Novin’s development proposal is promoting segregation in our City. The current building design has two buildings — one with all market rate units and a separate building with all of the “affordable” units. The affordable units are also notably smaller in size, with most of them set to be only 371 square feet.

Not only does this segregated proposal pose a serious equity problem for a City that is trying to consciously move toward a more socially responsible society, but it would provide a lower standard of living to those needing the affordable housing.

Our City has two separate ordinances that require affordable units to be “dispersed throughout the development” — which Novin is asking to be waived.  Even SB 35, the legislation he is using to try to fast-track his development, stipulates that the affordable units must be “distributed throughout the development,” unless a governmental funding source for the development requires them to be separated.

This shows that both our local City government and our wider State government recognize that we need to stop development practices that produce segregation in our society.  And the Inclusionary Ordinance from our City was one that was voted in by us, showing that we as a local community also have made it clear we uphold equity and want systemic inequity to be reversed.

Can we let this proposal be built in our society?  Or are we going to take a stand that we will not tolerate development practices that will create segregation. If this one is allowed to be built, will others do the same? We can’t support building segregated developments, just because it’s more financially advantageous for a developer to build that way.