Antioch Council to discuss Inclusionary Housing Ordinance, more violence prevention spending Tuesday
Will consider adopting “Pride Month” proclamation, flying “Pride Progress” flag at City Hall in June
By Allen D. Payton
At their meeting on Tuesday, May 27, 2025, the Antioch City Council will discuss the possible adoption of an Inclusionary Housing Ordinance for more below-market-rate housing during a Special Meeting Study Session at 5:00 p.m. They will also receive a Land Use Housing Planning and Permitting Presentation and consider increasing spending on violence prevention programs using state grant funds. The regular meeting begins at 7:00 p.m.
Before the regular and special meetings, the Council will first hold a Closed Session at 4:00 p.m.
Closed Session on Civil Rights Lawsuit, Sale of Land to Fire District and Business Owner
During Closed Session beginning at 4:00 p.m. the Council will discuss an existing lawsuit by Trent Allen, et al. v. City of Antioch, et al., U.S.D.C. N. Dist. Cal. Case No. 3:23-cv-01895-VC (and consolidated cases). Allen is one of four suspects convicted of the 2021 murder of Arnold Marcel Hawkins and the attempted murder of Aaron Patterson. (See related article) He and a variety of other plaintiffs claim civil rights violations by several current and former Antioch Police officers.
In addition, the Council will consider the sale of a lot at E. 18th and Wilson Streets to the Contra Costa Fire District and a small portion of land near the Antioch Marina to local business owner Sean McCauley who owns the land where Smith’s Landing Seafood Grill is located.
Study Session on Inclusionary Housing Ordinance
During the Special Meeting beginning at 5:00 p.m., the Council will hold a Study Session to discuss the possible adoption of an Inclusionary Housing Ordinance (IHO) as Program 2.1.10 in the City’s existing Housing Element. According to the City staff report for the agenda item, inclusionary ordinances are designed to produce affordable housing and require that a specific percentage of units in market-rate development projects be offered at below-market rates.
IHOs may include requirements for rental and/or for-sale housing projects and may include different requirements for rental and for-sale housing projects, projects of different sizes and locations and housing units of different levels of affordability.
The three categories of affordable housing typically accommodated in IHOs are:
- Very Low-Income (VLI) Housing. Units affordable to households earning 0-50% of the Area Median Income (AMI).
- Low-Income (LI) Housing. Units affordable to households earning 51-80% of AMI.
- Moderate Income (MI) Housing. Units affordable to households earning 80-120% of AMI.
IHOs typically include different requirements for these three above income levels.
Previously Considered & Rejected by Council
The staff report further reads, Antioch has considered adopting an IHO since approximately 2009. Past City leadership concluded that market rate housing in Antioch was already adequately affordable. In 2016, the Contra Costa Grand Jury released a report titled Where will we Live: The Affordable Housing Waiting List is Closed. The report recommended that Antioch should consider adopting an IHO. The City responded to this recommendation on August 9, 2016, stating that the City, assuming 2000-2009 home values, “already provides a diversity of housing options and is accessible to households of all income levels…” Therefore, an IHO was “not warranted and is not reasonable.”
The inclusion of Program 2.1.10 in the Antioch Housing Element is indicative of current statewide and local housing challenges and new housing priorities. Technical analyses and community outreach performed as part of the Housing Element demonstrate the need for housing-forward policies and the potential value of an IHO.
Community Survey & Virtual Workshop, Developer Input
Also, according to the staff report, a community survey was conducted but only more than 50 residents responded. Over 80% of responders either “Fully” or “Somewhat” support an IHO in Antioch but over 60% are either “Unfamiliar” or “Somewhat familiar” with IHOs.
The IHO Project team conducted a virtual Focus Group with local housing developers on December 5, 2024. Attendees were shown the results of preliminary feasibility analyses for a 15 percent inclusionary requirement and shared their concerns:
o Concern over reliance on density bonus. Developers stressed that maintaining feasibility under inclusionary regulation is often based on maximizing State density bonus. However, the costs associated with constructing denser, taller projects may outweigh financial returns. Developers described Antioch as a “secondary market” that cannot support multifamily projects over three stories tall, which may limit additional density.
o Necessity of in-lieu fees. Developers stated that if the City were to adopt an IHO, it should include the option to pay in-lieu fees. Participants stressed that real estate is unpredictable, and that these fees offer vital “stability and
clarity” in the IHO process. Because of this certainty, most developers will choose the in-lieu fee option.
o Value of in-lieu fees. Developers stated that in-lieu fees can be transferred to affordable housing developers who specialize in maximizing funds and partnerships for affordable housing projects. Developers stressed that partnering with affordable housing developers in mixed-income developments often provides the greatest number of affordable units at the lowest income levels.
o Barriers to for-sale affordable housing. Developers stressed that the difficulty of qualifying for home loans may impede the function of an IHO. Per participants, lower income households in Contra Costa typically face severe economic barriers to mortgage qualification, including an adequate down payment. As such, requiring the construction of for-sale units for very low-income or low-income households may be an unproductive path toward privately subsidized affordable housing.
In addition to the community survey, the staff report, without mentioning the number of participants, shares that members of the public participated in a bilingual, interactive virtual Community Workshop on February 4, 2025. Participants were introduced to the IHO project and responded to a series of Zoom-based polls regarding various IHO topics. The polls included the following questions:
1. What household affordability levels do you want to see accommodated in Antioch?
64% of responders selected Very Low-Income households as the most needed.
2. What bedroom counts are most needed in affordable units in Antioch?
67% of responders selected 2-3 bedroom units.
3. What type of affordable housing units does Antioch need?
“For-rent apartments” was identified as the most needed housing type, and “for-sale single family homes” was identified as the least needed.
4. Should the default requirement in Antioch’s IHO be “constructing affordable units with the option to pay a fee,” or “paying a fee with the option to construct affordable units?”
67% of responders selected “constructing affordable units with the option to pay a fee.”
5. Select areas of Antioch where new affordable housing will provide extra benefit to future residents.
The two answers that received the most selections were “In and near downtown” and “Around the BART Station.”
6. What are the most important aspects of affordable units created by the IHO?
The two answers that received the most selections were “They are evenly distributed across the development site” and “Their exterior design and construction quality matches the market rate units.”
7. Participants were asked whether 1) They support adopting an IHO and to identify issues the City Council should consider ensuring the IHO is effective, or 2) They do not support adopting an IHO and to identify alternative approaches to increasing affordable housing.
78 percent of participants stated they support adopting an IHO. Comments included:
- The need to place upper limits on IHO requirements.
- The value of collaborating with developers on a 15% IHO requirement near transit.
- Lack of support for in-lieu fees, which require significant staff resources to administer.
22 percent of participants stated they do support adopting an IHO.
Comments included:
- The City should purchase land for 100% affordable housing. This is the only way to build the minimum of more than 1 new affordable home for every market rate home.
- Antioch is already largely affordable; the City should focus on fully staffing the police force and bringing anchor businesses to downtown and shopping mall.
- IHOs benefit only a few who can secure the units, while driving up costs for everyone else. Antioch should look for alternative sources of funding that do not drive up housing costs.
No decision will be made during Tuesday’s meeting, and any adoption of an IHO must occur during a future council meeting.
Regular Meeting Agenda
A day after Memorial Day, although complaints have arisen across the country, that veterans and those who died defending freedom each only get one day to be honored and remembered annually, during their regular meeting, under item 1, the Council will consider adopting a “Pride Month” proclamation and under Consent Calendar item R, approval of flying the “Pride Progress” flag at City Hall during the month of June to recognize the LGBTQIA+ community in Antioch. It will be only the seventh year the Council will be asked to consider and vote on both matters.
Under item 3, the Council will receive a Land Use Housing Planning and Permitting Presentation by David Storer, Interim Community Development Director and Derek Cole, Interim City Attorney. They will discuss Land Use regulations/permits (Discretionary and Ministerial…i.e., Conditional Use Permits, Variances, Rezonings, CEQA, General Plans and the Subdivision Map Act, etc.). as well as Housing (State laws and their implementation…HAA, SB 330, SB9, etc.).
The Council will then vote on item 5, to adopt the new Master Fee Schedule effective July 1, 2025, which includes minor increases to several fees and no changes to most.
The Council will also consider increasing the amounts paid for violence prevention programs using state grant funds. Under item 6 they will consider approving the second amendment to the Consulting Services Agreement with One Day at a Time (ODAT), with fiscal sponsor Community Initiatives, for the City of Antioch’s 2022–2025
California Violence Intervention and Prevention (CalVIP) grant. The amendment increases the total contract amount by $587,174 to an amount not to exceed $927,980 and extends the term of the agreement through June 30, 2026.
Finally, under item 7, the Council will consider approving the third amendment to the Consulting Services Agreement with Advance Peace for Technical Assistance/Support, Training and development for the 2022-25 City of Antioch’s California Violence Intervention and Prevention (CalVIP) in the amount of $50,000.
The meeting will be held inside the Council Chambers at City Hall, 200 H Street in Antioch’s historic, downtown Rivertown. It can be viewed via livestream on the City’s website, on Comcast local access cable channel 24 or on ATT U-verse channel 99. See the complete meeting agenda package.
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Antioch Council mtg & heart house
