This city requires 15 percent of all new residential developments to be affordable to low-income residents.
Considered one of the strictest around, the city’s inclusionary housing ordinance applies to developments with seven or more units.
Developers generally must produce the affordable units instead of paying an in-lieu fee that many other jurisdictions allow, said Debbie Fountain, the city’s director of housing and redevelopment. An in-lieu option is available only for projects with six or fewer units, she explained.
Located in San Diego County, Carlsbad has had an inclusionary housing ordinance on the books since 1993.
Most developers, Fountain said, are partnering with nonprofit organizations to produce the required affordable housing that aims to serve residents earning no more than 70 percent of the area median income.
The ordinance has produced more than 1,700 units, with another 245 units under construction and another 344 in the planning stages.
