Jennifer Davis, Community Development Directod) SUMMARY

Transcription

1 Community Development Department STAFF PORT Date: September 17,2013 To: From: By: Subject: Steven A. Preston, City Manager Jennifer Davis, Community Development Directod) Mark Gallatin, AICP, City PlannerM City ofsan Gabriel Housing Element Applicant: City of San Gabriel SUMMARY California Government Code Section 65302(c) mandates that each city shall include a Housing Element in its General Plan, and that the Housing Element be updated periodically to reflect current conditions and legal requirements. The City's previous Housing Element was adopted in 2010, and state law requires that the element be updated for the planning period. The Housing Element identifies and analyzes existing and projected housing needs, and include statements of the City's goals, policies, quantified objectives, and programs for the preservation, improvement, and development of housing. In adopting its Housing Element, the City must consider local conditions and context, including economic, environmental, and fiscal factors, as well as cornmunity goals as set forth elsewhere in the General Plan. Staff recommends that the City Council APPROVE Planning Case PL , the City of San Gabriel Housing Element, and ADOPT Resolution No to approve the Addendum to the Negative Declaration of Environmental Impact for the City's Housing Element and adopt the updated Housing Element as part of the City's General Plan. I. INTRODUCTION A. BACKGROUND On February 19, 2013, the City Council awarded a contract to J.H. Douglas & Associates to prepare the City's updated Housing Element. The City Council and Planning Commission held a

2 Oty ofsan Gabriel Housing Element Page 2 joint study session on the draft Housing Element on May 21, While a number of local housing advocacy groups, non-profit housing developers and organizations serving low and moderate income residents and those with special needs were invited, none of their representatives and no members of the public spoke at the study session. On August 12,2013 the Planning Commission held a public hearing and adopted Planning Commission Resolution No , recommending that the City Council approve the Addendum to the Negative Declaration for the City's Housing Element and adopt the updated Housing Element as part of the City's General Plan. Accordingly, Resolution No has been prepared for adoption by the City Council. State law requires that the City submit the draft Housing Element to the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) for review, and that the City Council consider HCD's comments prior to its adoption. After incorporating all revisions requested by HCD, on July 24, 2013 a letter was received from HCD indicating that the draft Housing Element was deemed adequate for certification for compliance with state housing laws (see attached Exhibit "E"). This version of the Housing Element is attached as Exhibit "F". II. ~}UL1{SIS A. RELATIONSHIP OF THE HOUSING ELEMENT TO THE 2004 GENERAL PLAN The Housing Element is one of the mandated elements of the General Plan under state law. While the time horizon for the General Plan is years, state law requires that housing elements be updated on a more frequent schedule. The new Housing Element covers the period State law also requires all elements of the General Plan to be internally consistent. The Housing Element contains policies and assumptions regarding housing development that are consistent with the land use patterns described in the Land Use Element. The programmatic actions called for in Chapter V of the Housing Element would not change the location or type of new development anticipated in the Land Use Element. B. KE1{ ISSUES Since the Housing Element is revised periodically, this update represents a fine-tuning process rather than a wholesale overhaul. Many of the City's efforts have been successful and should be continued during the new planning period. Appendix A of the Housing Element includes a detailed review of current policies and programs, and identifies those components that are working well and those that should be revised to reflect changed circumstances or take advantage of new opportunities or lessons learned over the past few years. Some updates contained in the proposed Final Housing Element are the result of changes in state law or local conditions. The most significant of these proposed changes are summarized below:

3 Oty ofsan Gabriel Housing Element Page 3 1. Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA) And Quantified Objectives The Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA) is a key tool for local governments to plan for anticipated growth. The RHNA quantifies the anticipated need for housing within each jurisdiction for the 8%-year period from January 1,2014 through October 31, The RHNA allocation for San Gabriel is as follows: Regional Housing Growth Needs Extremely Very Low Low Low Moderate % 12.7% 15.6% 16.6% *Extremely-Iow-mcome need IS established as 50% ofthe very-low need Source: SCAG 2012 San Gabriel Above Moderate % Total % The important things to note about the RHNA are: The RHNA identifies each jurisdiction's fair share of the region's future housing needs. The RHNA is a planning target, not a development quota. Cities must demonstrate the availability of adequate sites, either vacant or underutilized, with appropriate zoning and development standards to accommodate the new housing need identified in the RHNA. Sufficient opportunities for high-density mixed-use development exist in commercial and specific plan areas to meet the City's RHNA obligation, and no changes to existing General Plan and zoning land use designations are necessary. The Quantified Objectives for new housing construction established in the Housing Element are consistent with both the RHNA and the level of development assumed in the 2004 General Plan. While demonstrating the availability of adequate sites for residential development commensurate with the RHNA is one of the most noteworthy issues contained in the Housing Element, the proposed Final Element also includes some other policy and program updates in response to changes in state law or local circumstances. 2. Completion OfPrevious Programs Related To Special Needs Housing The previous Housing Element included several programs to address special housing needs pursuant to state law, including zoning for emergency shelters, transitional and supportive housing, SRO facilities, and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. Amendments to the Municipal Code have been completed to address all of

4 I City of San Gabriel Housing Bement September I 7, 2013 Page 4 these requirements, and therefore these programs have been eliminated in the new proposed element. 3. Dissolution Of The Redevelopment Agency On December 29, 2011, the California Supreme Court ruled in the redevelopment litigation - CRA vs. Matosantos - upholding AB XI 26 which abolished redevelopment agencies. As a consequence of the ruling, all redevelopment agencies were dissolved on February 1, As a result of the state's elimination of redevelopment agencies, setaside funding is no longer available to support previous housing activities. Some programs and objectives in the proposed Final Housing Element have been modified to reflect the reduced level of available funding. 4. Meeting The Housing Needs Of The Developmentally Disabled SB 812, passed in 2010, requires cities to include an analysis of the specific housing needs of people with developmental disabilities as part of the Housing Element. The proposed final Housing Element includes this analysis and some of the changes made to the City's zoning ordinance after the last Housing Element was certified, such as zoning for supportive housing and provisions for making reasonable accommodations to land use regulations for persons with disabilities, help to meet the housing needs of this population. It is important to note that SB812's legislative mandate is only that cities analyze the housing needs of this population. It does not require that specific sites for such housing be identified. Existing state law on group homes requires facilities like the one for developmentally disabled residents at 610 De Sales serving six or fewer residents be treated exactly like any other single family home. Other policies and programs contained in the proposed Final Housing Element Action Plan (Chapter V) represent a continuation of existing policies and activities with only minor refinements, if any. C. ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW For purposes of CEQA analysis, it is important to note that the amount of new housing development anticipated in the RHNA and the Housing Element is consistent with the land use designations in the 2004 General Plan. The new Housing Element would not alter the amount or type of, or grant any additional entitlements for, the future development that was the subject of the prior CEQA evaluation in the 2004 General Plan Initial Study/Negative Declaration. The City of San Gabriel Housing Element has been reviewed for compliance with the requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act. Because the Housing Element would result in no changes to City land use or housing policy or regulations, no environmental effects would occur that were not previously analyzed in the Negative Declaration prepared for the Housing Element. Therefore, pursuant to California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines Section 15164, an addendum is the appropriate CEQA document for the Housing Element update. There is no substantial evidence suggesting that the project will result in significant environmental impacts not otherwise

5 Gty ofsan Gabriel Housing Element Page 5 addressed in the previous Negative Declaration. Consequently, a subsequent or supplemental EIR or IS/ND is not required. D. COMMUNITY OUTREACH AND PUBLIC NOTICE The City of San Gabriel encouraged the participation of its residents, community groups, and local agencies to help develop the Housing Element. The City's community outreach effort to advertise the joint meeting of the City Council and Planning Commission and the Planning Commission's public hearing included the cable TV scroll, City website, and press releases to English and non-english language print and electronic news outlets Because the Housing Element applies to the entire city, as required by law, this hearing was advertised by means of a 118 page public notice published in the San Gabriel Sun on September 5,2013 (Exhibit D attached). The public notice was also posted at City Hall, the Headquarters Fire Station, and the San Gabriel Post Office. Exhibit G attached to this report includes a summary of public participation efforts, as well as examples of informational flyers, press releases and cable TV scrolls used to inform the public about the Housing Element. E. NEXT STEPS Upon adoption as an element of the City's General Plan by the City Council, the Housing Element must be returned to HCD for final certification. Under state law, HCD has 90 days to review and certify the adopted element. The adopted element is due to HCD by October 15, III. RECOMMENDATION The Community Development Department recommends that the City Council: Attachments: Adopt Resolution No to: 1. Approve the Addendum to the Negative Declaration for the City's Housing Element 2. Adopt the updated Housing Element as part ofthe City's General Plan Exhibit A Resolution No ExhibitB Planning Commission Resolution No ExhibitC Addendum to the Negative Declaration for the City's Housing Element ExhibitD Notice of Public Hearing ExhibitE HCD Certification Letter,July 24, 2013 Exhibit F Final Draft ofthe Updated Housing Element, Revised August 2013 ExhibitG Public Participation Summary IExamples of Flyers, Press Releases and Cable TV Scrolls F:\Community Development\Planning\Planning Division\Housing Element' 20l3\City Council\Housing Element PL CC Report.doc