Deal reached on affordable housing units on Fort Ord

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California
MERCURY NEWS
Deal reached on affordable housing units on Fort Ord
By Ken McLaughlin
January 10 ,2004

The Battle of Fort Ord ended with a whimper instead of a bang Friday
after Rep. Sam Farr abandoned his quest to require that 40 percent of
6,000 planned homes on the old Army base be priced at below-market
rates.

``If we take a vote on some kind of fixed figure, I'm going to lose,''
Farr told fellow members of the Fort Ord Reuse Authority (FORA), the
board overseeing the base's conversion to civilian use.

The Monterey Bay Democrat's proposal to require that half of new homes
at the old Fort Ord base be priced at ``affordable'' rates triggered two
emotional public hearings last year.

After a recent report by a Berkeley firm called Bay Area Economics
concluded that a maximum of 40 percent of the homes could be sold at
below-market rates, however, Farr agreed to reduce his proposal from 50
percent to 40 percent.

But in a last-minute deal reached Thursday night between Farr's office
and the FORA staff, Farr settled for a motion that calls for ``flexible
targets'' on affordable housing on the former base. The targets will
depend on what kind of new industry and businesses are developed on the
land.

The compromise appeared to be a victory for officials from Seaside and
Marina, erstwhile honky-tonk military towns that will get most of the
free federal land. The officials had argued that they needed flexibility
in diversifying their communities with new industry and more upscale
homes and shops.

This article can be viewed at:
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/local/states/california/central_coast/7678368.htm

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