The Livable Communities Trust Fund is a Special Revenue Mitigation Fund that was established by the Board of Supervisors on November 15, 2005, following the approval of the Camino Tassajara Combined General Plan Amendment Project, also known as the Alamo Creek and Intervening Property residential projects, and was required as a condition of approval. The Fund was established to implement the County’s Smart Growth Action Plan. The residential developers pay an $8,000 per unit fee (excluding the affordable housing portions of the projects) into the Fund. The Department of Conservation and Development administers the Fund. On December 3, 2013, the Board of Supervisors determined that revenue from the Fund should be spent equally among supervisorial districts. At complete build-out, deposits to the Fund will total $8,448,000. As of August 31, 2022, the account has collected $8,376,000 in revenue fees, and $893,886.74 accrued interest with $4,891,493.10 remaining in uncommitted funds. The approved expenditures to date are attached.
This project is to provide partial funding for the construction of an intergenerational campus that is an alternative to skilled nursing facility placement that will serve as a replicable model. This campus will include 81 units of low-income senior housing, 20 of which are dedicated to our veterans, and a variety of health, social and spiritual services with care coordination that will support them in living with meaning, joy and inclusion in the community rather than in institutions. The components of the campus, in addition to the housing, include:
- Licensed Adult Day Health Care for the general population, for those with mid to late state Alzheimer’s disease or related dementia, refugee populations from Afghanistan, Iran, Russia, and Ukraine
- An intergenerational Montessori preschool that connects to the Alzheimer’s program and does activities with all of the adult day health groups
- A transitions program that supports people moving back into the community who have been living long-term in skilled nursing facilities
- A complex case management program that provides nursing and social services support to help people remain living in their homes by helping them navigate health appointments, in-home care, transportation, fall prevention, access to durable medical equipment, and so much more
- Accessible transportation to and from health programs and shopping
- Caregiver trainings, support groups, and retreats
- Beautiful outdoor spaces for recreation, exercise, and relaxation using colorful drought-resistant plants
In partnership with Satellite Affordable Housing Associates (SAHA), Choice in Aging applied to the County and was awarded $3,236,000 in HOME Investment Partnerships Program (HOME) funds in FY 2021/22 and $1,000,000 in Permanent Local Housing Allocation (PLHA) funds in FY 2022/23.The funds awarded are for the new construction of 81 units of rental housing affordable to and occupied by extremely low income seniors, veterans, disabled veterans, and veterans experiencing homelessness. These funds were conditionally awarded through the annual competitive Notice of Funding Availability/Request for Proposals that DCD administers for various federal funding sources. The total budget for the new construction of the 81 units is approximately $68 million.
The property is owned by Choice in Aging and has been subdivided to include each portion of the intergenerational campus detailed above. Choice will ground lease a parcel to SAHA for new construction and management of the 81 units of affordable rental housing for a long-term term of 99 years.
The proposed Livable Communities Trust funds from the County would be used for the above components and will support Smart Growth Action Plan number 2: Enable communities to meet affordable and regional 'fair share' housing goals through construction, development, and renovation of affordable and senior housing.