Council to Consider Changes to Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) Policy

Published on September 19, 2023

On October 25, 2023, the Alameda City Council will hold a special meeting to consider changes to the City's Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) Policy.

CIPs are a longstanding provision of the City's Rent Program. The intent of the policy is to maintain the quality of the City's rental housing stock and encourage certain types of long-term improvements while providing tenant protections. By filing an application for a CIP, landlords may be able to recover the cost of eligible improvements over time by passing them on to the tenants in the form of a pass through. The policy moderates the costs of the pass throughs by spreading them over the useful life of the improvements and requires landlords to provide relocation assistance if a tenant is displaced. 

Earlier this year, City Council enacted a moratorium on CIPs for properties with 25 or more units and directed staff to research potential changes to the existing CIP Policy and return the item to City Council for further consideration. Staff has researched various options, conducted numerous community meetings with landlord and tenant stakeholder groups, and is presenting two ordinances for City Council's consideration. One ordinance would make several revisions to the City's Rent Ordinance to implement a new CIP Policy that adds tenant protections while allowing more projects to qualify. Staff is also presenting an alternative ordinance that would eliminate entirely the CIP Policy; if adopted, landlords would continue to be eligible to include the amortized cost of capital improvements in fair return petitions.

In advance of the City Council meeting, at 6 p.m. October 18, 2023, the Rent Program will host an online information session to present staff's recommendations and answer questions. Click here to register.

Contact the Rent Program at 510-747-7520 or rentprogram@alamedaca.gov for more information.