No Decision Made On Tuolumne County Affordable Housing Ordinance

Sonora, Ca — A back and forth discussion took place Tuesday afternoon in the Tuolumne County Board of Supervisors Chambers.

The issue up for debate was a proposal that would require developers to make affordable housing part of their projects. 17 individuals spoke in favor of an inclusionary ordinance, while seven spoke against.

The issue was discussed for approximately four hours. Toward the end of the meeting, Supervisor Dick Pland proposed an alternate plan that would require 10 percent of all housing be affordable, if the development has ten or more units. The plan also called for the houses to be in the affordable category for only a period of ten years. The original proposal calls for 50.

Pland´s proposal, which included numerous other provisions, was eventually defeated by a vote of 2-3. Supervisors Paulo Maffei, Mark Thornton and Liz Bass were against.

Chairman Mark Thornton then brought forth a second proposal. He said that he would prefer seeing an ordinance “test flown” for a period of two years. Thornton added that he is in favor of having four lot splits or smaller be exempt from the ordinance, and that public works fees not be waived. Thornton´s proposal was also voted down by a vote of 2-3. Supervisors Pland, Murrison and Bass were the dissenting votes.

The end result was a decision to continue discussion on the issue during the Board´s October 9th meeting.

Written by BJ Hansen