25.167 Findings and Intent.

The City Council of the City of Fairfield finds that the conversion of existing buildings to condominiums creates unique problems. The divided ownership and responsibility for building conditions, health and safety issues, traffic and parking problems, maintenance of sewer and plumbing facilities and other common areas, reduced privacy, unclear responsibility for repairs and/or replacements due to fire or other disasters and unfair or incorrect apportionment of utility expenses to all owners, all of which problems may affect the general public health, safety and welfare of the City of Fairfield.

Condominium conversions may also impact the overall supply of housing affordable to lower income households in Fairfield, and may change the character of the occupancy. For example, converting rental housing into condominiums may change the demographics of the building from young single people to families or elderly people. These changes may require special design considerations and provisions to protect the health and safety of existing residents, new condominium owners, and lower income or displaced tenants.

The purpose of this ordinance is to promote a reasonable balance of rental and ownership housing and greater individual choice in type, quality, price and location of housing; to provide for the housing needs of all segments of the population; to avoid undue hardship and displacement of tenants, particularly those in low-to-moderate cost housing and those who are elderly, families with minor children and the handicapped; to promote the safety and modernization of condominium conversion projects; and to generally regulate conversion projects in accordance with the housing element of the general plan, as well as other applicable general and specific plans, current building and zoning codes, and in accordance with the public health, safety and welfare.