assistance, especially for those most at risk. 2 PARTNER WITH THE MOST IMPACTED TO DEVELOP HOLISTIC SOLUTIONS Work with those facing high displacement risk to coordinate comprehensive action beyond housing to keep communities in place and help them thrive. THRIVING IN PLACE SALT LAKE CITY Salt Lake City’s Anti -Displacement Strategy 16 Salt Lake City has a shortage of housing at every income level, but an especially significant shortage of housing affordable to lower income households. The analysis of displacement risk has highlighted that those risks are greatest in what has historically been the city’s lower cost neighborhoods, where the combination of developer interest, land prices, and land use policies are driving investment and redevelopment. The City needs to support po licies that help create more housing in every neighborhood, including new rental housing in neighborhoods where lower income people have been excluded, while stabilizing neighborhoods facing the highest displacement pressure (see Guiding Principle 2). More affordable housing is needed, of different types, and in every neighborhood. While every affordable unit that can be created has value, the most valuable are units that will be affordable in perpetuity. The City should prioritize using its resources (land, money, time, and partnerships) to create “community owned housing” that can provide stable, healthy, and affordable housing for the long term. This includes housing that is owned and operated by nonprofits, the housing authority, land trusts, and by tenants themselves under various forms of shared equity ownership. Implementing Thriving in Place will require a coordinated response that spans multiple City departments and divisions, other agencies, and partners in both the private and nonprofit sectors. The affordable housing crisis is regional and complex. While the Cit y has an important role to play, it cannot address the challenge on its own —nor should it. Importantly, the people most impacted by the forces of gentrification and displacement are also the best positioned to inform, shape, and help implement effective responses. Creating structures for ongoing dialogue, collective problem solving, and coordinated action will help ensure that new policies and programs work and that limited resources are effectively leveraged and deployed. 5 BUILD AN ECO-SYSTEM FOR ACTION Work with regional and state partners, the private and nonprofit sectors, and affected communities to coordinate action and advance shared priorities. 3 INCREASE HOUSING EVERYWHERE Create more housing overall, and more affordable housing specifically, while minimizing displacement and countering historic patterns of segregation. 4 FOCUS ON AFFORDABILITY Create and preserve rental housing and ownership options in all part of the city, especially housing that is affordable in perpetuity. THRIVING IN PLACE SALT LAKE CITY Salt Lake City’s Anti -Displacement Strategy 17 Six Interrelated Goals To effectively counter the forces of displacement, Thriving in Place proposes core actions for each of “The Three P’s” (Protect, Preserve and Produce): All three of these core goals are advanced by supporting actions to: The diagram below illustrates the interrelationships between these six goal areas. 1 PROTECT tenants from displacement, especially the most vulnerable. 2 PRESERVE the affordable housing we have. 3 PRODUCE more housing, especially affordable housing. 4 EXPAND FUNDING for tenant support and affordable housing. 5 PARTNER + COLLABORATE for maximum impact. 6 ADVOCATE for tenants at the state level. THRIVING IN PLACE SALT LAKE CITY Salt Lake City’s Anti -Displacement Strategy 18 22 Strategic Priorities For each goal area, strategic priorities are defined to help achieve the goal by: • Modifying, expanding, or scaling a program or practice already in place; • Creating new policies, programs, or practices in response to identified areas of need; and /or • Developing a new structure or process for collaboration, partnership, and management of the strategy over time. As a strategic plan, the overview of each priority is fairly high level but provides direction and pertinent details for ensuring there is clarity about the purpose and scope of the proposed action and the steps to implement it, including: Where appropriate, the relationship to other priorities is called out and additional information provided, including: The proposed sequencing and timing of the near-term priorities as well as a discussion of staff and budget needs is provided in the Two-Year Action Plan, presented in Attachment A on page 69. All of the priorities are summarized in the “At-a-Glance” overview, included just after the Table of Contents at the beginning of this document. ★ NEAR-TERM PRIORITY PURPOSE Why the priority is needed and the outcomes it will help achieve. CONTEXT A brief overview of key findings and pertinent background information . STEPS What needs to happen to develop and implement it. LEAD Which City department or division will be the lead coordinator or implementor. PARTNERS Other City departments or divisions plus other agencies and organizations to involve. SCHEDULE Approximate timing for implementation. RESOURCES Staffing or investment that will be needed to support implementation LEARNING FROM OTHERS FOOD FOR THOUGHT Pertinent examples from other communities Links to relevant articles and other resources Critical areas of focus for the first year of implementation THRIVING IN PLACE SALT LAKE CITY Salt Lake City’s Anti -Displacement Strategy 19 REPLACING THE HOUSING LOSS MITIGATION ORDINANCE MITIGATING UNIT LOSS, SUPPORTING TENANTS , AND INCENTIVIZING AFFORDABILITY The Thriving in Place work was initially launched, in part, by concerns regarding the City’s Housing Loss Mitigation Ordinance. The purpose of that ordinance is to offset the loss of residential units due to new development, but it has been largely ineffective for a number of re asons, which were outlined to the City Council on April 12, 2022 (agenda item 10 at that meeting). Community concerns about new market-rate developments resulting in the removal and loss of older affordable housing has been one of the major drivers in the Thriving in Place work. Through the actions proposed in the Thriving in Place strategy, the Housing Loss Mitigation Ordinance will be replaced by a set of new policies, programs, and practices, including related code changes, rather than by a single ordinance. Collectively, the goals of these actions are to: • Support tenants who are impacted by the demolition of existing affordable housing due to new development by providing relocation assistance; • Retain, replace, or mitigate the loss of existing affordable housing when it is on properties being rezoned for redevelopment, including “naturally occurring affordable housing” as well as deed-restricted housing; • Incentivize creation of more affordable housing citywide, especially units affordable at 50 percent of the area median income and below; and • Ensure a workable strategy that is easy to implement, provides clarity, consistency, and predictability, and is not precluded by state law. THRIVING IN PLACE SALT LAKE CITY Salt Lake City’s Anti -Displacement Strategy 20 Both the Community Benefit and Affordable Housing Incentives policies rely on an incentives approach that gives additional development capacity in return for affordable housing, as permitted under state law. Even with all these policies and programs in place, a developer can decide to proceed with redevelopment under the zoning already in place for their property and not be subject to any requirement for mitigating the loss of existing units. However, the affected tenants would still be eligible for relocation assistance (Priority 1A) and, when possible, given priority for deed- restricted affordable housing in the local area (Priority 1B). It’s important to note that the loss of existing units to new development is a fairly small contributor to displacement, affecting less than one percent of housing units in the city between January 2020 and December 2022 (about 300 older units were demolis hed out of a total housing stock of about 88,000 units, while nearly 3,300 new units were created on those same properties). By far the largest driver of displacement is rising rents and the growing gap between incomes and housing prices. In the short-term, continuing to provide support for rental assistance and other tenant services is critical, while in the long-term creating deed-restricted affordable housing will help more people have secure housing that is not subject to rising market rents. These key priorities—strengthening tenant protections and services while working to advance affordable housing—have also been the focus of recent federal action, reflecting the fact that Salt Lake City is not alone in facing these challenges and working to address them. To achieve these goals, Thriving in Place proposes the following actions: DEVELOP A TENANT RELOCATION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (PRIORITY 1A) to help lower income renters cover the cost of relocating when they are displaced by new development and helping them find alternative housing that they can afford and meets their needs. ADOPT A PREFERENCE POLICY FOR DISPLACED TENANTS (PRIORITY 1B) so that they have priority in returning to new affordable units on the redeveloped sites from which they were displaced (when such units are created or preserved due to the Community Benefit Policy) or to other income-qualified affordable housing units within the local area. TRACK RENT AND AFFORDABILITY DATA (AS PART OF PRIORITY 4B) to provide more robust and up- to-date information for use in analyses that can inform ongoing development review and decision making. ADOPT A COMMUNITY BENEFIT POLICY (PRIORITY 2A) to guide development review and decision making for development proposals that seek a change in zoning and/or master plan amendment, helping ensure that affordable units which might otherwise be demolished are retained, replaced, or mitigated, and that the supply of affordable housing is not reduced as the result of new development. In addition to the policy adoption, changes to city code will be required. ADOPT THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING INCENTIVES POLICY (PRIORITY 3A) to encourage (through an incentives-based approach) affordable housing in new residential development. THRIVING IN PLACE SALT LAKE CITY Salt Lake City’s Anti -Displacement Strategy 21 PROTEC T PURPOSE Help tenants who are directly impacted by new development to find new living arrangements they can afford and offset the cost of relocation. CONTEXT While units lost to demolition are a fairly small part of the displacement challenge (affecting less than one percent of the city’s housing stock between January 2020 and December 2022), the impact on tenants who were living in those units can be profound. Through the Phase One community engagement, we heard multiple accounts of people’s lives being upended as they had to relocate due to demolition of their housing to make way for new development, often feeling like they were the last ones to know what was going on and not knowing who they could turn to for help. Many also described friends and neighbors having to move to another neighborhood or other community, sometimes far from their current jobs, schools, and support networks, while absorbing the cost of moving and facing the challenge of finding something they can afford in an increasingly unaffordable market. The impact of such displacement and housing insecurity generally can have long-lasting impacts on children’s health and well-being. STEPS 1 Work with partners to develop the Relocation Assistance Program’s parameters, requirements, and operating principles, helping ensure clarity on who it will serve, the level of need, how it will operate, and the level of staffing and resources needed. Fa ctors to consider include: • How tenant information will be collected as part of the development review and demolition permitting process. • Whether to include other displacement triggers as making tenants eligible for relocation assistance (such as being dislocated due to substantial building rehabilitation or due to a rent increase of 10 percent or greater). • How to ensure notification of tenants that might be impacted, making them aware of the likely timeline for displacement and the assistance that is available to them. • Establishing income guidelines to determine eligibility for assistance (likely set at 80% AMI). • Working with eligible households to locate suitable new housing that meets their needs. • The appropriate level of financial assistance to offset the costs of relocation and help them enter into a new lease. • Provision of relocation assistance, up to the program limits, even if the eligible household decides to relocate outside of Salt Lake City. • Whether the assistance program should be provided directly by the City or operated through a community-based partner. STRATEGIC PRIORITY 1A Develop a Tenant Relocation Assistance Program Develop a Tenant Relocation Assistance Program to help those impacted by new development find and afford living situations that meet their needs. “It’s been an absolute nightmare since being forced out of our home….” FROM THRIVING IN PLACE INTERVIEW WITH WOMAN DISPLACED DUE TO DEMOLITION FOR A NEW DEVELOPMENT ★ NEAR-TERM PRIORITY THRIVING IN PLACE SALT LAKE CITY Salt Lake City’s Anti -Displacement Strategy 22 PROTEC T Consider building off the structure already established in City code (Section 18.99.040, which addresses tenants displaced when housing is closed by City action ) and in the Redevelopment Agency’s current practices, which provide relocation assistance consistent with federal guidelines (established in the Uniform Relocation Assistance and Real Property Acquisition Act, or URA). 2 Develop the program and establish the Relocation Assistance Fund for a two-year pilot period, initially utilizing existing federal pass-through funds available to the City. These funds can be supplemented or replaced by developer contributions following implementation of the Community Benefits Policy (Priority 2A). As currently envisioned, this fund would specifically focus on providing financial support and assistance for relocation of income-qualified households. Ongoing rental assistance would be through other sources (see Priority 1C). If delivering the assistance program through a community partner, conduct a competitive process that evaluates proposers based on qualifications, capacity, track record and cost in relation to program parameters, operational needs, and criteria for success. 3 Launch the Relocation Assistance Program based on the outcome of Steps 1 and 2, and ensure information about it is provided proactively to community partners, developers, landlords, and tenant groups. 4 Evaluate, adjust and extend toward the end of the two-year pilot period, making adjustments to the program based on lessons learned and establishing an ongoing program with adequate resources and ongoing management systems. LEAD Housing Stability Division, Department of Community and Neighborhoods (CAN) PARTNERS City Attorney’s Office; Planning Division, CAN; Redevelopment Agency (RDA); plus community partners SCHEDULE Launch by December 2023. RESOURCES Staffing for program administration by community partner plus funds for relocation assistance. LEARNING FROM OTHERS The City of Seattle has had a Tenant Relocation Assistance Ordinance since 1990 to provide financial assistance to low-income renters displaced by demolition, substantial renovation, or change in use (e.g., an apartment building becoming a hotel). Under the ordinance, a property owner or developer must get a Tenant Relocation License and then pay half of the relocation assistance provided to income-qualified renters. The amount of assistance in 2022 was $4,486, with the developer paying half ($2,243) and the City paying the other half. The fee is adjusted annually. More information on Seattle’s program is here. More recently, the City of Austin adopted a Tenant Notification and Relocation Ordinance in 2016, for many of the same reasons driving consideration of such an ordinance in Salt Lake City. Under Austin’s ordinance, applicants for a demolition permit or discretionary land use approval for sites with five or more residential units must provide information about the units and the tenants being impacted, show proof that notification was provided to the tenants using City -provided information packets, and then pay relocation assistance based on an approved fee calculation methodology (rather than a set fee amount, as in the Seattle program). More information about Austin’s ordinance and its requirements can be found here. THRIVING IN PLACE SALT LAKE CITY Salt Lake City’s Anti -Displacement Strategy 23 PROTEC T PURPOSE Establish a preference policy for displaced tenants to return to the site or neighborhood from which they were displaced when deed -restricted affordable housing units become available. CONTEXT “Deed-restricted” housing units provide affordable living opportunities for their residents, with rents set in relation to household income (typically at about 30 percent of their income). To live in these affordable units, a household needs to have an inc ome below a set amount, which varies based on the size of their household and the specifics of the deed restriction. Some units are restricted to households making 80 percent or less of the area median income (AMI), some are set at 50 percent AMI, and so on. Some units are also specifically for seniors or for people with disabilities, but generally affordable units must be available to anyone who meets the income qualifications, to help counter discrimination and meet fair housing requirements. To help ensure that local residents impacted by rising rents and displacement are given a priority for affordable units, some communities have adopted a preference policy that gives qualified applicants “extra points” in their application. This proposed policy would e stablish a preference for tenants displaced from unsubsidized housing due to demolition, rehabilitation, or rising rents so that they have the opportunity to return to the site or area from which they were displaced when deed - restricted units become available. It works in conjunction with Priority 1A, the Tenant Relocation Assistance Program, as well as 4C, Develop Capacity to Enforce and Manage Deed-Restricted Units. STEPS 1 Establish a working group of City staff and key partners to outline the details of the policy proposal and procedures for its ongoing implementation, including: • What units and placement processes the policy would apply to (or could apply to by establishing partnership agreements with managers of deed-restricted units that do not receive City funds); • Who would qualify for the preference and how their eligibility wo uld be documented; • How the policy would apply to specific redevelopment sites where residents are being displaced and deed-restricted units are being created. 2 Review and refine the draft policy, including proposed implementation procedures , with key stakeholders, including affordable housing managers, tenant groups and housing advocates. Ensure that the policy is consistent with federal fair housing laws, state law, and other City policies. 3 Conduct public review and policy adoption to ensure opportunities for public input and refinement of the policy as needed prior to adoption. STRATEGIC PRIORITY 1B Adopt a Displaced Tenants Preference Policy Adopt a Displaced Tenants Preference Policy so that lower income tenants displaced due to new development or rising rents are given priority for moving into deed-restricted units created on the site or within the area from which they were displaced. ★ NEAR-TERM PRIORITY THRIVING IN PLACE SALT LAKE CITY Salt Lake City’s Anti -Displacement Strategy 24 PROTEC T 4 Work with partners to put the policy into practice, including updates to application forms as necessary and mechanisms for ensuring that information about the policy is provided to tenants displaced by new development (see Priority 1A). LEAD Department of Community and Neighborhoods (CAN) PARTNERS Housing Stability Division, Department of Community and Neighborhoods; City Attorney’s Office; Redevelopment Agency (RDA); Salt Lake City Housing Authority; plus community partners SCHEDULE Design and adopt policy by March 2024. RESOURCES Will require staff time, but no ongoing budget commitment. LEARNING FROM OTHERS Portland, OR adopted a Preference Policy in 2015 for affordable housing in the city’s historically Black neighborhoods in the North/Northeast parts of the city (referred to as the N/NE Preference Policy). The purpose of the policy was to give priority to families that had been displaced from these neighborhoods to return as new affordable housing was created. Details about the program can be foun d here, and an evaluation of its first five years of operation can be foun d here, in a research paper published by Portland State University that found the policy to be overall effective in advancing its goals. More recently, in September 2022 the City of Denver adopted a preference policy to prioritize households at risk of or who have been displaced from their neighborhood or from Denver with priority access to newly developed or preserved housing. THRIVING IN PLACE SALT LAKE CITY Salt Lake City’s Anti -Displacement Strategy 25 PROTEC T PURPOSE Help tenants remain in their housing whenever possible by educating them and their landlords about their rights and about the resources available to help them, including rent assistance, mediation, and legal services, while expanding investment in those resources and innovating in how they are delivered. CONTEXT More than half (52 percent) of Salt Lake City’s residents are renters—and that percentage continues to grow. But legal protections and resources for renters are limited, at best. In the Thriving in Place survey, focus group conversations, and interviews, residents repeatedly pointed to the limited tenant rights as a critical issue a nd concern. They feel like the deck is stacked against them, and that renters are seen as second-class citizens, even as they face the reality of never being able to attain homeownership given the disparity between incomes and home prices. As rents have risen, many lower income renters have had no recourse other than to move farther away, double up with family or friends, or live in their vehicle or on the street. Even in situations where they have the legal right (like requesting repairs to address unsafe conditions), they do not exercise it because they are afraid of retaliation via rent increases or eviction. There are important changes to state law that could improve tenants’ rights (see Priority 6A), plus expanding the supply of affordable housing is a critical long-term solution (see Priorities 2A and 2B plus all of the priorities in Goal 3). But those actions will take time. In the near-term, improving and expanding tenant resources, including legal assistance, is essential for helping to reduce evicti ons and counter displacement. STEPS 1 Increase awareness of funding for tenant assistance, including rent assistance, legal services, and outreach, including: • Solidify an ongoing source for rent assistance, as needed, including a set-aside fund for relocation assistance to support tenants being dislocated as a result of housing demolitions associated with redevelopment (see Priority 1A). • Work with partners to pursue federal, state, and philanthropic grants and funding opportunities, leverage community and university resources, and build political support for expansion of resources and services to better meet the needs of low income renters who are most at-risk from the growing gap between incomes and housing costs. 2 Innovate on service delivery, including how legal services are provided, to ensure timely access to legal advice and support, including mediation services, that can help head -off evictions. • Continue and strengthen partnerships with other service agencies and funders as well as community-based organizations that work directly with those most at -risk of displacement ★ NEAR-TERM PRIORITY STRATEGIC PRIORITY 1C Improve and Expand Tenant Resources and Services Improve and Expand Tenant Resources, Access to Legal Services, and Landlord Training to better meet the level of need and protect tenant rights. THRIVING IN PLACE SALT LAKE CITY Salt Lake City’s Anti -Displacement Strategy 26 PROTEC T and in need of support, helping ensure that tenants are aware of and have access to legal advice and mediation services as well as assistance that can help avoid eviction and increase their housing security. • Continue to work at the state level to secure greater tenant rights and protections, including tenants’ right to counsel (see Priority 6A). 3 Make changes to the Landlord Tenant Initiative, also referred to as the “Good Landlord Program,” to help landlords better understand tenant rights. This will help position them as partners in reducing the risk of eviction by connecting tenants to the assistance that is available to them and proactively reaching out to the City and partners when help is needed. In addition to updating training materials, update forms that participants fill out to include information on current rent levels in their properties as one additional means of having more up -to-date data (with the data then aggregated for reporting purposes so that the property -specific information is protected). LEAD Housing Stability Division, Department of Community and Neighborhoods PARTNERS Business Licensing Division, Department of Finance; Salt Lake County Aging and Adult Services; and community partners SCHEDULE • Work with the Landlord Tenant Initiative to update forms and training materials by July 2024. • Work with legal service providers to identify unmet needs and explore innovations in service delivery by July 2024. RESOURCES Ongoing staffing and funding for tenant assistance and services, including legal services and landlord training enhancements. LEARNING FROM OTHERS The City of Portland’s Rental Services Office provides training for both landlords and tenants to help both parties understand legal requirements as well as the resources and services available from the City, other agencies, and community partners to help resolve disputes, provide assistance, avoid eviction, and ensure compliance with local and state laws. The office also provides a staffed help desk to help people easily find what they need and provide referrals, similar to the resource center concept in Priority 1D. Photo by Chris Liverani on Unsplash THRIVING IN PLACE SALT LAKE CITY Salt Lake City’s Anti -Displacement Strategy 27 PROTEC T PURPOSE Facilitate the process of connecting lower income residents, especially renters, with the resources and services that can help them live more affordably and remain in their housing. CONTEXT Tenants who receive eviction notices often do not know their rights and are not familiar with the services or resources available to help them. Helping them quickly find and access available services can help them stay in place or connect with resources that can help improve their housing security. Similarly, lower income homeowners are often unaware of the programs and resources available to help them meet their housing and living costs, whether in the form of home repair loans, weatherization services, lower utility rates and more. The issue of not knowing about or having difficulty accessing available services was brought up by residents during the Thriving in Place focus groups and interviews. While there are websites and numbers to call that provide a list of programs, it is then time-consuming to wade through all the details and sometimes even then it is hard to find what they need. This is especially true when experiencing the stress of potential eviction. This proposed action is in direct response to their input. It aims to create not only a centralized clearinghouse and access point for helpful programs and services, but also a knowledgeable ally committed to helping facilitate the process of connecting people to the help they need. This same service can also help landlords understand the programs and services available to support their tenants and help keep people in their housing during challenging times. ★ NEAR-TERM PRIORITY STRATEGIC PRIORITY 1D Create a Tenant Resource Center and Navigation Service Create a Tenant Resource Center and Navigation Service to connect people to the services they need, including affordable living resources and eviction prevention services. The City’s Housing Stability Division maintains a list of affordable housing resources on its website, including resources for homeowners and buyers, renters, seniors, people with disabilities, and more. The Thriving in Place website also provides a list of City and partner resources (towards the bottom of this page) aimed at helping lower income households meet their housing needs, including legal services, as well as resources to achieve more affordable living, like reduced transit fares, food access programs, and healthcare assistance. These are examples of the resources already available that could be incorporated into the proposed program. THRIVING IN PLACE SALT LAKE CITY Salt Lake City’s Anti -Displacement Strategy 28 PROTEC T STEPS 1 Form a small working group of key City staff and partner representatives to develop a more detailed vision for the resource center (both website and physical location), tenant support team, and related navigation service, detailing the scope of work to develop and implement it. Engage people who the program aims to serve in developing the vision and specific expectations. 2 Seek expressions of interest from those qualified to build the website and develop and staff the resource center and navigation service. To the extent possible, include community representatives in the selection process. 3 Create a Tenant Resource Center website with information about pertinent resources and an intuitive interface that can be understood and navigated by people with limited computer literacy and in multiple languages. Resourc es should include but not be limited to: • Information on tenant rights under Utah and Salt Lake City law. • Key resources for people facing potential eviction as well as people who have been evicted. • Affordable housing and resources for people with special housing needs. • “Affordable living” resources, such as reduced utility rate programs, reduced transit fare programs, affordable childcare, mental health services, etc. 4 Develop and launch the navigation service in an easily accessible and visible community space as a two-year pilot program to help people locate and access needed resources, not just providing information but taking them through the process of accessing it and connecting to the right people. The service could be housed within City government (physically located in a community center or library space) but may work better in a community-based organization with established ties of trust in the communities facing high displacement pressure. Note that this action’s focus is on helping people access resources ; Priority 1c focuses on expanding resources. 5 Ensure effective marketing of the website and service to those who need it, working in close collaboration with community-based partners to get the word out through channels, formats and messaging that will reach those in need. LEAD Housing Stability Division, Department of Community and Neighborhoods PARTNERS Public Utilities; Youth and Family Services; Transportation; UTA; Salt Lake County Aging and Adult Services; and community partners SCHEDULE Launch new Tenant Resource Center website, physical space, and navigation service by March 2024. RESOURCES Funding for two-year pilot to develop website, program information, and marketing materials and to fund a community-based staff position as the navigator. Alternatively, utilize an existing City staff position in a community -accessible location and repurpose existing resources. FOOD FOR THOUGHT This type of “one-stop shop” idea is not new, and has been applied in various aspects of government service delivery in cities around the US and elsewhere. More recently, the idea of a “no-stop shop” has been proposed as a data-driven service delivery model that delivers information and services directly to residents based on information already known about them , with minimal or no intake forms and other barriers. A good introduction to this concept can be found here, in a 2019 article in Governing Magazine. THRIVING IN PLACE SALT LAKE CITY Salt Lake City’s Anti -Displacement Strategy 29 PROTEC T PURPOSE Develop and invest in shared equity housing and other programs that can provide income- qualified renters with the opportunity to build wealth, improve their financial security, and access opportunities to become homeowners. CONTEXT Homeownership is a fundamental way in which many Utahns have grown their wealth, helping to provide greater financial security not only for themselves but for their kids and future generations. However, the growing gap between incomes and home prices has made it increasingly difficult—often impossible—for current generations of residents to achieve homeownership. It used to be a general rule of thumb for home purchasing that you could afford a home about three times your annual income. However, home prices in many cities today are more than 10 times the median income. In Salt Lake City, the median home sale price hovered just over $500,000 in 2021 (redfin.com), which was about 7.5 times the 2021 median household income of $66,658 (US Census Bureau, American Community Survey). Of course, this gap between incomes and costs also impacts renters—especially lower income renters who may end up spending half or more of their income on rent. For these households, saving up for a down payment is extremely challenging, especially when home prices get further out of reach. To help address this gap, the City has provided a first-time homebuyer program and has started investing in “shared equity” models of housing can help create pathways to o wnership and the many benefits that entails (see Priority 2C). Having more deed-restricted rental housing where households pay a fixed 30 percent of their income on rent also helps, providing more financial security and the ability to save money over time (see Priority 2B and all of Goal 3, and the Action Highlight on page 31). While the focus of Thriving in Place is on those most vulnerable to involuntary displacement (lower income renters), the community survey and community conversations also highlighted the displacement impact that many people feel when they try to become homeowners , realizing that making the shift to homeownership will require looking elsewhere for a home. While this form of displacement is voluntary, it is nonetheless impactful on those who feel they are forced to leave due to the lack of affordable for-sale homes. It also has a significant community impact over time as the housing market becomes more inequitable, with only those who are high income being able to achieve homeownership. Helping more tenants become owners and build wealth is an important part of a long-term anti-displacement strategy. STRATEGIC PRIORITY 1E Help Tenants Become Owners Help Tenants Become Owners to provide greater housing security and help them grow equity and wealth over time. ★ NEAR-TERM PRIORITY THRIVING IN PLACE SALT LAKE CITY Salt Lake City’s Anti -Displacement Strategy 30 PROTEC T STEPS 1 Convene key partners and stakeholders to identify near- and mid-term priorities for investment in shared equity housing in Salt Lake City, including expansion of the Community Land Trust (Priority 2C), new or preserved deed-restricted housing (Priorities 2A, 2B, 3A and 3D), or other equity-building programs in addition to continuation of the City’s homebuyer assistance program. 2 Identify funding goals, resource needs, and investment priorities for the 2023/2024 period as well as development priorities for the coming five years. In developing a plan of action, consider: • City-owned and other land resources that could be prioritized for use in development of shared equity housing. • Strategies to ensure that units remain affordable over time so that future lower income homebuyers can benefit, too. • Partnerships with organizations focused on helping tenants build equity and become owners (see example in the Action Highlight on page 31). • Balancing the need for near-term rent assistance and other services to head-off pending evictions with the long-term priority of creating more shared equity housing opportunities. 3 Review the priorities and balance of planned investments with members of the Anti- Displacement Coalition (Priority 5B). 4 Coordinate investments, property development, outreach, and management of shared equity units to leverage resources, achieve efficiencies, and maximize impact. Priority 4C is focused on developing the City’s capacity for managing and enforcing deed-restricted units. Residents of the Oak Hill manufactured home community in Taunton, MA celebrate the purchase of their 247-homes thanks to help from the Cooperative Development Institute. LEAD Redevelopment Agency (RDA) PARTNERS Housing Stability Division, Department of Community and Neighborhoods; Housing Authority of Salt Lake; Utah Housing Corp.; and community partners SCHEDULE Identify shared equity housing priorities by 2024. RESOURCES Funding to invest in more shared-equity housing models will be needed plus staff time to work with partners and oversee program activities. THRIVING IN PLACE SALT LAKE CITY Salt Lake City’s Anti -Displacement Strategy 31 PROTEC T ACTION HIGHLIGHT To advance the priority of helping lower income renters build equity, the City is considering a partnership with Utah’s Perpetual Housing Fund and has proposed investing $10 million to help capitalize their work in support of Salt Lake City renters. The Perpetual Housing Fund is establishing a series of nonprofit tenant organizations that will each have a 75 percent ownership stake in their building. Residents then build equity by being part-owners of the building, essentially retaining a portion of their rent payment as an equity stake in addition to gaining equity through building appreciation. The longer they stay in the building, the more equity they accrue. The City’s investment will be combined with other funding sources (such as tax credits) to capitalize projects, helping to reduce the project’s debt burden and enable affordable rents. The program’s concept is illustrated below and described in more detail on their website. FOOD FOR THOUGHT There are many, many examples of shared equity housing to learn from, as well as many groups that provide training and technical assistance. Some good places to start include resources at the National Housing Conference website and Grounded Solutions Network as well as this 2018 article from ShelterForce on The State of Shared-Equity Homeownership. Locally, Perpetual Housing Fund (see above) and Rocky Mountain Homes Fund also offer great models. THRIVING IN PLACE SALT LAKE CITY Salt Lake City’s Anti -Displacement Strategy 32 PROTEC T LEARNING FROM OTHERS This 2010 research paper from The Urban Institute summarizes the investment and impact of 14 years of a shared equity program operated by Thistle Community Housing in Boulder, CO. The paper provides considerable details on the program’s investm ents and operations, through which 103 units were acquired and 172 families served. In short, the research found Thistle’s program of providing homeownership opportunities to low and moderate income families to be “outstanding,” serving homeowners who on a verage earned 46 percent of the area median income; providing a median internal rate of return of 22 percent for the homeowners (between purchase and resale), and 72 percent of the participants using their earnings to subsequently purchase a market-rate home even as the homes in the shared equity program held their affordability for subsequent participants. Shared equity workforce housing developed by Thistle Community Housing. A more recent program being developed in Durham, NC by the Durham Community Land Trustees combines a land trust model with development of accessory dwelling units (ADUs). The program, called CLTplusOne, is described in this case study brief from AARP. It combines the sale of a land trust home with creation of an ADU, with the main home then selling to an income-qualified household at 80 percent of the area median income (AMI) or below, and the ADU renting to a tenant at 60 percent AMI or below (while the land remains in the ownership of the land trust). The model creates two housing units where only one was before; creates an additional income stream for the homeowner; and creates an affordable rental unit for a lower income household, too. The program launch was funded by a $50,000 grant from NeighborWorks in 2020. It is too early to know its impact, but is a great example of an innovative approach that is advanc ing multiple community housing goals. Another way in which communities are helping to facilitate the process of tenants becoming owners is through Tenant and/or Community Opportunity to Purchase policies and programs, which establish a right of first refusal for tenants or community organizations to purchase a building when that building is put on the market. This is a strategy that was first adopted in Washington, DC in 1980, subsequently helping preserve nearly 1,400 units of affordable housing between 2002 and 2013. While this strategy may not be viable in Salt Lake City at this time, it could be a useful strategy to consider in the future. Photo by Sally Moser via Thistle Communities THRIVING IN PLACE SALT LAKE CITY Salt Lake City’s Anti -Displacement Strategy 33 PROTEC T PURPOSE Help connect lower income renters in Salt Lake City with education and job training opportunities that can lead to increased incomes, and continue to invest in affordable living resources like high quality transit-oriented development, transit services, and energy -efficient housing that can help reduce monthly living costs. CONTEXT In addition to providing rental assistance and other services that can help people stay in their homes, it is important to help people save money in other aspects of their lives, improve their incomes through education and job training, and get paid more fairly for the work they do. Salt Lake City’s Department of Economic Development works to develop educational pathways for youth, providing more exposure to good jobs that they might not otherwise be thinking of, while the State of Utah’s Department of Workforce Services (DWS) provides tools and resources for adult job training and career development. DWS has also started providing short-term rental assistance to low-income individuals to help them cover their costs while in short-term training programs. Other resources are also available via Salt Lake County and the Salt Lake Community College. Additionally, where people live can have a significant impact on their transportation costs as well as their access to opportunities like good schools and jobs. Being able to walk, bike, or take transit can contribute to overall affordability and make the difference between being able to afford rent or having to move—which can have many hidden costs apart from just the cost of housing. Based on 2021 data from the US Census’ American Community Survey, about 7,500 renter households in Salt Lake City do not own a car (about 18 percent of renter households). For these residents, where they live and the transport options they have access to has a big impact. The City’s work to create mixed-use communities and more transit-oriented development as well as program s to create and support car-sharing and other mobility solutions are a key part of supporting affordable living and helping people thrive. STEPS 1 Include economic development and job training partners in the Anti-Displacement Coalition (Priority 5B) and in the offerings of the Tenant Resource Center (Priority 1D) to help connect lower income residents with the resources already available and to help facilitate co-development of new opportunities and resources. 2 Build in job training and “connection” opportunities for lower income residents whenever possible in the development of new affordable housing (like construction jobs) and the delivery of services. Be aware of the potential barriers to participating in job training and STRATEGIC PRIORITY 1F Grow People’s Incomes Promote Affordable Living and Better Jobs to help bridge the gap between what people earn and what housing costs. THRIVING IN PLACE SALT LAKE CITY Salt Lake City’s Anti -Displacement Strategy 34 PROTEC T career development opportunities, and work with partners to help overcome them. For example , taking a class typically means a drop in work hours and compensation. Helping lower income residents access rent assistance during short-term training commitments can help make their participation feasible. State DWS provides this kind of assistance, but it is not often utilized. 3 Integrate services in affordable housing and continue to support transit-oriented development (Priority 3E), including services such as affordable childcare, health clinics, training rooms, arts programs, job-training opportunities, and carshare programs so that they are easily accessible and a part of people’s daily lives. 4 Consider piloting a local Guaranteed Income program (see “Food for Thought”) in collaboration with local nonprofits and monitor the cost and benefits as a strategy for improving families’ financial stability as well as their health, employment, and housing security. LEAD Workforce Development Manager, Economic Development Department PARTNERS Housing Stability Division, Department of Community and Neighborhoods; Redevelopment Agency (RDA); Utah Transit Authority (UTA); Public Utilities; Salt Lake City Arts Council; Utah Department of Workforce Services; Salt Lake Community College; University of Utah; and community partners SCHEDULE Ongoing RESOURCES Will need to be determined on a program-by-program basis for new initiatives. FOOD FOR THOUGHT A growing number of communities are developing local programs to provide a “guaranteed income,” provided as a cash payment directly to individuals. These “no strings attached” unconditional payments supplement rather than replace other forms of assistance to provide financial stability that helps low-income families achieve housing security and mental and emotional wellbeing. The City of Tacoma recently completed a year-long pilot program -– Growing Resilience in Tacoma, or GRIT –- in collaboration with Pierce County United Way and Mayors for a Guaranteed Income that supported 110 families with a $500 per month payment. In return, the families agreed to participate in research about the program’s impacts, being led by the Center for Guaranteed Income Research at the University of Pennsylvania. The preliminary impacts of the program are consistent with pilots that have been conducted elsewhere, including in Stockton, CA, with participants reporting lower income volatility, higher rates of employment and overall improvements in health, including less depression and anxiety. Participants in the 2019 Stockton Economic Empowerment Demonstration (SEED) program received $500 a month for two years, no strings attached, and documented the impact on their job prospects, financial stability, and overall well- being. The program’s impacts are summarized in this NPR article. THRIVING IN PLACE SALT LAKE CITY Salt Lake City’s Anti -Displacement Strategy 35 PRESERVE PURPOSE Establish a Community Benefit Policy by which new developments preserve, replace, or otherwise mitigate the demolition of existing housing units in return for an increase in development capacity, with a focus on retaining or replacing affordability. CONTEXT As explained at the start of this section, the City’s Housing Loss Mitigation Ordinance was originally adopted in response to housing being lost to new development. Over the years, however, the structure and mechanisms of the ordinance have come into question, and while it is focused on mitigating the loss of units, it does not focus specifically on the affordability of those units. When the City considers changes to zoning designations and amendments to master plans requested by developers, it does so through a discretionary review process that is memorialized in a development agreement. This agreement outlines the conditions for approval: that is, what public benefit the development must provide in order to receive the increase in deve lopment capacity. The final agreement is approved by the City Council and becomes part of the property’s entitlement (so that if the property is sold, it carries with it the approved zoning as well as the conditions of approval). The purpose of the Community Benefit Policy is to guide developers, residents, staff and decision makers in the development agreement process, setting expectations for public benefits to be provided in return for changes to zoning and master plans. In this case, the specific benefi t to be advanced is the preservation of affordable units that already exist on a property or the replacement of those units with new units that are similar in size and affordability, as well as on ensuring relocation assistance for the impacted tenants (see Priority 1A). So for example if there are two older duplexes (4 units) on a property for which a developer is seeking approval to rezone for development of a 40-unit apartment building, 4 of the units in the new building would need to be affordable at a similar level as to what the duplexes were renting for, and with the same number of bedrooms. Alternatively, if the site’s configuration allows it, the duplexes could be retained and preserved as affordable units in conjunction with development of the new apartments. In situations where the new development is not residential or creating the affordable units on-site is problematic, an in-lieu fee could be calculated to be approximately the same as the cost of providing the affordable unit on -site, but allowing the unit or units to be built on another site via the City’s Housing Development Fund. The City could also allow for other ways to provide the affordable housing benefit, like a land donation (via another site or through subdivision of the site being developed), with the value of the donated land being similar in value to the calculated in -lieu fee. Another option would be to establish a deed restriction on unsubsidized units in another property (through purchase and rehabilitation or other means). These options and how they would apply would be outlined in the Community Benefits Policy and included in the City’s code, and then determined and applied through the voluntary development agreement process. STRATEGIC PRIORITY 2A Develop and Adopt a Community Benefit Policy Adopt a Community Benefit Policy to prioritize preservation or replacement of affordable housing as a condition of approval for changes to zoning designations and master plans. ★ NEAR-TERM PRIORITY THRIVING IN PLACE SALT LAKE CITY Salt Lake City’s Anti -Displacement Strategy 36 PRESERVE Important Note: When new development happens that can be implemented “by right,” without a change in zoning or master plan, it may proceed without any mitigation for the impacted units (although Tenant Relocation Assistance—Priority 1A—would still be available to support the impacted tenants). STEPS 1 Convene a Working Group of key City staff, housing experts, and community partners to work together in undertaking the steps outlined below. 2 Craft a Community Benefit Policy and related code changes that factor in and address: • Definition of Affordability. Define “affordable units” to include both deed-restricted housing and lower rent unsubsidized housing (often referred to as “naturally occurring affordable housing”) based on rent levels and area median incomes, with a focus on preserving or replacing affordable units serving households at 80 percent of Area Median Income and below. • Documentation of Impacted Units. Establish a process by which the size and affordability of units proposed for demolition will be documented. This can be via City data related to the property and the affordability of older housing units in the area (See Priority 4B, which calls for collecting and tracking data that could be used for this purpose) and/or via information provided by the developer in their application, including unit size and age as well as substantiated rent data. • Definition of Community Benefit. Define community benefit in the City’s code (Title 21A), focused on the retention and expansion of affordable housing for lower income households (80% of AMI and below). Include the payment of an in-lieu fee or land donation as options for how an affordable housing community benefit may be provided in return for the increase in development capacity and loss of existing affordable units. Establish a sliding scale that factors the number of impacted units on the site as well as their size and affordability, and relate the level of community benefit to the level of increase in development capacity. • Options In-Lieu of On-Site Units. In addition to preserving or creating affordable units on- site, define other options to meet the community benefit requirement: o In-Lieu Fee Payment. Engage a consultant to analyze and establish a payment amount roughly equivalent to the cost of preserving or replacing a unit on -site that the developer could pay instead of providing the on-site unit. This is different than a “nexus” fee study or impact fee study used to justify a fee that is being levied on a project. The purpose of this fee is to provide the developer with flexibility in how t o provide community benefit in return for an increase to the property’s allowed development intensity. The fee calculation can be as simple as “square footage of the impacted units multiplied by the current year’s average per -square-foot construction cost” for the relevant type of development (e.g., mid -scale multi-family development). Or it could be based on an annual survey of typical affordable housing development costs, by type and size. o Land Donation. The in-lieu fee calculation can also be used to establish an equivalent land value if the developer would prefer to donate land rather than pay to build/preserve the units on-site or pay the fee. This could be achieved through subdivision of the subject property to create a separate site for affordable housing, or through provision of another site in the area. The property chosen for donation must THRIVING IN PLACE SALT LAKE CITY Salt Lake City’s Anti -Displacement Strategy 37 PRESERVE be agreed to by the City as a suitable housing site that the City and its partners can use to create as many or more affordable units than the number being lost due to demolition and is in a desirable location for affordable housing. o Deed Restriction of Unsubsidized Units on Another Site. As a variation of the land donation or fee payment option, the Community Benefit Policy could allow developers to pay for deed restriction of unsubsidized units on another site, ideally one identified by the City as a site or area where naturally occurring affordable housing is present and could be preserved via purchase, rehabilitation and/or recording of a restrictive covenant to preserve affordability for income qualified households. • Tenant Relocation Support. Include a per-unit contribution to the Tenant Relocation Fund as part of the community benefit package whenever income-qualified tenants are being displaced as a result of unit demolition or reconstruction. • Legislative Process. Establish a structure, criteria, and process for legislative approval of zoning changes and master plan amendments in return for the retention or replacement of affordable housing as a community benefit. While other community benefits (e.g., pedestrian amenities, community green space, etc.) may be identified in the code and provided as part of a specific development agreement, the primary objective should be focused on the retention and creation of affordable housing. • Business Process. Develop intake forms, guidance for evaluation of applications and development of agreements, clarity on roles/responsibilities between divisions, clarity on where in-lieu fees are paid and who manages them, and procedu res for documentation and enforcement of agreements. 3 Adopt the Community Benefit Policy and related updates to codes, repealing the existing Housing Loss Mitigation Ordinance. LEAD Department of Community and Neighborhoods (CAN) PARTNERS City Attorney’s Office; Redevelopment Agency (RDA); Planning Division, CAN; Housing Stability Division, CAN; Building Services SCHEDULE Develop and adopt by December 2024, including needed code updates. RESOURCES Will require reprioritization of the Planning Division’s work plan and/or funding for consultant support (for the in-lieu fee analysis) and/or staffing. Ongoing funding for policy implementation, including enforcement and ongoing program management, will be determined through the work steps outlined above. LEARNING FROM OTHERS The City of Boulder, CO established a new Community Benefit Program in 2019 that in creases the affordable housing requirements (from what is already required under its inclusionary housing program) for developments that seek a modification to the City’s height limits. The program was put in place through amendments to the City’s code for site review, as detailed in the Ordinance adopted by City Council. Boulder is now undertaking Phase 2 of the program’s development. THRIVING IN PLACE SALT LAKE CITY Salt Lake City’s Anti -Displacement Strategy 38 PRESERVE FOOD FOR THOUGHT Community Benefit Programs vary in how they are structured and implemented, but are based on the core concept of “value capture.” This white paper from the California Planning Roundtable on Best Practices for Implementing a Community Benefits Program provides an overview of that concept and guidance on how to approach development of a program. Further, in defining “Community Benefit,” some might wonder how affordable housing fits. This article in Forbes magazine, How Whole Communities Benefit from Affordable Housing, outlines the multiple community benefits that can be realized by the retention and creation of affordable housing. COMMUNITY BENEFIT AGREEMENTS CAPTURING COMMUNITY VALUE FROM LARGE, IMPACTFUL INVESTMENTS Similar in concept to the Community Benefit Policy, but different in its process and mechanisms, is a displacement mitigation tool called Community Benefit Agreements, or CBAs. These project-specific agreements are created through direct negotiation between community organizations representing residents who will be impacted by the project (including those who will be directly displaced) and the developer or agency undertaking the project. CBAs are often associated with large-scale projects like a new stadium or convention center, a highway or roadway widening, a large transit project or a multi -block redevelopment project. Because these projects are often located in areas where historically marginalized communities live, they provide a valuable mechanism for those communities to have a direct voice in how impacts are addressed and help ensure that at least some of the value being created is applied to their benefit. The resulting legally binding agreements often address issues like resident relocation, creation or preservation of affordable housing, construction jobs for local workers, mitigation of construction impact s, and creation or preservation of community facilities like parks, community centers or schools. A CBA could be applied in any large-scale redevelopment or infrastructure project that requires a rezone and/or where public funds are being applied. Further information about CBAs can be found in this 2005 paper titled Community Benefits Agreements: Making Development Projects Accountable, and even on the website of the Federal Highway Administration, which includes case studies like Atlanta’s Beltline (shown at right) and the Gates-Cherokee Redevelopment in Denver. The Utah Department of Transportation’s proposed widening of Interstate 15 presents a near-term opportunity for the State and City to collaborate on ensuring that the Westside communities that will be directly impacted by the project have a direct voice in deciding how to best mitigate its impacts. These communities have experienced decades of neglect from redlining and its associated disinvestment, and now are bearing the brunt of gentrification and displacement’s impacts. The I-15 project and others like it provide an opportunity to change this dynamic and ensure that public investments create benefits not only for the larger region but also for those communities that most bear the impacts of the investment. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution / Jenni Gurtman THRIVING IN PLACE SALT LAKE CITY Salt Lake City’s Anti -Displacement Strategy 39 PRESERVE PURPOSE Invest in the rehabilitation and deed restriction of existing unsubsidized housing in places where it already exists, helping to stabilize neighborhoods at high risk of displacement. CONTEXT Many older housing units rent for prices that lower income households can afford, without any subsidy or restriction. They are typically more affordable due to their age, quality, and/or location, and are referred to as “naturally occurring affordable housing.” However, as rents have risen, many of these units are becoming unaffordable. The frequency and impact of rising rents was brought up over and over during the Thrivin g in Place community conversations and survey, and identified as a core driving factor in the displacement risk analysis. Sometimes rents rise because improvements are made to the building or unit or because overall expenses have risen due to inflation, but sometimes rents are just increased because there is more demand than supply and there are people willing and able to pay more. This dynamic —of people with higher incomes renting lower cost units—was highlighted in the Urban Displacement Project’s work. While rent stabilization policies are not currently possible in Utah, the City and its partners can invest in purchasing existing housing and then establish “deed restrictions” so that rents are set to correspond with the incomes of the renter. This is already being done by the City and its partners, but could be increased, as it is typically less costly than building affordable housing from scratch. It also has the benefit of maintaini ng the existing neighborhood fabric and creating affordable housing where lower income renters already live. The Redevelopment Agency has a Housing Development Loan Program that can be used to incentivize the preservation of affordable units, offered on an annual, competitive basis. It also allocates funds to acquire properties within project areas, including the acquisition and preservation of existing housing. These activities and investments could be expanded, and could be targeted to focus on specific areas or properties with high displacement risk. STRATEGIC PRIORITY 2B Acquire and Rehabilitate Unsubsidized Housing Invest More in the Acquisition and Rehabilitation of Unsubsidized Affordable Housing to maintain it as a long-term community asset. ★ NEAR-TERM PRIORITY THRIVING IN PLACE SALT LAKE CITY Salt Lake City’s Anti -Displacement Strategy 40 PRESERVE STEPS 1 Continue and expand funding for the acquisition, rehabilitation, and preservation of older housing units. • Set aside a higher proportion of City and Redevelopment Agency funds for acquisition and rehabilitation, including grants or forgivable loans to small landlords in return for putting a deed restriction in place. • Pursue more state, federal, and philanthropic grant funds. 2 Identify priority acquisition opportunities working in partnership with community organizations, with a particular focus on neighborhoods facing high displacement risk (Priority 5C) or specific buildings where affordable units might otherwise be lost . Focus in particular on opportunities in areas where other City or public agency inv estments might contribute to rising property values and eventual displacement, and on meeting special housing needs, especially in buildings where seniors, people with disabilities, and others already reside. Keep some funds aside to support being nimble in response to unforeseen opportunities. 3 Develop a small landlord incentive program that provides low- or no-interest financing and/or grants for rehabilitation of unsubsidized units in return for placing an affordability deed restriction on the units. 4 Issues Notices of Funding Availability (NOFAs) or Requests for Proposals (RFPs) for partner organizations to bid on acquisition opportunities or for landlords to apply for rehabilitation funds. To the extent possible leverage other funding to undertake rehabilitation and support ongoing management of the improved units as long-term affordable housing. 5 Ensure that partners work with tenants in acquired properties to identify priority improvements and to develop strategies for managing building rehabilitation in a manner that minimizes disruptions and displacement. LEARNING FROM OTHERS Enterprise Community Partners is a national nonprofit that works with local governments and communities to create and preserve affordable housing for low-income families. This report, Preserving Affordability, Preventing Displacement, provides an overview of their work in three Bay Area communities to acquire and rehabilitate unsubsidized affordable housing and make it a part of each community’s long -term affordable housing supply. It also summarizes key lessons from their work in these and other communities that can be applied in further developing Salt Lake City’s acquisition and rehabilitation program. LEAD Redevelopment Agency (RDA) PARTNERS Housing Stability, Department of Community and Neighborhoods; Housing Authority of Salt Lake City; Utah Housing Corporation; Utah Housing Preservation Fund ; and community partners SCHEDULE Ongoing, with annual or bi-annual identification of priorities and issuance of Notices of Funding Availability (NOFAs). RESOURCES Will need to be determined, guided by goal of expanding investment in this are a (see Strategic Priority 4A and Attachment A). THRIVING IN PLACE SALT LAKE CITY Salt Lake City’s Anti -Displacement Strategy 41 PRESERVE PURPOSE Grow the City’s Community Land Trust and support similar community -based initiatives to help leverage land assets for long-term affordability. CONTEXT Community Land Trusts (CLTs) are a form of shared equity housing (see Priority 1E) that can support long-term affordability and wealth building. In a CLT, the underlying land stays in community ownership while the homes on that land are sold at affordable prices, providing an opportunity for lower income households to become homeowners and to build equi ty, eventually selling their home to another income-qualified homeowner at an affordable price. CLTs can also support long-term affordability in multi -family rentals, as well as other types of desired community development, like affordable commercial spaces for local businesses. There are over 250 CLTs around the US. Salt Lake City created a CLT in 2017. With Council’s adoption of Resolution 12 that year (which satisfied the requirements of Utah Code Section 10-8-2), they authorized the City to sell properties at below-market value to facilitate affordable homeownership opportunities. City-owned property, which is currently limited to single-family homes, is placed into the trust; homebuyers purchase the housing unit and lease the land from the City at a below -market rate. When a homeowner decides to sell, the homeowner and City share the accumulated equity. The City’s CLT leverages its Homebuyer Program, which has been in operation since the 1990s. That program provides mortgage financing for low and moderate-income households to achieve homeownership. The City currently holds approximately 215 mortgages with about $19 million in outstanding debt. Approximately two to three new mortgages are issued on an annual basis, although escalating home prices has made finding suitable properties more challenging in recent years. If homeowners that have a mortgage through the program want to sell within the first 15 years, they must offer the home to the City for purchase pursuant to buyback provisions in the mortgage agreement. Housing Stability has purchased several of these home s and placed them in the CLT to ensure perpetual affordability. The City has a significant opportunity to continue to grow the CLT by acting on the buyback provision as the homeowners elect to sell their homes. In addition to the City’s program, NeighborWo rks Salt Lake operates a new CLT, and there is the potential to expand the City’s current program to include multi -unit buildings as well as mixed use projects that can support affordable commercial space in addition to shared equity housing. Resources for growing the CLT model can include City-owned properties and other public agency properties that are dedicated to affordable housing development (keeping the l and in the CLT while partnering with developers to build affordable for-sale or rental units); land donations via the Community Benefit Policy (Priority 2B) or via land set-asides in Redevelopment Agency Project Areas; and philanthropic donations. Importantly, the Redevelopment Agency is currently in the process of developing a Westside Community Initiative that proposes using tax increment funds and shared equity housing models to help ensure long-term affordability for projects. STRATEGIC PRIORITY 2C Invest in Community Land Trusts Invest in Community Land Trust Models to support long-term affordability and equitable development. ★ NEAR-TERM PRIORITY THRIVING IN PLACE SALT LAKE CITY Salt Lake City’s Anti -Displacement Strategy 42 PRESERVE STEPS 1 Convene a City working group to develop and refine the City’s CLT strategy and legislative policy, helping to build alignment across the organization on the City’s vision and goals for growth of its CLT and how it will be managed over time as it grows. This could be done via the City Implementation Team (Priority 5A) or as an ad-hoc group. 2 Build Council and community awareness of the CLT model and how it contributes to achieving long-term community goals. Highlight how the program operates; its current and planned assets; and the strategy for growing the CLT program over time. 3 Ensure that City-owned lands contributed for affordable housing and related development are held by the CLT or similar mechanism to ensure that the housing created remains affordable in perpetuity as a community-serving asset. 4 Build the necessary capacity to manage CLT assets as they grow, through investment in the City’s program management or through partnership with a suitable mission -driven organization. 5 Seek private and philanthropic land donations that can add to the CLT’s holdings and support the community’s long-term affordable housing goals, providing as possible tax benefits for the donations. 6 Work with partners to grow and sustain other community -based CLTs, helping them to fund, develop, and manage CLT-owned housing and other community-serving amenities that advance equitable development. LEAD Housing Stability Division, Department of Community and Neighborhoods PARTNERS Redevelopment Agency (RDA); Real Estate Services; Salt Lake City Housing Authority; City Attorney’s Office; and community partners SCHEDULE Adopt Community Land Trust (CLT) legislative policy by December 2023. RESOURCES Will need to be determined, guided by goal of expanding investment in this area (see Strategic Priority 4A and Attachment A). Publicly owned lands prioritized for affordable housing (Priority 3D) can also be placed into the CLT. FOOD FOR THOUGHT The Grounded Solutions Network grew out of what used to be the National Community Land Trust Network. Its website provides a great place to learn more about the Community Land Trust model and to access resources like their Startup Hub, Resource Library, and Community Land Trust Technical Manual. Another great resource is this Guide for Local Governments from the National League of Cities as well as this white paper by two of the Grounded Solution Network’s leaders, Emily Thaden and Tony Pickett, that provides an overview of the CLT model, its benefits, and lessons learned from three case studies in Boston, Minneapolis and Houston. THRIVING IN PLACE SALT LAKE CITY Salt Lake City’s Anti -Displacement Strategy 43 PRESERVE PURPOSE Develop a cohesive policy for short-term rentals, with a focus on mitigating their impact on the city’s rental housing and residential neighborhoods, with a workable enforcement mechanism. CONTEXT Under the City’s zoning code it is illegal to have short-term rentals (STRs, i.e., housing rented for less than 30 days, via Airbnb, VRBO, and similar services) in any part of Salt Lake City that does not allow hotel/motel uses, which means they are not allowed in residential areas. However, everyone knows that such rentals occur throughout the city, with a particularly high frequency in some neighborhoods. According to a June 2022 Policy Brief, Short-Term-Rental Inventory, from the Kern C. Gardner Policy Institute, there were 1,358 STRs in Salt Lake City in 2021, represe nting 1.4 percent of the city’s housing stock. In some ways, short-term rental of a room in a house, a basement apartment, or a backyard cottage can help households supplement their income, making it possible to afford housing that might otherwise be out of reach. However, because the nightly rate for short-term rentals is higher than what would be possible from a longer-term rental (i.e., renting for more than 30 days, under a typical lease agreement), they can erode the supply of what would otherwise be l onger term rentals and put upward pressure on rent prices in general (see this Harvard Business Review article from 2019, Research: When Airbnb Listings in a City Increase, So Do Rent Prices). Short-term rentals also impact neighborhoods in other ways, with people having to live with hotel -like uses as their neighbors. Under current state law, it is extremely difficult for the City to monitor and enforce STR restrictions because it is illegal to monitor STR online listings for enforcement. Despite the small percentage of housing impacted (per the Kern C. Gardner Policy Institute’s report), there is value in developing a long-term policy and enforcement strategy for STRs. At a minimum, the City should have a mechanism for capturing revenue from these rentals to help mitigate their impact by funding affordable housing initiatives. Beyond that, having a workable mechanism to monitor short-term rentals and enforce where they are located and how they are managed will benefit everyone. STEPS 1 Convene a working group with key internal and external stakeholders, including representatives from landlord groups, the hospitality indus try, and neighborhood organizations. 2 Understand the extent of the issue and options for addressing key areas of concern, including impacts on the rental housing supply, impacts on neighborhoods, and benefits to property owners. Look to examples from other communities for options about how to structure a local regulatory framework, including licensing requirements, limitations on types of properties and locations, inspections, taxes and fees, and enforcement mechanisms. 3 Seek community input on options and trade-offs. 4 Develop policy and program recommendations and seek Council approval. STRATEGIC PRIORITY 2D Address Short-Term Rentals’ Impacts Develop an Enforceable Strategy to Address the Impact of Short-Term Rentals on the city’s rental housing stock. THRIVING IN PLACE SALT LAKE CITY Salt Lake City’s Anti -Displacement Strategy 44 PRESERVE 5 Enact the new rules and ensure consistent enforcement, with monitoring and reporting to support program adjustments over time in response to lessons learned and changing context. LEAD Planning Division, Department of Community and Neighborhoods (CAN) PARTNERS Housing Stability Division, CAN; City Attorney’s Office; Building Services; Business Licensing; Civil Enforcement SCHEDULE Initiate in 2024 RESOURCES Will likely require consultant support to complete a study and community process plus staff time for project management, policy adoption process and implementation (ongoing costs could potentially be covered by licensing fees or STR tax). LEARNING FROM OTHERS Nearby Summit County is highly impacted by STRs, with the Kern C. Gardner Policy Institute’s report estimating that 21.5 percent of the county’s housing units are STRs. Both the County and Park City have adopted regulations for STRs, and have been actively considering additional regulations within the limits established by State law (while lobbying the State to adjust those limit ations). When Salt Lake City begins to develop its STR policy and enforcement strategy, these communities will be a valuable resource given that they are operating under the same state regulatory framework. Another community to learn from is Denver, CO, which like many communities requires STRs to be someone’s primary residence (i.e., they cannot be undertaken as a business) and that they be licensed, inspected, and taxed. This publication from Granicus can also be helpful: A Practical Guide to Effectively Regulating Short-Term Rentals on the Local Government Level. Photo by Romolo Tavani on Getty Images / iStockphoto THRIVING IN PLACE SALT LAKE CITY Salt Lake City’s Anti -Displacement Strategy 45 PRODUCE PURPOSE Incentivize the creation of affordable units in new market-rate residential developments. CONTEXT The City’s Planning Division is developing a proposal for Council’s consideration that would incentivize the creation of affordable housing in the city’s residential zoning districts by providing developers with choices that would provide them with benefits (additional development capacity) in return for including affordable units in their development. The proposal is similar t o inclusionary housing programs in other communities but operates on an incentive basis, in keeping with Utah state law. Developers would not be required to utilize the incentive and could proceed to develop their property under the regulations already in place for that zone district, without including any affordable units. The project is already in process, with anticipated adoption in 2024. The proposed changes would advance the Thriving in Place strategy’s goal of producing more affordable housing and work in conjunction with other priority actions aimed at creating more affordable housing in other ways (e.g., through direct City and partner investment, use of public lands, etc.). STEPS 1 Support adoption of the proposed Affordable Housing Incentives being developed by the Planning Division, with refinements as needed based on community input and Council deliberations. 2 Clarify how the Affordable Housing Incentives do or do not apply when the proposed Community Benefit Policy is being applied to a new residential development that has existing affordable housing on the site. Would retaining the existing housing be allowed to count towards the affordability requirement in the incentives? If the units are replaced, do the new units need to be of comparable size? 3 Ensure appropriate support for the policy’s implementation as well as for the monitoring and enforcement of deed-restricted units created as a result of the policy (see Strategic Priority 4C). STRATEGIC PRIORITY 3A Adopt the Affordable Housing Incentives Policy Adopt the Affordable Housing Incentives Policy to encourage the construction of additional affordable housing in market-rate developments. ★ NEAR-TERM PRIORITY LEAD Planning Division, Department of Community and Neighborhoods (CAN) PARTNERS City Attorney’s Office; Housing Stability Division, CAN; Redevelopment Agency (RDA) SCHEDULE Anticipate adoption by June 2024. RESOURCES Current effort is already staffed; however support will be needed for implementation. THRIVING IN PLACE SALT LAKE CITY Salt Lake City’s Anti -Displacement Strate gy 46 PRODUCE LEARNING FROM OTHERS There are many examples of inclusionary housing programs around the country. While many establish requirements for inclusion of affordable units, others are set-up as an opt-in incentive (often referred to as density bonuses). For example, in California the State adopted a statewide density bonus law th at creates an incentive for developers to include affordable housing in new developments as well as a path for going above locally established density limits. Based on the law, a developer can apply for an increase in development intensity in any jurisdiction in the state in return for including affordable housing. This table summarizes the different levels of incentive. In addition developers can request up to three variances from standards that might prevent them from achieving the higher density (e.g., height, setbacks, parking). This webpage at Local Housing Solutions provides a helpful overview of how these programs work, along with multiple case studies from around the country, including incentive -focused policies (like the “Affordability Unlocked” program in Austin, TX, where mandatory inclusionary zoning is also prohibited at the state level). THRIVING IN PLACE SALT LAKE CITY Salt Lake City’s Anti -Displacement Strategy 47 PRODUCE PURPOSE Support the development of accessory dwelling units (ADUs) in Salt Lake City to create new rental housing opportunities in existing neighborhoods and provide income generation for homeowners, with particular focus on helping lower income homeowners create ADUs. CONTEXT ADUs help add rental housing in established neighborhoods, create more neighborhood diversity, and can help owners generate income to offset other costs . While ADUs are sometimes used for non-housing purposes (a home office, a guest room, or an illegal short-term rental) they are often used for their intended purpose: as a second housing unit on a property where there was previously just one. Creating ADUs can be challenging. Most homeowners don’t even know where to begin: how to evaluate the financial costs and benefits; how to navigate city codes and processes; how to find a designer and financing, or even how to go about being a landlord. The City can make it easier and less expensive to build ADUs through improved information that is understandable to homeowners; by helping connect homeowners to ADU designers and low - or no- cost plans; by reducing fees; and by making review processes transparent, fast, a nd efficient. The City can also support homeowners—especially lower income homeowners—by connecting them to low-interest financing and having an identified ADU liaison to be their ally through the process. There are also opportunities to encourage homeowners to rent their ADUs to income-qualified renters. The State has enacted some recent code changes to remove obstacles to ADU development, and the City has been working on updates to its ADU ordinance as well. An ADU taskforce of City staff from multiple departments currently meets quarterly to coordinate on ADU-related work efforts. Further steps can be taken, as outlined below, to expand upon these efforts. STEPS 1 Continue and expand upon the work of the City’s ADU taskforce, completing the work already underway to update the City’s ADU ordinance, to identify a nd implement cost-reduction strategies for new ADUs (such as utility fees), and to streamline the ADU review and approval process. 2 Consider designating an ADU Liaison position within the City organization to assist homeowners in understanding and navigating the City’s process, accessing ADU resources, and coordinating the City’s ADU work efforts. STRATEGIC PRIORITY 3B Make ADUs Easier and Less Expensive to Build Improve information, resources, and processes to help support the creation of accessory dwelling units (ADUs) as a strategy for infill housing in existing neighborhoods. Photo by Daniel McCullough on Unsplash ★ NEAR-TERM PRIORITY THRIVING IN PLACE SALT LAKE CITY Salt Lake City’s Anti -Displacement Strategy 48 PRODUCE 3 Explore the potential for creating a staffed ADU Resource Center that could serve Salt Lake City and other communities in the region to support homeowners, assist jurisdictions with ADU policies and programs, and grow the ADU marketplace (see Food for Thought, below). LEAD Planning Division, Department of Community and Neighborhoods (CAN) PARTNERS Redevelopment Agency (RDA); Housing Stability Division, CAN; Building Services; Public Utilities; Fire Department SCHEDULE Adopt updates to the ADU Ordinance by 2023; other work continues. RESOURCES May require additional staffing to implement some ideas and/or funding to support development of specific ADU tools and resources . LEARNING FROM OTHERS The City of San Jose, CA has prioritized development of more Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) as part of their response to an extreme shortage of affordable housing. To make ADU development as easy as possible, they have established a pre-approved ADU plans program that provides a variety of ADU designs that have already been reviewed for building code compliance as well as same-day permit issuance. To make this possible, the City’s ADU review team (which includes fire and utilities along with planning and building) meets all together one day a week (ADU Tuesdays!) so that applicants can schedule an appointment to bring thei r completed materials in for review and —if everything is in order— walk out the door with their permit in hand. FOOD FOR THOUGHT The Napa Sonoma ADU Center was launched in 2019 to serve the 16 jurisdictions of Napa and Sonoma counties, north of San Francisco. Formed under the auspices of the Napa Valley Community Foundation, the center was made possible through grant funding and jurisdiction contributions. It works to train and support staff from all of the jurisdictions to improve their ADU information and processes while serving as a trusted ally and advocate for homeowners. The Center provides free or low-cost consults for homeowners exploring the idea of creating an ADU, helping them to understand what’s possible and how much it might cost; provides regular training and information programs; hosts events where homeowners can meet ADU designers and companies; and has a built a rich resource library of tools, from a “Can I Build” tool and ADU calculator to a growing gallery of standard plans that helps homeowners find designs and connect with ADU professionals. THRIVING IN PLACE SALT LAKE CITY Salt Lake City’s Anti -Displacement Stra tegy 49 PRODUCE PURPOSE Support zoning and code changes as well as City investments that help to create more middle housing types in neighborhoods throughout the city. CONTEXT Older neighborhoods often have a rich mix of housing types—single family homes, backyard cottages, garden apartments, duplexes, fourplexes, and more—often all within the same block, or at least within the immediate area. However, over time both the market and City regulations have driven two predominant housing outcomes: single family homes and larger apartment buildings. This is true in cities throughout the US, including Salt Lake City. In recent years there has been a growing awareness of this gap in our housing, referred to as “the missing middle,” and a desire to create more diverse housing choices in new construction. The City Council’s recent adoption of changes to the RMF-30 zone district and upcoming consideration of code changes related to Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) are both efforts that will increase the diversity of housing choices. As these changes take effect, the City will need to monitor their effectiveness and consider further potential changes to create more middle housi ng types. During the Thriving in Place outreach, many people talked about the need for housing that was not only affordable but that also met their needs. They talked about the large number of small one bedroom and studio apartments being built in large ap artment buildings, which meets some people’s needs, but not others. Creating more diverse housing choices can help respond to these community concerns. Last, but very importantly, the spatial patterns of segregation and disinvestment in Salt Lake City reflect an intentional historic pattern that was the result of redlining and other discriminatory policies and practices. As the City works to advance priority actions in the Thriving in Place strategy and create more inclusive communities, attention must be given to ensuring that a diversity of housing types for all income levels are created and preserved in all neighborhoods, including in areas with high access to opportunity. STEPS 1 Implement the RMF-30 code changes in conjunction with other aspects of the Thriving in Place strategy focused on helping to mitigate displacement impacts and potential loss of existing affordable housing. STRATEGIC PRIORITY 3C Facilitate Creation of More Diverse Housing Choices Create More Diverse Housing Choices in All Areas so that people can find housing that meets their needs in locations that work for them. THRIVING IN PLACE SALT LAKE CITY Salt Lake City’s Anti -Displacement Strategy 50 PRODUCE 2 Adopt and implement additional middle housing policies and programs as part of the Housing SLC plan and in conjunction with other Thriving in Place actions to ensure a diversity of housing types in the city’s supply of affordable housing. This can also include the ADU policies, tools, and resources described in Strategic Priority 3B. LEAD Planning Division, Department of Community and Neighborhoods (CAN) PARTNERS Housing Stability Division, CAN; Redevelopment Agency (RDA); Building Services SCHEDULE Steps 1 and 2 are already in motion; completion is anticipated in 2023. RESOURCES Addressed in existing efforts; new efforts may require additional funding and/or staff support. FOOD FOR THOUGHT There are a large number of resources available to help understand, communicate, analyze, and implement “missing middle” housing, including the missing middle housing website developed by Opticos Design (their principals literally wrote the book about it). A recent working group convened by the Association of Bay Area Governments in collaboration with Community Planning Collaborative engaged Opticos Design as well as the economics firm EcoNorthwest to look specificall y at zoning strategies, affordability strategies and tools for “myth busting” about middle housing and its impacts. THRIVING IN PLACE SALT LAKE CITY Salt Lake City’s Anti -Displacement Strategy 51 PRODUCE PURPOSE Leverage the value of underutilized and surplus City- owned and other publicly owned properties for affordable housing and related community-serving uses, ensuring that they provide for long-term affordability. CONTEXT There are a variety of city-owned lands as well as lands owned by other public agencies that could be utilized for housing, including vacant rights of way, surplus lands, and underutilized properties that could be developed with a mix of affordable housing along with other community-serving uses. These are significantly valuable assets that can be leveraged to achieve community priorities like affordable housing with or even without additional public investment. There are many examples from other communities as well as from Salt Lake City where publicly owned lands have been repurposed or integrated with housing, including joint developments of facilities such as libraries, community centers, parks, schools, and even fire stations. The City is currently in the process of doing such a repurposing of a city -owned property on the Fleet Block, an 8.1-acre property in the Granary District that was previously used for fleet storage and maintenance that is being rezoned for redevelopment with a mix of uses, including affordable housing. The Sorenson Impact Center at the University of Utah’s David Eccles School of Business is piloting a Putting Assets to Work Program to work with communities interested in inventorying and understanding their assets and then develop a plan for leveraging those assets into desired community outcomes. Related to this work, a study done in 2022 (described in this article) documented approximately nine square miles of publicly owned land within a five-minute walk of light rail stations in Salt Lake County and estimated that six square miles of that land would be feasible for new development—meaning that it was underutilized, on suitable terrain, and had little community importance (by their determination). Working with the County to utilize even a portion of these land assets to help meet the region’s need for affordable housing could represent one of the largest potential investments in affordable housing without needing to raise any new revenues. STEPS 1 Build a database of City-owned and other public agency properties that could be prioritized for affordable housing and related community-serving development, working across departments and with partner agencies to determine which to move forward as near -term priorities and which might be land-banked for future opportunities. Be certain that identified properties can be used for housing (some properties have restrictions depending on their funding source). STRATEGIC PRIORITY 3D Utilize Publicly Owned Property Utilize Publicly Owned Property to leverage land assets in support of long-term affordability and equitable development. ★ NEAR-TERM PRIORITY THRIVING IN PLACE SALT LAKE CITY Salt Lake City’s Anti -Displacement Strategy 52 PRODUCE 2 Define the desired development program for priority properties and deve lop partnerships for implementation through an RFP process or via existing development relationships. Ensure engagement of community representatives in defining the desired mix of housing types, income levels to be served, special needs to be met, and non -housing amenities to incorporate (including but not limited to community green space, supportive services such as daycare centers or community center space, and affordable retail space). 3 Establish the necessary zoning and other enabling policies to facilitate the desired development outcome on the prioritized properties. 4 Ensure that publicly owned lands utilized for affordable housing and related development remain in some form of community ownership and control, like a Community Land Trust (see Priority 2D), and that structures are in place to ensure the housing created remains affordable in perpetuity as a community-serving asset. LEAD Redevelopment Agency (RDA) PARTNERS Real Estate Services; Planning Division and Housing Stability Division, Department of Community and Neighborhoods; Salt Lake City Housing Authority; City Attorney’s Office SCHEDULE Ongoing, with initial priorities identified by June 2024. RESOURCES Staff and/or consultant time will be needed for Steps 1 and 2. Steps 3 and 4 will require staff time. FOOD FOR THOUGHT This Local Housing Solutions website offers many relevant resources for local housing strategies, including a page focused specifically on the use of publicly owned property for affordable housing. The page provides guidance for identification and use of publicly owned properties as well as several case studies from Maryland, Washington State, and Washington, DC. LEARNING FROM OTHERS In the Puget Sound region of Washington State, the regional transit agency, Sound Transit, is in the process of planning and building one of the largest infrastructure investments in the State’s history . With substantial property acquisition needed to build the regional light rail system, the State Legislature established a requirement for the disposition of surplus lands from the project (i.e., lands acquired to facilitate construction but then not needed once the light rail is built). The policy is referred to as the 80- 80-80 policy: 80 percent of surplus lands (including air rights) that are suitable for housing must be offered to qualified entities (local governments, nonprofit developers, and housing authorities) to build housing where at least 80 percent of the units are affordable to those earning 80 percent of the area median income or below. The legislature’s action subsequently led Sound Transit’s board and staff to develop and adopt their Equitable Transit Oriented Development Policy and is already resulting in taxpayer-funded transit investments helping to create hundreds (and eventually thousands) of new transit-oriented affordable housing units. THRIVING IN PLACE SALT LAKE CITY Salt Lake City’s Anti -Displacement Strategy 53 PRODUCE PURPOSE Create housing that will be affordable in perpetuity , supports lower-cost living, and that is integrated with needed services. CONTEXT Depending on how deed-restricted affordable housing units are created and funded, the term of their affordability restriction may vary from 15 years up to “in perpetuity.” While a minimum term of 15 years is required for developments utilizing Low Income Housing Tax Credits, an extended compliance period of 30 years can be required under the program’s guidelines. Whe n projects also receive local financial support or other forms of assistance, even longer terms can be required. Units with any term of deed restriction help to meet Salt Lake City’s affordable housing needs, but they present a future challenge when deed restrictions expire and the units shift to market rate rents. While the general logic is that those units will then be older and therefore lower cost than comparable new units, the experience in many strong market communities is that the expiration of rent restrictions translates into rent increases and displacement of lower income renters. To help avoid the future challenge of expiring deed restrictions (and the need for additional public investment to extend affordability), the City and its partners should prioritize longer deed restrictions whenever possible, with the aim of having units “affordable in perpetuity.” In practical terms, this often translates into a 99-year deed restriction or ensuring that long-term ownership and management of affordable units is under a mission-driven nonprofit dedicated to maintaining long- term affordability. Additionally, City investments and land donations should prioritize housing developments in areas that are walkable and with good transit access, so that lower income residents can access opportunity without having to own a car. And whenever possible , affordable housing should be integrated with needed services, and developed and managed by partners with a long-term commitment to supporting tenants. Examples of services that could be integrated with housing include daycare centers, health clinics, job training centers, arts programs, and community space, depending on the population being served in the housing development. STEPS 1 Identify key opportunities for changes to City and partner policies and practices that can create longer term deed restrictions. This includes maximizing the period of deed restriction that can be achieved through policies such as the Affordable Housing Incentives (Priority 3A) and Community Benefit Policy (Priority 2A) as well as requirements for projects that receive City funding or land contributions (Priority 3D). 2 Work with mission-driven development partners and service providers to identify the highest areas of need and key opportunities for delivering housing integrated with support services. This can be advanced as part of the proposed community partnership STRATEGIC PRIORITY 3E Prioritize Long-Term Affordability , Integrated Services, and Transit Access Prioritize Long-Term Affordability, Integration of Support Services, and Access to Transit and Other Amenities to create stable living environments where lower income families and residents can thrive. THRIVING IN PLACE SALT LAKE CITY Salt Lake City’s Anti -Displacement Strategy 54 PRODUCE program in Strategic Priority 5C as well as in conjunction with the acquisition and rehabilitation investments of Strategic Priority 2B and the Community Land Trust (2C). 3 Incorporate identified priorities in Notices of Funding Availability and Requests for Proposals in City and Redevelopment Agency funding and land development opportunities. Identified priorities could also be connected to potential agreements developed as part of Priorities 2B and 3A, through which developers could acquire and deed -restrict unsubsidized housing (or currently subsidized housing with expiring deed restrictions) in return for an increase in development capacity on another property. LEAD Redevelopment Agency (RDA) PARTNERS Planning Division and Housing Stability Division, Department of Community and Neighborhoods; Housing Authority of Salt Lake City; Economic Development Department (including the Arts Council) SCHEDULE Ongoing RESOURCES This is more focused on how existing resources are applied. However, expanding investment in long-term affordability will require additional resources (both funding and staffing): see Strategic Priority 4A and Attachment A. FOOD FOR THOUGHT The Grounded Solutions Network provides guidance on affordability preservation and various mechanisms— deed restrictions, covenants, ground leases —for achieving it in both rental and homeownership affordability programs. They also provide case studies, more information on why long-term affordability matters, and examples of different approaches for shared equity resale formulas. Photo via Grounded Solutions Network THRIVING IN PLACE SALT LAKE CITY Salt Lake City’s Anti -Displacement Strategy 55 EXPAND FUNDING PURPOSE Ensure that the City and its partners have the resources needed to implement the Thriving in Place strategy. CONTEXT Many of the actions outlined in the Thriving in Place strategy will require financial and other resources for implementation. While some of the desired outcomes can be achieved by working or investing differently, others will require reprioritization of existing resources (budget, staffing, work plans), working with partners to leverage each other’s resources, and additional funding to support investments and staffing. The City is fortunate to have a strong base on which to build, including funds generated through the Redevelopment Agency’s Project Areas and via the Funding Our Future sales tax. Some of these resources are managed via the Redevelopment Agency’s Housing Development Loan Program while others flow through various programs focused on delivering assistance or other services to those in need (managed by the Housing Stability Division in the Department of Community and Neighborhoods and others, often channeled through community partners who are contracted to do service delivery through competitive bidding processes). City staff estimate an average of $13 million has been invested annually in recent years by the City to support affordable housing (for development, acquisition, and rehabilitation) and $6.5 million a year has been spent on rental assistance and tenant support services (about $2.5 million from Funding Our Future sales tax proceeds and about $4 million from federal entitlement funds , not including pandemic-related federal funds like Emergency Rental Assistance). However, additional funding will be needed to advance the Thriving in Place strategies. While new federal funds that are anticipated from recent legislation as well as new state funding opportunities, additional City investment will be needed. See the Two-Year Action Plan in Attachment A. STRATEGIC PRIORITY 4A Develop New Funding / Leverage Existing Resources Develop New Funding Sources and Leverage Existing Resources to better meet the level of need in supporting tenants at-risk of displacement and expanding the supply of deed- restricted affordable housing. ★ NEAR-TERM PRIORITY THRIVING IN PLACE SALT LAKE CITY Salt Lake City’s Anti -Displacement Strategy 56 EXPAND FUNDING STEPS 1 Convene a City working group to review current and potential funding sources to support implementation of Thriving in Place priorities as well as Housing SLC implementation. 2 Evaluate options for new or expanded revenue sources that could create substantial and ongoing funding for affordable housing and anti-displacement programs. Some of these options will require additional research to determine viability, and all of them should be evaluated to determine their relative strengths, including: • Political viability – can it be structured to work within the state’s legal frameworks and garner support from City Council and the community? • Relevance – does it capture revenue from activities that are contributing to the community’s displacement and affordability challenges? • Fairness – does it distribute costs in a fair and equitable manner, such that no one person or group is over-burdened, • Equity - does it help reduce inequity when considering where the costs will apply and where the benefits will flow? • Return on investment – does the amount of revenue that could be generated justify the effort needed to put it in place and manage it over time? • Longevity and resilience – does it create a long-term funding stream, and will it withstand fluctuating market conditions? Ideally, at least part of the City’s funding stream should generate revenue to invest in affordable housing when the development market is down and costs are lower. • Scale of impact – does it create enough revenue to make a difference? Not all options need to perform high on every factor, but together the mix of funding sources should position the City to have the desired impact even (or especially) during economic downturns. Options to consider and evaluate include a potential new tax on short-term rentals; an additional increment to the City’s transient occupancy tax (temporary lodging tax); a vacant property tax or fee; and/or an affordable housing bond measure. Determination of funding needs should also factor in projected in-lieu fees paid by developers as part of the proposed Community Benefit Policy’s implementation. 3 Leverage potential contributions from new development through expanded incentives programs and community benefit linkages, recognizing that policies which create expanded development capacity are generating significant wealth, a portion of which can be channeled to help meet the community’s affordable housing needs. 4 Pursue state, federal and philanthropic resources in collaboration with key partners, including funds focused on energy efficiency and transit-oriented development that can be targeted to affordable housing. THRIVING IN PLACE SALT LAKE CITY Salt Lake City’s Anti -Displacement Strategy 57 EXPAND FUNDING 5 Work closely with partners to coordinate investments, pursue funding opportunities and leverage each other’s resources. For example combining funds to acquire key properties; jointly pursuing grant opportunities, or partnering to create new affordable housing on city-owned lands. 6 Ensure strong and transparent management of City funds and investments, including funds invested in and through the Redevelopment Authority’s Housing Development Fund, Community Land Trust and other mechanisms. Ensure alignment and coordination between these different mechanisms via the work of the City Implementation Team. LEAD City Implementation Team (see Priority 5A) PARTNERS Salt Lake City Housing Authority plus community and regional partners SCHEDULE Evaluate and prioritize long-term funding options by December 2023; implement in 2024/25. RESOURCES See overview of resource needs in Attachment A. LEARNING FROM OTHERS In 2019 nearly 80 percent of voters in Durham, NC voted in favor of a $95 million bond referendum to fund the City’s Affordable Housing Bond Investment Plan. The bond’s principal and interest would be paid back by a 1.6 cents per $100 of assessed value, which would translate into about $37 a year for a the City’s median assessed home value of $229,266. Based on the City’s plan and comprehensive housing strategy, the bond funds would be would bring in approximately $443 million in additional capital and $130 million in contracting opportunities while creating 1600 new deed-restricted affordable housing units, preserving 800 affordable rental units, supporting 400 first-time homeowners, transitioning 1700 homeless households into permanent housing, and stabilizi ng 3000 low- income renters. Durham’s story and other case studies can be found on the Local Housing Solutions website. THRIVING IN PLACE SALT LAKE CITY Salt Lake City’s Anti -Displacemen t Strategy 58 EXPAND FUNDING PURPOSE Agree on key indicators for tracking displacement work and ensure efficient and workable systems are in place to collect needed data and provide regular reports. CONTEXT Success of the Thriving in Place strategy relies on having reliable, shared, and easily accessible data to track progress, inform policy development, and make it possible to course -correct as needed as conditions change. This action is focused on establishing key metrics to track conditions over time and ensuring that investment is made in devel oping the necessary data systems. Phase One of Thriving in Place documented the extent of displacement in Salt Lake City as well as its community impacts, providing data that informed important conversations about how best to respond to the challenges of displacement. That data shaped this strategy. While undertaking a year- long study and engagement process was important, the strategy going forward needs to be more nimble. Key parts of the strategy are focused on ensuring structures for ongoing dialogue and partnership (all of the actions in Goal 5) and on setting up better systems to track key data metrics. Page 59 provides a draft of key indicators for tracking displacement and potential sources for collecting the needed data. This can serve as a starting point for developing a web -based dashboard, overseen by the City Implementation Team (Priority 5A) and Anti-Displacement Coalition (Priority 5B) as part of their work to track and report on progress and identify new and emerging needs. STEPS 1 Refine the list of displacement indicators that the City team will track and report on, using the list on page 59 as a starting point. Ensure that the list is robust enough to provide a meaningful understanding of progress as well as current and emerging trends, and tha t it is as streamlined as possible to make the data collection a manageable task. This work should be led by the City Implementation Team (Priority 5A) and reviewed, refined and confirmed with members of the Anti-Displacement Coalition (Priority 5B). 2 Develop manageable systems for collecting the needed data, automating it as much as possible and drawing upon existing, easily available data even if it’s “close but not perfect.” 3 Develop a web-based dashboard for reporting the latest data on each indicator and provide an annual report to Council and the community in conjunction with recommendations on next-up action priorities, policy or program revisions, and annual budget needs to support continued progress. STRATEGIC PRIORITY 4B Define Displacement Indicators + Develop Data Systems Define Indicators to Track Displacement and Develop Systems to Track Progress to better know where and how the City’s anti-displacement policies and actions are working. ★ NEAR-TERM PRIORITY THRIVING IN PLACE SALT LAKE CITY Salt Lake City’s Anti -Displacement Strategy 59 EXPAND FUNDING TRACKING PROGRESS ON THRIVING IN PLACE: DRAFT LIST OF INDICATORS Tracking key indicators of displacement and affordability help measure progress. They also help inform course corrections and the evolution of policies and practices that can more effectively create a community where all residents can stay and thrive even as the city grows. As always, striking the right balance is key: knowing enough to inform and shape meaningful action while prioritizing resources for actually doing something about the issues being highlighted. Following is a draft list of indicators and data sources for tracking progress on implementation of Thriving in Place. These will be reviewed and vetted by the City Implementation Team (Priority 5A) and members of the Anti-Displacement Coalition (Priority 5B) to ensure a robust but streamlined approach to measuring progress, with the aim of informing effective action and refinement of key policies and practices. LEAD Housing Stability Division, Department of Community and Neighborhoods (CAN) PARTNERS Business Licensing, Department of Finance; Planning Division, CAN; Building Services; Information Management Services SCHEDULE Develop systems and launch initial reporting by March 2024. RESOURCES Will require funding for initial data systems / dashboard development plus ongoing staffing to update and report out on data on a regular basis. LEARNING FROM OTHERS The City of Seattle has been one of the fastest growing large cities in the US over the past decade, with significant increases in rents and home prices driving unprecedented neighborhood change and displacement. These impacts have been particularly profound for communities of co lor, who have faced extremely high rates of displacement in the city’s historically Black and immigrant neighborhoo ds. In response the City undertook a number of actions, including an analysis of its growth strategy in conjunction with an update to its Comprehensive Plan, Seattle 2035. The resulting report, Growth and Equity: Analyzing Impacts on Displacement and Opportunity Related to Seattle’s Growth Strategy , was developed in conjunction with the City’s first Equitable Development Implementation Plan in 2016 and launch of the City’s Equitable Development Initiative. A more recent (May 2021) analysis revisits the 2016 analysis in preparation for the City’s Comprehensive Plan update currently in process. As directed by the 2016 plan, the City subsequently developed the Equitable Development Monitoring Program, leading to the September 2020 Community Indicators Report and the Displacement Risk Indicators Dashboard. That webpage tracks nine displacement metrics across three types of displacement, with the data sources for each indicator identifi ed along with the ability for any user to access the data via the City’s open data platform. THRIVING IN PLACE SALT LAKE CITY Salt Lake City’s Anti -Displacement Strategy 60 EXPAND FUNDING THRIVING IN PLACE INDICATORS Indicator Purpose Data Sources NEIGHBORHOOD STABILIZATION AND INCLUSION • % change in households by income, by neighborhood (including by race and by owner/renter) • Is the trend of lower income household displacement being stopped and/or reversed? • Is neighborhood diversity and inclusion being advanced? US Census American Community Survey HOUSING COST BURDEN • By race/ethnicity (owner/renter) • % renters that are cost burdened • % renters severely cost burdened • % owners that are cost burdened • % owners severely cost burdened • Map by area • Is the incidence of people overpaying for housing being reduced? US Census American Community Survey AFFORDABILITY + AVAILABILITY OF RENTAL UNITS • Average and median rents by age of unit, size and location • # + % of renter households by income • # + % of rental units by rent bracket • Ratio of affordable units to households • Approx. % of rental units licensed • Approx. # of short-term rentals • Map by area • Are the supply and cost of rental units being more responsive to the community's needs? US Census American Community Survey Business Licensing TENANT ASSISTANCE • No. of households that received Tenant Relocation Assistance • No. of households that received rent assistance (one time and ongoing) • No. of households that received legal and/or mediation services • Requests for assistance unmet due to lack of resources • Map by area to extent possible • Are renter households at-risk of displacement receiving support to help them remain in place or find alternative housing? Housing Stability Division DIRECT DISPLACEMENT • No. of evictions • No. of foreclosures • Map by area • No. of units lost to new development + No. of units created on the same sites, by level of affordability • Is the incidence of households being directly displaced by eviction, foreclosure, and/or demolition being reduced? • Are the affordable units being lost to development being replaced? UT Courts Eviction Filings Salt Lake County Recorder (Foreclosures) Building Services Division HOUSING PRODUCTION + CHOICE • Total no. of housing units by type, tenure, size, and location • Construction permits for new housing units (no., type, + location) • % increase by type, tenure, size and location • Map by area • Is new housing development (existing and pipeline) helping to create more diverse housing options throughout the city (are we losing diversity, gaining diversity, or holding steady)? Building Services Division DEVELOPMENT INCENTIVES • No. of developments that opted in for Affordable Housing Incentives • No. of AHI units created by type, size and AMI • No. of development proposals subject to the Community Benefit Policy • No. of CBP units created or preserved by type, size, and AMI + amt of in-lieu fees • Map by area • Are developers being responsive to the affordable housing incentives available to them? • Are the incentives helping to achieve affordable housing goals? • Is the Community Benefit Policy serving as an effective tool for mitigating the loss of affordable units? Planning Division DEED-RESTRICTED UNITS • No. of deed-restricted units by tenure, size, AMI, and length of restriction • No. of pipeline units by tenure, size, AMI, and length of restriction • % of housing stock under long-term affordability restrictions • No. of households placed in deed-restricted units using the Displaced Tenants Preference Policy • Waiting lists for deed-restricted units • Map by area • Is the supply of deed-restricted housing in the city expanding and better meeting the level of need? • Is the goal of increasing the number of units affordable “in perpetuity” being achieved? • Are deed-restricted units being dispersed throughout the community? Housing Stability Division THRIVING IN PLACE SALT LAKE CITY Salt Lake City’s Anti -Displacem ent Strategy 61 EXPAND FUNDING PURPOSE Ensure that deed-restricted units are managed in accordance with their established requirements and fair housing laws, and that they are maintained as long -term, high-quality community assets CONTEXT Many of the actions in the Thriving in Place strategy and current City work efforts and investments will create hundreds (hopefully thousands) of new affordable housing units in Salt Lake City. Some of these units will be scattered among new market-rate developments with differing lengths of deed restriction and affordability requirements. Other units will be in 100 percent affordable rental buildings managed by mission-driven nonprofits, but also with differing lengths of restriction and levels of affordability, and sometimes intended for specific populations (e.g., seniors, families, or people with disabilities). Some will be single family homes or townhomes for income-qualified homeowners that also will have specific requirements attached to them. Effectively managing these units will require that the City grow its housing management capacity —internally, with key partners, and potentially with contractors—to ensure compliance with each development’s and unit’s established requirements, consistency with fair housing laws to ensure nondiscrimination, and maintenance of the long-term quality and affordability of these valuable community assets. This will likely include, for example: training for staff across multiple divisions to ensure that development agreements and affordability covenants are properly written and archived, data and management systems to track assets and affordability requirements, training and systems for property managers to certify the income qualifications of tenants and owners, procedures for ongoing compliance checks and enforcement actions, and more. STEPS 1 Convene a working group to review current capacities, identify gaps, and define a shared vision for how deed-restricted units are managed to inform development of both a l ong- term strategy and near -term actions to move toward the vision, including staffing needs, system needs, budget needs, and organizational structure and practices. 2 Ensure consistency in how deed restrictions are written to help clarify management practices and facilitate implementation and enforcement. STRATEGIC PRIORITY 4C Strengthen the City’s Capacity to Enforce Deed-Restricted Housing Commitments Develop Capacity to Enforce Deed-Restricted Housing Commitments to ensure that agreements are upheld, maintain quality and affordability, and meet fair housing requirements. Photo of deed restricted affordable housing via Park City, UT THRIVING IN PLACE SALT LAKE CITY Salt Lake City’s Anti -Displacement Strategy 62 EXPAND FUNDING 3 Determine City and partner roles and where the management of deed -restricted units should be located within the City organization. 4 Regularly report on the status of deed-restricted units, ensuring at a minimum that the metrics established through the Displacement Indicators (Priority 4B) are tracked and reported on a regular basis and available via the Displacement Indicators Dashboard. LEAD Housing Stability Division, Department of Community and Neighborhoods (CAN) PARTNERS Redevelopment Agency (RDA); City Attorney’s Office; Planning Division, CAN; Building Services; Business Licensing, Department of Finance SCHEDULE Identify near-term capacity-building priorities by December 2023. RESOURCES Will require staff time and potentially consultant support to develop management strategy plus funding for ongoing staffing (City staff or community partner) to oversee. FOOD FOR THOUGHT The Local Initiatives Support Corporation, or LISC, provides a resource library that includes white papers and case studies related to affordable housing management, among many other topics. A couple key resources include their Scattered Site Single-Family Rental Property Management Guide and Against All Odds: The Business of Managing Affordable Housing. There are also national organizations and networks focused on supporting governments, nonprofits, and private sector groups engaged in affordable housing management. These include the Affordable Housing Professional Certificate Program from NeighborWorks America, the National Affordable Housing Management Association, which provides training and other resources and includes a Rocky Mountain Heartland chapter, and the National Center for Housing Management, established in 1972 by an Executive Order of President Nixon to help meet the country’s housing management and training needs . Photo of deed restricted affordable housing via Park City, UT THRIVING IN PLACE SALT LAKE CITY Salt Lake City’s Anti -Displacement Strategy 63 PARTNER + COLLABORATE PURPOSE Ensure clarity on departmental and division roles and responsibilities for implementation of Thriving in Place, and an ongoing structure and process for coordination, oversight, and course corrections to support success. CONTEXT Achieving the priority actions of Thriving in Place will be a significant undertaking, requiring ongoing coordination, engagement, resources, decision making, and problem solving. It is critical that everyone knows who “owns” implementation of the strategy and its various components, and that those charged with its ownership are empowered to convene, facilitate, delegate, and act. STEPS 1 Review and finalize the list of core and on-call team members for the implementation team and secure the buy-in of leadership and participation of key staff. 2 Convene key leadership and staff of the Implementation Team’s members to articulate and agree on the team’s purpose, authorities, roles and responsibilities, operating agree ments, meeting schedule, budget needs, and decision making framework, including how conflicts will be resolved. Determine who will be responsible for convening and coordinating the team’s work. 3 Develop a Team Charter, summarizing all of the information from Step 2, and have it signed by department directors to ensure clarity and agreement. Revisit and update the charter on at least an annual basis to ensure it remains a relevant and useful tool. 4 Commit to an initial two-year pilot period for the team, with continuation and changes to the team’s membership and Charter in response to lessons learned, achievements, and emerging needs. STRATEGIC PRIORITY 5A Form a City Implementation Team Form a City Implementation Team to oversee and coordinate implementation of the priority actions in the Thriving in Place strategy, monitor progress, engage partners, and identify needed updates and next steps. ★ NEAR-TERM PRIORITY LEAD Department of Community and Neighborhoods (CAN) PARTNERS Core: Housing Stability Division, CAN; Planning Division, CAN; Building Services; Redevelopment Agency (RDA); Civic Engagement; Business Licensing, Department of Finance On Call: City Attorney’s Office; Economic Development (including the Arts Council); Parks and Public Lands; Public Services; Public Utilities; Sustainability; Transportation; Youth and Family Services SCHEDULE Form team by June 2023. RESOURCES Will require prioritization of existing staff’s time on the Implementation Team and a lead staff person for the effort. THRIVING IN PLACE SALT LAKE CITY Salt Lake City’s Anti -Displac ement Strategy 64 PARTNER + COLLABORATE PURPOSE Provide a regular platform for communication, coordination, and collaboration across the key agencies and organizations working on displacement -related issues, projects, and programs in Salt Lake City and across the region. CONTEXT Effective action to address displacement and stabilize neighborhoods takes time, coordination, and persistence. The City is one part of a regional ecosystem that needs to work closely together to achieve goals related to housing affordability and neighborhood stabilization. This ecosystem includes other governmental agencies, nonprofits, community organizations, research centers, private sector developers, financers, and others. During the community engagement process, multiple stakeholders identified the need for the agencies and ind ividuals working on displacement issues to meet regularly to share information, coordinate action, problem -solve, and build trust. Many also pointed to the regional nature of the housing affordability challenge, and the need for engaging with regional partners to identify shared priorities for action. STEPS 1 Identify groups and individuals to include in an initial meeting of the proposed Anti- Displacement Coalition, ensuring representation from key governmental partners, nonprofits, service providers, tenant groups, and those involved with developing and managing affordable housing and related facilities and services in Salt Lake City and the region. 2 Extend an invitation to participate in a launch meeting of the Coalition. 3 Host a launch meeting to engage the group in defining the group’s purpose, membership, frequency of meetings, agenda-setting, coordination/facilitation, and potential priorities for their first year. Use as an opportunity to share the Thriving in Place priorities and identify near - term priorities for coordination and collaboration. Identify a chair or co -chairs to serve as the group’s lead conveners and to work with staff in developing the Coalition’s meeting agendas. 4 Establish a regular meeting schedule based on the outcome of Step 3 and provide staff and facilitation support as needed, working with the chair or co -chairs to develop agendas, coordinate meeting preparation, facilitate, take notes, and follow up on key a ction items. STRATEGIC PRIORITY 5B Work with Partners to Form a Regional Anti-Displacement Coalition Work with regional partners to convene a Wasatch Front Anti-Displacement Coalition as an ongoing platform for cross-agency and cross-sector discussion and collaboration on priority actions, tracking of progress, collective problem solving, and responding to emerging issues and challenges. ★ NEAR-TERM PRIORITY LEAD City Implementation Team (see Priority 5A) PARTNERS TBD SCHEDULE Convene group and have first meeting in fourth quarter of 2023. RESOURCES Will require at least a portion of a staff person’s time to coordinate outreach and communications, manage logistics, prepare meeting information, and follow up. THRIVING IN PLACE SALT LAKE CITY Salt Lake City’s Anti -Displacement Strategy 65 PARTNER + COLLABORATE PURPOSE Establish an ongoing interdepartmental structure and process for meeting regularly with community representatives in areas experiencing the highest displacement risk to share and discuss the City’s work efforts, identify new and emerging needs, and partner on priority actions. CONTEXT Communities facing the brunt of displacement experience its impacts in “real time.” While studies and engagement to develop a strategy like Thriving in Place have value in ensuring that actions are driven by data, they also take time. Developing strong ongoing partnerships are essential to ensuring ongoing communication and alignment, allowing implementation work to respond more nimbly to changing realities, new challenges, and emerging opportunities. In addition, City-led work efforts are often very department-specific, while effectively countering the forces and challenges of displacement require holistic, well-coordinated cross-departmental and cross-sectoral action. At a minimum, all of the relevant departments as well as community partners and other agencies need to be aware of what everyone else is working on, enabling them to coordinate and leverage efforts and investments whenever possible. The focus of this action is on ensuring a structure and process for place -based partnership that can support better coordination on anti-displacement efforts in Salt Lake City’s most impacted neighborhoods, with an initial focus on the Westside and in the Ballpark/Central City/Liberty Wells area. This work can build upon valuable structures already in place or being developed, like the Redevelopment Agency’s Westside Community Initiative, the University of Utah’s University Neighborhood Partners program, and the My Hometown Initiative (a volunteer-led, interfaith initiative already operating in Poplar Grove and Rose Park, based on the program model in West Valley City). While communication and coordination are key, a true partnership also creates opportunities for collaboration and co-creation, leveraging actions and investments by working together and co - investing to maximize impact. STEPS 1 Convene key stakeholders and draft the partnership’s charter, bringing together departmental and division representatives as well as community stakeholder representatives —to define the purpose, membership, structure, staffing, and operating agreements of t he partnership. Consider establishing the partnership for an initial two -year period, subject to extension by mutual agreement of all involved. 2 Define the partnership’s goals, priority actions, and measures of success, building off priorities already in place from City capital investment plans and key partner agencies, and identifying opportunities to coordinate and leverage actions and investments as well as to identify what’s missing. Clarify immediate/near-term priorities for coordination and mid - or long- term priorities that might take additional time for planning, budgeting and fundraising. STRATEGIC PRIORITY 5C Launch an Ongoing Community Partnership to Coordinate Action Partner with Impacted Communities to Coordinate Action and Investment to preserve affordability and counter displacement. ★ NEAR-TERM PRIORITY THRIVING IN PLACE SALT LAKE CITY Salt Lake City’s Anti -Displacement Strategy 66 PARTNER + COLLABORATE 3 Coordinate community engagement via the partnership whenever possible to avoid the “participation fatigue” that is prevalent in the current project-by-project approach to community outreach and input, while recognizing that some City policy projects or processes (such as private petitions) have defined schedules that must be adhered to. 4 Provide an annual report to Council and the community on the partnership’s work, highlighting accomplishments, identifying upcoming priorities, and providing an opportunity for reflection on what is working, what is not working, and how the partners hip could be strengthened. LEAD Department of Community and Neighborhoods (CAN) with Mayor’s Office and Civic Engagement Team PARTNERS Planning Division, CAN; Housing Stability Division, CAN; Redevelopment Agency (RDA); Economic Development (including the Arts Council); Parks and Public Land; Sustainability; Public Services; Public Utilities; Transportation; and community partners SCHEDULE Launch partnership by December 2023. RESOURCES Will need staffing for a lead convener/facilitator as well as commitment of staff time for each participating department. Ideally will also have budget set-aside for smaller community-defined project initiatives that can leverage other resources in addition to the major capital projects that will be coordinated with and through the partnership. LEARNING FROM OTHERS Seattle’s South Park and Georgetown neighborhoods have some of the city’s most vulnerable neighborhoods and populations when it comes to displacement pressures, environmental impacts, racial inequities, and risks associated with climate change. In 2015/2016, a combination of major initiatives and investments in addition to several community assessments and planning efforts led the City to launch a new multi-department community partnership initiative to “work differently” in planning and delivering multi-benefit outcomes through City investments and other activities. The resulting Duwamish Valley Program was jointly led by the City’s Department of Environment and Office of Planning and Community Development with members from multiple City departments as well as King County, the Army Corps of Engineers, and multiple community groups. The program’s prioriti es and action plan work together as an environmental justice, equitable development, and anti -displacement strategy. As of 2021 the partnership was focusing on advancing their goals through a Resilience District concept and had achieved a number of hard-won victories in pairing investments in parks and affordable housing with efforts to address flooding and other environmental issues—all through a strong ongoing community partnership model. Seattle’s Mayor with Duwamish Youth Corps at Earth Day celebration of Duwamish Alive! Photo by Alberto Rodríguez THRIVING IN PLACE SALT LAKE CITY Salt Lake City’s Anti -Displ acement Strategy 67 ADVOCATE PURPOSE Continue to ensure that Salt Lake City’s priorities are supported and advanced in state legislation, working with regional and state partners to achieve changes in state law as well as commitments of state funding that help counter displacement, stabilize neighborhoods, and create long-term affordability. CONTEXT A number of actions that could be taken and are used in cities in other states to help stabilize neighborhoods are not possible in Salt Lake City due to e xisting state laws that prohibit or limit potential local policies and actions. During the Thriving in Place community and stakeholder engagement processes, the issue of state preemption was raised repeatedly along with the perception that the state legislature is overwhelmingly pro-landlord and that even small improvements in tenant rights would be hard to win. At the same time, the state has been increasingly concerned about housing affordability statewide, with increases in funding for affordable housing development and to address homelessness as well as passage of legislation like Senate Bill 174, House Bill 364, and House Bill 406 in the last legislative session, all of which focus on streamlining housing appr ovals and making development more predictable. While alignment on housing affordability poli cies and funding holds significant promise, it will be important to keep working on changes that can better support tenants to avoid eviction from rising rents and to preserve existing affordable housing. It will also continue to be important to help community members understand the limits on City action from state preemption and how they can help lobby for change. STRATEGIC PRIORITY 6A Tenant Rights and Affordable Housing at the State Level Work to Advance Tenant Rights and Affordable Housing at the State Level to remove state preemption obstacles where possible, develop a stronger state -level policy framework for countering displacement, and expand resources committed to housing affordabilit y and neighborhood stabilization. Photo by Michael Hart on Unsplash THRIVING IN PLACE SALT LAKE CITY Salt Lake City’s Anti -Displacement Strategy 68 ADVOCATE STEPS 1 Work with the City Council, City Implementation Team, Anti-Displacement Coalition, and other partners to identify priority policy initiatives for each legislative session that can help support and advance the City’s anti -displacement work. 2 Collaborate with state agency partners to facilitate the delivery of investments, projects and programs in Salt Lake City that help to advance the priori ties of Thriving in Place and Housing SLC. 3 Partner with other agencies and community partners to pursue state resources that can preserve housing, support tenants, build new affordable and transitional housing, provide supportive services, and advance other priorities. 4 Report back to the community and adjust City policies and programs as changes in state law occur and new opportunities emerge. LEAD Department of Community and Neighborhoods (CAN) PARTNERS Mayor's Office; City Attorney’s Office; Council Office; and partners SCHEDULE Annually RESOURCES Utilizes existing staffing; additional funding or staffing may be identified as -needed. LEARNING FROM OTHERS Like the Utah Housing Coalition, Housing Colorado is a member organization that advocates for state law changes, supports professional development, and provides technical assistance for Colorado’s affordable housing community. While the political cultures of Utah and Colorado differ, they share a border, a similar geography, and a very similar set of affordable housing challenges. Ongoing exchange between these sibling networks as well as between similar groups in other states can provide valuable learning and the opportunity to shape more effective advocacy and action. THRIVING IN PLACE SALT LAKE CITY Salt Lake City’s Anti -Displacement Strategy 69 ATTACHMENT A: TWO-YEAR ACTION PLAN + GRAPHIC SUMMARY THRIVING IN PLACE SALT LAKE CITY Salt Lake City’s Anti -Displacement Strategy 70 TWO-YEAR ACTION PLAN Key Steps Toward Implementing Salt Lake City’s Anti-Displacement Strategy Implementation of Thriving in Place will require staff time, increased and redirected investment, new forms of partnership, nimbleness, hard work, and persistence. Adoption of the strategy isn’t the end of the work, it is the beginning. Form Action Teams There’s a lot to do, and it can’t all happen at once—even for the near-term priorities. Critical first steps toward effective implementation include: u Form the City Implementation Team (5A) and ensure it is adequately staffed and resourced. Create the team in conjunction with the plan’s adoption. It will be the main coordinating body for implementation of Thriving in Place, and will form the action teams listed below, bringing in additional partners as necessary. This team will also update and refine the action plan and overall strategy as necessary in response to new information and emerging challenges. u Organize Action Teams of Key Staff and Partners to lead groupings of near- term priorities. See “Commit Needed Resources” for specific resource needs to support the teams’ work. Actions highlighted in bold are part of the package of actions to replace the Housing Loss Mitigation Ordinance. TENANT SUPPORT TEAM This team will lead the near-term priorities focused on better supporting tenants facing displacement: § Develop Tenant Relocation Assistance Program (1A) § Adopt a Displaced Tenants Preference Policy (1B) § Improve / Expand Tenant Resources and Services (1C) § Create the Tenant Resource Center and Navigation Service (1D) AFFORDABLE HOUSING DEVELOPMENT TEAM This team will expand affordable housing opportunities through City investments and partnerships: § Help Tenants Become Owners (1E) § Acquire and Rehabilitate Unsubsidized Housing (2B) § Invest in Community Land Trust Models (2C) § Make ADUs Easier and Less Expensive (3B) § Utilize Publicly Owned Property (3D) ANTI-DISPLACEMENT POLICY TEAM This team will put in place the tools to track progress and policies to incentivize preservation and creation of affordable housing: § Adopt a Community Benefit Policy (2A) § Adopt the Affordable Housing Incentives Policy (3A). § Define Indicators to Track Displacement and Develop Data Systems to Track Progress (4B) Commit Resources Some priorities can be advanced by repurposing existing resources, but more investment will be needed. Exact figures will be determined through the budget process. Here is an overview of where resources will be needed in the near term: u Partnership staff and resources for the the City Implementation Team (5A), Regional Anti-Displacement Coalition (5B) and Community Partnership (5C). u Consultant support to develop the data and reporting mechanisms for tracking progress (4B), complete the in-lieu fee study for the Community Benefit Policy (2B), and support implementation of the Affordable Housing Incentives Policy. u Tenant support funding for Tenant Relocation Assistance (1A) and expanded services (1C, 1D). u Development funding to increase near-term investment in affordable housing, including acquisition/rehab (2B), helping tenants become owners (1E), and Community Land Trusts (2C). These areas of investment will be the primary focus for developing new funding sources (4A). Prioritize Partnership Thriving in Place was developed in partnership with those who are experiencing and working daily to counter the impacts of displacement in the community. Successful action will require continued investment of time and resources in those partnerships as well as continued listening, collective problem solving, and relationship building. u Work with partners to create a Regional Anti-Displacement Coalition (5B) and identify key priorities that the group can work on together in addition to serving as a sounding board for City-led actions and platform for regional collaboration. This will require staff time and budget. u Organize and launch the Community Partnership (5C) with key representatives from the Westside, Ballpark, Central City and Liberty Wells neighborhoods. This will require a staff lead as well as set-aside funds to support action on community-defined priorities in addition to coordinating on City-led initiat GUIDING PRINCIPLES: prioritize tenant protections / partner with those most impacted / increase housing everywhere / focus on affordability / build an eco-system for action The table at left identifies the lead, resource needs, and timing for each near- term action priority. For resource needs: $ = less than $200k $$ = $200k - $1m $$$ = $1m - $5m $$$$ = more than $5m THRIVING IN PLACE SALT LAKE CITY Salt Lake City’s Anti-Displacement Strategy 71 Exhibit D Public Comments Received During 45-Day Comment Period and Public Hearing 26 June 2023 RE: Thriving in Place Proposal – ELPCO Response Dear Chair and Members of the Planning Commission, We write on behalf of our residents as members of the East Liberty Park Community Organization Land Use Committee (ELPCO LUC) in response to the Thriving In Place (TIP) proposal. We were grateful to have the opportunity to hear from Susan Lundmark about the proposal and ask questions at our May meeting. We appreciate the deep complexities surrounding displacement and are ourselves committed to improved and equitable housing. To that end, we see great promise in the ethos behind Thriving In Place but remain concerned regarding immediate impact for the most vulnerable and potential for further displacement in the short term. ELPCO is excited by number of the city’s proposals held in TIP. Community land trusts (2C), displaced tenant preference (1B), and programs to help tenants become owners (1E) provide innovative long-term strategies that do a great deal to address future displacement. These proposals help place displaced persons at the center of anti-displacement efforts and ELPCO commends the city for that human-centered approach. We also deeply support the work of TIP to provide initial support of $5000 to those displaced through the development of Tenant Relocation Assistance. That is a significant improvement and can serve as a necessary transition fund for those who are forced to move. However, ELPCO has some concerns about the fund’s long-term viability. With rents as they currently stand that cushion may only provide first month’s rent and a deposit at a new location for a displaced person and not provide support for , nor address, the potentially increased monthly payments at their new location. As the TIP proposal states, there are no “more affordable” places for people to move thereby effectively guaranteeing an increase in rent to the displaced person(s) or family and thus increasing long-term displacement (TIP Proposal 11). In addition, this fund is reliant on its ability to be refilled to continue to serve displaced persons which is by no means guaranteed, and, depending on use, it could be depleted before the current need was met let alone future need. An additional concern held by ELPCO LUC is that for development s not owned by the city there are no requirements for affordable housing. While ELPCO LUC recognizes the constraints placed on the city regarding private developments due to “existing state laws that prohibit or limit potential local processes and actions” (TIP Proposal 66), the desire to build tenant navigation services and to provide priority to displaced tenants (sections 1C and 1B) only work if there are more affordable units built immediately for them to move into; more/continuous development without purposeful and mandated affordable housing simply increases displacement. One avenue the ELPCO LUC would suggest investigating in order to address this gap in TIP is adaptive reuse and building affordable housing into adaptive reuse projects in order for them to receive approval, expanding on the ideas highlighted in 2A and aligning with the plans in 2B. While we recognize that adding affordable housing criteria to adaptive reuse may impact developers willingness to engage in reuse over demolition, ELPCO LUC supports further investigation and exploration ELPCO (East Liberty Park Community Organization) elpcoslc@gmail.com www.facebook/com/ELPCO of this as a potential avenue due to its potential for faster housing availability and an opportunity for the city to mandate a percentage go to affordable housing jumpstarting the relocation of displaced residents. Finally, the expansion of access to ADU permits and RMF 30 changes promoted in 3B and 3C of TIP are exciting possibilities, however ELPCO LUC is concerned about how those ADUs and more diverse housing units would be monitored to make sure they were utilized for housing, rather than short-term rentals. As it stands ELPCO is suffering under a vast number of short-term rentals which adversely effect the full-time housing market and increase displacement. The opportunity to expand ADU permitting and RMF 30 zoning and increase lower cost housing in neighborhoods like ELPCO is necessary, but the ELPCO LUC remains concerned that enforcement remains a major hurdle and without expansion in oversight and monitoring could in fact reduplicate the negative outcomes already felt in ELPCO and further displace residents. Again, we commend the city for critically engaging in the pursuit of affordable housing and are excited by the steps TIP takes to improve the current situation, the plan is multi-faceted and inventive, and we appreciate the human-centered approach. We also hope to see more immediate and creative solutions that help improve the lives of our currently displaced neighbors and to actively prevent displacement or provide alternate housing options to those on the precipice of displacement. Sincerely, East Liberty Park Community Organization – Land Use Committee: Kristina Robb – ELPCO Chair Jeanette Young – ELPCO Secretary Jeff Larsen – ELPCO Land Use Chair Marshall Bailie – ELPCO Land Use Sustainability Coordinator Judi Short – ELPCO Land Use Advisor Alicia Cunningham-Bryant – ELPCO Land Use Committee Member About ELPCO ELPCO is the East Liberty Park Community Organization—a local, city-sanctioned community organization that represents the residents and businesses in the East Liberty Park area of Salt Lake City. The area covered by ELPCO is defined by the boundaries of 700 E to 1300 E and 800 S to 1700 S. ELPCO meets online via Zoom on the fourth Thursday of every month starting at 7:00 p.m. and live- streams its meetings on our Facebook page at www.facebook/com/ELPCO 7/20/23, 12:16 PM (EXTERNAL) Just an older citizen - Matthes, Ruedigar - Outlook about:blank 1/1 (EXTERNAL) Just an older citizen Tess Karen Leiker <tess_lovecpa@yahoo.com> Fri 6/2/2023 9:54 PM To:Thriving In Place <ThrivingInPlace@slcgov.com> Caution: This is an external email. Please be cautious when clicking links or opening attachments. Hello, I see you have a thriving in place plan. Are you going to address how the elderly, who aren’t at poverty level incomes, are going to be able to stay in our homes? You’ve increased the taxes on my house 2 times in the last three years. I’m 65. I live off of social security. It doesn’t matter how much my home is worth to me, I want to stay and not have to leave the only home I’ve ever had. You are forcing me out. Please consider property tax breaks for over 65, that doesn’t require me to be at poverty level. Thanks Karen leiker 1 Matthes, Ruedigar From:cindy cromer <3cinslc@live.com> Sent:Tuesday, July 25, 2023 11:00 PM To:nick norris; john.armstrong@slcgov.com Cc:Thompson, Amy; Matthes, Ruedigar; Lundmark, Susan; Price, Angela Subject:(EXTERNAL) written comment for the PC hearing on Thriving Nick and John-I'm assuming that one of you will attend the PC meeting but have copied Amy in case I'm wrong. Please read the following short comment into the record Wednesday night. I regret that after all of these years, I am sidelined for the hearing. Thanks, cindy c. Members of the Planning Commission- After several years as a cheerleader for this project, I regret being unable to speak in person tonight. For 25 years, I've complained about the City's junk ordinance for housing loss mitigation. Now the sobering data are in. The next steps are critical. We have to implement the recommendations with speed, especially the community benefit program and the shorter-term safety nets for tenants. The consultants and staff have outlined a clear path forward; we must hurry. Some well-deserved kudos: To the team in CAN, to the walk-on-water consultants from out of state, to the members of the working group and the City's interdepartmental team, to the students and faculty at the University of Utah, and to the thousands of people who participated, donating their time to explain how widespread the pain associated with housing is in this community Cindy Cromer, 7/26/23 Caution: This is an external email. Please be cautious when clicking links or opening attachments. What else would you like us to know as we work to finalize the strategy What statement best reflects your perspective about the Draft Thriving in Place Strategy You can explain why in the next openresponse question Please share more information about why you selected your choice for the previous question what is your age optional what is your household income level optional what is your housing situation optional what is your race or ethnicity optional what priorities do not make sense or seem unnecessary what zip code do you live in optional The plan is very detailed, which indicates the SLC government is already planning to move forward with it, so I'm just screaming into the wind. But I'm begging you, read some economic history about what extensive government interventions in the housing market tend to create. The 2008 financial collapse. New York City ever since the 70s. The Bay Area. All of the United States during WWII. They are ideas that come from a place of compassion, from a place of wanting to help people, but that does not mean they work. I do not think the strategy should be adopted. I think we need to move as fast as possible to make up for lost time. We're already in a deep affordability crisis. To fix it we need massive amounts of new supply as quickly as possible. This could be accomplished with the stroke of a pen by upzoning* the entire city. I know the richest and supposedly most progressive areas of the city would never go for that because it would decrease their property values, but that's the real solution, and this proposal doesn't do anything on that front. * Get rid of square foot minimums, R1 becomes R2, make density possible, ADUs by right, etc. Affordable housing, in the sense of non-market rate housing, prevents the market from efficiently reducing prices. It's not terrible, but upzoning the whole city will actually make an enormous difference. Non-market rate housing will not. Again, nothing new here under the sun. Probably just a ploy to get the do- nothing mayor re-elected. Truly a shame. I do not think the strategy should be adopted. There is nothing new to this plan/policy! Remember when Buspiski advertised she was going to "end homelessness"? Billboards all over I15. Same policy/plan. No changes. Start with enforcing the laws! Stopping the flow of drugs into this country! Protecting one people group over another simply cannot provide justice for all.Own Prioritizing one group of people over another. We are all equal under the law. You cannot "prioritize tenant protections" while protecting the rights of those who stay employed and pay their rent, nor the owner of the property. You will drive the responsible person away, harming them with the expense of moving, and the property owner because they lose paying renters.84106 Prioritize people over developers and economy I strongly support the strategy and its proposed actions. It should be adopted and implemented.18 - 21 $0 - $14,999 Rent White n/a 84102 Work with environmental justice I strongly support the strategy and its proposed actions. It should be adopted and implemented.51 - 60 $150,000+Own White N/A 84106 I don’t have a strong feeling about it.41 - 50 $0 - $14,999 Other Black or African American None More outreach I support the strategy, but would like to see some changes. More help for us homeless that are just down on our luck That you have to be mental or old to qualify for housing I strongly support the strategy and its proposed actions. It should be adopted and implemented.Being supportive 31 - 40 $50,000 - $74,999 Rent White 84119 I support the strategy, but would like to see some changes.51 - 60 $25,000 - $49,999 Rent White Stigma Get affordable housing and soon I strongly support the strategy and its proposed actions. It should be adopted and implemented. I live in a motel,so affordable housing is very important for me 51 - 60 $0 - $14,999 Rent White 84116 I support the strategy, but would like to see some changes.61 or older $0 - $14,999 Other White 3b 84119 Tenants should be able they can do more then everyone thinks I strongly support the strategy and its proposed actions. It should be adopted and implemented. It’s the best for the people even if leaders say other wise 31 - 40 Other White None 84119 I strongly support the strategy and its proposed actions. It should be adopted and implemented.31 - 40 $75,000 - $99,999 Rent White People need affordable housing I mean really affordable housing not make three times the rent to be able to get in. I strongly support the strategy and its proposed actions. It should be adopted and implemented.The entire plan is great let’s do it!!!!!41 - 50 $0 - $14,999 Other White None 84104 I feel 90% or more of the solution to homelessness is finding a way to spread out deposit and first months rent… it’s the initial financial burden keeping most of us homeless. I see housing going up all over yet I’ve been on a “list” for 18 months. Why so slow when there are empty units EVERYWHERE?!?I don’t have a strong feeling about it. Does not apply. Thanks, Truth.31 - 40 $0 - $14,999 Other White For me, all.8404 I don’t have a strong feeling about it.41 - 50 $15,000 - $24,999 Other White Tenant’s on a state level 84101 I never had a social worker that actually helped with anything. I strongly support the strategy and its proposed actions. It should be adopted and implemented.41 - 50 $0 - $14,999 Other White Everything seems good 84104 How to get more housing and jobs for homeless I strongly support the strategy and its proposed actions. It should be adopted and implemented.Because I’m homeless 41 - 50 $0 - $14,999 Other Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander 84119 Keep in mind there are kinds trying to grow up in the same neighborhood as their parents I support the strategy, but would like to see some changes.Homeowner 22 - 30 $25,000 - $49,999 Rent White Less focus on parks More info out to the community n general about your effort I strongly support the strategy and its proposed actions. It should be adopted and implemented.61 or older $25,000 - $49,999 Rent White They all are worhwhle 84124 I strongly support the strategy and its proposed actions. It should be adopted and implemented.31 - 40 $100,000 - $150,000 Rent White Need example of advocacy 84070 N/a I strongly support the strategy and its proposed actions. It should be adopted and implemented.22 - 30 $25,000 - $49,999 Rent Hispanic or Latino (of any race)They are all great priorities.84105 I strongly support the strategy and its proposed actions. It should be adopted and implemented. Make sure there’s not racially motivated. They have high expectations for people of color because they are offering help compared to a white personal they would just give help to. I support the strategy, but would like to see some changes. I think we need more community I put while making the plan.61 or older $50,000 - $74,999 Rent Black or African American No they are all good. Housing is number one 84123 More houses; bigger houses with 5 or 6 bedrooms I strongly support the strategy and its proposed actions. It should be adopted and implemented.41 - 50 $50,000 - $74,999 Rent Black or African American They all seem necessary.84104 I support the strategy, but would like to see some changes. Information that easily accessible and easy to find online or in other places would be great (including what is needed to qualify for affordable housing; if it is for 75% or less AMI how do I find out if I am making 75% or less AMI? Do I need paystubs, birth certificate, or anything?). As a college student, I would qualify for many affordable housing options, but I wouldn't know where those housing areas are or what I'd need to do to get a unit there.22 - 30 $75,000 - $99,999 Rent White 5B and 5C seem unnecessary. They might be helpful, but unsure how.84106 61 or older $100,000 - $150,000 Own White Prioritize more availablity of condominiums and townhomes for sale. I listened on City Cast SL to a person very knowledgable about the renters and home situation in Salt Lake City and he stated that new construction is favoring the building of rentals. Please address the issue of limiting investors buying properties that prevent individuals and families from purchasing their homes.84109 I have lived through the gentrification of several neighborhoods. I unfortunately do not see people staying and thriving. At best we are boxed up under corporate rules. No voice. Always worried about eviction. I support the strategy, but would like to see some changes. I am the Vice-chair of the downtown community council. Westside representative. I am also a lived expert with SLVCEH. I live at Artspace. 5th w. 2nd so. Too many problems to get into. Raising teenage grandson on my own.61 or older $0 - $14,999 Rent 84101 Consider educating city councils all over utah (not just Salt Lake City) to change zoning laws from only allowing single family housing, to slightly lower density for the duplex or triplex size. The “missing middle” is important. Right now the choice is huge multi family dwelling then skips to single family, with nothing in the middle. Changing zoning laws will greatly impact affordable housing. I strongly support the strategy and its proposed actions. It should be adopted and implemented. Educating city council about the “missing middle” need to be included, so zoning changes can be made. Studies are showing, not just utah, but other states also need to make this change. Some states the zoning laws are something like 92% of residential is zoned for single family. It’s classic NIMBY “Not In My Backyard” but if every Neighborhood says this, then where does this affordable option reside. Current duplexes and triplexes are mostly 20-30 years old. Zoning changes have prevented new units to be built -classic supply vs demand also impacts these becoming affordable.41 - 50 $150,000+Own White Nice words, next is action!84042 have resources for people to succeed like daycare, voc reahab etc in place with displacement strategies I support the strategy, but would like to see some changes. Displacement should be avoided and at the end of the plan 41 - 50 $75,000 - $99,999 Own White why are you displacing people first? Have the space to move the displaced people that is within their community.84105