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WORKING DRAFT FOR HCD REVIEW <br />NEEDS ASSESSMENT 3-10 SAN LEANDRO HOUSING ELEMENT <br />Other notable demographic changes include an increase in household size and number of children, <br />suggesting a need for more three- and four-bedroom units for larger families. Recent changes also <br />suggest the need for zoning regulations which accommodate home additions, second units, and other <br />improvements that support multi-generational or larger households. <br /> <br />Although the percentage (and even the absolute number) of seniors in San Leandro has declined since <br />1990, the need for senior housing continues to be high. The need for senior housing will grow <br />significantly as the city’s large number of baby boomers reach retirement. Demographic data also <br />suggests a high need for affordable rental housing for young adults and families—this will be a fast- <br />growing age cohort in the coming years, and the housing market is not keeping pace. <br /> <br />Given the limited number of large vacant sites in the city, the rising cost of land and construction, and the <br />declining rate of home ownership, the data also point to the need for housing types other than traditional <br />single family detached homes. If the city wishes to sustain a high rate of home ownership, it will need to <br />focus more heavily on condominiums, lofts, stacked flats, townhomes, and other owner-occupied multi- <br />family housing types. <br /> <br /> <br />income and housing affordability <br /> <br />Income <br /> <br />In 2000, the median household income in San Leandro was $51,081, which was $4,865 below the <br />countywide median. The lower median was attributable in part to the city’s relatively large senior <br />population, many of whom were retired and living on fixed incomes. In 2000, over 57 percent of San <br />Leandro’s senior-headed households had annual incomes below $35,000. <br /> <br />By 2012, the median household income had increased to $61,857, which was $8,964 less the countywide <br />median. Despite the 21 percent growth in household income, the city lagged the county in income <br />growth. Much of the income growth during this period was offset by inflation; the consumer price index <br />for the Bay Area increased by 26 percent between 2000 and 2010. Thus, when adjusted for inflation, <br />there was actually a slight decrease in average income over the decade. Median family income in San <br />Leandro in 2012 was $72,354, reflecting the higher income-earning potential of double income <br />households relative to all households. Still, the city lagged the county, which had a median family <br />income of $88,169. <br /> <br />Relative to adjacent communities, San Leandro’s income is comparable to Hayward and San Lorenzo, <br />higher than Oakland, and lower than Castro Valley and Alameda. San Leandro has historically had a <br />reputation as a “blue collar” community with a large number of moderate-income working families. <br />While the nature of the workforce has changed, the city continues to have a large number of middle- <br />income households as well as substantial numbers of households at the upper and lower ends of the <br />income spectrum.