Rocklin studies inclusionary housing ordinance and fee

With no mechanism to get builders to include 10 percent affordable housing, the city of Rocklin is studying an inclusionary housing ordinance and in-lieu fee on development. Facing pressure from the state to jump-start low-income housing, the Rocklin City Council hired Keyser Marston Associates on April 8 for a $148,000 study for an Inclusionary Housing Ordinance and in-lieu fee. The City Housing Element outlines programs to address the city's identified housing needs. One is new housing, particularly affordable housing for those who make at or below the area median income. "Having assisted over 40 jurisdictions with the design of or update to inclusionary programs, KMA has an extensive and distinguished track record in the field of inclusionary housing," said Elizabeth Sorg, management analyst for Keyser Marston, which was selected out of five firms bidding. Rocklin will explore commercial linkage fees and residential impact fee options. A nexus study will also be done to see how much new development contributes to the need for affordable housing. The City Council and Planning Commission held a joint Housing Workshop on March 5, when they got an update on the current Rocklin Regional Housing Needs Allocation. Staff said although Rocklin is building housing units, the city still needs more low-income housing units to meet RHNA obligations. "Currently, there is language in the House Element that encourages new developments to construct 10% of units as affordable," staff said in the April 8 report. "However, there is no mechanism in place to require developers to include affordable housing as part of a project." Meanwhile, neighboring Loomis Town passed an inclusionary housing ordinance in 2022. Loomis then set a $17 per square foot in-lieu fee early this year for developers who opt out of building state-required affordable housing as part of projects. Loomis officials said the fee is one of the lowest overall compared to surrounding jurisdictions.