In order to help meet the need for affordable and low-cost housing, the State of California has made grant funding available to cities to rise to the challenge. 

And with upwards of $160,000 available for just one part of the city’s current general plan update up for grabs, the City of Lathrop is throwing its hat in the ring for consideration. 

Tonight, at Lathrop City Hall, at 5:30 p.m. the Lathrop City Council will hold a special meeting to decide whether to allow the City Manager to execute and submit applications to see if the city can receive SB2 grant funding – money that has been set aside to help the state increase its affordable housing stock. 

The meeting will be held inside of the council chambers at the city’s complex at 390 Towne Centre Drive. 

Currently the city is in the middle of the first ever update to its general plan – the master document that will shape development in the city for at least the next decade by itemizing the city’s priorities and designating the wants and needs of the community at large to help steer the way that the city will grow in the coming years.

One of the components required as part of the general plan update is the housing element – which just recently was discussed by the Lathrop Planning Commission – and that particular segment is eligible for state grant money because it has the ability to prioritize affordable and low-income housing in a given community by outlining requirements and recommendations for developers who want to be a part of the city. 

The SB2 funding is also available for the necessary work required to adopt accessory dwelling unit pre-approved building plans – secondary housing units that are placed on single family residential lots, typically known as in-laws quarters – and the code text amendment to the Lathrop Municipal Code as it relates to the accessory dwelling units because both steps add housing opportunities to a community and a larger state that is bursting at the seams. If approved, the city would able to recuperate its expenses associated with adopting the housing element component of the general plan – the staff hours and the consulting fees required to ready the document for approval – as well as the staff time and engineering work necessary to make accessory housing units both possible and legal under the city’s municipal code. 

With relaxations to the accessory dwelling unit regulations – the units can be either attached or detached, and allow for the conversion of garages to ADUs without requiring replacement off-street parking – the proposal would allow for the creation of up to 7 pre-engineered plans ranging from 250 to 1000 square feet in order to significantly streamline the process. 

For additional information about the proposal before the council, or to view a copy of the special agenda, visit the City of Lathrop’s website at www.ci.lathrop.ca.us.  

To contact reporter Jason Campbell email jcampbell@mantecabulletin.com or call 209.249.3544.