|
Planning
Commission Report |
Planning Commission Meeting:
March 5, 2008
Agenda Item: 9-B
To: Planning Commission
From:
Subject: Recommendation
to the City Council to approve in concept the 2008-2014 Housing Element of the
City’s General Plan
Applicant: City of
Recommended
Action
It is recommended that the Planning Commission recommend to the City Council approval in concept of the draft 2008-2014 Housing Element.
Executive
Summary
This report summarizes the highlights of the Housing Element, which is presented
to the Commission for its recommendation to the City Council. State Law
mandates that all southern
Background
Housing and its production are critical to the
economic and social well-being and vitality of the community and its residents.
Increasingly, the State of
Discussion
The following summarizes the main sections of the Housing Element.
The Housing Plan
The Housing Plan (Chapter 2) is the heart of the Housing Element. The chapter begins with a statement on the
City’s vision for providing housing that will be affordable to a broader
spectrum of the community. It is followed by summaries describing how
Vision for Housing and Relationship to the
Pending LUCE Update
Preparation
of the Housing Element update coincides with the LUCE process, affording the
City an opportunity to closely examine and coordinate the issues of community
growth, land use, housing, transportation, and community design. In many cases,
the community’s vision expressed throughout the extensive LUCE outreach process
affirms the continuation of existing Housing Element policies, which have
succeeded in producing affordable housing and services for populations with
special needs. These programs will be continued in this Housing Element. Other
goals and objectives that reflect the community’s vision are discussed in the
Housing Element. Land use strategies for
additional future residential development will be developed as part of the LUCE
process, which is still ongoing.
Provisional goals for the Land Use
and Circulation Element related to housing include: include:
1)
A
commitment to maintain and conserve the City’s existing residential
neighborhoods, including single-family and multi-family areas. There is strong
community desire to preserve and enhance the character and scale that currently
exists in these areas.
2)
Continued
commitment to developing affordable housing, services and programs that support
the homeless and other underserved populations.
3)
Promoting
sustainable land use and design concepts and green building and landscaping
practices.
4)
Exploring
a range of housing options downtown and at targeted locations along the City’s
major transit corridors.
5)
Planning
for future housing as a component of transit-oriented development, which is
largely dependent on the outcome of current planning efforts to determine the
path and station locations of the planned Expo light rail line.
6)
Exploring
ways to address housing affordability for the City’s workforce.
Background Data
Chapter 3 of the Housing Element provides a Housing Needs Assessment,
including an overview of the City’s population, household and housing
characteristics, and an analysis of the community’s housing needs. This
assessment serves as a foundation for developing housing objectives and
recommendations for allocating City resources in order to meet local housing
need and provide a fair share of regional affordable housing.
Analysis of Potential Constraints
State law requires local
jurisdictions to assess whether there are any constraints imposed by local
government on the maintenance, improvement or development of housing and to
consider removing any such constraints that impede a jurisdiction from
achieving its fair share of regional housing need. Constraints caused by
non-governmental factors, for instance the cost of land, must also be
identified. Chapter 4 of the Housing
Element discusses these potential constraints.
An in-depth study by HRA Advisors, Inc. of twelve interim and permanent
housing-related ordinances that the City has adopted since the 2000-2005 update
is summarized in this chapter and included in its entirety in Housing Element
Appendix B. The report concluded that
none of this legislation, which was enacted generally for the purposes of
ensuring residential compatibility and encouraging more affordable housing
production, has constrained the City’s ability to achieve its RHNA allocation as
set by the regional authority (the Southern California Associate of
Governments, or SCAG). While this
legislation may add procedures or substantive costs, those costs have not
prevented the typical housing developer from building housing in the City and this
legislation will not prevent the City from achieving its RHNA target.
Housing Resources
Expanded analysis and additional data are provided in Chapter 5 (Housing
Resources) to demonstrate why the City has been successful and continues to
manage productive programs that build affordable housing. The chapter includes an updated inventory of
underutilized sites where additional housing units could be built (Table 5-1)
based on the same methodology approved by HCD in the City’s previous housing
element. The RHNA requirement may be
reduced through “credit” given for units that have received building permits
since January 2006, and Chapter 5 discusses eligible current projects that will
deliver enough affordable and market-rate housing units to the city to exceed
that number in most affordability categories. A complete spreadsheet including
project locations and sizes is included in Housing Element Appendix D. It is anticipated that City, non-profit and
market-rate projects in the pipeline will further boost the production of low
and very-low income housing,
Review of Previous Housing Element Implementation
Chapter 6 of the draft Housing Element includes a detailed analysis of
each program included in the previous (1998-2005) Housing Element. Data is provided that supports a conclusion
that the City has indeed used its Housing Element as a program for action,
resulting in rehabilitation and construction of thousands of housing units,
support for renters, services to meet special needs, as well as new market rate
construction.
State Requirement for Housing Element
Adoption
The State set June 30, 2008 as the deadline
for southern
Community
and Inter-departmental Participation in the Housing Element
The draft Housing Element has been developed
with community input through many outreach efforts either specifically
associated with the Housing Element process or in conjunction with development
of the Land Use and Circulation Element (LUCE), which included many
opportunities for participation on issues related to housing over the last
three years.
While the Planning & Community Development Department (PCD) has taken the lead role in developing the Draft Housing Element, PCD has worked with staff members that implement housing-related programs in the City’s Housing and Economic Development Department, Human Services Department, and Rent Control Board. Staff from each of these agencies, in addition to the City Attorney’s office, has contributed to the research and review of this document.
A Special Meeting to discuss the
Housing Element’s direction and the RHNA was held for the Affordable Housing
community on December 14, 2007. Invitations were sent to thirty-six housing
developers, advocates, and service providers (Housing Element Appendix C). In addition to staff from various City
departments, representatives from the following agencies attended the meeting
and provided input:
•
Venice Community Housing Corp
•
Community Corporation of
•
•
Clare Foundation
Community Input Through the LUCE Process
The LUCE process began in 2004 and has involved a substantial amount of community outreach and engagement. Opportunities for residents to recommend strategies, review and comment upon land use and housing issues and discuss new opportunities for housing were an important component of the LUCE update. For example, in the initial visioning workshop, the need for housing that is affordable to a wide range of incomes emerged as one the community’s greatest concerns, and was reflected in the Emerging Themes. In 2007, the LUCE “Placemaking” workshops looked at ways to preserve existing neighborhood character and focused on nearby commercial areas that might have potential to become mixed-use neighborhood centers where more affordable or “workforce” housing might be built with access to nearby services and transportation options. In addition, potential for new residential/mixed-use neighborhoods was a focal topic in the Industrial Lands Workshops, which were attended by over 250 community members. City staff received important input at these and other workshops that was taken into consideration in formulating the goals and objectives of the Housing Element. In addition to its emphasis on programs to meet more immediate housing needs, the Housing Element is consistent with the LUCE vision for future housing opportunity areas. However, the Housing Element does not include specific proposals for location of new housing areas; that determination will be made in the LUCE.
Presentations were made to the Planning Commission, Housing Commission and Rent Control Board at the outset of the Housing Element’s preparation. Staff has scheduled presentations to the Housing Commission and Rent Control Board in March and their comments will be forward to the City Council.
Notification of
release of the draft Housing Element was published in the Santa Monica Daily
Press on February 15, 2008, and copies have been available at the Planning
Division’s public counter and all branch libraries. Electronic notification was provided to
housing providers and advocates and to adjacent jurisdictions and the
Environmental
Analysis
Once approved in concept, an initial study will be conducted to determine the proper level of environmental analysis for the draft Housing Element under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The initial study will result in either a negative declaration, mitigated negative declaration, or a full or limited environmental impact report (EIR). Community noticing and meetings as required by CEQA will be scheduled as the environmental analysis progresses.
Consistency with Other General Plan Elements
The City of
The Housing Element’s purpose is to
articulate the needs and programs that will promote the City’s ability to meet
its housing needs, including its fair share of regional development as
determined in the Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA). The proposed housing element reiterates the
city’s ongoing commitment to providing high quality housing for its residents,
maintaining and building new affordable housing, addressing issues of
homelessness, meeting special housing needs, implementing its Rent Control
ordinance, and ensuring that additional housing units added to the city’s
housing stock are compatible with existing neighborhoods and are in proximity
to neighborhood services in order to promote sustainability and healthy living
objectives.
Alternative
Actions:
In
addition to the recommended action, the Planning Commission could consider the
following with respect to the project:
1. Recommend approval in concept
with specific changes.
2. Recommend that the City Council
not approve in concept the draft Housing Element. This action would result in delays that may
have implications for meeting State deadlines for Housing Element preparation.
Prepared by: Elizabeth
Bar-El, AICP, Senior Planner
Attachments
A.
Link
to the Housing Element (electronic version) HARD COPY PROVIDED IN ADVANCE
TO THE COMMISSION