HomeMy WebLinkAboutSupport Letter - SB 1299 (Portantino) - 06.02.2020
June 2, 2020
The Honorable Anthony Portantino
State Senator, 25th District
State Capitol, Room 3086
Sacramento, CA 95814
RE: SB 1299 (Portantino) – SUPPORT
Dear Senator Portantino,
On behalf of the City of Cupertino, I am writing to express our Support position on SB 1209, your
measure that would require the Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD)
to administer a grant program to provide funding to local governments that rezone idle sites used
for large commercial shopping centers to instead allow the development of workforce housing.
Specifically, SB 1299 would require that HCD administers a grant program for local governments
that rezone idle big box commercial shopping centers so that the local government would be
eligible to receive funding in the amount of the sales and use tax revenue that was generated by
the idle site over the previous seven years. In order to be eligible for this grant program, a local
government would need to rezone one or more idle sites used for big box retailers or commercial
shopping centers to allow workforce housing as a use by right, approve and issue a certificate of
occupancy for a workforce housing development on the rezoned site, and then apply to HCD for
an allocation of grant funds.
This bill will encourage local governments to partner with developers to build housing on sites
that are less than 20% occupied and reward the local government with a sales tax rebate when
these projects are rezoned, completed, and issued a certificate of occupancy. This bill will help
mitigate any financial loss that a local jurisdiction may experience from rezoning a commercial
site, as well as generate much needed housing for those earning 80% - 120% of the area median
income. The bill also allows local jurisdictions the option of deciding whether they would like to
participate in the program, and puts forth the parameters that local governments, and developers,
must meet in order to be eligible. This structure provides local governments with the dis cretion
to advance projects that are appropriate for their own community and work cooperatively with
project developers to deliver on much needed housing.
It is for these reasons, that the City of Cupertino is pleased to support SB 1299.
Sincerely,
Steven Scharf
Mayor
City of Cupertino
cc: Senator Jim Beall
Assemblymember Evan Low
Assemblymember Marc Berman