Fontana council approves affordable-home agreements on Alder and Highland avenues, $401,520 Housing Element contract
Each density bonus agreement approved Oct. 13 reserves two homes for very low-income households. Michael Baker International will prepare the city's housing plan for the planning period that begins in October 2029.
Fontana's City Council on Oct. 13 approved agreements that set aside affordable homes in two new subdivisions and hired a consultant to write the city's next state-required housing plan.
All three items were on the consent calendar, which passed 5-0 on a motion by Council Member Phillip Cothran and a second by Council Member John Roberts, according to the minutes. The minutes record no opposing votes or abstentions on these items.
Alder Avenue
Resolution No. 2026-090 approves a density bonus agreement with MV RE Holdings LLC for a project at 7844 Alder Avenue. Planning commissioners approved the project July 21: 26 detached homes on 3.75 acres, with a density bonus tied to two affordable homes, according to the Planning Department staff report.
Under the agreement, those two homes must be rented for 55 years at an affordable rent to very low-income households. The report defines those as households earning no more than 50 percent of the county's area median income.
The owner must verify tenant incomes, prepare a marketing plan and let the city refer renters. The project's approvals do not take effect until the council approves the agreement, the report says.
Highland Avenue
Resolution No. 2026-091 approves a similar agreement with MV HBC LLC for 14907 South Highland Avenue. The commission approved that project Aug. 18: 46 homes on about 3.5 acres, again with a density bonus tied to two affordable homes.
Those two homes can go to very low-income households as either rentals or sales. The limits last 55 years for rentals and 45 years for sales, the report says.
After the commission vote, the developer asked to move one affordable home to another spot in the tract. Staff agreed because the floor plan type and the number of affordable homes stayed the same.
Housing Element
The council also awarded a $401,520 contract to Michael Baker International to prepare Fontana's 7th cycle Housing Element. The plan runs from October 2029 to October 2037 and must be certified by the state Department of Housing and Community Development.
Eight firms answered the city's request for proposals, according to the staff report. A staff panel interviewed three and narrowed the list to two, whose cost estimates came in at $388,704 and $401,520. The panel recommended Michael Baker, and the city's Purchasing Office agreed.
The scope includes focus groups, community workshops, an online survey and sessions with planning commissioners and the council. The consultant will also review land and zoning against the city's regional housing needs allocation and address fair housing requirements.
The cost was not in the budget. The report says the needed adjustments were part of the first-quarter budget report, which the council approved 5-0 the same day.
Also on the calendar, the council approved a drainage maintenance agreement tied to a planned 595-unit multifamily development at the intersection of Citrus Avenue and Summit Avenue, on its southwest corner, the minutes say.
