Fundamentally, Daly City has imposed too many requirements on the JUHSD proposal for the project to pencil with current interest rates. State law requires the development to include a minimum of 20% affordable homes–the project is almost 25% affordable–and to pay prevailing wage. 

Yet some members of Daly City’s council want more. On top of the legally required community benefits of affordable homes and labor standards, the council has already pushed the school district to set aside a large portion of the project for open space, limiting the viable number of homes, and to pay for substantial infrastructure improvements in the surrounding area. At this stage in the process, asking for more “compromises” is equivalent to blocking the housing. 

Rather than demanding more concessions, the city should provide incentives to enable housing at JUHSD and achieve housing element compliance. Beyond making concessions to the school district regarding the community benefits the city has demanded, Daly City’s leaders can:

• Waive or defer impact fees
• Expedite building permits
• Dedicate building & planning staff time exclusively to ensure the project overcomes any barriers that arise

HLC is committed to supporting Daly City’s efforts to enable more affordable homes at JUHSD and throughout the city.