Responding to tenant displacement is included in the Council’s Workplan for Fiscal Years 2021-2023 to advance the City’s “Community for All” Strategic Priority.

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Council Direction 

Council Study Sessions were held to discuss the displacement response strategy on October 29, 2019 and September 22, 2020 to determine the principles to guide development of the strategy and identify key policies and programs that should be evaluated as part of the strategy.

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

• The strategy should be multi-pronged and integrated. This means the strategy will include different policies and programs working together to address tenant displacement.>
The strategy should be broad-based. 
• The strategy should include a collaborative / multi-sectoral approach. This means 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 the strategy is meant to address the displacement of tenants, as opposed to homeowners.
• The strategy should be unit- and place-based. This means 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 2023-2031 Housing Element Update, Council has requested to explore community-ownership models to address displacement, such as 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, immediate issues 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 has worked on several related projects to increase housing opportunities 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.

Next Steps

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.

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