(a) Whenever dwelling units housing persons and families of low or moderate income are destroyed or removed from the low- and moderate-income housing market as part of a redevelopment project that is subject to a written agreement with the agency or where financial assistance has been provided by the agency, the agency shall, within four years of the destruction or removal, rehabilitate, develop, or construct, or cause to be rehabilitated, developed, or constructed, for rental or sale to persons and families of low or moderate income, an equal number of replacement dwelling units that have an equal or greater number of bedrooms as those destroyed or removed units at affordable housing costs within the territorial jurisdiction of the agency. When dwelling units are destroyed or removed after September 1, 1989, 75 percent of the replacement dwelling units shall replace dwelling units available at affordable housing cost in the same or a lower income level of very low income households, lower income households, and persons and families of low and moderate income, as the persons displaced from those destroyed or removed units. When dwelling units are destroyed or removed on or after January 1, 2002, 100 percent of the replacement dwelling units shall be available at affordable housing cost to persons in the same or a lower income category (low, very low, or moderate), as the persons displaced from those destroyed or removed units.

(b) (1) Prior to the time limit on the effectiveness of the redevelopment plan established pursuant to Sections 33333.2, 33333.6, and 33333.10 at least 30 percent of all new and substantially rehabilitated dwelling units developed by an agency shall be available at affordable housing cost to, and occupied by, persons and families of low or moderate income. Not less than 50 percent of the dwelling units required to be available at affordable housing cost to, and occupied by, persons and families of low or moderate income shall be available at affordable housing cost to, and occupied by, very low income households.

(2) (A) (i) Prior to the time limit on the effectiveness of the redevelopment plan established pursuant to Sections 33333.2, 33333.6, and 33333.10 at least 15 percent of all new and substantially rehabilitated dwelling units developed within a project area under the jurisdiction of an agency by public or private entities or persons other than the agency shall be available at affordable housing cost to, and occupied by, persons and families of low or moderate income. Not less than 40 percent of the dwelling units required to be available at affordable housing cost to, and occupied by, persons and families of low or moderate income shall be available at affordable housing cost to, and occupied by, very low income households.

(ii) To satisfy this paragraph, in whole or in part, the agency may cause, by regulation or agreement, to be available, at affordable housing cost, to, and occupied by, persons and families of low or moderate income or to very low income households, as applicable, two units outside a project area for each unit that otherwise would have been required to be available inside a project area.

(iii) On or after January 1, 2002, as used in this paragraph and in paragraph (1), “substantially rehabilitated dwelling units” means all units substantially rehabilitated, with agency assistance. Prior to January 1, 2002, “substantially rehabilitated dwelling units” shall mean substantially rehabilitated multifamily rented dwelling units with three or more units regardless of whether there is agency assistance, or substantially rehabilitated, with agency assistance, single-family dwelling units with one or two units.

(iv) As used in this paragraph and in paragraph (1), “substantial rehabilitation” means rehabilitation, the value of which constitutes 25 percent of the after rehabilitation value of the dwelling, inclusive of the land value.

(v) To satisfy this paragraph, the agency may aggregate new or substantially rehabilitated dwelling units in one or more project areas, if the agency finds, based on substantial evidence, after a public hearing, that the aggregation will not cause or exacerbate racial, ethnic, or economic segregation.

(B) To satisfy the requirements of paragraph (1) and subparagraph (A), the agency may purchase, or otherwise acquire or cause by regulation or agreement the purchase or other acquisition of, long-term affordability covenants on multifamily units that restrict the cost of renting or purchasing those units that either: (i) are not presently available at affordable housing cost to persons and families of low or very low income households, as applicable; or (ii) are units that are presently available at affordable housing cost to this same group of persons or families, but are units that the agency finds, based upon substantial evidence, after a public hearing, cannot reasonably be expected to remain affordable to this same group of persons or families.

(C) To satisfy the requirements of paragraph (1) and subparagraph (A), the long-term affordability covenants purchased or otherwise acquired pursuant to subparagraph (B) shall be required to be maintained on dwelling units at affordable housing cost to, and occupied by, persons and families of low or very low income, for the longest feasible time but not less than 55 years for rental units and 45 years for owner-occupied units. Not more than 50 percent of the units made available pursuant to paragraph (1) and subparagraph (A) may be assisted through the purchase or acquisition of long-term affordability covenants pursuant to subparagraph (B). Not less than 50 percent of the units made available through the purchase or acquisition of long-term affordability covenants pursuant to subparagraph (B) shall be available at affordable housing cost to, and occupied by, very low income households.

(D) To satisfy the requirements of paragraph (1) and subparagraph (A), each mutual self-help housing unit, as defined in subparagraph (C) of paragraph (1) of subdivision (f) of Section 33334.3, that is subject to a 15-year deed restriction shall count as one-third of a unit.

(3) The requirements of this subdivision shall apply independently of the requirements of subdivision (a). The requirements of this subdivision shall apply, in the aggregate, to housing made available pursuant to paragraphs (1) and (2), respectively, and not to each individual case of rehabilitation, development, or construction of dwelling units, unless an agency determines otherwise.

(4) Each redevelopment agency, as part of the implementation plan required by Section 33490, shall adopt a plan to comply with the requirements of this subdivision for each project area. The plan shall be consistent with, and may be included within, the community’s housing element. The plan shall be reviewed and, if necessary, amended at least every five years in conjunction with either the housing element cycle or the plan implementation cycle. The plan shall ensure that the requirements of this subdivision are met every 10 years. If the requirements of this subdivision are not met by the end of each 10-year period, the agency shall meet these goals on an annual basis until the requirements for the 10-year period are met. If the agency has exceeded the requirements within the 10-year period, the agency may count the units that exceed the requirement in order to meet the requirements during the next 10-year period. The plan shall contain the contents required by paragraphs (2), (3), and (4) of subdivision (a) of Section 33490.

(c) (1) The agency shall require that the aggregate number of replacement dwelling units and other dwelling units rehabilitated, developed, constructed, or price restricted pursuant to subdivision (a) or (b) remain available at affordable housing cost to, and occupied by, persons and families of low-income, moderate-income, and very low income households, respectively, for the longest feasible time, but for not less than 55 years for rental units, 45 years for home ownership units, and 15 years for mutual self-help housing units, as defined in subparagraph (C) of paragraph (1) of subdivision (f) of Section 33334.3, except as set forth in paragraph (2). Nothing in this paragraph precludes the agency and the developer of the mutual self-help housing units from agreeing to 45-year deed restrictions.

(2) Notwithstanding paragraph (1), the agency may permit sales of owner-occupied units prior to the expiration of the 45-year period, and mutual self-help housing units prior to the expiration of the 15-year period, established by the agency for a price in excess of that otherwise permitted under this subdivision pursuant to an adopted program that protects the agency’s investment of moneys from the Low and Moderate Income Housing Fund, including, but not limited to, an equity sharing program that establishes a schedule of equity sharing that permits retention by the seller of a portion of those excess proceeds, based on the length of occupancy. The remainder of the excess proceeds of the sale shall be allocated to the agency, and deposited into the Low and Moderate Income Housing Fund. The agency shall, within three years from the date of sale pursuant to this paragraph of each home ownership or mutual self-help housing unit subject to a 45-year deed restriction, and every third mutual self-help housing unit subject to a 15-year deed restriction, expend funds to make affordable an equal number of units at the same or lowest income level as the unit or units sold pursuant to this paragraph, for a period not less than the duration of the original deed restrictions. Only the units originally assisted by the agency shall be counted towards the agency’s obligations under Section 33413.

(3) The requirements of this section shall be made enforceable in the same manner as provided in paragraph (7) of subdivision (f) of Section 33334.3.

(4) If land on which the dwelling units required by this section are located is deleted from the project area, the agency shall continue to require that those units remain affordable as specified in this subdivision.

(5) For each unit counted towards the requirements of subdivisions (a) and (b), the agency shall require the recording in the office of the county recorder of covenants or restrictions that ensure compliance with this subdivision. With respect to covenants or restrictions that are recorded on or after January 1, 2008, the agency shall comply with the requirements of paragraphs (3) and (4) of subdivision (f) of Section 33334.3.

(d) (1) This section applies only to redevelopment projects for which a final redevelopment plan is adopted pursuant to Article 5 (commencing with Section 33360) on or after January 1, 1976, and to areas that are added to a project area by amendment to a final redevelopment plan adopted on or after January 1, 1976. In addition, subdivision (a) shall apply to any other redevelopment project with respect to dwelling units destroyed or removed from the low- and moderate-income housing market on or after January 1, 1996, irrespective of the date of adoption of a final redevelopment plan or an amendment to a final redevelopment plan adding areas to a project area. Additionally, any agency may, by resolution, elect to make all or part of the requirements of this section applicable to any redevelopment project of the agency for which the final redevelopment plan was adopted prior to January 1, 1976. In addition, subdivision (b) shall apply to redevelopment plans adopted prior to January 1, 1976, for which an amendment is adopted pursuant to Section 33333.10, except that subdivision (b) shall apply to those redevelopment plans prospectively only so that the requirements of subdivision (b) shall apply only to new and substantially rehabilitated dwelling units for which the building permits are issued on or after the date that the ordinance adopting the amendment pursuant to Section 33333.10 becomes effective.

(2) An agency may, by resolution, elect to require that whenever dwelling units housing persons or families of low or moderate income are destroyed or removed from the low- and moderate-income housing market as part of a redevelopment project, the agency shall replace each dwelling unit with up to three replacement dwelling units pursuant to subdivision (a).

(e) Except as otherwise authorized by law, this section does not authorize an agency to operate a rental housing development beyond the period reasonably necessary to sell or lease the housing development.

(f) Notwithstanding subdivision (a), the agency may replace destroyed or removed dwelling units with a fewer number of replacement dwelling units if the replacement dwelling units meet both of the following criteria:

(1) The total number of bedrooms in the replacement dwelling units equals or exceeds the number of bedrooms in the destroyed or removed units. Destroyed or removed units having one or no bedroom are deemed for this purpose to have one bedroom.

(2) The replacement units are affordable to and occupied by the same income level of households as the destroyed or removed units.

(g) “Longest feasible time,” as used in this section, includes, but is not limited to, unlimited duration.

(Amended by Stats. 2007, Ch. 690, Sec. 2.5. Effective January 1, 2008.)