February 11, 2005

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Publication Date: Friday, February 11, 2005

Exploring options to upgrade Kottinger Place

The City Council earlier this month gave the go-ahead to a Kottinger Place task force to ask consultants for options to renovate the 50-unit complex.

"It is a 3.5-acre site, owned by the city and the Housing Authority of Pleasanton, which is basically you," Steve Bocian, deputy city manager, told the council.

Kottinger Place, an affordable senior housing complex funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development when it was built, is still subject to HUD regulations. The task force is considering renovating Kottinger Place in conjunction with Pleasanton Gardens across the street. Although Pleasanton Gardens was developed with HUD funding, it is run as a private nonprofit organization.

"What we have in Kottinger Place and Pleasanton Gardens are probably two of the best examples of affordable housing in the United States," said Kurt Wiest, chairman of the Housing Commission and the task force. "Both of these projects are aging, 30 years-plus.... Our ultimate goal is to preserve the affordability."

The task force wants to expand the number of units from 90 units in both projects to 125-150, he said, and design a new development "that would fit into the character of Pleasanton." He also noted the projects were state-of-the-art when they were built.

The understanding originally was that seniors would live in them for only a few years but this has not proven to be the case, said task force member Dolores Bengtson, who is also on the Pleasanton Gardens board of directors. "The average age is in the 80s and someone is over 100," she said, pointing out that the units were designed for seniors, not the elderly.

The task force found that both sites are well maintained but are out of compliance for accessibility, energy, heating and air-conditioning. They decided that renovating would be impractical.

"We need to look more closely at how redevelopment would affect the tenants," said Bocian, citing "the social impacts of moving and relocating."

Bocian said three ideas have been discussed to relocate the existing residents: ¥ Construct a new development in increments so as new units are built, old ones are vacated; ¥ Swap Kottinger Place property with portions of Kottinger Park; ¥ Use the 2.76-acre site on Vineyard Avenue at Birch Creek Drive owned by Frank Auf der Maur that is being considered for senior housing.

Councilman Steve Brozosky said the average rent at Kottinger Place is $245 per month, which could be difficult to maintain without a large amount of additional funding. The council directed the task force to continue to explore funding alternatives.

Earlier this week, task force chairman Wiest said its next meeting will probably be in March.

"This is a concept that isn't on a fast track because it doesn't need to be," he said. "No one is in any danger."

A consultant will inform them how they can get out of HUD commitments, he said, and find sources of revenue available for new construction.

"The choices are somewhat limited because of the financing structure," he said. "The president's budget just came out today and it's ugly - housing is a low priority."

Wiest said the task force members feel it is important to structure the financing to ensure that whoever lives there in the future is going to benefit from the same affordability that is built in now.

He also noted that the task force has been "very, very careful in listening to and hearing the concerns of the residents," and does not want them concerned that their housing is suddenly going to disappear.

"We're sensitive to the neighbors, too," he added, "and have a couple of task force members from the neighborhood."

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