THDIP

Asked Mayor Lincoln and Councilmember Dinan directly: who did you run for — the community or developers?

GVI resident said it's either the community or self-interest, and argued market rate housing won't produce affordability in a 2.5-square-mile city.

Claimed she watched developer attorney Owen Bird text Councilmember Dinan the exact motion during the prior meeting, calling it outsourcing his vote to a developer, and urged rejection.

Student volunteer said the exemption would permanently lose 17 affordable homes and $2 million in fees, threatening the city's legacy since 1994.

Young resident said she couldn't afford to live in EPA on her own and urged the council to keep the IHO as is.

Said the numbers represent families, and that the ordinance sets the stage for people who don't want the community's residents to stay.

Called the THDIP an attempt to manufacture consent, saying it will accelerate gentrification and homelessness and throw away $2.2 million and 17 homes.

Vice President of the Ravenswood City School District urged reconsideration, saying every housing unit and percentage matters, and echoed calls for transparency on the ex parte issue.

Asked how the community benefits from the compromise, noting the loss of 17 homes, $2 million, and the Planning Commission's finding, and warned gentrification happens one home at a time.

Argued the staff report's 'substantial evidence' is only the minimum needed to defend the decision, and said she couldn't buy her own home in EPA today because of gentrification.

25-year-old resident said there's been an affordable housing crisis every year of his life and that developers shouldn't build here without contributing to affordable housing.

Urged the council to accept the Planning Commission's recommendation, arguing producing more housing alone doesn't establish general plan consistency.

Cited rising costs — minimum wage, gas, county median income — and urged the council to stand with working families and reject the THDIP.

Concerned the ordinance is being presented as automatically beneficial and warns of a precedent letting landlords get reduced requirements; urged reconsideration.

Teacher at Los Robles/Ronald McNair described sobbing students losing classmates whose families are pushed out, and asked the council not to let it happen 17 more times.

Executive Director of Youth United for Community Action urged denial, saying fewer affordable units mean overcrowding, traffic, and displacement.

Resident demanded the financial projections behind the claim that projects don't 'pencil out' and asked for transcripts of developers' private conversations with councilmembers.

Planning commissioner (speaking personally) urged the council to remove phones from the dais, warned developers will subdivide projects to dodge fees, and recommended denial.

Thanked the council for rejecting the original version and asked it to reject this one too, noting even the earlier 10-unit threshold would have produced 8 units.

Said she's focused on the Black community that built the city, asked where the promised grocery store is, and objected to being pushed out.

Spoke in Spanish and English: 'the future of East Palo Alto families is not for sale' — urged waiting for the study and honoring the general plan's community participation requirements.

Resident since 1974 said her now-adult children couldn't afford to buy here today, and asked the council to reject the ordinance.

Supported the ordinance, calling it a matter of self-reliance rather than dependence on government subsidies.

Born-and-raised resident who recently helped a neighbor move out said 'we're not going' and pledged to keep giving back to the city's youth.

Called it a 'sinister plan' that defies the consultants and the Planning Commission, saying the IHO isn't the only way to meet RHNA — 'you do not have to take a jackhammer to our history.'

Asked whether the council serves the community or wealthy tech newcomers, saying only someone making $250K a year can afford a million-dollar home here.

Lived 25 years at Peninsula Park apartments thanks to inclusionary housing; said the '20 and below' units are families too and she won't negotiate any neighbor away.

Supported the exemption, citing an SF controller report that zero inclusionary is the only feasible level, and said the city needs the fiscal capacity to protect current residents.

Read remarks from Pastor Albert Macklin of New Sweet Home Church opposing the reduction of BMR housing, calling it gentrification.

Speaking for the Community Coalition for Inclusionary Housing, opposed weakening the ordinance, calling it essential to fighting gentrification.

Called claims that inclusionary policy stifles development or lowers rents 'falsehoods' and urged the council to represent East Palo Alto residents.

Opposed 'gutting' the inclusionary policy, disputing the Austin effect narrative and citing SB 330 flexibility.

A 25-year resident, argued affordable housing benefits the community by every measure and sets East Palo Alto apart.

Said the burden is on proponents to prove the change is needed and demanded data before any decision.

Coalition speaker urged waiting for the Grand Nexus study, warning the city risks losing 120-480 below-market-rate homes.

Cited quadrupling home values and income data, urging councilmembers to represent residents, not developers.

Urged no change until the nexus study is done; offered alternatives including higher in-lieu fees and incentives for townhome-style ownership.

Advocated creative low-cost homeownership options like three-story flats and nonprofit partnerships instead of cutting requirements.

Called affordable housing a human right and said EPA should keep its own standards, not copy other cities.

Submitted a coalition report and cautioned councilmembers not to pre-decide before hearing the community.

Defended inclusionary housing as equitable policy that supports workforce stability and fights segregation and displacement.

Accused councilmembers of pushing an agenda to change the city's fabric and called for transparency, singling out Councilmember Dinan.

Blamed stalled development on water moratorium, sewer rates, and divided councils — not inclusionary housing — and urged the council to vote the item down.

Spoke for displaced African American residents, demanding policies to bring displaced families back to the city.

Called the staff report narrative 'modeled, not proven' and said the city should decline to touch inclusionary zoning.

Cited her West Side Area Plan work and said inclusionary housing is deep in the city's founding and must be kept.

A lifelong resident worried about displacement; said even small IHO cuts will have huge repercussions.

Youth organizer with UCA submitted a petition with 133 signatures urging the council to keep the IHO.

Asked 'what changed' since councilmembers campaigned on inclusion, and read a councilmember's old published remarks about gentrification.

Youth organizer submitted a letter signed by local organizations, warning weakening the IHO signals affordability isn't a priority.

Said weakening the IHO will displace working-class residents and communities of color who built the city.

Urged rejection of the temporary ordinance, saying there's no nexus study evidence to justify weakening the city's strongest anti-displacement tool.

Objected to the word 'temporary,' arguing weakening the ordinance for 2,000+ pipeline units would permanently forfeit 300-400 affordable homes.

A formerly homeless resident urged the council not to make it harder for people like him to stay in the city.

Speaking in Spanish, urged the council to wait for the study and said some intend to eliminate the anti-displacement policy entirely.

A BMR program alumnus, urged the council to step away from the change, saying infrastructure investments made decades ago set up this moment.

Said 'one minute is not enough,' warned of voting councilmembers out, and spoke about Black displacement from the city.

Lifelong resident opposed weakening the IHO, saying filtering doesn't work here and new units won't be for legacy families.

Urged the council not to pass the incentive, saying it wasn't created with the community in mind and to wait for the nexus study.

Warned weakening the IHO without the nexus study invites land speculation and would leave displacement as the only option for the lowest-income families.

Climate Resilient Communities director called housing a market failure, cited other cities' unmet goals, and said a 60% cost cut is a 60% profit increase.

Framed displacement prevention as environmental justice and said macroeconomic conditions, not the IHO, explain slow development.

The lone developer-side speaker: Alpha XR Capital acquired 1201 with 20 approved townhomes and asked for an exemption for projects of 20 units or fewer to unlock 34 homes.

A special education teacher, urged councilmembers to listen and pleaded with them not to change the ordinance.

Returned to oppose 'gutting' affordable units from pipeline projects and disputed the city attorney's SB 330 interpretation, warning reduced requirements can never be reimposed.

Former councilmember urged keeping the 20% requirement, recalling her refusal to bow to developer pressure over Amazon.

Recalled the community fight for the 20% requirement and asked 'what is the big rush to change it?'

Warned that changing the ordinance will change the city's demography forever and urged reconsideration.

A local teacher on Zoom, urged keeping the IHO so teachers can live in the community: 'Market forces do not sign policies. Politicians do.'

Argued the city already hit 102% of low-income goals but only 9% of moderate, so 'one house pays for nine' — questioning who pays the city's expenses.

Said the council is 'selling out the city' and that East Palo Alto is not for sale; urged keeping or strengthening the ordinance.

A BMR housing beneficiary, asked that the program remain so more community members can access it.

Developer of a stalled 20-unit entitled townhome project urged a temporary program applying to entitled-but-unbuilt projects of 20 units or less, with affordability no deeper than 120% AMI; said current rules make the project infeasible.

Sand Hill Property Company representative said the 20% policy makes their projects infeasible and asked for reduced requirements, flexible alternatives, and development agreement amendments; cited 700 apartments begun in San Jose under its relief program.