Comments on BMR Program Amendments (Item 6.2)
May 11, 2026
Re: Agenda item 6.2 Dear Mayor Ramos and Members of the City Council, We support the changes that align the BMR program with current economic conditions and past project experiences, specifically Amendments 4 (addressing “exactly 100% AMI”) and 5 (removing obsolete HOA reserve fund). On Amendment 6, we continue to support a graduated fee schedule, given anecdotes of how much the fees have impacted small unit development. However, we will reiterate our request that the schedule extend to projects up to 10 units, as directed by council. Subdivision projects are already penalized by the city via the park land dedication requirement; some form of fee relief is necessary to facilitate small-scale, local-developer homeownership projects, especially as the economic climate worsens. Deferring to the Low/Middle-Income Homeownership Strategy or the 2028 BMR Review delays the ability to measure actual outcomes and increases future scope of work for not a lot of benefit.
Re: Agenda item 6.2
Dear Mayor Ramos and Members of the City Council,
We support the changes that align the BMR program with current economic conditions and past project experiences, specifically Amendments 4 (addressing “exactly 100% AMI”) and 5 (removing obsolete HOA reserve fund).
On Amendment 6, we continue to support a graduated fee schedule, given anecdotes of how much the fees have impacted small unit development. However, we will reiterate our request that the schedule extend to projects up to 10 units, as directed by council. Subdivision projects are already penalized by the city via the park land dedication requirement; some form of fee relief is necessary to facilitate small-scale, local-developer homeownership projects, especially as the economic climate worsens. Deferring to the Low/Middle-Income Homeownership Strategy or the 2028 BMR Review delays the ability to measure actual outcomes and increases future scope of work for not a lot of benefit.
Thank you for your consideration.
David Watson, on behalf of Mountain View YIMBY
