COMMUNITY OUTREACH
Open House: March 22, 2012
- Over 20 community members attended the meeting and asked questions of the Housing Provideres respresentatives and City staff. The Housing Providers also provided a sign-in sheet for residents that would be interetsed in visiting existing facilities managed by both Charities and MidPen.
San Miguel Neighborhood Association: January 9, 2012
BACKGROUND
The Armory site is located on East Maude Avenue between Wolfe and Fair Oaks. The site was recently occupied by the National Guard Armory, which also subleased the facility for a homeless shelter during the winter months. The City of Sunnyvale owns this property. The National Guard Armory has not renewed its lease.
The City of Sunnyvale has been developing reuse alternatives for the Onizuka Air Force Station, through the Base Realignment and Closure process. As part this process, two housing providers (MidPen Housing and Charities Housing) have submitted claims at the site. The City and housing providers have been in discussions to find alternative sites for the housing claims to facilitate redevelopment of the Onizuka site. The City has identified the Armory site as a possible alternative location.
The housing providers are in preliminary stages of developing a proposal for the Armory site. The proposal would require a change to the current General Plan and Zoning designations from medium density to very high density residential. The housing providers presented the proposal to the City Council and requested initiating a study to evaluate General Plan and Zoning changes. The preliminary proposal would allow for 124 affordable housing units which would serve lower income households (up to about $50,000 household income for a family of four). A minimum income level would be required to live in the project. The City Council approved the initiation request on September 20, 2011. The preliminary details are available in a Report to Council considered on September 20:
September 20, 2011: Report to Council
The Council action on September 20, 2011 authorized a study of a General Plan and Zoning changes to accommodate the proposal. The housing providers will be submitting formal plans and related documentation for City review. The housing providers and City staff will conduct community outreach and formal public hearings as part of the formal application process. This webpage will be updated with new information and meeting schedules as they become available.
AFFORDABLE HOUSING
The two partners for the redevelopment of the Armory site are MidPen Housing and Charities Housing. They are non-profit housing developers that have extensive experience developing and managing a wide range of projects from supportive homeless to workforce housing. Both have excellent reputations for quality projects. Most people would not realize that these are affordable housing projects. Links to the housing providers' webpages have been provided below for reference.
Mid-Pen Housing
Charities Housing
RESOURCES
City of Sunnyvale Housing and Community Assistance
Myths and Facts About Affordable Housing
General Plan