Indio commissioners back new rule that could boost affordable housing

The Indio Planning Commission voted on Wednesday to recommend that the City Council approve a rewritten density bonus law that could allow housing developers to build significantly more units than current zoning permits if they set aside a share of homes for lower-income residents.

The update would move the city’s density bonus rules from one section of the municipal code to another and add a new local incentive on top of what state law already requires.

Under the proposal, a 100-unit project that restricts 34% of its units to low-income renters could qualify for a 65% density bonus, growing to 165 units. A project that instead set aside 25% of its units for very low-income households could qualify for an 88.75% bonus, growing to about 188 units.

The prospect of substantially larger developments prompted questions from the commission chair.

“How are we going to handle traffic, water, sewer, school, police, fire, and other public services in the area, because to have a project go from 100 units to 188 is going to be a significant, a bigger impact,” Chair Gloria Franz asked.

Community Development Director Brian Halvorson said projects would still face environmental review.

“There still is CEQA review of these projects,” Halvorson said. “We look at parking, we look at traffic, and we look at a variety of topics that CEQA requires us to do.”

Consultant Erica Kash, who helped draft the ordinance for the city, said the new local incentive does not exceed what developers could already request under state law and does not loosen parking requirements.

“We are using the exact parking ratios from state law,” Kash said. “We’re not expanding on those at all.”
The added incentive program is required under Indio’s Pro-Housing Designation, a state recognition the city received last year.

The commission voted to recommend the ordinance to the City Council, which is scheduled to consider it in November.