Displacement Response Strategy

Sign up for the City's displacement response interest list here 

Background

Responding to tenant displacement is a top City priority, and is an item that has been included in the Council’s Two-Year Major Goals Workplan in both FY 2019-2021 and FY 2021-2023 to advance the City’s “Community for All” Strategic Priority. 

Two Council Study Sessions were held to discuss the displacement response strategy: one on October 29, 2019 and the second on September 22, 2020.  The purposes of the Study Sessions were to determine the principles that should be used to guide the development of the strategy, as well as identifying the key policies and programs that should be evaluated as part of the strategy.

Based on Council direction at the Study Sessions, the following are the five key principles for developing a displacement response strategy:  

• The strategy should be multi-pronged and integrated.  This means that the strategy will include different policies and programs working together to address tenant displacement.
•  The strategy should be broad-based.  This means that the strategy will include efforts to prevent displacement and – if displacement ultimately cannot be prevented – programs to reduce the impacts of displacement on tenants.
•  The strategy should include a collaborative/multi-sectoral approach.  This means that the City will need to work with other organizations to address tenant displacement, as it is not possible for any single agency to address all of the different aspects of displacement by itself.
•  The strategy should focus on tenants.  This means that the strategy is meant to address the displacement of tenants, as opposed to homeowners.
•  The strategy should be unit- and place-based.  This means that the strategy should prioritize tenants from being displaced from their units, but if that is not possible, to keep them from being displaced from the City.

Council also agreed on the following six policy/program areas to focus on initially:

1. Evaluate and acquisition/preservation program.
2. Evaluate a displacement mitigation program, including replacement requirements for redevelopment projects.
3. Modify the Tenant Relocation Assistance Ordinance (TRAO).
4. Evaluate a “landlord-rental set-aside” program.
5. Evaluate a tenant selection preference for displaced tenants.
6. Evaluate potential modifications to regulatory documents to implement the strategy.

Additionally, as part of the City’s 2023-2031 Housing Element efforts, Council has requested that staff explore community-ownership models to address displacement, including community land trusts, and community and tenant opportunity to purchase act programs. 

COVID-19 Impacts

Staff had begun evaluating each of the initial six displacement response policy/program areas listed above, and modification of the TRAO was completed in early 2020.

However, due to the pandemic, additional immediate issues surfaced that required displacement response efforts by the City. These efforts focused on immediate actions to prevent displacement of residents impacted by COVID-19, such as creating a rent relief program, implementing the Housing and Eviction Help Center, coordinating with partners Countywide on efforts to stabilize tenants, and creating new interim housing through the State’s Project Homekey program.  

Additionally, staff have worked on several related projects during this time to increase housing opportunities and stabilizing the lives of tenants and residents, including:

• Pursuing potential opportunities to acquire and preserve existing rental units.
• Implementing replacement requirements for demolition projects per State law, including Senate Bill 330 and Density Bonus.
• Financing over 500 new affordable housing units in the City.
• Increasing the number of affordable housing units through the City’s Below Market Rate housing program.
• Implementing the Mobile Home Rent Stabilization Ordinance.

As the community has slowly begun to stabilize from the pandemic, the City is re-energizing its efforts to develop its displacement response strategy, as it remains a top City priority. 

Next Steps for Displacement Response Strategy - Outreach

Staff plans to bring policy/program options for the displacement response strategy for Council consideration in 2023.  These include the acquisition/preservation of rent-stabilized units, replacement requirements for existing units demolished as part of new residential development, and other programs.  Community input is vital for informing the options.  The City wants your input and has developed the following outreach plan with multiple options for you to participate:

Community Meetings

One-on-One Meetings

If you or your organization would like to meet with staff to discuss the displacement response strategy and provide input, please contact us at displacementresponse@mountainview.gov and we would be happy to schedule a time to meet.  

Directly Send Input

 If you have comments you would like to send directly to the City, please send them to us at displacementresponse@mountainview.gov. 

Stay in Touch

To stay up-to-date on future efforts related to the displacement response strategy, please sign up for the City's displacement response interest list here. 

We thank you for your interest and participation regarding this important issue!

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