CC 04-15-2025 Item No. 12 FY 2025-26 Community Development Block Grant _Written CommunicationsCC 04-15-2025
Item No. 12
FY 2025-25 Community
Development Block Grant,
BMR, AHF, HSG, PLHA
Written Communications
From:Tracy K
To:City Council; City Clerk
Subject:4/15 City Council Meeting Written Comments -- Agenda Item 12 (Consent)
Date:Monday, April 14, 2025 3:17:34 PM
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you
recognize the sender and know the content is safe.
Dear City Council & Staff,
Below is my written comment for consent agenda item 12 -- Fiscal Year (FY) 2025-26
Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program, Below Market Rate Affordable
Housing Fund (BMR AHF), General Fund Human Services Grant (HSG), Permanent Local
Housing Allocation (PLHA), and County funding allocations.
As context, the current recommendation is to authorize the City Manager to execute the FY
2025-26 CDBG, BMR AHF, General Fund HSG, PLHA, and County funding agreements,
whose amounts were originally proposed by staff and then modified by the Housing
Commission.
Questions:
1. Should almost 40% of our BMR AHF Capital Housing Project Funds go to one project?
2. If we award $3M, leaving only $1.8M in the BMR AHF fund, with $350K committed to
administration/services, is $1.45M enough for future affordable housing projects? How much
is forecasted to enter the fund in the next 2 years?
3. How can we be more consistent around the way we are awarding funding per unit? The
Mary Ave project (40 units) is currently recommended to receive 16x more per unit than the
Wolfe Road Housing project (249 units).
Originally, staff's BMR AHF Capital Housing Fund allocation recommendation to the
Housing Commission was $2M to Wolfe Road or $8,032 / unit and $1M to Mary Ave or
$25,000 / unit. Then, the Housing Commission flipped the funding allocations to
$1,083,200.00 to the Wolfe Road Project ($4,350 / unit) versus $1,916,800.00 to the Mary
Ave Housing project ($47,920 / unit). Regardless of whose recommendation one takes, this is
a pretty wide discrepancy in funding per unit.
This discrepancy in funding per unit widens further when we take into account the awarding
of 2021-25 PLHA Affordable Rental Housing Funds (Four-Year Funding Cycle). This
funding was originally recommended by staff to be split: $300K to Wolfe Road and $608,683
to Mary Ave. After going past the Housing Commission, the recommendation shifted towards
giving all $908,683 to Mary Ave, increasing Mary Ave's funding to $70,637 per unit.
With the high cost of construction, public sector funding and support is critical to making low-
income housing a reality. However, we must have a sustainable framework for awarding this
funding. Whenever we award funding, we are setting precedents for future applications.
Cupertino must distribute funds in a way that is justifiable and repeatable in the future. I may
be wrong, but I imagine it is not sustainable to award $70K per unit grants to all applicants. As
such, are we being fair and equitable in this current approach to awarding funding?
Many thanks,
Tracy
From:Kirsten Squarcia
To:J.R. Fruen
Cc:Kirsten Squarcia; Pamela Wu; City Clerk
Subject:FW:
Date:Monday, April 14, 2025 2:26:32 PM
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041425_CupertinoCityCouncil_MaryAveVillas.docx
Councilmember Fruen, also received. Thank you
Kirsten Squarcia
City Clerk
City Manager's Office
KirstenS@cupertino.gov
(408) 777-3225
From: J.R. Fruen <JRFruen@cupertino.gov>
Sent: Monday, April 14, 2025 12:11 PM
To: Kirsten Squarcia <KirstenS@cupertino.gov>; Pamela Wu <PamelaW@cupertino.gov>
Subject: FW:
This letter is relevant to Item 12 on tomorrow’s agenda and I kindly ask that you include it in
written communications.
J.R. Fruen
Councilmember
City Council
JRFruen@cupertino.gov
(408)777-1316
From: Sullivan, Nancy <Nancy_Sullivan@fuhsd.org>
Sent: Monday, April 14, 2025 10:58 AM
To: City Council <citycouncil@cupertino.gov>
Subject:
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you
recognize the sender and know the content is safe.
Hello City Council,
Thank you for your consideration of the attached letter in support of the Mary Avenue
Villas project.
Nancy Sullivan, M.A.
Director of Educational & Special Services
408-522-2232
My working day may be different from your working day. Please do not feel obliged to reply to this
email outside your regular working hours.
FREMONT UNION HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT
Cupertino High School | Fremont High School | Homestead High School | Lynbrook High School | Monta Vista High School | Adult School
589 W. Fremont Avenue, PO Box F, Sunnyvale, CA 94087 | TEL (408) 522-2200 | FAX (408) 522-2262 | WEB www.fuhsd.org
SUPERINTENDENT: Graham Clark | BOARD OF TRUSTEES: Pat Carpio-Aguilar, Danny Choi, Rosa Kim, Stanley Kou, Naomi Nakano-Matsumoto
April 14, 2025
Cupertino City Council
10300 Torre Avenue
Cupertino, CA 95014
Dear Mayor Chao, and all Cupertino City Council Members,
I’m writing to express my strong support for the Mary Avenue Villas project and to urge the City Council to
approve the funding allocations recommended by the Housing Commission. This project will bring over 40
affordable homes to Cupertino, including 19 units specifically for individuals with intellectual and developmental
disabilities (IDD). It’s a crucial step in addressing the need for affordable and supportive housing in our
community.
In Fremont Union High School District, we have long standing programs to support youth with disabilities learn
and live within their community. A strong and important component of our transition-related services is to create
Community Based Instruction opportunities to help support access to daily living and vocational opportunities.
When students leave our district programs at age 22, they are often accessing adult programs throughout Santa
Clara County. Having the Mary Avenue Villas located within their immediate learning environment could
promote a new level of success and independence for a group of people who are so often marginalized.
There are many different kinds of votes you are asked to cast as part of being a city council member. Using your
voting power to increase access to affordable housing for people with disabilities has to be one of the most
positive results of your work. People with disabilities have the legal right to live in community-based settings,
not institutions, under the Lanterman Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Without affordable
housing like Mary Avenue Villas, many individuals with IDD cannot fully enjoy these rights.
I urge the City Council to approve the necessary resources and make this project a reality. Mary Avenue Villas is
a unique and important opportunity to offer affordable, inclusive housing for people with IDD, ensuring they
remain part of the community. Having this option will greatly improve the lives of many.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Nancy Sullivan, M.A.
Director of Educational & Special Services
nancy_sullivan@fuhsd.org
408-522-2232
From:Kirsten Squarcia
To:J.R. Fruen; Pamela Wu
Cc:City Clerk
Subject:RE: Approve Funding for Mary Avenue Villas
Date:Monday, April 14, 2025 2:20:43 PM
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Councilmember Fruen, we will also include this communication. Regards, Kirsten
Kirsten Squarcia
City Clerk
City Manager's Office
KirstenS@cupertino.gov
(408) 777-3225
From: J.R. Fruen <JRFruen@cupertino.gov>
Sent: Monday, April 14, 2025 12:12 PM
To: Kirsten Squarcia <KirstenS@cupertino.gov>; Pamela Wu <PamelaW@cupertino.gov>
Subject: FW: Approve Funding for Mary Avenue Villas
This email is relevant to Item 12 on tomorrow’s agenda and I kindly ask that you include it in
written communications.
J.R. Fruen
Councilmember
City Council
JRFruen@cupertino.gov
(408)777-1316
From: Oscar Ramirez <oscar@housingchoices.org>
Sent: Monday, April 14, 2025 9:41 AM
To: City Council <citycouncil@cupertino.gov>; Gia Pham <gia@housingchoices.org>
Subject: Approve Funding for Mary Avenue Villas
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you
recognize the sender and know the content is safe.
Dear Cupertino City Council Members,
I’m writing to express my strong support for the Mary Avenue Villas project and to urge
the City Council to approve the funding allocations recommended by the Housing
Commission. This project will bring over 40 affordable homes to Cupertino, including 19
units specifically for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).
It’s a crucial step in addressing the need for affordable and supportive housing in our
community.
Mary Avenue Villas will provide permanent housing and services that help adults with
IDD live independently, with dignity, and stay connected to their community. In
Cupertino, 70% of adults with developmental disabilities still live with aging parents. As
these parents get older, their children face an uncertain future. This project will give
them a safe and stable place to live.
INSERT YOUR PERSONAL HOUSING NEEDS
People with disabilities have the legal right to live in community-based settings, not
institutions, under the Lanterman Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
Without affordable housing like Mary Avenue Villas, many individuals with IDD cannot
fully enjoy these rights.
There are 325 individuals with developmental disabilities in Cupertino, including 122
adults. Sadly, only a few live independently. Mary Avenue Villas is a chance to begin
addressing this gap and provide long-term housing solutions for those who need it most.
The project is shovel ready; it just needs the City’s approval for funding.
I urge the City Council to approve the necessary resources and make this project a
reality. Mary Avenue Villas is a unique and important opportunity to offer affordable,
inclusive housing for people with IDD, ensuring they remain part of the community.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Oscar Ramirez
From:Kirsten Squarcia
To:J.R. Fruen; Pamela Wu
Cc:City Clerk
Subject:RE: Approve Housing Commission Housing Funds Recommendations
Date:Monday, April 14, 2025 2:17:57 PM
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letter of support_Mary Avenue.pdf
Will do Councilmember Fruen, thank you.
Kirsten Squarcia
City Clerk
City Manager's Office
KirstenS@cupertino.gov
(408) 777-3225
From: J.R. Fruen <JRFruen@cupertino.gov>
Sent: Monday, April 14, 2025 12:12 PM
To: Kirsten Squarcia <KirstenS@cupertino.gov>; Pamela Wu <PamelaW@cupertino.gov>
Subject: FW: Approve Housing Commission Housing Funds Recommendations
This letter is relevant to Item 12 on tomorrow’s agenda and I kindly ask that you include it in
written communications.
J.R. Fruen
Councilmember
City Council
JRFruen@cupertino.gov
(408)777-1316
From: Sarah Verity <sverity@abilitypath.org>
Sent: Saturday, April 12, 2025 9:10 AM
To: City Council <citycouncil@cupertino.gov>
Subject: Approve Housing Commission Housing Funds Recommendations
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you
recognize the sender and know the content is safe.
Please accept the attached letter of support for the Mary Avenue Villas project being heard
on Tuesday.
Thank you,
Sarah Verity (she / her)
Vice President, Board Relations and Legislative Affairs
Cell: 650-766-1344
350 Twin Dolphin Drive, Suite 123
Redwood City, CA 94065
abilitypath.org
Via Services is now affiliated with AbilityPath, thriving together to provide a
lifetime of opportunities for individuals with developmental disabilities. Learn
more at abilitypath.org/affiliationFAQ.
April 12, 2025
Dear Cupertino City Council Members,
I am writing on behalf of AbilityPath to express my strong support for the Mary
Avenue Villas project and to urge the City Council to approve the funding
allocations recommended by the Housing Commission. This project will bring over
40 affordable homes to Cupertino, including 19 units specifically for individuals
with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). It’s a crucial step in
addressing the need for affordable and supportive housing in our community.
Mary Avenue Villas will provide permanent housing and services that help adults
with IDD live independently, with dignity, and stay connected to their community.
In Cupertino, 70% of adults with developmental disabilities still live with aging
parents. As these parents get older, their children face an uncertain future. This
project will give them a safe and stable place to live.
AbilityPath has one of the most comprehensive service portfolios spanning all ages
from early intervention for infants to community access and job training for adults
and seniors. All programs are designed to prepare children and adults to actively
participate in their schools, communities, workplaces, and at home.
People with disabilities have the legal right to live in community-based settings,
not institutions, under the Lanterman Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act
(ADA). Without affordable housing like Mary Avenue Villas, many individuals with
IDD cannot fully enjoy these rights.
There are 325 individuals with developmental disabilities in Cupertino, including
122 adults. Sadly, only a few live independently. Mary Avenue Villas is a chance to
begin addressing this gap and provide long-term housing solutions for those who
need it most.
I urge the City Council to approve the necessary resources and make this project
a reality. Mary Avenue Villas is a unique and important opportunity to offer
affordable, inclusive housing for people with IDD, ensuring they remain part of the
community.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Sarah Verity
Sarah Verity
Vice President, Board Relations and Legislative Affairs