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Anaheim, CA 92805
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www.anaheim.net
CITY COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT
City of Anaheim
PLANNING AND BUILDING DEPARTMENT
DATE: MARCH 25, 2025
FROM: PLANNING AND BUILDING DEPARTMENT AND HOUSING
AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT
SUBJECT: GENERAL PLAN AND HOUSING ELEMENT ANNUAL
PROGRESS REPORTS FOR THE 2024 REPORTING PERIOD
ATTACHMENT (Y/N): YES ITEM # 04
GOVERNMENT CODE § 84308 APPLIES: NO
RECOMMENDATION:
That the City Council review the 2024 General Plan and Housing Element Annual Progress Reports (Annual Reports) and, by Motion, direct the Planning and Building Director to submit the reports to the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) and the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research (OPR).
DISCUSSION:
Each year, California cities are required to submit both the General Plan Annual Progress Report (APR) and the Housing Element APR to the State by April 1. These reports help the State ensure that local governments are complying with the planning and housing policies set forth by HCD.
The General Plan APR is intended as a tool for informing local legislative bodies of the jurisdiction’s effectiveness in implementing its General Plan. This report covers various elements of the General Plan, including land use, transportation, and safety, and highlights any changes or updates made during the year. It ensures planning strategies align with state requirements and evolving community needs, including housing and infrastructure.
The Housing Element APR tracks the progress of a city's efforts to meet its regional housing needs, as outlined in the Housing Element of its General Plan. This report provides a detailed account of the number of housing units built, approved, or planned during the reporting period, as well as any barriers to achieving housing goals. The report ensures that cities are on track to meet State-mandated housing targets and are taking steps to address the ongoing housing crisis.
By submitting these reports annually, the City demonstrates its commitment to addressing housing shortages and ensures that its policies align with state priorities.
Failure to provide these reports or meet the requirements outlined in them can result in penalties, reduced funding, and delays in local development projects.
General Plan and Housing Element Annual Progress Reports March 25, 2025
General Plan Annual Progress Report
Under California law, each city and county must adopt a comprehensive, long-term General Plan with eight mandated elements. The City of Anaheim’s General Plan was originally adopted in 1963, with a comprehensive update last completed in May 2004. Anaheim’s General Plan includes seven of the State-required elements - Land Use, Housing, Circulation, Conservation, Open Space, Noise, and Safety - in addition to four optional elements: Public Services and Facilities Element, Growth Management Element, Economic Development Element, and the Community Design Element.
In response to recent State law requirements, the City is undergoing a focused General Plan Update that reflects zoning, land use, and circulation updates resulting from the 2021-2029 Housing Element that addresses the City’s Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA) growth. State law also requires that jurisdictions with disadvantaged communities must adopt a new Environmental Justice Element when two or more elements of their General Plan are updated.
City staff drafted the 2024 General Plan APR (Attachment 1), which includes the following four sections, as recommended in the OPR General Plan Guidelines:
I. Introduction
II. Compliance with OPR General Plan Guidelines
III. Compliance with State Law Requirements for the Administration of the General Plan IV. General Plan Progress and Recent Project Summary
The Introduction section includes a table of contents, general information about the City of Anaheim and the General Plan, including the number of amendments to the General Plan during the reporting period. The next sections include information on how the City’s administration of its General Plan complies with OPR and State Guidelines in regards to the required elements and new General Plan requirements, such as Environmental Justice and Native American Tribal consultation. Lastly, the General Plan APR includes a list of major projects approved in 2024 and describes the General Plan goals and policies they implemented.
Housing Element Annual Progress Report
The Housing Element is one of the required elements of the City’s General Plan and addresses present and future housing opportunities for Anaheim residents. State law requires local jurisdictions to update the Housing Element every eight years and to file the Annual Report to HCD and OPR by April 1 of each year. State law also requires the City Council to consider these Annual Reports during a public meeting so that members of the public may provide oral testimony or written comments.
This is the third reporting year for the sixth cycle Housing Element which began October 15, 2021 and continues until 2029. The Annual Report, which is prepared on forms provided by HCD, identifies the City’s RHNA allocation and self-stated housing production goals (referred to as the “Quantified Objective”). Although the City’s sixth cycle Housing Element is still in draft form, this annual report is based on the draft policies. The completed Annual Report (Attachment 2), describes the following:
General Plan and Housing Element Annual Progress Reports March 25, 2025
Progress made towards meeting the housing goals, qualified by the total number of permits issued for new housing units during the reporting year, and the total number of housing units entitled and completed (HCD Table A, A2, and B); and Status of other action items outlined in the Housing Element’s Implementation Program (HCD Table D).
In addition, HCD requires jurisdictions to provide the following information, as applicable:
A list of sites that the City has identified or rezoned to accommodate any shortfalls from the projected unit yields of the current Housing Element cycle, as required by the “No Net Loss” State law (HCD Table C; N/A for 2024);
A report on development bonuses granted for commercial development in exchange for providing housing, as permitted by the State law (HCD Table E; N/A for 2024); A report on units rehabilitated, preserved and acquired for alternative adequate sites, pursuant to State law (HCD Table F; N/A for 2024);
A report on above moderate units converted to moderate income, pursuant to State law (HCD Table F2; N/A for 2024);
A report on any sales, leasing, or disposition of sites owned by the City that were included in the Housing Element Sites Inventory (HCD Table G);
An inventory of locally owned or controlled lands declared as surplus lands or identified as excess lands (HCD Table H);
A report on student housing development for lower income students for which a density bonus was granted, pursuant to State law (HCD Table J; N/A for 2024); A report on the local government’s tenant preference ordinance (HCD Table K); and A report on Local Early Action Planning Grant progress (HCD LEAP Reporting).
RHNA and Quantified Objective
The City’s RHNA allocation represents the number of housing units that the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) estimates will be necessary to accommodate the City’s projected population growth for the 2021-2029 planning period. SCAG allocated a RHNA obligation of 17,453 residential units to Anaheim during the 2021-2029 planning cycle, divided into four income categories as indicated in Table 1:
General Plan and Housing Element Annual Progress Reports March 25, 2025
Table 1: 2021-2029 RHNA by Income Categories
Income Category Income Range for a Household of
Four** 2021-2029 RHNA
Very Low-Income
(< 50% of AMI*) < $78,900 3,767
Low-Income
(51% to 80% of AMI) $78,901– $126,250 2,397
Moderate-Income
(81% to 120% of AMI) $126,251– $154,800 2,945
Above Moderate-Income
(>120% of AMI) > $154,800 8,344
Total RHNA Allocation 17,453 units
*Orange County’s 2024 Area Median Income (AMI) for a family of four is $129,000. **Updated to reflect 2024 income ranges based on the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) data for Orange County, CA.
In addition to reporting progress made towards meeting Anaheim’s RHNA allocation, this report illustrates the City’s progress towards achieving its Quantified Objective, an important component of the Housing Element. The Quantified Objective represents what the City has determined to be a reasonable number of building permits that the City can anticipate it will issue for housing units during the planning period, when taking into consideration factors such as available funding, infrastructure, and current market conditions. HCD reviews the City’s Quantified Objective as part of its Housing Element certification process.
For the 2024 reporting year (January 1, 2024 through December 31, 2024), the City issued 915 building permits for new housing units. Table 2 provides a breakdown by unit type.
Table 2: Building Permits Issued - By Type
Single-
Family
Single-
Family
Attached
Multi-
Family
Accessory
Dwelling
Unit
Total
Permitted
Units
Total 4 234 400 277 915
Percent of Total 0.5% 25.5% 43.7% 30.3% 100%
Projects for which building permits were issued in 2024 included:
Azure Apartments (Formerly known as Studio 6 Motel) - A phased project that was operating as interim housing is in the process of converting into permanent supportive housing for chronically homeless individuals. It will consist of 87 extremely-low income units and two manager units. The project is anticipated to be completed in September 2025.
General Plan and Housing Element Annual Progress Reports March 25, 2025
Lincoln Colony Apartments (DEV2019-00179) - A 43-unit, multi-family residential project (apartment building) using the Mixed-Use Overlay zone development standards.
The project is a four-story building, consisting of one- and two-bedroom units ranging in size from 705 to 1,130 square feet, with a two-story parking garage. A-Town Development Area E (DEV2020-00288) - A 257-unit multi-family residential development (apartment building) within the A-Town community, located in the Platinum Triangle. This project features rental units ranging in size from approximately 551 to 962 square feet. Amenities include a recreation courtyard with a pool, spa, sun deck, and barbecue areas. The development also includes a pedestrian plaza situated along the project’s street frontage on Metro Drive.
Townes at Broadway (DEV2020-00180) - A 112-unit single-family attached residential development (townhomes) project located on the site of a former school. The project includes 22 three-story buildings consisting of two to four bedroom units with attached two-car garages. Unit sizes range from 1,606 and 1,979 square feet. Broadway and Euclid (DEV2020-00248) - A 34-unit single-family attached residential development (townhomes). The project includes five three-story buildings with two- to four-bedroom units, each featuring an attached two-car garage. Unit sizes range from 1,062 to 1,633 square feet.
Harbor Townhomes (DEV2021-00023) - A 31-unit, single-family attached residential development (townhomes) project. The project includes six three-story buildings with attached two-car garages and six different plan types of two to four bedrooms. Unit sizes range from 1,002 to 1,814 square feet.
A-Town Development Area F (DEV2021-00131) - A 73-unit single-family attached residential development (townhomes) within the A-Town community, located in the Platinum Triangle. This project includes 17 residential buildings. Unit sizes range from approximately 1,675 to 2,399 square feet.
Sunkist and Lincoln (DEV2021-00180) - A 83-unit single-family attached residential development (townhomes). The project includes 10 buildings with attached two-car garages. Unit sizes range from 1,415 to 1,834 square feet.
Table 3, below, provides the RHNA income categories, respective RHNA allocation, permits issued, and remaining RHNA allocation, along with City’s Quantified Objectives by income category and the progress made towards meeting these objectives. Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) were assigned an income category consistent with the methodology utilized in the Housing Element.
General Plan and Housing Element Annual Progress Reports March 25, 2025
Table 3: Building Permits Issued
Income
Category
RHNA
Allocation
for 8-Year
Planning
Period
Quantified
Objective for 8-
Year Planning
Period*
Permits
Issued
2024
(Current
Reporting
Year)
Total
Permits
Issued in
6th Cycle
Remaining
RHNA
Allocation
Remaining
Quantified
Objective
Very Low-
Income 3,767 754 158 399 3,368 355
Low-
Income 2,397 168 119 252 2,145 -84
Moderate-
Income 2,945 8 93 217 2,728 -209
Above
Moderate-
Income
8,344 7,000 545 1,538 6,806 5,462
TOTAL 17,453 7,930 915 2,406 15,047 5,524
* Building permits issued from October 15 through December 31, 2021 were reported in the 2021 Annual Progress Report, but are applied to the 6th Cycle.
Housing Policy Program
In addition to housing production targets, the Housing Element includes a Housing Policy Program (HPP) that identifies a variety of policy actions necessary to ensure that the City meets its present and future housing needs. Certain policy actions are ongoing while others are scheduled to begin at varying intervals following Housing Element certification. The Annual Report illustrates the City’s progress towards achieving various policies and programs. The following list highlights key housing accomplishments achieved in 2024:
The Housing & Community Development Department is currently working on Bel'Age Manor Senior Apartments, a 178-unit senior rental housing rehabilitation project consisting of 59 very-low and 119 low-income units. Construction is currently underway and is expected to be completed in Summer 2025.
The Housing & Community Development Department continues to administer its Down Payment Assistance Program for low- and moderate-income homebuyers. The Department committed down payment assistance for the 100 West Townhomes, located at 100-394 W. Cerritos Avenue, for 29 of the 292 units. The project has been completed with 10 units receiving assistance in the calendar year 2023 and the remaining 19 units funded in 2024.
The Housing and Community Development Department currently implements a residential rehabilitation loan program for income-qualified single-family detached, attached and mobile home households to assist with home improvements. The program is General Plan and Housing Element Annual Progress Reports March 25, 2025
administered by Habitat for Humanity, an affordable housing non-profit organization, in partnership with the City. In FY 2023/24, five homes, including three units occupied by elderly residents, were rehabilitated.
The Housing Authority administers four federal voucher programs annually based on HUD funding availability. The number of vouchers for 2024 are listed below:
o Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers – 6,226 leased
o Section 8 Mainstream Housing Program Vouchers – 334 leased o Section 8 Homeless Preference – 145 leased
o Project-Based Voucher Program – 752 leased with 126 committed The Housing Authority administers the Federal Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) funds to assist people that are homeless or those who are at risk of becoming homeless. In FY23-24, $345,635 in ESG program funds was available to local non-profits to support street outreach, homeless prevention, rapid rehousing and emergency shelter activities. 536 homeless persons were assisted.
Status of General Plan and Housing Element Update
The Draft 2021-2029 Housing Element was first submitted to HCD on October 5, 2021.
Subsequent drafts were submitted to HCD in 2022, 2023 and 2024, with revisions addressing their feedback. On January 30, 2025, HCD confirmed the revised draft meets statutory requirements, though it will be considered in substantial compliance once the City completes necessary rezoning to accommodate its RHNA shortfall. On March 10, 2025, the Anaheim Planning Commission unanimously recommended City Council approval and adoption of the 2021-2029 Housing Element.
To obtain certification of the 2021-2029 Housing Element, amendments to the General Plan Land Use Element, Zoning Code, and Zoning Map are required to reflect potential housing sites and implement Housing Policy Programs. Additionally, staff has drafted an amendment to the General Plan Circulation Element and created a new Environmental Justice Element in accordance with State law. The corresponding Program Environmental Impact Report (PEIR) has also been prepared. The Planning Commission will consider a resolution to recommend City Council approval and adoption of these project components on March 24, 2025.
The Housing Element and companion efforts will be introduced to the City Council on April 22, 2025.
IMPACT ON BUDGET:
Funding for the preparation of the General Plan and Housing Element APRs and associated activities is included in the Planning and Building Department’s FY 2024/25 General Fund Budget and the Housing and Community Development Department’s FY 2024/25 Low- and Moderate-Income Housing Asset Fund Budgets.
General Plan and Housing Element Annual Progress Reports March 25, 2025
Respectfully submitted, Concurred by,
Heather Allen Grace Ruiz-Stepter
Acting Planning and Building Director Housing and Community Development Director Attachments:
1. General Plan Annual Progress Report
2. Housing Element Annual Progress Report