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Photograph by Kathy De La Torre
New Community Development Director Tom Sullivan's plate is full: Saratoga's housing plan awaits completion and the planning department needs some rebuilding.
Community development head wants to shore up housing issue, department
By Oakley Brooks
New Community Development Director Tom Sullivan has a lot of housework to do.
Over the next year he'll be charged with updating the housing element of the city's General Plan, balancing a mandate that Saratoga create new housing with local sentiment that the city's scaled-down charm be preserved.
He'll have to accomplish this with a five-person department that has gone through a complete turnover in the last year and a planning commission that has undergone a similar upheaval.
"It's going to take some hard, fast work," said Sullivan, who started at city hall on May 14, after leaving his post as Moraga's planning director.
City officials are confident that Sullivan is up to the task. He completed Moraga's housing element that addressed the residential aspects of the city's growth plan in September. He worked under the constraint of high-housing costs--a challenge he'll also face when he tackles Saratoga's housing plan.
Throughout his planning career in the central coast town of Grover Beach, and later Moraga, Sullivan also actively worked with housing officials and advocacy groups at the state level. He currently serves as the community development representative on the executive board of the California League of Cities, a Sacramento lobbying group.
"He's got a wealth of experience," said acting planning commission Chairwoman Cynthia Barry. "I expect it's going to be invaluable."
State housing law requires the city to either locate or provide opportunities to build the number of housing units recently assigned to Saratoga by the Association of Bay Area Governments. Of the 539 units Saratoga has to provide over the next six years, about 100 must be affordable to low-income residents earning $38,600 or less. Housing advocates typically say affordable housing takes, at most, one-third of a household's annual income.
City council members agreed recently that they will push for a state-approved housing element by attempting to comply with ABAG's requirements.
At the May 5 council retreat, Sullivan and the city council began to explore options for locating the needed housing. Mayor John Mehaffey said the group discussed encouraging the rentals of second units--"granny units"--behind houses or above garages and allowing more construction of these apartments.
Mehaffey said the council also talked of permitting commercial property owners to add residential units, though the group is split on this issue.
In addition, the city would like to count some of the 400 units currently being built at the Saratoga Retirement Community toward its housing allotment.
Sullivan adds that the city should look at ways to expand support of existing housing programs--which now consist of Saratoga's senior housing project and contributions to services in surrounding cities.
While city council is intent on protecting the city-owned land--namely the Heritage Orchard--from development, Sullivan said the community development department would conduct a vacant land study to locate possible development space.
Barry wouldn't comment on the idea of open land development, but she said the city will have to get creative to meet its housing targets.
"We're in the market for viable options," Barry said.
Barry says Sullivan will also provide some much-needed direction for her commission as it takes part in the housing element update.
Sullivan has had plenty of experience training planning commissioners through the League of California Cities, and he'll run an educational session for Saratoga's commissioners in the coming months.
He'll also give leadership to a city community development department that continues to be hit by attrition: planner Kim Duncan recently resigned, effective May 18.
Staff planner Mark Connolly--the most senior planner in the department with a year under his belt--says Sullivan's presence will help attract quality talent as community development begins the process to hire two more top level planners by mid-June.
"Everything will run a lot smoother and hopefully he'll draw some more experienced planners," said Connolly.
Even as Sullivan adds stability to the department and the planning commission, he still faces the task of reconciling the attitudes of Saratogans with the realities of the regional housing allotment and the community's housing needs.
Barry demonstrated the strength of protectionist feelings in describing the two recently-appointed planning commissioners who "want to help keep (Saratoga) the way it is and that's exactly what we need."
On the other hand, a March draft report of the city's housing needs shows a clear deficit of housing for people across the entire employment spectrum. The report, combined with the council's desire to see the city's housing plan get the state stamp of approval, is forcing the council to shift its perspective on building restrictions.
Sullivan clearly understands what the city's after: "We need to have a certified housing element and the same time it can't be a net loss for the charm and character of Saratoga."
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Saratoga, California Since 1955
