PLANNING COMMISSION STUDY SESSION
TO: Planning Commission
FROM: Ursula Luna-Reynosa, Director of Community Development
BY: Nicolle Aube, AICP, Senior Analyst
SUBJECT:
title
GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENT NO. 2021-003 (2021-2029 HOUSING ELEMENT UPDATE)
body
APPLICANT:
City of Huntington Beach
PROPERTY
OWNER:
Various
BUSINESS
OWNER:
Not applicable.
LOCATION:
Citywide
PROJECT PROPOSAL:
General Plan Amendment No. 21-003 represents a request to update the Housing Element of the General Plan for the 6th Cycle 2021-2029 planning period. The Housing Element is a citywide plan for housing, including the provision of affordable housing, in the City of Huntington Beach. It is one of the seven State mandated elements of the General Plan and was last comprehensively updated, and subsequently certified by the California State Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD), in 2013. The Housing Element was decertified by HCD in 2015 as a result of amendments made to the Beach and Edinger Corridors Specific Plan (BECSP) to decrease residential capacity and increase setback and parking standards. The Housing Element was amended in 2020 to include an Affordable Housing Overlay and was subsequently recertified by HCD. Pursuant to California Government Code Section 65588, the Housing Element must be updated for the 2021-2029 planning period.
State Housing Element Law (Article 10.6 of Chapter 3 of the Government Code) establishes requirements for the content of local agencies’ housing elements in order to ensure that housing issues are adequately and thoroughly addressed. The City has retained a consultant, Kimley-Horn and Associates, to assist staff in the preparation of the Housing Element Update in meeting the State’s requirements and ultimately obtaining certification from HCD.
The purpose of the Housing Element is to establish a comprehensive housing strategy for all economic segments of the City. The Housing Element consists of four sections.
• Section 1: Provides an overview of the Housing Element and introduces key housing issues in the City of Huntington Beach.
• Section 2: Discusses characteristics of the City’s population and housing stock as a means of better understanding the nature and extent of unmet housing needs. This section discusses the major components of housing needs in Huntington Beach, including population, household, economic and housing stock characteristics. Each of these components is presented in a regional context, and, where relevant, in the context of other nearby jurisdictions. This assessment serves as the basis for identifying the appropriate goals, policies, and programs for the City to implement during the 2021-2029 Housing Element cycle.
• Section 3: Identifies constraints to providing housing and an assessment of fair housing in the City. Housing constraints consist of both governmental constraints and nongovernmental constraints. Governmental constraints include requirements such as development standards, land use controls, and permitting processes. Nongovernmental or market constraints describe other factors such as land costs, construction costs, and availability of capital. Further, AB 686 (2019) established new requirements for all California jurisdictions to ensure that local laws, programs, and activities affirmatively further fair housing. All Housing Elements due on or after January 1, 2021 must contain an Assessment of Fair Housing (AFH) consistent with the core elements of the analysis required by the federal Affirmatively Further Fair Housing Final Rule of July 16, 2015.
• Section 4: Sets forth a Housing Plan for the 2021-2029 planning period. The Housing Plan describes the specific goals, policies, and programs to assist City decision makers in achieving the long-term housing objectives set forth in the Housing Element. The goals, policies, and programs are aimed at providing additional housing opportunities, removing governmental constraints to affordable housing, improving the condition of existing housing, and providing equal housing opportunities for all residents across all income categories. These goals, policies, and programs further the City’s overall housing policy goal to inspire a more diverse, sustainable, and balanced housing stock. Implementation of these strategies and programs are meant to result in economically and socially diversified housing choices that preserve and enhance the special character of Huntington Beach.
• Appendix A: Provides an evaluation of the program accomplishments from the prior planning period (2013-2021).
• Appendix B: Discusses housing opportunities within the City of Huntington Beach to accommodate the City’s Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) at all income levels. This section includes an analysis of available sites for housing, including factors such as realistic capacity, potential for redevelopment, access to essential resources, proximity to transit or access to highway and road connectivity, and overall future residential opportunity.
• Appendix C: Provides a summary of community engagement regarding the Housing Element update. This section includes a prior joint study session with the Planning Commission and City Council, three virtual community meetings, a Spanish language outreach event, online community survey, the Housing Element update website, and meetings with stakeholder groups such as school districts and housing developers.
• Appendix D: Includes a memo commissioned by the City to satisfy HCD requirements regarding the feasibility of redevelopment on non-vacant sites identified in Appendix B.
The Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) has determined that Huntington Beach has a RHNA of 13,368 units for the 2021-2029 planning period. The RHNA is broken down further into the number of housing units needed for various household income categories. The City’s RHNA by income category is:
• 3,661 very low income units;
• 2,184 low income units;
• 2,308 moderate income units; and
• 5,215 above moderate income units.
The City demonstrates that its RHNA allocation can be met by providing for new residential units on the sites identified in Appendix B and entitled/pending projects with occupancy anticipated after January 1, 2021 (Attachment No. 1, Pages B-3 & B-4, Table B-2).
For the prior 2013-2021 planning period, the City’s RHNA was 1,353 units. The City has fully addressed zoning capacity for its prior RHNA through construction of new units, entitled projects, identified sites, and adoption of the Beach and Edinger Corridors Specific Plan.
CEQA:
A Subsequent EIR (SEIR) was prepared for the project (Attachment No. 2). The SEIR is a tiered analysis document utilizing the City’s General Plan Update Program EIR (August 2017) as a baseline. Pursuant to State CEQA Guidelines §15162(3)(A) and (B), the SEIR evaluates potential environmental impacts associated with adoption and implementation of the Housing Element Update. The SEIR concludes that the Project would result in significant and unavoidable impacts concerning air quality, greenhouse gases, hydrology and water quality, noise, and utilities and services systems. The SEIR was available for a 45-day public review period from June 29 to August 19, 2022. The final EIR, including responses to comments received, will be forwarded to the Planning Commission prior to action on the project.
PLANNING ISSUES:
This study session will focus on an introduction of the draft Housing Element to the Planning Commission and present an overview of the various sections and how they relate to the requirements of Housing Element law. Staff will also provide a description of the HCD certification process and a status update of HCD’s review, including remaining issues to be addressed in order to obtain HCD certification.
PUBLIC HEARING SCHEDULE:
The following upcoming meetings are tentatively scheduled on the Housing Element leading to final adoption by the City Council:
Meeting |
Date |
Time |
Planning Commission Study Session (Draft Housing Element) |
September 13, 2022 |
4:30 P.M. |
Planning Commission Study Session (Actions to Accommodate the RHNA - rezoning and affordable housing overlay) |
September 27, 2022 |
5:00 P.M. |
Planning Commission Study Session (SEIR) Planning Commssion Public Hearing (SEIR, Housing Element Update, RHNA Program Implementation - Rezoning and Affordable Housing Overlay) |
October 11, 2022 |
5:00 P.M. 6:00 P.M. |
City Council Public Hearing |
November 15, 2022 |
6:00 P.M. |
All meetings to be held in the City Council Chambers |
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Draft 6th Cycle Housing Element Update available at
<<https://www.huntingtonbeachca.gov/housing-element-update/public-review-draft-housing-element/>>
2. Subsequent EIR No. 2022-002 available at
<<https://www.huntingtonbeachca.gov/housing-element-update/public-review-draft-seir/>>
3. Housing Element Sites Exhibit