DRAFT 2021-2029
HOUSING ELEMENT
HEARING DRAFT / AUGUST 2024
Draft Revision of to the Housing Element Adopted by City Council on October 12, 2021 Hearing Draft August 2024 Page ii
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Hearing Draft August 2024 Page i
Table of Contents
City of Barstow Housing Element ......................................................................................................... 1 Introduction..........................................................................................................................1 Housing Element Organization .............................................................................................2 Goals and Policies.................................................................................................................3 Housing Program Implementation........................................................................................4 Quantified Objectives.........................................................................................................19 Appendix A. Evaluation of Previous Element ...................................................................................A-1 Introduction...................................................................................................................... A-1 Appendix B. Housing Assessment....................................................................................................B-1 Demographic Profile ..........................................................................................................B-1 Housing Profile...................................................................................................................B-9 Special Needs Groups......................................................................................................B-16 Affordable Housing Units At-Risk.....................................................................................B-27 Appendix C. Housing Constraints.....................................................................................................C-1 Governmental Constraints.................................................................................................C-1 Nongovernmental Constraints.........................................................................................C-26 Environmental Constraints ..............................................................................................C-29 Appendix D. Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing ..........................................................................D-1 Fair Housing Outreach and Enforcement.......................................................................... D-2 Integration and Segregation ............................................................................................. D-6 Access to Opportunity .................................................................................................... D-36 Local Data, Knowledge, and Other Relevant Factors...................................................... D-65 Contributing Factors....................................................................................................... D-68 Appendix E. Sites Analysis and Inventory ........................................................................................ E-1 Regional Housing Needs Assessment.................................................................................E-1 Vacant Land Inventory .......................................................................................................E-4 Fair Housing Implications of Housing Sites ......................................................................E-11 Electronic Sites Inventory Form.......................................................................................E-15 Appendix F. Stakeholder Engagement............................................................................................. F-1 Summary of Public Outreach .................................................................................................F-1 City of Barstow Housing Element
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Figures
Figure 3A. Built Land in Barstow ...................................................................................................... D-4 Figure 3B. Current Zoning Map........................................................................................................ D-5 Figure 4A. Racial and Ethnic Distribution (Barstow) ........................................................................ D-7 Figure 4B. Racial and Ethnic Distribution (Regional) ....................................................................... D-8 Figure 5A. Diversity Index (Barstow)................................................................................................ D-9 Figure 5B. Diversity Index (Regional) ............................................................................................. D-10 Figure 6A. Median City Income (Barstow) ..................................................................................... D-12 Figure 6B. Median Regional Income (Regional)............................................................................. D-13 Figure 7A. Poverty Status (Barstow) .............................................................................................. D-14 Figure 7B. Poverty Status (Regional).............................................................................................. D-15 Figure 8A. Low to Moderate Income (Barstow)............................................................................. D-16 Figure 8B. Low to Moderate Income (Regional)............................................................................ D-17 Figure 9A. Children in Single Mother-Headed Households (Barstow)........................................... D-19 Figure 9B. Children in Single Mother-Headed Households (Regional) .......................................... D-20 Figure 10A. Adults Living Alone (Barstow)....................................................................................... D-21 Figure 10B Adults Living Alone (Regional) ...................................................................................... D-22 Figure 11A. Adults Living with a Spouse (Barstow).......................................................................... D-23 Figure 11B. Adults Living with a Spouse (Regional) ......................................................................... D-24 Figure 12A. Children in Married Couple Households (Barstow)...................................................... D-25 Figure 12B. Children in Married Couple Households (Regional) ..................................................... D-26 Figure 13A. Residents with Disabilities (Barstow)............................................................................ D-28 Figure 13B. Residents with Disabilities (Regional)........................................................................... D-29 Figure 14A. Neighborhood Segregation (Barstow).......................................................................... D-31 Figure 14B. Neighborhood Segregation (Regional) ......................................................................... D-32 Figure 15A. R/ECAP, Segregation, and Poverty (Barstow)............................................................... D-34 Figure 15B. R/ECAP, Segregation, and Poverty (Regional) .............................................................. D-35 Figure 16A. TCAC/HCD Opportunity (Barstow)................................................................................ D-37 Figure 16B. TCAC/HCD Opportunity (Regional) ............................................................................... D-38 Figure 17A. Opportunity for Education (Barstow) ........................................................................... D-40 Figure 17B. Opportunity for Education (Regional) .......................................................................... D-41 Figure 18A. Opportunity for Economic Development (Barstow)..................................................... D-43 Figure 18B. Opportunity for Economic Development (Regional) .................................................... D-44 Figure 19A. Jobs Proximity Index (Barstow)..................................................................................... D-45 Figure 19B. Jobs Proximity Index (Regional).................................................................................... D-46 Figure 20A. Automobile Access (Barstow)....................................................................................... D-47 Figure 21A. Opportunity for the Environment (Barstow)................................................................ D-49 Figure 21B. Opportunity for the Environment (Regional) ............................................................... D-50 City of Barstow Housing Element
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Figure 22A. Healthy Places Index (Barstow) .................................................................................... D-51 Figure 22B. Healthy Places Index (Regional).................................................................................... D-52 Figure 23. Parks and Open Space (Barstow).................................................................................. D-53 Figure 24. Households with Any of Four Severe Problems (Barstow)........................................... D-55 Figure 25A. Renter Cost Burden (Barstow)...................................................................................... D-57 Figure 25B. Renter Cost Burden (Regional) ..................................................................................... D-58 Figure 26A. Homeowner Cost Burden (Barstow)............................................................................. D-59 Figure 26B. Homeowner Cost Burden (Regional) ............................................................................ D-60 Figure 27A. Household Overcrowding (Barstow)............................................................................. D-61 Figure 27B. Household Overcrowding (Regional)............................................................................ D-62 Figure 28. Sensitive Communities.................................................................................................. D-64 Figure 29. Planned Improvements to Low Resource Areas........................................................... D-73 Figure 30. Barstow Sites Inventory Map...........................................................................................E-9 Figure 31. Housing Sites Along Rimrock Road ..................................................................................E-9 Figure 32. Housing Sites North and South of Interstate 15............................................................E-10 Figure 33. Housing Sites North of Main Street/Route 66...............................................................E-10 City of Barstow Housing Element
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Tables
Table 1 Summary of Quantified Objectives, 2021-2029 ............................................................... 19 Table A-1 Evaluation of Previous Housing Element Implementation............................................. A-2 Table B-1 Population Size and Trends by City and SCAG Region.....................................................B-1 Table B-2 Age Characteristics in Barstow (2010, 2019)...................................................................B-2 Table B-3 Race and Ethnicity Trends in Barstow (2010, 2019) ........................................................B-3 Table B-4 Language Spoken at Home (2019)...................................................................................B-3 Table B-5 Employment Status for Population Age 16 Years and Over (2010, 2019).......................B-4 Table B-6 Employment by Industry in Barstow (2018)....................................................................B-5 Table B-7 Employment by Occupation and Earnings (2019) ...........................................................B-5 Table B-8 Median Annual Earnings by Educational Attainment (2019) ..........................................B-6 Table B-9 Household Income Distribution (2019) ...........................................................................B-7 Table B-10 Household Income Distribution by RHNA Categories (2019) ..........................................B-7 Table B-11 Household Types in Barstow (2010, 2019) ......................................................................B-8 Table B-12 Type of Housing Stock (2000, 2010, 2021) ......................................................................B-9 Table B-13 Housing Tenure in Barstow and SCAG (2018)................................................................B-10 Table B-14 Age of Housing Stock of Occupied Units........................................................................B-11 Table B-15 Overcrowding in Barstow (2019)...................................................................................B-12 Table B-16 Median Home Value (2019)...........................................................................................B-13 Table B-17 Fair Market Rents...........................................................................................................B-13 Table B-18 Median Rent (2019).......................................................................................................B-14 Table B-19 Annual Income Limits for Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario (2020) ............................B-14 Table B-20 Households by Share of Income Spent on Housing Cost (2016)....................................B-15 Table B-21 Income Spent on Housing by Tenure (2019) .................................................................B-15 Table B-22 Elderly Households by Income and Tenure, 2019 .........................................................B-16 Table B-23 Senior Housing Options .................................................................................................B-17 Table B-24 Farmworkers by Occupation..........................................................................................B-18 Table B-25 Disability Status (2019) ..................................................................................................B-19 Table B-26 Large and Single-Parent Families (2019) .......................................................................B-21 Table B-27 Housing for Families in Barstow ....................................................................................B-22 Table B-28 Housing Needs of Extremely and Very Low Income Households, (2019)......................B-23 Table B-29 RHNA Construction Goal, 2021-2029 ............................................................................B-26 Table B-30 Publicly Assisted Multifamily Housing ..........................................................................B-28 Table C-1 2021 Residential Zoning Districts.....................................................................................C-1 Table C-2 2021 Zoning for a Variety of Housing Types....................................................................C-2 Table C-3 2021 Development Standards for Zones That Permit Residential Uses........................C-10 Table C-4 2021 Development Standards for Diverse Use/Human Services Zoning District..........C-11 Table C-5 2021 Parking Standards by Residential Use...................................................................C-12 City of Barstow Housing Element
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Table C-6 Residential Development Approval Timeframe.............................................................C-19 Table C-7 2021 Permitting Fees.....................................................................................................C-22 Table C-8 2021 Approximate Fees per Housing Unit.....................................................................C-23 Table C-9 Disposition of Home Loans (2019).................................................................................C-26 Table C-10 Time Frame from Application Approval to Permit ........................................................C-28 Table D-1 Barstow, Race and Ethnicity (2019)................................................................................ D-6 Table D-2 Disability Status (2021) ................................................................................................. D-27 Table D-3 Dissimilarity Index (2020) ............................................................................................. D-30 Table D-4 Fair Housing Issues Raised in Barstow, 2023................................................................ D-65 Table D-5 Fair Housing Issues, Contributing Factors, and Plan..................................................... D-71 Table E-1 Regional Housing Needs Allocation, 2021-2029..............................................................E-1 Table E-2 Pipeline Development......................................................................................................E-2 Table E-3 Housing Capacity Identified.............................................................................................E-7 Table E-4 Capacity on Vacant Sites..................................................................................................E-8 Table E-5 Income Impacts of RHNA...............................................................................................E-12
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City of Barstow Housing Element
Introduction
The City of Barstow (City) is faced with various important housing issues that include a balance between employment and housing opportunities, a match between the supply of and demand for housing, preserving and enhancing affordability for all segments of the population, preserving the quality of the housing stock, and providing new types of housing to support growth and the changing population. This Housing Element provides policies and programs to address these issues.
The Housing Element of the General Plan addresses
the housing needs in Barstow for the 8-year planning
period (2021–2029). It provides an analysis of local
housing needs, details barriers to providing needed
housing, and identifies strategies for meeting local
housing need. Housing Elements are one of eight
chapters of a General Plan required by State law. The
Housing Element must be updated every 8 years. In
contrast, the General Plan is updated when
determined appropriate by the City. This is the 6th
update to the City’s Housing Element (6th Cycle).
Recent amendments to housing and planning laws aim to address California’s housing shortage, placing significant new requirements for the 6th Cycle Housing Element. Housing in California has become some of the most expensive in the nation, ranking 49th out of 50 states in homeownership rates as well as the supply of housing per capita. Only half of California’s households are able to afford housing in their local regions, and every city and county across the State of California is required to adequately plan for their fair share of needed housing in their community.
State law requires that cities must adequately plan
for its existing and projected housing needs,
including its share of the Regional Housing Needs
Allocation (RHNA), as determined by the Southern
California Association of Governments (SCAG). The
breakdown of units allocated by SCAG are shown to
the left. In order for the private market to adequately address housing needs, the City must adopt land use
plans and regulatory systems that provide
opportunities for, which do not unduly constrain,
housing development. State law requires each local government to demonstrate where housing can reasonably be accommodated within this cycle and how a city will facilitate and incentivize its production.
As identified by the 6th Cycle RHNA, the City will plan for accommodating 1,520 housing units, which are further broken down by income level, on sites that are suitable for residential development.
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Housing Element Organization
The Housing Element identifies goals, policies, and programs to comprehensively address the housing needs of all current and anticipated residents at all income levels over the upcoming housing period between 2021 through 2029. The Housing Element is divided into chapters, and supporting documentation is included as appendices to the Housing Element.
Housing Element Content
• The introduction provides an overview of the Housing Element, its relationship to State law, the City’s RHNA, and the Housing Element organization.
• General Plan Consistency details those policies identified throughout the elements of the General Plan that guided the policies set forth in the Housing Element to ensure that consistency is maintained throughout the General Plan.
• Goals and Policies specifies the City’s plans for meeting the existing and projected comprehensive housing needs of Barstow.
• Program Implementation identifies the specific actions that will be implemented to ensure that Barstow’s housing needs are met within the planning period.
Appendices
• Appendix A, 5th Cycle Review, evaluates the efficacy of the 5th Cycle Housing Element; the progress in plan implementation; and the appropriateness of the goals, policies, and programs. • Appendix B, Needs Assessment, provides detailed information on Barstow’s demographic characteristics and trends that influence supply and demand of various housing types. • Appendix C, Constraints and Zoning Analysis, details governmental and nongovernmental constraints to the maintenance, improvement, or development of housing for all income levels. • Appendix D, Affirmatively Further Fair Housing, analyzes potential fair housing issues in the community and provides programs and strategies to affirmatively further fair housing. • Appendix E, Sites Analysis and Inventory, describes how the City can accommodate their RHNA targets and provides an inventory of the sites identified to meet the housing need. • Appendix F, Stakeholder Engagement, provides a detailed report on the recent relevant outreach conducted to receive input from the City’s stakeholders.
General Plan Consistency
The elements that compose the City’s General Plan are required by State law to be internally consistent.
State law requires that general plans include the following elements: Housing, Land Use, Circulation, Conservation, Open Space, Noise, Safety, and Environmental Justice. The elements are presented in no specific order and each is of equal importance to the other. The City is in the process of updating the entire General Plan with a planning horizon of 2048. Barstow’s 2021-2029 Housing Element is directly related to the Land Use Element, since it is the Land Use Element that designates the location and extent of residential development. The Housing Element is internally consistent with the goals, policies, and implementation programs of the other elements of the current General Plan. No significant changes to the remaining elements of the General Plan are anticipated which would warrant a significant change to the Housing Element. The City will maintain consistency between General Plan elements by ensuring that changes in the Housing Element or other elements are consistent with one another as the current General Plan update proceeds and as future amendments are proposed and adopted.
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Goals and Policies
A sound basis for any plan of action is a set of well-defined goals and policies that reflect the desires and aspirations of the community. The housing goals are broad statements that define a predetermined, desired end. Policies provide strategic guidance on how to further achievement of the City’s housing goals.
To that end, the City has established the following housing goals and accompanying policies.
In general, the City has no shortage of land for development. Instead, the primary issue is the ability to draw businesses with living-wage employment so that residents can afford to buy homes.
Goal #1: A diverse range of housing types that meets the City’s housing needs.
Policy 1.1: Provide a variety of residential development opportunities in the City, through zoning and land use designations, which permit housing to meet the needs of current and future residents.
Policy 1.2 Encourage the development of multifamily housing with three or more bedrooms per unit to accommodate large families and address unit overcrowding in Barstow.
Policy 1.3: Encourage the development of housing for older adults and those with special housing needs by offering regulatory or financial incentives, where feasible.
Policy 1.4: Encourage the development of residential units that are accessible to persons with a disability or are adaptable for conversion to residential use by persons with a disability.
Policy 1.5: Encourage housing production through incentives and the removal of regulatory barriers, especially accessory dwellings, affordable housing for lower income residents, and planned developments that provide homes for families and seniors.
Goal #2: Improved and well-maintained housing stock that provides a safe, healthful, and suitable living environment for residents.
Policy 2.1: Ensure that all new housing construction adheres to applicable building, safety, and health requirements that protect the health, safety, and welfare of residents.
Policy 2.2 Promote housing and residential property maintenance through education, building inspections, code compliance, and financial assistance where feasible.
Policy 2.3: Pursue removal of abandoned substandard housing in flood-prone areas and limit and discourage housing development in areas subject to significant geologic, flooding, blow sand, noise, and fire hazards.
Policy 2.4: Assist lower income households, where feasible, in maintaining and improving the quality and livability of their homes.
Policy 2.5: Facilitate, where feasible, the preservation of existing affordable housing to maintain the housing security of lower income residents, including those with special needs.
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Goal #3: Quality residential neighborhoods that complement both the built and natural environment.
Policy 3.1: Promote and encourage innovation and creativity in housing development through residential construction methods and materials that incorporate energy-saving features.
Policy 3.2: Facilitate high-quality design in development to ensure land use compatibility and the health and safety of residents through methods such as appropriate setbacks and buffers, and to discourage housing in areas prone to natural hazards.
Policy 3.3: Encourage lower income and mixed-income housing production in areas served by infrastructure, public transit, recreation, quality schools, shopping and services, and in proximity to employment.
Policy 3.4: Maintain the provision of needed capital improvements, such as parks, water and service infrastructure, and public safety services that are essential to quality of life.
Policy 3.5: Engage with housing stakeholders to foster conversations surrounding housing; provide transparent internal practices to facilitate new housing.
Policy 3.6 Improve the health of residential neighborhoods by addressing and remediating environmental contamination, installing active transportation improvements, protecting residents from noise, and maintaining water quality.
Goal #4: Equal opportunities for all residents to reside in the housing of their choice.
Policy 4.1: Coordinate with developers to facilitate housing production and strive to connect them with relevant information as it relates to fair housing.
Policy 4.2 Continue to support nonprofit organizations through available incentives to provide assistance to those experiencing homelessness.
Policy 4.3 Continue collaboration with other public agencies involved in the enforcement of laws aimed at promoting fair access to housing (fair housing laws) and nondiscrimination.
Policy 4.4 Encourage the expansion of opportunities for housing access, homeownership, and/or rental for lower income households and those with special needs.
Policy 4.5 Administer municipal programs and activities relating to housing and community development in a manner consistent with affirmatively furthering fair housing; seek to remove barriers to housing and services based on protected characteristics.
Housing Program Implementation
Program 1, Housing Inspections and Code Compliance
The City’s code compliance staff is tasked with ensuring that the quality of the City’s neighborhoods is maintained. Code enforcement inspections are complaint driven. Staff enforces state and local regulations City of Barstow Housing Element
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governing exterior building conditions, property maintenance, and interior conditions. Eligible property owners with code compliance issues are directed to available resources for assistance in resolving issues and making repairs. In addition to the complaint-based code enforcement, the City will develop and implement an annual rental inspection for rental properties. Those rental properties that pass multiple annual inspections will receive an incentive of reduced fees.
Objective(s) • Close 100% of housing-related code compliance cases. • Connect residents to available resources to address code violations • Post relevant building code compliance information on the City’s website • Enforce the rental housing and fire inspection programs (adopted in 2021 and revised in 2022).
Time Frame • Ongoing annual assistance to residents, tenants, and property owners. • Update website by fall of 2024.
Responsible Agency Interdepartmental
Funding Sources General Funds
Relevant Policies 2.1, 2.2, 2.3
Program 2, Downtown Barstow
The Route 66 Business Corridor and Downtown Business and Cultural District Specific Plan was adopted in July 2016 and envisions a revitalized Main Street along Barstow’s historic Route 66, which includes commercial, residential, mixed use, and industrial land uses in a pedestrian friendly environment. The historic downtown area holds multiple small businesses and is the key east-west business corridor. The City will continue to apply for grant funding and coordinate with the development community annually and continue to facilitate the implementation of the Downtown Specific Plan.
Objective(s) • Seek and apply for grant opportunities annually, where available. • Collaborate with potential developers and assist in the identification of properties available for residential and mixed-use development for lower income households, including ELI households and households with special needs, through one-on-one consultations that are commonly provided within 2 weeks of developer inquiries.
Time Frame • Contact developers on an annual and ongoing basis. • Annually pursue available grants for new housing, including senior housing.
Responsible Agency Planning and Economic Development
Funding Sources General Funds and private investments
Relevant Policies 1.1 and 3.3
Program 3, Sites Inventory Monitoring
The City has adequate sites to satisfy its 2021-2029 RHNA under current general plan and zoning districts.
However, the City will monitor development activity, rezones, and identified capacity to ensure adequate capacity is available to meet any remaining unmet share of the RHNA, consistent with no-net-loss City of Barstow Housing Element
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requirements. If at any time during the planning period a project results in fewer units by income category than identified in the sites inventory (Appendix E) and remaining sites in the housing element are not adequate to accommodate the remaining RHNA by income level, the City will within 180 days identify and make available additional adequate sites to accommodate the shortfall. The City will also prepare annual progress reports to ensure that programs are periodically evaluated.
Objective(s) • Review all development and rezone proposals against the site capacity identified in the Sites Inventory (Appendix E) and track remaining capacity. • If sites become inadequate to meet the RHNA, address them (find new site or rezoning) within the specified time required per state law. • Annually prepare the Housing Element APR and CAPER.
Time Frame • Ongoing capacity tracking as development or rezone proposals occur. • Identify additional sites within 180 days if shortfall occurs. • Annual preparation of progress reports.
Responsible Agency Planning and Economic Development, Building Department Funding Sources General Funds
Relevant Policies 3.5, 4.1
Program 4, Housing Design
The City’s design guidelines for development provide clear examples of the quality and type of design recommended. Design guidelines work in tandem with development standards in the zoning code or appropriate specific plans to provide clear guidance on the design of structures. The City will update the design guidelines to clarify that multifamily developments in the MDR, future HDR, and Diverse Use zones qualify for administrative review against design guidelines, not subject to Planning Commission approval.
In addition, the City is required to increase transparency and certainty in the development process through objective design standards. Any new design standards developed and imposed by the City shall be objective without involvement of personal or subjective judgment by a public official and shall be uniformly verifiable by reference to the City's regulations in accordance with the Housing Crisis Act. The City will therefore review its design guidelines and make revisions, where needed, to ensure that they are objective and do not constrain the development of housing.
Objective(s) • Amend zoning code to clarify language and design guidelines. • Create code amendments to ensure design standards are objective.
Time Frame • Review current design standards and identify change areas by June 2025. • Adopt code amendments by December 2026.
• Ongoing during the planning period following new design standards.
Responsible Agency Planning and Economic Development
Funding Sources General Funds
Relevant Policies 1.5, 3.1, 3.2
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Program 5, Economic Development and Job Opportunities
To improve the ability of Barstow residents to earn higher incomes and meet their basic necessities, including affording housing, the City will continue its own economic development activities and collaborate with others. More specifically, the City will:
• Address Land Use Planning. Update the general plan and prepare a specific plan to address and process annexation for economic development projects after general plan adoption. The Barstow International Gateway (BIG) project is anticipated to bring 8,000 direct jobs to Barstow. • Offer Economic Incentives. Pursue economic development grants available from the County, work with businesses to expand or relocate within the opportunity zone that covers the City’s R/ECAP and other qualified tracts and continue efforts at business retention. • Expand Employment Opportunities. Liaise with BNSF and Barstow Community College to provide training programs that match BNSF employment needs to the College’s Technical Education programs for students. Update General Plan and coordinate with BNSF to enact a local hiring preference policy for Barstow residents related to the BIG project. • Educational Options. Work with the College to expand the marketing of CARES program to singleparent families with children to subsidize their educational and living expenses. Focus attention on houses in Census Tracts 95 and 120.01, where single parent households are most prevalent.
Objective(s) • Update the General Plan, adopt a specific plan, and complete annexation for BIG project and other economic development opportunities. • Reach out to top 10 businesses on eligibility and options for grants and expansion/relocation options.
• Continue collaboration with current and potential employers and Barstow Community College to offer training for Barstow’s workforce. • Collaborate with Barstow Community College to reach single-parent families about the CARES program, focusing on Census Tracts 95 and 120.01.
Time Frame • Update the General Plan and adopt a specific plan by December 2025; complete annexation by 2026.
• Coordinate with San Bernardino County on grants annually, initiate contact with businesses in 2025.
• Collaborate with Barstow Community College to deliver informational material on the CARES program annually by December of each year.
Responsible Agency Planning and Economic Development and other entities as appropriate Funding Sources General Fund and external grants/resources Relevant Policies 4.5
Program 6, Mixed-use and Higher Density Residential Opportunities The City’s 2015–2020 General Plan resulted in the implementation of a Diverse Use (DU) land use and zoning category to encourage a mix of residential, commercial, and mixed uses. The City will continue to implement the DU zone, evaluate its effectiveness, and where needed and appropriate, amend zoning regulations to improve the feasibility of development or remove any potential governmental constraint.
The City is also anticipating that its default density threshold will increase to 30 units per acre in the next Housing Element update (7th cycle, 2029-2037). As part of the current general plan update, the City will City of Barstow Housing Element
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establish a High Density Residential general plan designation and equivalent zone that allows multifamily development at a range of 20 to at least 30 units per acre. The City also anticipates increasing the maximum density of the DU zone to 30 units per acre–further incentivizing multiple-family housing.
Objective(s) • Evaluate efficacy of Diverse Use development regulations in facilitating and encouraging desired types of residential development. • Where appropriate and feasible, amend development regulations to increase development feasibility, including increasing the maximum density of the Diverse Use designation/district to 30 units per acre. • Establish a new High Density Residential designation/district (minimum density of 20 units per acre and a maximum of at least 30 units per acre).
Time Frame • Completion evaluation during the current General Plan Update and amend General plan and Zoning regulations by December 2025.
Responsible Agency Planning and Economic Development
Funding Sources General Funds
Relevant Policies 1.1, 1.5, 3.2
Program 7, Resource Conservation
The City encourages sustainable development that reduces energy consumption, protects the environment, and facilitates the production of affordable housing. The City’s efforts include implementation of CALGreen and administrative review of solar panels for roof-mounted, and some ground-mounted systems. Further, upon adoption of the Housing Element, the City will distribute a copy of the Housing Element to area water and sewer providers to ensure that service allocations to proposed developments are prioritized for housing units affordable to lower income households.
Objective(s) • Continue to implement California Green Building Standards. • Provide administrative review for qualifying solar panel installations. • Work with local water purveyors to prioritize water allocation for affordable housing development. The City will establish a procedure by which sewer allocation is prioritized for affordable housing development.
Time Frame • Ongoing implementation of CALGreen and solar panel review program. • Distribute the Housing Element to water and sewer utilities within one month of certification (target December 2024).
Responsible Agency Building, Planning & Economic Development, Environ. Services Division Funding Sources General Funds, CDBG
Relevant Policies 1.5, 3.1, 3.2
Program 8, Removal of Potential Constraints
The City will address and may, where appropriate and legally possible, remove governmental constraints on the development of housing, especially housing for lower income households and special needs groups. While the City will address its design guidelines as noted Program #4, other specific constraints remain. Parking regulations will be modified for religious institutions per Gov’t Code 65913.6. In addition, as mentioned earlier, the last several years have seen a flood of new legislation, including density bonus City of Barstow Housing Element
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law. While the City has such a local ordinance (adopted pursuant to Ord. No. 302, 2017), state law has significantly changed since then and therefore merits a review of the City’s current codes.
Objective(s) • Expand incentives for developments that provide housing for lower income and extremely low-income households and developments that go above and beyond the accessibility requirements under existing law. • Amend the zoning code per Gov’t Code 65913.6, to identify a process by which parking requirements can be reduced for religious institutions in exchange for housing developments (AB 1851, 2020).
• Review, update, and adopt a modified density bonus law consistent with changes in state density bonus law (Gov’t Code 65915 et. seq.) • Review state law annually and current municipal code provisions and amend the zoning code accordingly to keep up with new legislation.
Timeframe • Complete all code revisions by Dec. 2025.
Responsible Agency Building, Planning and Economic Development, and Engineering Funding Sources General Funds
Relevant Policies 1.4, 1.5, 3.1, 3.2
Program 9, Alternative Housing Opportunities
Barstow residential neighborhoods offer a diversity of housing that vary in type, density, and vintage. The City is taking steps to broaden the range of housing opportunities for its residents to expand opportunities for Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs), employee housing, and manufactured housing as summarized.
While the City recently updated its ADU ordinance, revisions are needed to address the following:
• AB 345 (2022) to require the allowance of the separate conveyance of ADUs from the primary dwelling in certain circumstances, provided they meet certain conditions • AB 3182 (2021) to further address barriers to the development and use of ADUs and JADU • AB 671 (2019) to include a plan that incentivizes and promotes the creation of ADUs that can offer affordable rents for very low-, low-, or moderate-income households Finally, a careful review of the municipal codes found ambiguities in the definition and permitting of manufactured housing, mobile homes, and mobile home parks. The following code amendments will assist in interpreting and implementing state law when residential development proposals are submitted. • Define manufactured/modular/factory-built housing, mobile homes, and mobile home parks consistent with the Health and Safety Code §18007, §18008, §18214 and §19971 and permit as required by Gov't Code §65852.3, §65852.7, and Health & Safety Code §19993. • Adopt an amendment to the City’s code as it relates to employee and farmworker housing in accordance with California Health and Safety Code §§ 17021.5 and 17021.6. • Revise or remove zoning code terms that have fair housing implications, including dwelling, onefamily, two family dwelling, multiple-family dwelling, and other similar terms.
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Objective(s) • Update ADU ordinance for recent changes in new state laws, submit ADU ordinance to HCD, consider HCD’s findings on the ADU ordinance, and develop an affordable ADU incentive.
• Adopt an amendment to the City’s code as it relates to employee and farmworker housing in accordance with California Health and Safety Code §§ 17021.5 and 17021.6.
• Revise zoning to clarify definitions of manufactured housing, mobile homes, mobile home parks, and factory built housing and identify zones where uses are permitted in accordance with State requirements. • Revise zoning code terms that define dwelling as being exclusively designed for and/or used by one, two, or three or more families.
Time Frame • Consider HCD’s findings on adopted ADU ordinance and adopt zoning code amendments and affordable ADU incentive by fall 2025.
• Make and adopt all technical zoning code amendments noted above within one year of housing element adoption.
Responsible Agency Building, Planning and Economic Development, and Engineering Funding Sources General Funds
Relevant Policies 1.1, 1.5, 3.3, 4.4
Program 10, Financial Assistance for Housing
With the dissolution of the Redevelopment Agency, the City no longer has a funding stream to assist with the construction or rehabilitation of housing and must instead rely on funds from partner agencies. The City will continue to seek and apply for funding for assistance with the construction and rehabilitation of housing affordable to lower income households. Further, the City will continue to coordinate with developers to identify opportunities for housing construction and, where available, will assist with land assemblage and write-downs. The City will identify local surplus lands where available and prioritize housing development affordable to lower income households and those with special needs.
Objective(s) • Seek and apply for grant funds annually, where available. • Identify and track surplus lands annually and market them to developers. • Financial assistance for 2 new affordable housing developments. • Rehabilitation assistance for 40 units.
Time Frame • Ongoing annual grant fund applications, where available. • Identify and track City-owned surplus lands annually. • Provide written notice of availability of surplus lands per state law. • Provide assistance as funding is available.
Responsible Agency Planning and Economic Development
Funding Sources General Funds and Grants
Relevant Policies 1.1, 1.3, 3.5, 4.2
City of Barstow Housing Element
Hearing Draft August 2024 Page 11
Program 11, Rental Housing Assistance
The City has 11 publicly assisted projects (six privately owned and 5 public housing authority owned) that provide 781 affordable housing units for residents. In addition, the County Housing Authority provides 534 rental vouchers to income-qualified residents. Of the total public assisted housing stock, two affordable housing projects consisting of 300 low-income units are identified as at risk of conversion from affordable to market-rate rents by 2030 due to expiring covenants under the Neighborhood Stabilization Program and Home program. As these projects re occupied by families and seniors vulnerable to displacement and loss of housing should the projects covert to market rents, the City will continue to participate and support housing assistance programs to encourage and preserve affordable housing. The City will also update its website to connect landlords and tenants with appropriate resources.
Objective(s) • Support continued provision of housing assistance through County vouchers and public housing.
• Coordinate with property owners to ensure conversion notices and education are provided to tenants at: 3 years, 1 year, and 6 months. • Update the City’s website to provide resources to residents on available housing programs and services.
• As feasible, provide financial and/or technical assistance to preserve up to 300 “at-risk” publicly assisted affordable housing by 2030 Time Frame • Contact at-risk properties annually to ensure noticing compliance. • Update City website by the first quarter of 2025.
• Support preservation efforts annually as requested and feasible.
Responsible Agency Planning and Economic Development and County Housing Authority Funding Sources Federal and County Funds and General Funds Relevant Policies 3.5, 4.3, 4.4
Program 12, Housing for Persons with Disabilities
Barstow encourages the development of housing suitable for people with all disabilities through zoning, land use regulations, and reasonable accommodations. However, the BMC requires revision to regulations governing residential care facilities, both serving six or fewer clients or seven and more clients to comply with state law. This includes reexamining the conditional use permit process to ensure that the findings are both objective and promote certainty of approvals for proposed large residential care facilities.
Moreover, the City’s reasonable accommodation ordinance, while a tool for facilitating housing modifications to assist disabled residents in accessing housing, should be updated in accordance with new state law adopted since the ordinance was originally enacted by the City.
Objective(s) • Modify reasonable accommodation ordinance and findings to ensure consistency with changes in state and federal fair housing law. • Amend zoning code to define residential care facilities (RCF), allow small (6 or fewer) facilities in all zones allowing housing as a by-right use, and treat them like any other family dwelling of the same type in the same zone.
City of Barstow Housing Element
Hearing Draft August 2024 Page 12
• Amend the zoning code to conditionally permit RCFs that serve seven or more residents in all zones allowing housing as a by-right use based on objective, nondiscriminatory findings.
• Evaluate and modify any conditional use permit findings that are found to be a constraint to the development of RCFs serving seven or more clients to ensure objectivity and certainty in the approval process.
Time Frame • Ongoing processing of reasonable accommodation requests throughout the Housing Element cycle, within 1 month of request submittals. • Revise reasonable accommodation ordinance and zoning for small RCFs by the end of 2025.
• Revise CUP findings for large residential care facilities by the end of 2025 Responsible Agency Building and Planning Department
Funding Sources General Funds
Relevant Policies 1.1, 1.4, 3.5, 4.4
Program 13, Housing for Older Adults
Seniors make up nearly 12 percent of Barstow’s population, and community members consistently cite senior housing as the top housing need in Barstow. The City supports the provision of senior housing and life care facilities. The City will further advance senior housing by connecting residents with guidance on home retrofits to assist with increased accessibility in homes where older adults wish to age-in-place.
Objective(s) • Update the City’s website to provide home retrofit guidance. • Work with developers to build and provide older adult housing by providing informational handouts at the counter.
• Seek out developer for the former hospital site to build senior housing.
Time Frame • Update website by December 2025
• Coordinate with developers and provide handouts on an ongoing basis.
Responsible Agency Planning, Economic Development Department Funding Sources San Bernardino County and Planning Department Relevant Policies 1.1, 1.3, 1.4, 2.3, 3.5, 4.4
Program 14, Homeless Services
In 2019, the Barstow City Council established the Homeward Bound Committee to address how to assist persons experiencing homelessness in Barstow. The committee adopted the Homelessness Strategic Action Plan and Master Plan. The programs contained therein are not City-operated but rather operated by those experienced in providing social services. The City’s program coordinator will assist service providers and act as a liaison between them, other government agencies, law enforcement, etc. as they collaborate to serve this underserved population. The City supports three entities—Desert Manna, New Hope, and Desert Sanctuary—to meet the needs of homeless people consistent with the Master Plan.
City of Barstow Housing Element
Hearing Draft August 2024 Page 13
The City assists nonprofits in addressing shelter needs by permitting such facilities in the zoning code. The City permits “emergency shelters providing temporary shelter for homeless populations” as a by-right land use in the HS District (BMC § 19.14.020), but a later section (BMC § 19.14.030) requires a conditional use permit for “shelters and provision of services for homeless, at-risk and special needs populations.” The BMC also does not define shelters. To address these issues, the BMC will be revised to define shelters (per HSC § 50801) and remove the CUP (per Gov’t Code § 65583). In addition, the City will revise parking standards and make any other revisions necessary to comply with SB 2 and AB 139.
Also, with respect to transitional and permanent supportive housing, the BMC defines both uses, but the definition differs from that specified by state statute. Transitional housing is permitted as a residential use by right in multifamily districts). The BMC states that transitional housing must be considered as a residential use of the property, subject only to restrictions that apply to other dwellings of the same type in the same zone. However, the BMC references that projects for more than seven individuals must be treated like large residential care facilities, which would subject them to a CUP. Furthermore, it is unclear which zones allow transitional and permanent supportive housing as a by-right use.
Additionally, Low-Barrier Navigation Centers (LBNC) are housing first, low-barrier, service-enriched shelters focused on moving people into permanent housing that provides temporary living facilities while case managers connect individuals to income, public benefits, health services, shelter, and housing. The City permits LBNC’s (BMC 19.14.020) by right in the HS zone, but requires a conditional use permit within the same chapter of the code (BMC 19.14.030). The City will amend the zoning code to correctly define and permit the development of Low-Barrier Navigation Centers as a “by-right” use in mixed-use and nonresidential zones that permit residential uses pursuant to pursuant to Gov’t Code 65660.
Objective(s) • Continue to provide a discounted rent location(s) for facilities serving the needs of those experiencing homelessness.
• Amend the zoning code to correctly define and permit LBNCs as a by-right use in mixed-use and nonresidential zones that permit residential uses. • Amend the zoning code to correctly define and permit emergency shelters as by right use in the HS Zone consistent with state law. • Amend the zoning code to correctly define transitional and permanent supportive housing, permit in all zones allowing residential uses, and treat in the same manner as any other similar residential use in the same zone. • Amend the zoning code to permit parking for emergency shelters and make any other revisions needed to comply with state law.
• Review Homelessness Strategic Action Plan and Master Plan.
Time Frame • Amend ordinances affecting the definition, siting, and permitting of housing for homeless people by December 2025.
• Review Strategic Plan on biannual basis
Responsible Agency Planning and Economic Development
Funding Sources General Funds
Relevant Policies 4.2
City of Barstow Housing Element
Hearing Draft August 2024 Page 14
Program 15, Equal Housing Opportunities
Barstow is a participating city with San Bernardino County to receive CDBG Funds. San Bernardino County contracts with the Inland Fair Housing and Mediation Board to provide fair housing services to its residents and property owners. Services include the following:
• Distribute education materials to property owners, apartment managers, and tenants biannually. • Make PSAs via media (e.g., newspaper ads and local radio and television) at least twice a year. • Conduct public presentations with different community groups. • Respond to complaints of discrimination and refer services to appropriate agencies.
The City will expand upon these by updating the website to connect residents with fair housing resources, incorporating fair housing into housing forums and decision-maker education, and coordinating with the County for funding to ensure the condition of the City’s housing is not leading to fair housing issues. The City will complete programs that address fair housing issues and contributing factors listed in Table D-5.
Objective(s) • Update City’s website to connect residents with fair housing materials. • Incorporate fair housing information into biannual housing forums. • Implement action items in Table D-5 regarding fair housing Time Frame • Update the website by December 2024.
• Host one housing forum every 2 years beginning in 2025. • As specified in Table D-5.
Responsible Agency San Bernardino County, Building Department Funding Sources CDBG
Relevant Policies 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 4.4, 4.5
Program 16, Infrastructure and Capital Improvements
Barstow is an older community, incorporated in 1947, but dates back many decades. As much of the City is vacant land, infrastructure can be limited to many locations, except in the older core of the community where the majority of residential and commercial uses exist. Through the annual Capital Improvement Program (CIP), the department manages the planning, design, and construction of projects to include streets, sidewalks, traffic signals, storm drains, dry wells, and traffic management related signage and markings. In order to facilitate community development, infrastructure is key. The City has been updating its sewer system master plan to identify deficiencies and service needs. In 2024, the City Council passed a resolution to begin the process of establishing an Enhanced Infrastructure Financing District, the Barstow EIFD Public Financing Authority (PFA), and approve organization of the Public Financing Authority Board.
These efforts to establish an EIFD will continue to move forward through the planning period.
Objective(s) • Develop an EIFD to fund the construction of infrastructure. • Continue to prepare and update the Capital Improvement Program. • Rehab the WWTP digester and complete North First Avenue Bridge.
Time Frame • Establish EIFD no later than December 2025. • Annually prepare CIP as part of the annual budget process. • Complete WWTP and bridge projects by end of 2025.
City of Barstow Housing Element
Hearing Draft August 2024 Page 15
Responsible Agency Planning Department, Building Department, Engineering Funding Sources General Funds
Relevant Policies 1.1, 1.5, 3.3
Program 17, Efficient Permitting Process and Affordable Housing Streamlining The City works to ensure that permit processing is completed in a timely fashion, generally provides reviews within two weeks, and processes projects expeditiously. Generally, most residential developments can receive planning and building permit approvals within two to four months. The City also provides an affordable housing streamlined approval process in accordance with State requirements for qualifying development proposals and reports on affordable housing streamlining applications in the Annual Progress Report. As required by state law, the City includes Senate Bill (SB) 35 streamlining in permitting processes and procedures and will continue to offer this program throughout the 6th Cycle Housing Element to incentivize the production of housing that is affordable to lower income households, especially extremely low-income households and housing for those with disabilities.
Objective(s) • Continue zoning code and staff procedures, consistent with State law, and annually evaluate process annually to ensure timeliness. • Track project processing to ensure that a CEQA determination is made within the timeframes of the PRC § 21080.2 and Gov’t Code § 65950(a)(5). • Continue to offer streamlined permitting where applicable.
Timeframe • Ongoing implementation of SB 35 throughout planning period.
Responsible Agency Building Department and Planning Development Funding Sources General Funds
Relevant Policies 1.5, 4.1
Program 18, Increased Transparency
The City follows the necessary practices to ensure that information is provided in a transparent manner.
The City maintains information on its website that is applicable for project proposal requirements, including a current schedule of fees, exactions, affordability requirements, all zoning ordinances, development standards, annual fee reports or other relevant financial reports, and a list of items required to be included in an application for the proposal of a housing development (AB 1483, 2019).
Objective(s) • Continue to provide all relevant information on the City’s website. • Continue to update information as it becomes available.
Time Frame • Update website with relevant information by 1st quarter 2025 and ongoing maintenance of information.
Responsible Agency Building Department and Finance Department Funding Sources General Funds
Relevant Policies 3.5
City of Barstow Housing Element
Hearing Draft August 2024 Page 16
Program 19, Environmental and Community Health
Access to a clean and healthy environment is of fundamental importance to Barstow residents. As an older, industrial, and desert community, the City faces issues such as air pollution, environmental contamination from legacy industrial uses, and need for active living options. As shown in Appendix D of this element (Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing analysis), the City core falls into the less positive environmental outcomes, the northern area falls into a moderate and above moderate score (indicating improving positive outcomes), and the southern area has more positive scores. The City is actively involved in improving environmental conditions to promote public health, safety, and welfare. These include working with the state and active partners to address underground contamination of water due to nitrate and perchlorate in northern Barstow, working with entities to reduce potential health concerns and pursing active transportation projects in the neighborhoods that comprise the City’s central core.
Objective(s) • Continue to work with responsible parties and state and resource agencies to facilitate cleanup of perchlorate and nitrate. • Continue to work with BNSF to ensure onsite equipment and facilities (e.g., hostler vehicles and cranes) are full and hybrid-electric to minimize the use of trucks and emission of air pollutants.
• Complete installation of Cycle 5 and Cycle 6 active transportation infrastructure improvements within the City’s central core.
Time Frame • Continue to work with responsible parties and resource agencies annually.
• Coordinate with BNSF in 2024 and 2025 during the preparation of a specific plan and on an as-needed basis during ongoing operations. • Complete Cycle 5 and Cycle 6 ATP improvements by December 2026.
Responsible Agency Community Services Department
Funding Sources General Funds, ATP funds,
Relevant Policies 3.6
Program 20, Temporary and Permanent Workforce Housing
The Barstow International Gateway (BIG) project will require an influx of a substantial number of construction workers during its development phase. Although most of the construction workers will likely commute from homes in other jurisdictions throughout southern California, there may be a need for some temporary housing. The City will address this potential need and leverage the temporary spike in housing demand to further other housing goals, including the rehabilitation of existing land uses and housing and the long-term workforce housing needs. The City will facilitate temporary workforce housing to accommodate construction workers through revisions to the General Plan and zoning code (development standards and permitted use matrix).
The General Plan update will involve a lands identification process to classify where temporary housing is best suited for BIG-related construction workforce, with the understanding that such housing would eventually be removed---with operations and removal minimizing disruption to nearby neighborhoods.
The City will establish objective development and design standards to facilitate administrative approval of such facilities (requiring a CUP only in certain circumstances).
City of Barstow Housing Element
Hearing Draft August 2024 Page 17
This process will also identify lands where temporary housing can be constructed but should be built as permanent affordable housing for long-term workers that will stay in Barstow beyond construction time periods (e.g., onsite workers at the BIG facility). Such housing must be designed for and placed on a permanent foundation, served by piped water and wastewater utility connections, and on land zoned for residential or mixed-use residential (with consistent densities, modified as permitted by state law (e.g., density bonus)). Such housing would be permitted in the same administrative manner as all other permanent housing is currently permitted.
During and after the General Plan update, the City will identify hotels and other residential and nonresidential structures that could be rehabilitated and used for temporary and permanent workforce housing related to the BIG project. The City will also establish a registry of property owners to identify units that could be rented to temporary BIG-related construction-related workers. To encourage rehabilitation, the City will offer reduced fees for related building permits and inspections and seek grants to provide financial assistance. Priority will be given to properties in need of moderate/major repairs, including those in need of full replacement.
The City will evaluate establishing a voluntary assessment district to generate a revenue stream that is paid back over time to fund rehabilitation of residential or nonresidential buildings, along with the identification of partners for seed money. The City will also coordinate with County Workforce Development to connect to programs that train licensed local contractors on rehabilitation. In advance of when construction activity (and occupancy of associated construction workers) ends(defined as when the BIG facility is fully operational), the City will seek grants that could retire the assessment (i.e., forgiving the loan) on properties in return for long-term affordability restrictions for low-moderate income households. The City will target such activities to contribute toward its 6th and 7th cycle RHNA allocations (conversions of market-rate housing).
For all temporary and permanent workforce housing, the City will identify partners for funding, site location, onsite management, utilities, transportation, and services.
Objective(s) • Update the General Plan and zoning code to facilitate temporary and permanent workforce housing.
• Identify areas suitable for temporary or permanent workforce housing. • Identify residential and non-residential structures in need of moderate/ major repairs to be rehabilitated and use for workforce housing. • Develop & maintain a list of rental units available for temporary workers. • Pursue outside funding to incentivize the rehabilitation of 50 existing housing units for use as temporary and/or permanent worker housing. • Evaluate establishment of a voluntary assessment district, including potential partners for seed money.
• Coordinate with San Bernardino County Workforce Development to identify training program for housing rehabilitation for local contractors. • Coordinate with partners related to site location, onsite management, utilities, transportation, and services for temporary workforce housing (related to the BIG project) on an ongoing and as-needed basis.
Time Frame • Update the General Plan and zoning code by December 2025.
City of Barstow Housing Element
Hearing Draft August 2024 Page 18
• Identify areas, hotels, and structures by December 2026 that are both suitable for use as housing and in need of rehabilitation. • Establish registry of rental units for temporary worker housing by December 2026 and through the construction phase of the BIG project. • Pursue and obtain funding on an ongoing annual basis, starting in 2025. • Facilitate rehabilitation of existing units by 2028.
• Evaluate voluntary assessment district options by December 2026. • Coordinate with the San Bernardino County Workforce Development by December 2026.
Responsible Agency Interdepartmental (Community Development; Public Works) and external entities as appropriate (e.g., San Bernardino County)
Funding Sources General Funds, outside funding sources as available Relevant Policies 1.1, 1.5, 2.1, 2.2
City of Barstow Housing Element
Hearing Draft August 2024 Page 19
Quantified Objectives
Government Code § 65583 (b) requires the housing element to include a statement of the community's goals, quantified objectives, and policies relative to affirmatively furthering fair housing and to the maintenance, preservation, improvement, and development of housing. The quantified objectives shall establish the maximum number of housing units by income category, including extremely low income, that can be constructed, rehabilitated, and conserved during the planning period. However, state law also allows that if the total housing needs exceed available resources and the ability for a city to satisfy this need, the quantified objectives need not be identical to the total housing needs. While the City has indicated the maximum objectives, the achievement of objectives is based on City receipt of funding. • Housing Construction: The housing construction objective refers to the number of units that may be built during the 2021-2029 housing element on vacant and underutilized land for housing that is sufficient to accommodate SCAG’s 2021-2029 RHNA.
• Housing Rehabilitation: This objective refers to units that would be rehabilitated if public assistance were available. While the City is not an entitlement jurisdiction and therefore does not receive CDBG funds for housing rehabilitation, the City will be seeking grants. • Housing Preservation. This objective refers to the conservation of affordable units at risk of converting to market rate. The City’s objective is based on the dates for expiration of covenants on assisted apartment properties, and the number of affordable units potentially at risk. • Rental Assistance. The target of 534 units is based on the number of housing choice vouchers that are currently utilized in Barstow. Maintaining this level is entirely contingent on funding levels from the federal Housing and Urban Development Department and County housing authority. • Fair Housing. Table D-5 in Appendix D sets forth the City’s quantified objectives to affirmatively further fair housing.
Table 1, Summary of Quantified Objectives, 2021-2029, lists the quantified objectives for new construction, rehabilitation, and preservation for the 2021-2029 housing element are listed in Table 2, Summary of Quantified Objectives, 2021-2029.
Table 1 Summary of Quantified Objectives, 2021-2029
Income Category
Housing
Construction
Units to be
Rehabilitated*
At-Risk Units to
be Preserved*
Rental
Assistance*
Extremely Low 86 units 5 units
300 units
434 units
Very Low 86 units 5 units
100 units
Low 228 units 10 units
Moderate 300 units 10 units — —
Above Moderate 820 units 10 units — —
Total 1,520 units 40 units 300 units 534 units
Notes: RHNA = Regional Housing Needs Assessment. * Objectives contingent upon funding availability See Table D-5 (Appendix D) for quantified objectives for affirmatively furthering fair housing.
Hearing Draft August 2024
City of Barstow
6th Cycle Housing Element Update
Appendix A: Evaluation of Previous Element
Appendix B: Housing Needs Assessment
Appendix C: Constraints and Zoning Analysis
Appendix D: Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing
Appendix E: Sites Analysis and Sites Inventory Form
Appendix F: Stakeholder Engagement
Appendices
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix A: Evaluation of Previous Programs Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page A-1 Appendix A. Evaluation of Previous Element
Introduction
The City of Barstow (City) committed to specific programs to address the comprehensive housing needs of the City and to help achieve the goals identified in the 5th Cycle Housing Element (2014-2021). This section evaluates progress made toward the goals and actions of the 5th Cycle Housing Element and is used as a foundation to inform the programs of the 6th Cycle Housing Element (2021–2029) tailored to meet this cycle’s housing needs. California Government Code Section 65588(a) requires each jurisdiction to review its Housing Element and evaluate the following as frequently as is appropriate:
• The progress in implementation of the Housing Element; • The effectiveness of the Housing Element programs in progress toward achieving the housing goals and • objectives; and
• The appropriateness of the housing goals, objectives, and policies in contributing to the attainment of the State housing goal.
This evaluation provides information on the extent to which programs achieved stated objectives and whether these programs continue to be relevant for addressing local housing needs. The success of a program toward achieving the 5th Cycle goals is the basis for the goals, policies, and programs and the establishment of objectives provided in the 6th Cycle.
Table A-1 lists each program from the 2014–2021 Housing Element and identifies the program progress, effectiveness, and appropriateness. The goals, policies, and programs of the 6th Cycle Housing Element are reflective of the program effectiveness as determined by this evaluation.
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix A: Evaluation of Past Programs Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page A-2 Table A-1 Evaluation of Previous Housing Element Implementation Program Progress in Implementation
Program 1: Code Enforcement
Code compliance is an important tool to maintain the quality of property values in neighborhoods and commercial areas, and to protect the health, safety, and welfare of residents. Code enforcement functions include:
• Code Compliance. City staff enforce state and local regulations governing exterior building conditions, property maintenance, and interior conditions. For properties found in violation, eligible property owners are directed to nonprofit organizations and City rehabilitation loans and grants, if available, for assistance in resolving code violations and repairs. • Emergency Enforcement. The Building Official oversees emergency enforcements. All attempts are made to reach the responsible party. If they cannot be reached, the abatement work begins, and the landowner is billed for costs incurred. If necessary to abate, code cases commence with notices, administrative citations and, if necessary, court action. 2014–2021 Objectives:
• Continue program implementation; reallocate resources to maximize achievement of code compliance goals.
• Work with health department officials to coordinate efforts responding to health and safety concerns.
Target Population: Citywide
Time Frame: Ongoing
Responsibility: Interdepartmental
Funding Source(s): General Funds
Progress:
From 2015 to July 2021, there were 301 tenant complaints in code enforcement (268 were closed), 110 unsightly property complaints (99 were closed), 2,154 property maintenance complaints (2,028 were closed), 300 discarded furniture cases (285 were closed), 785 nuisance violations (718 were closed), and 28 polluted pool cases opened and 27 were closed.
Effectiveness:
This program was effective in continuing ongoing code
enforcement efforts. Due to lack of data collection, it is unclear if the objectives to reallocate resources or to work with health department officials were achieved.
Appropriateness:
Revise to connect Code Enforcement with rehabilitation
resources and combine with the housing inspection program.
Resources can be used to provide home maintenance guidance or to assist lower income households with code compliance.
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix A: Evaluation of Past Programs Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page A-3 Table A-1 Evaluation of Previous Housing Element Implementation Program 2: Downtown Barstow
Barstow has long sought to improve the Downtown, an older part of the City along the Historic Route 66. With the dissolution of the RDA, the City Council adopted a resolution in May 2014 that designated the Downtown Business and Cultural District and adopted the Route 66 Corridor and Downtown Business and Cultural District Specific Plan on July 18, 2016, that will ultimately seek to bring back the Historic Route 66 feel to this segment. The City Council’s May 2014 resolution also designated this roadway segment as the Route 66 Business Corridor. Although this is primarily a commercial corridor, the adjacent lands include a mixture of commercial and residential uses. The specific plan in this area will help to maintain a diversity of uses that includes a residential component with an increased density.
2014–2021 Objectives:
After the completion of the comprehensive General Plan update and the comprehensive revision to the zoning ordinance, the City adopted a specific plan for the Downtown Historic Route 66 Area.
Involve property owners and other stakeholders of the project area.
Target Population: Downtown Historic Route 66 Area
Time Frame: Adopted July 18, 2016
Responsibility: Planning and Economic Development
Funding Source(s): General Funds, CDBG, Private Investments Progress:
The City adopted the specific plan for the Downtown Historic Route 66 Area, Route 66 Business Corridor: Downtown Business and Cultural District Specific Plan, on July 18, 2016.
Effectiveness:
The Specific Plan set forth goals, policies, and strategies to implement design standards to create a pedestrian-friendly environment and to revitalize the downtown Route 66 area.
Many of the program elements in Route 66 and Barstow
Beautiful are added into grant applications such as the Affordable Housing Sustainable Community Grant in 2021.
Appropriateness:
Revise and Continue. This program continues to be relevant but will be revised to focus on continued efforts to implement the adopted plans through grant applications, developer
communications, and possible incentives focused in this area.
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix A: Evaluation of Past Programs Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page A-4 Table A-1 Evaluation of Previous Housing Element Implementation Program 3: Housing Inspection
According to the 2009–2011 American Community Survey (ACS) (U.S. Census), there are 11.4% of rentals and only 0.39% of owner/occupied units that are considered substandard housing. The 2009–2011 ACS indicates that out of 4,832 owner-occupied units, only 19 have no telephone service and all have kitchen facilities and plumbing, while of the 3,852 rental units, 90 have no kitchen facilities, 71 lack plumbing, and 281 are without telephone service.
The City does not conduct any occupancy inspections, quadrennial inspections, or lead-based hazards inspections. Inspections of properties and housing are driven by complaints received from residents. Upon receiving complaints from the tenants, or adjacent property owner, the Code Compliance Officers investigate and address the issues as needed. 2014–2021 Objectives:
• Continue to inspect properties upon receiving complaints. Enforce requirements to remedy any code violations.
Target Population: Citywide
Time Frame: Ongoing
Responsibility: Building, Fire, and Code Compliance
Funding Source(s): General Funds
Progress:
The City received 301 code compliance complaints and closed 268 cases during the 5th Cycle Housing Element. The primary violations consisted of property maintenance violations, discarded furniture violations, and polluted swimming pool violations. The City charges a rental inspection fee of $100 per residence, plus $10 for any extra units.
Effectiveness:
This program was effective in reducing the number of
substandard properties and maintaining clean neighborhoods.
Appropriateness:
This program will be combined with the code enforcement program. The City will implement mandatory yearly rental inspection with incentives for units that pass inspection multiple times in a row, including reduced fees. The intent of this new program is to bring the housing stock up to code and to no longer rely on complaints made to Code Enforcement.
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix A: Evaluation of Past Programs Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page A-5 Table A-1 Evaluation of Previous Housing Element Implementation Program 4: Historic Preservation
Most buildings in Barstow do not have any recorded historical significance.
The most recognized historical structure is the “Casa Del Desierto” (House of the Desert) Harvey House on North First Avenue adjacent to the rail tracks.
This is also the only local structure on the National Register of Historic Places and the California Office of Historic Preservation.
The original Barstow Harvey House, built in 1885, was a wood constructed depot, restaurant, and hotel that burned in 1908. Designed by Mary Colter, a new brick structure was constructed from 1910 to 1913. The Harvey House was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.
The City is interested in preserving the history of Barstow, but sadly, this is the only structure of significance that remains. No residential structures exist that have been placed on any historic registry.
Implementation:
2014–2021 Objectives:
• Continue maintenance on the Historic Harvey House.
Target Population: Citywide
Time Frame: Ongoing
Responsibility: Public Works
Funding Source(s): General Funds, CDBG
Progress:
The City continues to maintain the Harvey House as it is the only building to have a recorded historical significance. The City maintains the Harvey House as an office and Entrepreneur space, as well as providing a space for County programs such as Workforce Development. Staff provides ground maintenance and until February 2021 the City paid for security for the building.
Effectiveness:
The program to maintain the Harvey House has been effective as the structure remains on the National Register of Historic Places and the California Office of Historic Preservation. Harvey House continues to serve as museum among other uses.
Appropriateness:
The City will continue to search for public good uses for the Harvey House.
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix A: Evaluation of Past Programs Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page A-6 Table A-1 Evaluation of Previous Housing Element Implementation Program 5: Housing Design
Historically, Barstow has never regulated the design of a residential project unless it is part of a specific plan. However, in 2014, the City adopted design guidelines (Chapter 19.49) for all new development.
Chapter 19.49 of the Municipal Code establishes Citywide design guidelines for all development. These Citywide design principles will set the foundation, and City residential design guidelines provide clear examples of the quality and type of design recommended. Design guidelines work in tandem with development standards or appropriate specific plans.
After adopting the General Plan and Housing Element in 2015, the City immediately completed a comprehensive amendment and reorganization of the zoning code. Chapter 19.49 was renumbered Chapter 19.08 upon the adoption of the amended zoning code.
Implementation
2014-2021 Objectives:
Implement design guidelines to ensure maintenance of Barstow’s architectural character and quality of the built environment.
Target Population: Citywide
Time Frame: Ongoing
Responsibility: Planning and Economic Development
Funding Source(s): General Funds
Progress:
The City adopted the design guidelines under Ordinance No. 934.2015 on July 20, 2015, to ensure maintenance of their architectural character and quality of the built environment for apartment complexes. Requirements are located in Title 19, Chapter 19.08, § 19.08.010 of the City’s Municipal Code. The City’s Design Guidelines Ordinance sets forth the purpose and intent, applicability, and review process for housing projects.
The guidelines are implemented on an ongoing basis.
Effectiveness:
This program was effective in meeting the stated objective.
Appropriateness:
Revise and Continue. Multifamily use administrative review in Medium Density and Diverse Use areas.
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix A: Evaluation of Past Programs Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page A-7 Table A-1 Evaluation of Previous Housing Element Implementation Program 6: Housing Sites
Barstow boundaries include 41 square miles within City limits and 157 square miles within the Sphere of Influence (SOI). The City has no shortage of land for development; instead, the primary constraint is the availability of infrastructure and resources, such as water. Available residentially designated sites would allow the City to quadruple in population, excluding residentially zoned properties that are underdeveloped. This nearly 80,500-housing unit potential far exceeds the Regional Housing Needs Assessment estimates to 2021 and the 2035 Regional Transportation Plan estimate of 25,079 units. The City has no development caps nor are anticipated in the foreseeable future.
Rather, the City seeks to draw businesses with living wage employment so residents can afford to buy homes.
2014–2021 Objectives:
• Adopt the general plan increasing allowable residential densities. • Continue to review specific plans and make needed changes to achieve the 2014–2021 RHNA.
• Continue to work with businesses to create living wage jobs, thereby creating a demand for additional housing.
Target Population: Citywide
Time Frame: 2015–2020 General Plan (adopted)
Responsibility: Planning and Economic Development
Funding Source(s): General Funds
Progress:
The City created incentives for American Quartz to set up operations within the City. The company hires skilled blue-collar workers. The City is working on bringing in other industries to the area to provide jobs for its residents. The 7th Avenue Specific plan was created to encourage affordable housing on the former hospital site and updating the area with a more walkable environment. The City has applied for Affordable Housing Sustainable Communities (AHSC) grants to make this vision a reality.
Effectiveness:
This program was effective in adopting the 2015–2020 General Plan, adopting the 7th Avenue Specific Plan, and in attracting new employment opportunities. With a 5th Cycle RHNA of 853 units, the City issued permits for 124 housing units according to the Census Bureau State of the Cities database. In the early period of 2014-2015, the City averaged 50 permitted units, while latter years were much lower due to the economic downturn.
Appropriateness:
Revise and Continue. This program has been mostly effective in implementation and will be carried over into the 6th Cycle (Program #3) with continued focus on increasing economic opportunities for residents. Updates can create new objectives to coordinate with the local community college to connect employment opportunities with trades taught in the school.
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix A: Evaluation of Past Programs Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page A-8 Table A-1 Evaluation of Previous Housing Element Implementation Program 7: Diverse Use
The City has implemented a Diverse Use (DU) land use and zoning category for this comprehensive General Plan amendment. This land use designation replaced the Mixed Use General Plan and Mixed Land Use (MU) zoning designations. The intention is to encourage a true mixture of uses on a given property. The MU designations had resulted in an “either-or” situation, where the developer chose to develop as residential or commercial.
The DU designation is intended to promote both developments on the parcels, allowing live-work scenarios or residences within easy walking distances to employment or services. This designation allows residential densities of up to 16 units per acre, in addition to the office or commercial uses. With this density, several residences could be provided along with the office and commercial services, making them attractive to people seeking to live near jobs and services, and desiring smaller yards to maintain. 2014–2021 Objectives:
Adopt the General Plan creating the DU land use designation.
Amend the zoning code creating the DU zoning designation.
Target Population: Citywide
Time Frame: General Plan and zoning amendment adopted in 2015 Responsibility: Planning and Economic Development
Funding Source(s): General Funds
Progress:
The City updated their General Plan (adopted February 2015) and amended their zoning code (Ordinance No. 934-2015) on July 20, 2015, to create the DU land use and zoning designation.
The DU district allows for a maximum of 16 dwelling units per acre for residential land uses. According to § 19.12.020 of the City’s Municipal Code, any use permitted in the Single-Family and Medium Density Residential, and Commercial district are permitted under DU district.
Effectiveness:
This program was effective in meeting objectives of the 5th Cycle housing element.
Appropriateness:
The General Plan and Housing Element proposes to expand the area encompassed by this land use designation to increase the number and type of housing opportunities in the city.
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix A: Evaluation of Past Programs Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page A-9 Table A-1 Evaluation of Previous Housing Element Implementation Program 8: Resource Conservation
Barstow encourages sustainable development in a manner that reduces energy consumption, protects the environment, and facilitates the production of affordable housing. The City’s efforts are identified below. • Building Codes. Barstow follows CALGreen to promote sustainable building design and construction practices. CALGreen’s mandatory provisions apply only to new construction and rehabilitation. • Solar Review. Barstow recently added provisions to the Municipal Code for alternative energy. This includes the administrative review of solar panels for roof-mounted and ground-mounted systems.
• Water and Sewer Services. The City continues to maintain sufficient water supplies that can accommodate the RHNA. Several hundred of acre feet of water allocation remains unused and available.
2014–2021 Objectives:
• Continue to implement CALGreen and make refinements to the Building Code to implement its various provisions.
• Continue to implement the City’s alternative energy ordinance to lessen the demand for non-renewable energy.
• Work with the local water purveyors and the City’s wastewater treatment staff to finalize written policies and programs to prioritize water and sewer service allocation.
Target Population: Citywide
Time Frame: Ongoing
Responsibility: Building, Planning and Economic Development Funding Source(s): General Funds, CDBG
Progress:
The City has had an increased interest in electric vehicle (EV) charging stations due to a backup of cars that need to be charged traveling between Los Angeles and Las Vegas. As it stands, the City has issued 548 solar permits (as of 8/26/17) since 2008, with the largest number of permits issued in 2015 (141), some of which were for apartment complexes. The existing wastewater transport system can handle a peak flow of 7 mgd, and the treatment plant has a carrying capacity of 4.5 mgd, with a current demand of 2.1 mgd. The existing system is expected to adequately serve the current allocated capacity.
Effectiveness:
This program was effective in meeting CALGreen Code
requirements and the City’s alternate energy ordinance to provide administrative permit review for solar panels. However, in accordance with state law, the City is required to adopt written policies and procedures that grant priority for service allocations to proposed projects that include low-income housing. That task was not accomplished.
Appropriateness:
Revise and Continue. This program will be continued by
coordinating and planning so that service providers can reserve capacity for water and sewer capacity for lower income housing, consistent with state law. The City will also share the Sites Inventory with water and sewer providers within one month of Housing Element adoption to ensure planning for services is consistent with the housing element. Other objectives could focus on the City’s interest to seek and pursue grant funding opportunities for EV charging stations.
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix A: Evaluation of Past Programs Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page A-10 Table A-1 Evaluation of Previous Housing Element Implementation Program 9: Identification and Alleviation of Potential Constraints The Housing Element identifies multiple issues that merit greater attention that are related to municipal codes, development fees, and processes. The following activities were proposed to address these potential constraints. • Development Review. The City proposed a pre-application submittal process to identify requirements early on, and work with the applicant to achieve the minimum requirements for projects.
• Development Fees. During the mid-2000s, Barstow approved many subdivisions. However, the subsequent market crash and the impact on developer investments raised concerns about fees. The housing element thus committed to reducing fees as needed.
• Location. Barstow is too far from urban centers to become a bedroom community. Many residents are employed locally, at military bases or the Victor Valley area. Furthermore, there are insufficient jobs locally to spur additional demand for new housing development.
• Physical constraints to housing development include: (1) the costs of extending infrastructure, (2) grading of steep slopes, and (3) presence of protected species. As development proposals arise, the City works with the developer to address these potential constraints. 2014–2021 Objectives:
• Amend the code or procedure when necessary to improve processing timelines and achieve desired outcomes.
• Reevaluate appropriateness of development fee schedules following implementation of development process improvements.
• Periodically review potential constraints to the development, maintenance, and improvement of housing as situations arise.
Target Population: Citywide
Time Frame: Ongoing
Responsibility: Building, Planning and Economic Development, Engineering Funding Source(s): General Funds
Progress:
The City’s fee structure is such that the land use approval fees are the lowest among the five high desert cities and much of California. In 2016, the City Council reduced fees 50% until December 31, 2017 to induce residential growth and extended the discount to the end of 2018. In August 2017, the City adopted a Site Plan Review ordinance that formalizes submittal
requirements and project review in the pre-application phase.
The City also reduced development fees 50% as indicated.
Effectiveness:
This program was effective in meeting one of the stated objectives, to reevaluate the appropriateness of development fee schedules. However, reducing development fees did not spur any additional growth or development. Progress toward
implementation of the other stated objectives is unknown.
Appropriateness:
Revise and Continue. The City tried further lowering fees below the City costs with a temporary sunset date in an attempt to spur growth. This move was not successful, and the fee reduction has sunset and will not be renewed. The City will identify new objectives for the removal of constraints in Program #8.
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix A: Evaluation of Past Programs Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page A-11 Table A-1 Evaluation of Previous Housing Element Implementation Program 10: Alternative Housing Opportunities
Barstow residential neighborhoods offer a diversity of housing types that vary in type, density, and vintage. Additionally, Barstow has an abundance of available land for future development. Even so, the City is taking steps to broaden the range of housing opportunities for its residents. • Small Lot Housing. A trending form of housing in Barstow is small lot bungalows or garden lots. The bungalow court features small houses arranged around a center garden. Small lot subdivisions allow singlefamily homes, townhouses, or garden courts on smaller parcels than under typical zoning provisions. These products have separate lots, are lower cost, and can be oriented in visually interesting ways. • Second Units. Second units are self-contained units attached or detached from the primary unit on a single lot. Second units typically rent for less than apartments, can offer affordable rental options for seniors, or help modest income homeowners continue affording their homes. The City has made a number of ordinance changes, noted under progress, to facilitate these units.
2014–2021 Objectives:
Review zoning code and consider amendments to facilitate small-lot, singlefamily subdivisions as a means to providing affordable homeownership opportunities while balancing the need to protect the unique architectural and historic character of the City.
Target Population: Citywide, all residential zones, all economic groups Time Frame: Adopted July 2015, amended May 2017
Responsibility: Planning and Economic Development
Funding Source(s): General Funds
Progress:
The City amended the General Plan and zoning code on July 20, 2015, and the Housing Element in 2017 to encourage the
development of second units and facilitate small-lot, singlefamily subdivisions, and to update the ministerial process to be consistent with SB 1069 and AB 2299. These changes resulted in an increase from 0 to 2 Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs). On August 16, 2021, the City adopted new updates to the ADU ordinance in accordance with State law.
Effectiveness:
This program was effective in adopting amendments to the City’s code.
Appropriateness:
Revise and Continue. The City will ensure that their code is compliant with State law. Further, in accordance with State law, the City will develop a program to incentivize production of ADUs to make it affordable to lower income households.
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix A: Evaluation of Past Programs Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page A-12 Table A-1 Evaluation of Previous Housing Element Implementation Program 11: Financial Assistance
With the dissolution of Redevelopment law, monies are no longer available.
However, the City seeks funding through other sources, wherever possible.
City Assistance. With the elimination of RDA funding, the City works with other agencies, such as San Bernardino County, when possible, to provide financial assistance.
Land Assemblage/Write-downs. The City may provide land write-downs to developers to facilitate the acquisition and disposition of sites for the construction or rehabilitation of affordable housing.
2014–2021 Objectives:
• Contingent on availability, provide funding to support the production, rehabilitation, and preservation of as many housing units as possible. • Depending on surplus land, continue to consider providing opportunities for developing affordable housing for extremely low, very low, low income, and senior housing through land write-downs.
• Reduce fees in return for developers providing affordable housing. • At least bi-annual outreach to nonprofit developers to assist the development of housing affordable to lower income households and assist in the application for State and federal financing funding.
Target Population: extremely low, very low, and low income; and senior Time Frame: Every 2 to 3 years, the City will look into or consider available funding or other form of assistance.
Responsibility: Planning and Economic Development
Funding Source(s): CDGB, General Funds, Grants
Progress:
The City has been reaching out to affordable housing developers to develop the old hospital site into an affordable housing apartment complex. This was started as the 7th Avenue Specific Plan. The City has prepared a site in the most walkable area of town by demolishing the old hospital and leveling the area in anticipation of attracting affordable housing to the area.
Effectiveness:
This program has been effective in the continued coordination with developers and planning efforts to increase opportunities for housing. However, the City has limited funds and support for housing construction, and rehabilitation and preservation has been limited since the dissolution of redevelopment funds.
Further, the City adopted reduced development fees, but the fees did not result in increased development interest.
Appropriateness:
The City should continue to seek funds for assistance with the construction and rehabilitation of housing affordable to lower income households and continue to coordinate with developers to identify opportunities for collaboration on housing
construction and rehabilitation as well as connecting developers with opportunity sites for development.
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix A: Evaluation of Past Programs Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page A-13 Table A-1 Evaluation of Previous Housing Element Implementation Program 12: Rental Housing Assistance
Barstow works with San Bernardino County whenever possible. The County is the primary source of rental housing assistance in the Barstow area. The County provides three rental assistance efforts. The City also works with Desert Manna, New Hope Village, and New Hope, Too! in providing housing for eligible homeless individuals and families. • Housing Choice Vouchers. The Housing Authority of the County of San Bernardino provides 257 Housing Choice Vouchers for Barstow residents. • Project Based Vouchers. The Housing Authority of the County of San Bernardino provides 100 Project Based Vouchers within the community. • Public Housing Units. The Housing Authority of the County of San Bernardino provides up to 219 public housing units within the City. • Emergency Rental Assistance. The City of Barstow supports and cooperates with private nonprofit agencies and organizations that provide emergency rental assistance or housing. These include, but are not limited to, the United Way, Catholic Charities, Desert Manna, and the Red Cross.
Implementation:
2014–2021 Objectives:
• Continue rental assistance programs.
Target Population: Citywide
Time Frame: Ongoing
Responsibility: The Housing Authority of the County of San Bernardino Funding Source(s): Federal and county funded, private and agency funded Progress:
The City has continued to coordinate with organizations that provide emergency rental assistance by renting sites to them at a discounted rate. New Hope Village currently manages an apartment complex on Second Avenue and the City rents for nominal fee a land lease. Desert Manna runs a homeless shelter, but it has not been operating in the last year. Desert Manna still provides food assistance. Further, the Housing Authority continues to provide housing vouchers and manages properties.
Effectiveness:
This program has been effective in meeting the objectives.
Appropriateness:
Revise and Continue. This program will be revised to focus on objectives that the City can undertake.
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix A: Evaluation of Past Programs Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page A-14 Table A-1 Evaluation of Previous Housing Element Implementation Program 13: Affordable Housing Preservation
Because the market value of residences is typically low, there has not been a high demand for additional affordable housing as many of the existing homes are affordable to lower and moderate income residents. Regardless, some of those are restricted are under long-term covenants due to their funding source as summarized below.
• Deed Restricted Affordable Housing. Barstow has 232 publicly assisted (privately owned) multifamily units that are deed restricted or contracted through the TCAC or HUD as affordable to lower income households. In addition, the County maintains up to 219 housing units (conventional public housing) for low income housing.
• Market Rate Affordable Housing. Much of the market rate housing is affordable to lower income households. For instance, the Barstonian rents start at $425 per month for a one-bedroom apartment unit to $795 a month for a four-bedroom unit. Rental prices have remained relatively low despite changes in the overall economy.
Implementation:
2014–2021 Objectives:
• Continue to expand partnership and funding opportunities to leverage resources for housing programs.
Target Population: Citywide
Time Frame: Ongoing
Responsibility: Economic Development
Funding Source(s): Local, State, and Federal funds
Progress:
The City has been working to bring in more affordable housing by applying for the AHSC grant. Average rental price within the City is considered low-income affordable at somewhere near an average of $785 per month. The housing voucher agreement with Virginia Terrace Apartments was renewed through 2069.
Effectiveness:
This program has been effective in extending the affordability of the Virginia Terrace Apartments and through the continued efforts to seek and apply for grant funding to assist with affordable housing preservation.
Appropriateness:
Revise and Continue. As included now in Program #11, affordable housing preservation is a program that remains appropriate for the 6th Cycle Housing Element. The objectives and intent of the program will be revised to provide clarity and to focus on the preservation of units at-risk of conversion from affordable to market-rate. The City has applied for an AHSC grant that would fund development of a ding an 81-unit apartment complex. The AHSC grant will also fund upgrade of transit to improve the experience of those taking public transportation.
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix A: Evaluation of Past Programs Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page A-15 Table A-1 Evaluation of Previous Housing Element Implementation Program 14: Housing for Disabled People
Barstow implements activities to encourage the development of housing suitable for people with disabilities (including developmental disabilities). City programs for providing housing and services to people with a disability follow. • Building Design. The ADA mandates certain requirements for multifamily housing units to be accessible to people with disabilities. There are also techniques for improving accessibility through “universal design,” “visitability,” or “barrier free” features.
• Reasonable Accommodations. Barstow’s housing was predominantly built before ADA requirements and is not as accessible as new units. Therefore, the City’s Municipal Code has a process for requesting and granting reasonable modifications to allow the fullest access to housing.
• Housing Opportunities. At times, expanding housing opportunities for people with disabilities (including developmental disabilities) is needed. The City supports the construction of housing and group quarters that are suitable for people with disabilities.
2014–2021 Objectives:
Although state and federal law does not require new single-family housing be able to be converted to ADA accessible housing that may become a requirement at some point in the future. The City will analyze the need to determine if a demand is necessary at this time and has allowed modifications subject to necessary permits. Multifamily housing and group quarters are required to meet ADA.
Target Population: Citywide
Time Frame: Ongoing
Responsibility: Building, Planning and Economic Development Funding Source(s): Local, State, and Federal funds
Progress:
In 2011, the City adopted a Reasonable Accommodations
Ordinance to allow for an administrative granting of reasonable modifications, via a no-cost application, to zoning, development regulations, building codes, and land use to allow for the fullest access to housing. Since the inception of this mandatory ordinance, no applications have been submitted. This may be because either the work is done without permits, or it is in the scope of a building permit for a remodel. As indicated during the development of the prior Housing Element, the City worked with homeowners to allow such modifications. The City enforces ADA requirements for all new multifamily housing. The City requires all new sidewalks to meet ADA requirements.
Effectiveness:
This program did not set out defined objectives. However, the City has continued to enforce ADA requirements.
Appropriateness:
Revise and Continue. This program continues to be appropriate for the 6th Cycle based on community priorities for senior housing and housing unit rehabilitation. New objectives can connect aging adults with guidance on home retrofits to meet changing levels of ability as older adults continue to age.
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix A: Evaluation of Past Programs Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page A-16 Table A-1 Evaluation of Previous Housing Element Implementation Program 15: Housing for Seniors
Senior citizens (persons 65 and older) make up more than 10% of the City’s population, perhaps in part because of the warmer, drier weather and lower cost of living. Moreover, the senior citizens tend to be longtime residents.
Many have spent the largest portion of their life here, moving here due to family, jobs, or military obligations and ultimately retiring in the community.
City activities that provide housing and services are described below. • Housing. Barstow does not offer publicly funded senior housing. However, the private sector provides Holiday Homes Mobile Home Park and the Veterans Home of California. The Housing Authority has 40 units of independent living senior housing on East Williams Street. • Senior Services. Barstow seniors have access to services that enable them to live at home as independently as possible. The County and private donations fund meals and nutrition, recreation, health care, and service programs. Many programs operate from Barstow’s Senior Center. The City’s transit line offers low-cost transit for seniors.
2014–2021 Objectives:
Support the provision of senior housing and life care facilities and the preservation of affordable senior housing as funding is available.
Fund provision of supportive services for senior residents as funding is available. Funds are not expected within this planning period.
Target Population: Citywide
Time Frame: Ongoing
Responsibility: Interdepartmental
Funding Source(s): Local, State, and Federal funds
Progress:
The City has been working with various developers to try to get expanded senior housing near the Barstow Hospital. It is a high priority for Barstow residents and for the City of Barstow that the City attracts a developer to expand the available options for seniors. The City funded an economic feasibility study that shows it is feasible to add a new senior center to the area.
As citizens age they often have trouble with multistory homes or taking care of large yards, and it is vital to create spaces that meet the needs of aging residents. The City owns the Senior Center on Mountain View Avenue and currently provides
building maintenance and rental at a nominal cost.
Effectiveness:
This program has proven effective in the City’s continued support for such uses. However, attracting development is an ongoing challenge for the area.
Appropriateness:
Revise and Continue. This program remains appropriate for the 6th Cycle. Senior housing is a priority identified through stakeholder engagement and by the City. New objectives can include outreach to housing advocacy groups and organizations to collaborate on opportunities and connect residents with creative financial ownership structures such as
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix A: Evaluation of Past Programs Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page A-17 Table A-1 Evaluation of Previous Housing Element Implementation Program 16: Homeless Services
Barstow does not operate any homeless services, but assists Desert Manna Homeless Shelter, New Hope Village and New Hope, Too! to offer shelter, transitional housing, and rapid re-housing.
• Continuum Care. Barstow supports Desert Manna through improvements or occasional monies, when available. Mostly, the City assists by offering a structure for $1.00 a year. Barstow is also served by the Desert Sanctuary, which houses 37 women and children.
• Rapid Re-housing/Transition. Barstow cooperates with New Hope Village, which provides transitional and rapid re-housing. With the support of funding from City CDBG funds, New Hope Village moved into a new facility, increasing the project to 10 units at another site.
• Supportive Services. Supportive services are generally provided by Desert Manna, New Hope Village, and New Hope, Too! provides permanent supportive housing via homes leased from the City for $1.00 a year. The local community and religious institutions also provide additional support. 2014–2021 Objectives:
Update zoning code to allow transitional and permanent supportive housing in residential zones subject to the same standards as housing of the same type in the same zone. Amend zoning code to allow emergency shelters as a by right use in at least one zoning district, subject to management and operational standards permitted in state law.
Target Population: Citywide, extremely low, very low, and low income Time Frame: Adopted July 2015
Responsibility: Economic Development and Planning
Funding Source(s): CDBG, HUD, private funding, and donations Progress:
The City has updated and amended the code to allow for
transitional and supportive housing in residential zones, and to allow for emergency shelters in at least one zoning district.
Transitional housing provisions were s amended pursuant to Ord.
No. 953-2017). Ord. No. 934-2015 amended the BMC to allow emergency shelters in the Human Services district.
The City rents an apartment to New Hope Village for a nominal fee. Desert Manna no longer operates an emergency shelter. A committee has been formed to address this issue.
Effectiveness:
This program has been effective in implementing needed
amendments to the Municipal Code.
Appropriateness:
Revise and Continue. This program remains appropriate for the 6th Cycle. The City should continue to coordinate with local service providers and support these organizations, where possible. Additionally, new amendments to State law now require that supportive housing be a permitted use by-right in residential zones that permit multifamily uses and mixed use zones that allow residential use. Further amendments to State law require that parking requirements for emergency shelters accommodate staff working in the shelter and do not require more parking than other residential or commercial uses within the same zone. New objectives will incorporate amendments to ensure supportive housing and emergency shelter parking meets State requirements.
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix A: Evaluation of Past Programs Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page A-18 Table A-1 Evaluation of Previous Housing Element Implementation Program 17: Housing Education and Monitoring
Education and monitoring activities are an essential process for evaluating and refining housing programs. The City has three primary activities geared toward monitoring progress and engaging and educating decision makers and the community about housing policies and programs.
• Monitoring Program. The City maintains records of housing production so that sites remain available for development. Barstow prepares two annual monitoring reports: the “CAPER” for federal programs and the “APR” for the California HCD. The City will continue to prepare these reports as required by law and work toward integrating preparation in a more coordinated manner. • Education. Housing programs, State and Federal mandates, and funding sources are intricate in detail. To inform decisions on housing matters, the City will educate elected leaders, City staff, and stakeholders regarding local housing issues through public forums and discussions with interested parties. • Mid-cycle Housing Forum. The 2014–2021 Housing Element was prepared during the worst economic downturn in generations. The City could face new market pressures before 2021. In this context, this mid-cycle review ensures that housing programs remain relevant through 2021.
Implementation:
2014–2021 Objectives:
Monitoring Program. Continue to provide monitoring reports.
Target Population: Citywide, all economic groups
Time Frame: Annual + 2017 for mid-cycle review
Responsibility: Planning and Economic Development
Funding Source(s): General Fund
Progress:
The City continues to and will continue to prepare the annual performance evaluation and annual housing element progress report for the California HCD. Additionally, the City completed its mid cycle review as committed to in 2017.
Effectiveness:
This program has been effective in continuing to monitor progress and provide reports related to housing.
Appropriateness:
Revise and Continue. The City will continue to monitor housing production and report annually through the Housing Element annual progress reports in Program #3.
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix A: Evaluation of Past Programs Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page A-19 Table A-1 Evaluation of Previous Housing Element Implementation Program 18: Housing for People Who Are Homeless
In accordance with SB 2, local agencies must establish at least one zone where emergency shelters are permitted by right (no discretionary permit). Following the comprehensive amendment to the General Plan and Housing Element, the City amended the zoning ordinance in 2015 to include a zone for emergency shelters. In addition, SB 2 requires that transitional and supportive housing be permitted as a residential use and only subject to those restrictions that apply to other residential dwellings of the same type in the same zone. An ordinance was adopted in 2017 identifying that transitional and supportive housing shall be permitted in residential districts subject to the provisions of SB 2. These amendments included the updating of specific zoning designations to include the uses, by right and without a discretionary permit, for emergency shelters in at least one zoning designation, and transitional housing and supportive housing subject to the criteria of SB 2.
Implementation
2014–2021 Objectives:
• Conduct a comprehensive amendment to the zoning ordinance to address the requirements of SB 2, allowing emergency shelters in at least one zoning district by right, and to allow transitional housing and permanent supportive housing as a residential use only subject to those restrictions that apply to other residential dwellings of the same type. Target Population: Citywide, all economic groups
Time Frame: Adopted July 2015, amended May 2017
Responsibility: Planning and Economic Development
Funding Source(s): General Fund
Progress:
As identified in the 2020 Annual Progress Report and Program 16, the City updated and amended Sections 19.10.100 and
19.14.020 of the City’s Municipal Code to allow for transitional and supportive housing in residential zones and to allow for emergency shelters in the Human Services district to be in compliance with SB 2.
Effectiveness:
This program was effective in meeting the objectives to amend the City’s Municipal Code.
Appropriateness:
This program remains appropriate due to recent changes to State legislation. This program will be revised and combined with Program 16 to address parking regulations for emergency shelters and by-right permitting for supportive housing.
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix A: Evaluation of Past Programs Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page A-20 Table A-1 Evaluation of Previous Housing Element Implementation Program 19: Density Bonus
In accordance with California Government Code Sections 65915 through 65918, local agencies must adopt an ordinance allowing density bonuses.
Following the comprehensive amendment to the General Plan and Housing Element, the City also adopted a comprehensive amendment to the zoning ordinance in 2015. This amendment included the adoption of a density bonus ordinance in 2015, and later amended in 2017, to address multiple Assembly Bills and Senate Bills signed into law in September 2016.
Implementation:
2014–2021 Objectives:
Conduct a comprehensive amendment to the zoning ordinance to address the requirements of California Government Code Sections 65915 through 65918, allowing density bonuses with residential development.
Target Population: Citywide, all economic groups
Time Frame: Adopted July 2015, amended May 2017
Responsibility: Planning and Economic Development
Funding Source(s): General Fund
Progress:
The City amended its zoning ordinance to address the
requirements of density bonus law (Gov’t Code §§ 65915– 65918). Pursuant to § 19.10.090 of the City’s Municipal Code, the density bonus applies to projects located in a residential zoning districts, including Diverse Use zoning districts, where residential developments of five or more units are proposed and where the applicant seeks and agrees to provide low, very low, senior, or moderate income housing units in the threshold amounts
specified in State density bonus law. such that the resulting density is beyond that which is permitted by the applicable zoning (Ordinance Nos. 934-2015 and 953-2017).
Effectiveness:
There have not been any affordable housing developments applied for since 2018.
Appropriateness:
Revise and Continue. This program remains appropriate for the 6th Cycle Housing Element with revised objectives. The City should continue to offer the State Density Bonus program for applicable developments. The City should coordinate with affordable housing developers to promote the density bonus that is available for 100% affordable housing developments.
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix A: Evaluation of Past Programs Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page A-21 Table A-1 Evaluation of Previous Housing Element Implementation Program 20: Equal Housing Opportunities
The City of Barstow is a participating city with San Bernardino County to receive Community Development Block Grant Funds. San Bernardino County contracts with the Inland Fair Housing and Mediation Board to fulfill the requirements of the Fair Housing Council to provide fair housing services to its residents and property owners. Services include:
• Distributing educational materials to property owners, apartment managers, and tenants every 2 years.
• Making public service announcements (PSAs) via different media (e.g., newspaper ads and public service announcements on local radio and television channels) at least two times a year.
• Conducting public presentations with different community groups. • Responding to complaints of discrimination (i.e., in-taking, investigation of complaints, and resolution).
• Referring services to appropriate agencies.
Objectives:
Distribute educational materials every 2 years.
Produce PSAs two times a year.
Annually meet with Fair Housing Council for update on issues and strategies.
Target Population: Citywide, all economic groups
Responsibility San Bernardino County
Funding Source(s): CDBG
Progress:
The City works with San Bernardino County to provide
information through materials and PSAs and meets with the Fair Housing Council annually.
Effectiveness:
This program was effective in that the City continues to contract fair housing services.
Appropriateness:
Review and revise to include City specific objectives.
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix A: Evaluation of Past Programs Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page A-22 Table A-1 Evaluation of Previous Housing Element Implementation Program 21: Equal Housing Opportunities
Refer discrimination complaints to the Fair Housing Network and ensure complaints are resolved. The Inland Fair Housing Mediation Board (IFHMB) will participate and distribute fair housing materials at a variety of community activities, including the 4th of July fair, Santa Day, local heritage fair, and the community’s annual hot dog eating contest to reach out to all segments of the community. The IFHMB will annually conduct fair housing in-service trainings, distribute press releases, directly contact interest groups for distributing fair housing materials, mail fair housing materials through utility billings, and post fair housing information in a variety of community locations such as the library, bus stops, public counters, and post office. Other specific actions include:
2014–2021 Objectives:
The IFHMB visits private organizations twice each month and governmental agencies monthly to distribute information and pamphlets.
Target Population: Citywide, all economic groups
Responsibility: Inland Fair Housing and Mediation Board Funding: Staff Time
Objectives: Respond to discrimination complaints and public education.
Progress:
Inland Fair Housing and Mediation Board is the responsible party.
A pamphlet on equal housing opportunity was prepared in January 2009 and updated monthly and is distributed to the public through various groups and locations.
Effectiveness:
The City regularly refers tenants to Inland Fair Housing.
Appropriateness:
Revise and Continue. The City will continue to contract Fair Housing services with Inland Fair Housing. Additionally, the need for housing rehabilitation assistance has been noted as a key priority among community members. Staff should increase coordination with the County to identify potential fair housing issues and solutions.
Program 22: At-Risk Program
In order to meet the housing needs of people of all economic groups, the City must guard against the loss of housing units available to lower-income households. A total of 75 units of the Virginia Terrace Apartments are at-risk of conversion to market-rate in 2023. The City’s objective is to either retain or replace as low-income housing all at-risk units in the City. The Planning and Economic Development department will implement the following programs on an ongoing basis to conserve its affordable housing stock.
Progress:
The housing voucher agreement with the Virginia Terrace Apartments was successfully renewed through 2069.
Effectiveness:
This program was effective in preserving at-risk units. No affordable units are identified as being at-risk of conversion during the 5th Cycle.
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix A: Evaluation of Past Programs Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page A-23 Table A-1 Evaluation of Previous Housing Element Implementation • Monitor Units At-Risk –Virginia Terrace Apartments. The City will continue to monitor these apartments annually.
• Work with Potential Purchasers. Establish contact with public and nonprofit agencies interested in purchasing and/or managing units at-risk to inform them of the status of such projects. Where feasible, provide technical assistance and support to these organizations with respect to financing. The City should actively pursue affordable housing opportunities and maintain a list of interested and qualified affordable housing developers. The City will update this list annually.
• Tenant Education. The City will work with tenants of at-risk units and provide them with education regarding tenant rights and conversion procedures. The City will also provide tenants in at-risk projects information regarding Section 8 rent subsidies through the Housing Authority, and other affordable housing opportunities in the City.
Target Population: Citywide, low-income groups
Time Frame: Annually
Responsibility: Planning and Economic Development
Funding: General Funds
Objectives: Respond to discrimination complaints and public education.
Appropriateness:
Remove. This program is no longer needed due to the lack of atrisk units. This will be combined with Program 13, Affordable Housing Preservation.
Program 23: Employee Housing
In order to address concerns of state requirements for employee housing, the City needs to consider the allowance of employee housing for certain uses that may have such a need. This is typically associated with larger industrial and larger agricultural fields, allowed in the industrial (agriculture and other industrial uses) and large lot residential (farms).
Progress:
The City reviewed the zoning code in regard to addressing employee housing to comply with the Employee Housing Act.
However, the zoning code has not been amended and is not yet implemented. The City is waiting for feedback from HCD before the draft ordinance is adopted and implemented.
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix A: Evaluation of Past Programs Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page A-24 Table A-1 Evaluation of Previous Housing Element Implementation • Review and amend the zoning code to address employee housing to comply with the Employee Housing Act, Health and Safety Code 17021.5 and 17021.6.
Target Population: Citywide, low-income groups
Time Frame: September 2018
Responsibility: Planning Department
Funding: General Funds
Effectiveness:
The zoning code revision was drafted and sent to HCD for review.
Appropriateness:
Revise and continue. Fold into Program 9 Alternative Housing Opportunities.
Program 24: Accessory Dwelling Units
The state requires cities to remove obstacles to affordable residential development. This includes requirements of garages for apartment complexes and carports for ADUs. While the City previously addressed concessions for garages for apartment complexes, ADU parking has not yet been addressed.
The Planning Department will address this issue in 2018. The City will review and amend the zoning code to address incentives for ADU parking such as removing the covered parking requirement.
Target Population: Citywide, low-income groups
Time Frame: September 2018
Responsibility: Planning Department
Funding: General Funds
Progress:
The City’s ADU ordinance was updated during the 5th Cycle to ensure compliance with State law, May 15, 2017, under
Ordinance No. 953-2017. Since then, the State updated ADU legislation in 2020 and the City amended its ADU code in 2021.
Effectiveness:
The program has been effective in incentivizing ADUs as they received two applications in 2020. Both applications were submitted for garage conversions to ADU’s.
Appropriateness:
This will incorporate a new ADU affordable incentive in accordance with State law and will ensure adoption of the latest ADU ordinance. Fold into Program #9.
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix A: Evaluation of Past Programs Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page A-25 5th Cycle Programs Addressing Special Needs
The City’s 5th Cycle programs developed to directly address special needs housing were successful in meeting identified objectives but did not directly result in the development of new housing for those with special needs.
Program 12, Rental Housing Assistance, was effective at continuing to coordinate with organizations that provide emergency rental assistance by renting units for $1.00 a month to special need residents (those experiencing homelessness). Program 14, Housing for Disabled People, was effective at enforcing state requirements for ADA on all new multifamily housing units and requiring all new sidewalks meet ADA requirements. Although Program 14 did not directly result in the creation of new housing for those with special needs, these ADA-enforced requirements support the development of housing for residents with special needs by providing accommodation in the surrounding built environment. Program 15, Housing for Seniors, has been effective in working with various developers to try to expand senior housing near the Barstow Hospital. In support of attracting a developer, the City of Barstow funded an economic feasibility study for a new senior housing center. The economic study conducted by the City demonstrates this program as a continued priority within Barstow. This program has proven effective in the City’s continued support for such uses. However, attracting development is an ongoing challenge for the area.
Program 16, Homeless Services, has been effective in updating and amending the code to allow for transitional and supportive housing in residential zones, and to allow for emergency shelters in at least one zoning district. Pursuant to § 19.10.100 of Barstow’s Municipal Code, transitional and supportive housing shall be considered as a residential use of the property, subject only to restrictions that apply to other residential dwellings of the same type in the same zone (adopted May 15, 2017, under Ordinance No. 953-2017). Ordinance No. 934-2015 amended the municipal code to allow for emergency shelters in the Human Services district (BMC § 19.14.020). The City works with New Hope Village and New Hope, Too! to offer transitional housing and rapid rehousing for residents with special needs. Supportive services are also provided by “New Hope Village,” and “New Hope, Too”. New Hope, Too provides permanent supportive housing via a one-bedroom home and a two-bedroom home leased from the City for $1.00 a year. Program 18, Housing for People Who Are Homeless, was effective at amending the City Municipal Code §§ 19.10.100 and 19.14.020 to allow for transitional and supportive housing in residential zones and to allow for emergency shelters in the Human Services district to comply with SB 2, although the program did not directly result in the production of new housing for residents with special needs.
Although a few programs from the 5th Cycle Housing Element directly support the production of housing that accommodates populations with special needs, many programs indirectly support housing for those with special needs. Program 10, Alternative Housing Opportunities, amended the General Plan and zoning code on July 20, 2015, and the Housing Element in 2017 to encourage the development of second units and facilitate small lot, single-family subdivisions, and to update the ministerial process to be consistent with SB 1069 and AB 2299. These changes resulted in an increase from zero to two ADUs. The City is currently in the process of implementing new updates to the ADU ordinance in accordance with State law and brought changes before the City Council for adoption on August 16, 2021. ADU development can provide new housing options for residents with special needs due to their smaller size, reduced maintenance, and often lower monthly rents than larger units. Program 19, Density Bonus, was effective at amending the zoning ordinance to address the requirements of California Government Code §§ 65915 City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix A: Evaluation of Past Programs Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page A-26 through 65918, allowing density bonuses with residential development. Pursuant to § 19.10.090 of the City’s Municipal Code, the density bonus applies to projects located in a residential zoning districts, including diverse use zoning districts, where residential developments of five or more dwelling units are proposed and where the applicant seeks and agrees to provide low, very low, senior, or moderate income housing units in the threshold amounts specified in state density bonus law such that the resulting density is beyond that which is permitted by the applicable zoning (amended July 20, 2015, under Ordinance No. 934-2015, and May 15, 2017, under Ordinance No. 953-2017). Program 19 may help support the creation of new housing for special needs residents by increasing the number of units included in a single development. Program 24, Accessory Dwelling Units, was updated during the 5th Cycle to ensure compliance with State law. The last amendment to the ADU ordinance was on May 15, 2017, under Ordinance No. 953-2017. Since then, the State updated ADU legislation in 2020, and the City revised its code in August 2021 to ensure consistency with existing State laws. The program has been effective in incentivizing ADUs as they received two applications in 2020 for garage conversions to ADUs. ADUs can provide opportunities for those with special needs such as seniors or those with disabilities, including developmental disabilities, by creating housing in an independent setting while still allowing for support from caregivers who reside on the same lot. Through Program 21, Equal Housing Opportunities, the City continues to contract fair housing services and refers inquiries to Inland Fair Housing Mediation Board.
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix B: Housing Assessment Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page B-1 Appendix B. Housing Assessment
State law requires that the housing element include an analysis of population, household, housing, and special needs characteristics to identify the type and magnitude of housing needs. Appendix A is intended to satisfy the intent and content required by Gov’t Code §§ 65583(a)(1), a(2), a(7), and a(9).
Demographic Profile
Demographic characteristics and trends influence the supply and demand for housing in Barstow (City).
Information includes population, housing, employment, and individuals with special needs, among others.
This analysis informs the goals, objectives, policies, programs, and activities proposed in this Element.
Population Growth
Population growth, locally and regionally, is one of the key drivers of consumer demand for housing.
According to data provided by the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG), between 2000 and 2020 the City’s total population increased by 3,149 to 24,268. From 2000 to 2020, the City’s population growth rate of 15% was significantly lower than the San Bernardino County as a whole (27%) and the greater High Desert (62%). Table B-1 provides population sizes and trends for both Barstow and the High Desert communities from 2000 to 2020.
Table B-1 Population Size and Trends by City and SCAG Region Location
Population Growth Growth
2000 2005 2010 2015 2020 Rate
Barstow 21,119 22,724 22,639 23,564 24,268 15%
Victorville 64,029 87,813 115,903 123,042 126,432 97%
Hesperia 62,590 76,548 90,173 92,478 96,393 54%
Adelanto 18,130 24,855 31,765 33,803 35,663 97%
Apple Valley 54,239 63,117 69,135 71,930 74,394 37%
High Desert 220,107 275,057 329,615 344,817 357,150 62% Sources: SCAG 2019 Local Profiles Report, May 2020.
While Barstow has experienced limited population growth in recent decades compared to the rest of the High Desert, SCAG forecasts Barstow’s population to increase to 33,500 residents by the year 2035. West of I-15 and Highway 58, the City anticipates significant commercial growth around the Lenwood Road interchange and industrial growth near the Outlet Center Drive interchange and BNSF expansion site.
Residential growth is anticipated primarily around Barstow Community College and south of Rimrock Road. Preliminary estimates, based on the general plan update, are that the City could expect up to 7,000 new residential units by 2035, depending on the status of business expansion and local economy.
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix B: Housing Assessment Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page B-2 Age Characteristics
Age is an important demographic factor for analyzing future housing needs and crafting policies to help meet the specific needs of different age groups. Different age groups each have specific lifestyles, family types, and income levels that affect their preference and ability to afford different types of housing.
Typically, younger adults occupy apartments that are more affordable. Middle-aged adults tend to choose larger homes to accommodate children, and seniors may begin to downsize to smaller homes that are easier to maintain. Understanding changes in age characteristics provides insight into present and future housing needs and provides a basis for developing responsive programs to house residents.
According to SCAG’s Local Profiles Report, between 2000 and 2018, the 55–64 age group experienced the largest increase in share from 7.5% to 9.7%, although the 45–64 group declined as a whole. Barstow's seniors (65 and above) make up 12% of the population, slightly lower than the regional average of 13%.
According to the U.S. Census 2019, however, Bartow’s median age declined slightly to 30.1. The decrease in median age despite the increase in elderly population shows a large influx in a younger population who are attracted to more affordable housing in Barstow. There was also a decrease in the number of adults aged 45–64 years old, but this trend could have been due to residents aging in place in Barstow.
Looking forward, Barstow anticipates significant economic growth, particularly with the Barstow International Gateway (BIG) project and the projected 8,000 direct jobs generated in Barstow from that facility and the associated warehousing, logistic, and other related businesses. Based on this trend, this will likely attract additional working age adults and their families to live in Barstow or surrounding area.
At the same time, residents will likely age in place, continuing to support a senior population.
Table B-2, Age Characteristics in Barstow, below, identifies the number of residents by age category. In 2019, dependents (ages 0–19) were the largest age category, followed by ages 25–44.
Table B-2 Age Characteristics in Barstow (2010, 2019)
Age Category
2010 2019
Number of
Residents
Percent of
residents
Number of
Residents
Percent of
residents
0–19 6,903 30% 8,303 35%
20–24 1,596 7% 1,627 7%
25–44 5,781 25% 5,919 25%
45–64 6,239 27% 5,284 22%
65+ 2,361 10% 2,766 12%
Total 22,880 100% 23,899 100%
Median Age 33.1 30.1
Source: U.S. Census, 2000–2010; 2019 ACS 5-Year Estimates Data Profiles, Table DP05.
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix B: Housing Assessment Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page B-3 Race and Ethnicity
The racial and ethnic composition of the City is relatively the same in 2019 as it was in 2010 with the exception of the “Other”1 category, which decreased from 18.7% to 6.3%. This decrease in “Other” race population may indicate that people changed their identification of their race. As shown in Table B-3, Race and Ethnicity Trends in Barstow, the number of White residents increased from 52.3% to 61.1%—which is the majority race in the City. The second largest race/ethnic group in the City is Black or African American with 18.2% of the population. It should be noted that of any race listed in Table 3, 45.9% of the population identifies as Hispanic. This number has increased by 3.1% from 2010 to 2019.
Table B-3 Race and Ethnicity Trends in Barstow (2010, 2019) Race/Ethnicity
2010 2019
Number of
Residents
Percent of
Residents
Number of
Residents
Percent of
Residents
White 11,840 52.3% 14,601 61.1%
Black or African American 3,313 14.6% 4,355 18.2%
American Indian and Alaska Native 477 2.1% 495 2.1%
Asian 723 3.19% 613 2.5%
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander 278 1.2% 342 1.4%
Two or More Races 1,766 7.8% 1,995 8.3%
Other 4,242 18.7% 1,498 6.3%
Hispanic or Latino (of any race) 9,700 42.8% 10,966 45.9% Source: U.S. Census Bureau 2010, Table P1; U.S. Census Bureau, 2019 ACS 5-Year Estimates, Table DP05.
In the City, 11,785 residents 18 years and over speak only English, and 2,736 speak Spanish. Table B-4, Language Spoken at Home, provides a breakdown of languages spoken for residents 18 years and over.
Table B-4 Language Spoken at Home (2019)
Language
Number of Citizens
18 years and over
% of Citizens
18 years and over
English only 11,785 78%
Spanish 2,763 23%
Other 553 5%
Total Citizens 18 years and over 15,101 —
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2019 ACS 5-Year Estimates, Table S1601. 1 Other” includes all other responses not included in the White, Black/African American, American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, or Two or More Races race categories.
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix B: Housing Assessment Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page B-4 Employment Growth and Change
Economic trends play an important role in defining housing needs. This relationship includes (1) the impact of job growth on the City’s share of future housing needs, (2) the wage levels associated with employment growth and occupations in Barstow, (3) the housing demand associated with new workers desiring to live in the City, and (4) the mobility and land use decisions and environmental mitigations that must be made to accommodate housing or employment growth.
The City of Barstow serves as a major employment center for the Marine Corps Logistic Bases (Nebo and Yermo Annex). The Marine Corps station employs approximately 1,530 personnel, which includes military and civilian personnel. Another large employer in the City of Barstow is the BNSF railroad, which has plans to expand significantly over the next decade with the development of the BIG Project. The City also has a large educational sector, through the Barstow Unified School District and Barstow Community College District. Public sector jobs also include the City and County offices.
In 2019, 8,206 Barstow residents 16 years and over were in the labor force, and among these residents 8,118 were civilian employed. Table B-5, Employment Status for Population Age 16 Years and Over, below, provides information on employment status in Barstow in 2010 and 2019. Between 2010 and 2019, unemployed residents declined by 5.7%. There was an increase in the number of Barstow residents not in the labor force from 6,569 to 7,974 in 2010 and 2019, respectively; the growing population of older adults entering retirement may be a primary driving factor. There has been a decrease in armed forces residing in Barstow due to an increase in on-base housing options.
Table B-5, Employment Status for Population Age 16 Years and Over, shows the trends in employment status from 2010 through 2019 in Barstow.
Table B-5 Employment Status for Population Age 16 Years and Over (2010, 2019) Labor Force
2010 2019 % Change
Number Percent Number Percent 2010 to 2019
In Armed Forces 327 1.9% 88 0.5% -73.6%
Civilian – Employed 9,350 54.6% 8,118 47.7% -12.6%
Civilian – Unemployed 889 5.2% 827 4.9% -5.7%
Not in Labor Force 6,569 38.3% 7,974 46.9% +22.5%
Total 17,135 100% 17,007 100% —
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2010; 2019 ACS 5-Year Estimates, Table DP03.
Despite Barstow’s generally remote location from the greater Los Angeles region and High Desert communities, Barstow has a relatively diverse set of industries. The City of Barstow has 8,101 workers living within its borders who work across 13 major industrial sectors. Table B-6, Employment by Industry in Barstow, details employment information by industry. The most prevalent industry in the City was in Education and Social Services, with 1,701 employees (21% of total), and the second most prevalent industry is Arts, Entertainment, Recreation, with 1,326 employees (16.4% of total).
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix B: Housing Assessment Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page B-5 Table B-6 Employment by Industry in Barstow (2018)
Employment by Industry Number of Jobs Percent of Jobs
Agriculture 81 1%
Construction 463 5.7%
Manufacturing 331 4%
Wholesale Trade 90 1.1%
Transportation 578 7.1%
Retail Trade 1,047 12.9%
Finance and Information 247 3.1%
Professional Services 838 10.3%
Education & Social Services 1,701 21%
Arts, Entertainment, Recreation 1,326 16.4%
Other 490 6%
Public Administration 909 11.2%
Total 8,101 —
Source: SCAG Pre-Certified Local Housing Data for Barstow, April 2021.
Occupations
In the City, the most prevalent occupational category was Services, in which 2,245 (28% of total) employees work; refer to Table B-7, Employment by Occupation and Earnings. The second most prevalent type of work is in Sales, which employs 2,053 (23.5% of total) residents. There are a large number of fast food and clothing stores in the Lenwood area that service travelers between Los Angeles and Las Vegas, and this may account for a significant portion of those sales and services. However, the industry and occupation mix of Barstow is projected to change significantly over the next decade. With the BIG Project, an anticipated 8,000 new direct jobs are projected in Barstow, significantly increasing the total workforce.
Table B-7 Employment by Occupation and Earnings (2019)
Job Type Number of Jobs Percent of Jobs Median Earnings Management 1,699 21.0% $60,111
Services 2,245 27.7% $20,605
Sales 2,053 25.3% $31,628
Natural Resource 1,018 12.6% $39,095
Production 1,086 13.4% $31,185
Total 8,101 100% —
Sources: SCAG Pre-Certified Local Housing Data, April 2021; 2019 ACS 5-Year Estimates, Table S2411.
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix B: Housing Assessment Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page B-6 Educational Attainment
Educational attainment refers to the highest grade of schooling a resident obtains. Educational attainment is closely linked to the employment market because it determines not only the skills of a resident, but also their suitability for different types of employment opportunities. Lower educational attainment is known to correlated with lower skills, lower paying employment, and less opportunity for upward mobility. Table B-8, Median Annual Earnings by Educational Attainment, compares educational attainment of Barstow residents with the median earnings in the prior 12 months.
Barstow ranks near the top (2nd highest) of all San Bernardino County cities for residents ages 25 years and older who have earned an associate degree, at 12%, as their highest grade. This is expected given the presence of Barstow Community College. However, this trend does not hold for bachelor’s degree.
Approximately 9% of all adults ages 25 years have a bachelor’s degree or higher—which is the lowest rate among all the 24 San Bernardino cities. This fact underscores, in part, the reason for the lower median income in the city and the need for living wage jobs that match the skills of residents.
In addition, it is clear that greater educational attainment translates into increased earnings. A resident with less than a high school diploma earns a median of $18,325 salary annually, due to the lower level of employment skills. However, a resident with just a high school diploma earns 50% higher in earnings. From there onward, each additional increment of education significantly adds to annual median income. An individual with a bachelor’s degree earns 100% higher than a resident with a high school diploma and an individual with a post bachelor’s degree earns 147% more than a resident with a high school diploma.
Table B-8 Median Annual Earnings by Educational Attainment (2019) Educational Level
Residents Ages 25 and older
Number of
Residents
Percent of
Residents
Median
Earnings
Percent Change in
Income for each addt’l
level of education
Population 25 years and over 13,969 100% $40,633 --
Less than High school diploma 3, 046 22% $18,325 25% decrease High school graduate (or equivalency) 4,223 30% $26,878 Base salary Some college or associate degree 4,415 38% $33,763 26% increase Bachelor's degree 812 6% $54,028 101% increase
Graduate or professional degree 473 3% $66,350 147% increase Sources: U.S. Census, ACS 2015-1019, Table B20004
The critical importance of educational attainment to future employment opportunities, annual income potential, and upward mobility is also explored in Appendix D, Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing.
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix B: Housing Assessment Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page B-7 Household Income
Household income plays a big role in the type and price of housing a household can afford and can also create housing challenges for households. The median household income in Barstow is $40,633. As shown in Table B-9, Household Income Distribution (2019), the largest income group in the City falls in the lowest (less than $15,000) category, which makes up 20% of households. This is followed by the $50,000 to $74,999 bracket, making up about 18% of households.
Table B-9 Household Income Distribution (2019)
Household Income
2019
Number Percent
Less than $15,000 1,693 20%
$15,000 to $24,999 1,035 12%
$25,000 to $34,999 1,069 13%
$35,000 to $49,999 1,155 14%
$50,000 to $74,999 1,479 18%
$75,000 to $99,999 1,030 12%
$100,000 and above 851 10%
Source: U.S. Census, 2019 ACS 5-year Estimates, Table S2503.
To provide a basis of determining eligibility for housing programs and developing the statewide regional housing needs assessment, the California State Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) sets forth five income categories based on the area (or county) median income and family size.
Table B-10, Household Income Distribution by RHNA Categories, shows the distribution of household income in Barstow based on AMI (Area Median Income) categories. Unlike many communities, the City has a significantly lower proportion of above moderate income households, at approximately 17% than the region. Also, extremely low income households make up the largest income group in Barstow.
Table B-10 Household Income Distribution by RHNA Categories (2019) Income
Category
Definition of Gross Household Income Based
on a Family of Four
Number of
Households
Percent of
Households
Extremely Low Equal to 30% or less of AMI: $26,200 2,165 26.0% Very low Equal to 50% or less of AMI: $37,650 1,420 17.1% Low Equal to 80% or less of AMI: $60,250 1,615 19.4%
Moderate Equal to 120% or < of AMI $90,350 1,673 20.1%
Above Above 121% of AMI 1,440 17.3%
Total 8,310 100%
Source: HUD Comprehensive Housing Affordability Strategy (CHAS), 2015-2019.
Note: AMI = Area Median Income.
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix B: Housing Assessment Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page B-8 Household Characteristics
Barstow’s housing needs vary depending on household characteristics, including family size, income, and physical ability. Families with young children often seek the living space and the financial investment that homeownership offers. In contrast, single-person households tend to desire apartments that are easier to afford, maintain, and offer greater mobility. These patterns underscore the need for a diversity of housing types and prices for different households in the City.
Table B-11, Household Types on Barstow, shows changes in household type between 2010 and 2019.
Family households make up the largest share of household types, at 65%; however, the percentage of family households has decreased since 2010. Married couples make up the largest proportion of family households at 28.6%, followed by single female-headed households at 30.2%, and lastly, single male-led households at 6.1%. Nonfamily households slightly increased from 2,677 to 2,916 from 2010 to 2019.
Nonfamily households make up 35.1% of the City’s total households in 2019.
Nationally, the composition and type of households has changed since 1990. These include a declining share of families with children and an increase in the number of single-person households. These changes are due to many factors, including the aging baby boomer generation, single people choosing to wait longer to marry and have children, among many other factors. Subgroups of families have also changed, but generally, to a lesser degree. The majority of the nonfamily households live alone.
Table B-11 Household Types in Barstow (2010, 2019)
Household Type
2010 2019
Number Percent Number Percent
Family Households2 5,386 66.8% 5,396 64.9%
+ Married3 3,427 42.5% 2,378 28.6%
+ Male Householder, No Spouse 2 269 5% 506 6.1%
+ Female Householder, No Spouse 2 1,556 19.3% 2,512 30.2% Nonfamily Households4 2,677 33.2% 2,916 35.1%
+ Householder Living Alone2 2,201 27.3% 2,285 27.5%
+ Householder Not Living Alone2 484 6% 631 7.6%
Total Households 8,063 100% 8,312 100%
Average Household Size (persons) 2.79 2.84
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2010; 2019 ACS 5-Year Estimates, Table S2501 and Table B25010. 2 A family household is defined as a group of two or more people related by birth, marriage, or adoption residing together, and includes unrelated people (unrelated subfamily members and/or secondary individuals) who may be residing there. 3 Subcategory numbers and percentages are calculated under primary Family and Nonfamily Household types. 4 A nonfamily household is defined by the U.S. Census Bureau as a householder living alone (a one-person household) or where the householder shares the home exclusively with people to whom she/he is not related.
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix B: Housing Assessment Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page B-9 Housing Profile
Housing Composition
Approximately 59% of the housing stock is single-family homes and 32% is multifamily units. In the past two decades, the housing stock has remained generally the same. In 2021, there are 5,527 detached single-family units (57%) and 202 attached single-family units (2%). Multifamily units make up about 32% of total units and are well balanced between 2 to 4 units making up about 13% of the total units, and 5 or more units making up 18%. Mobile homes stock decreased over the past two decades from 1,095 units in 2000 to 817 units in 2021, while single-and multifamily units continued to increase.
Table B-12, Type of Housing Stock, provides the breakdown of the housing stock for the prior two decades in Barstow, years 2000, 2010, and 2021.
Table B-12 Type of Housing Stock (2000, 2010, 2021)
Housing Type
2000 2010 2021
Number
of Units
Percent
of Units
Number
of Units
Percent
of Units
Number
of Units
Percent
of Units
Single-Family 5,294 60% 5,648 59% 5,729 60%
+ Detached 5,042 57% 5,446 57% 5,555 58%
+ Attached 252 3% 202 2% 212 2%
Multifamily 2,584 29% 3,072 32% 3,064 32%
+ 2-4 units 1,096 12% 1,330 14% 1,296 13%
+ (5+ units) 1,488 16% 1,742 18% 1,745 18%
Mobile Homes 1,095 12% 835 9% 817 9%
Total Units 9,153 100% 9,555 100% 9,610 100%
Source: California Department of Finance, E-5 City/County Population and Housing Estimates.
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix B: Housing Assessment Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page B-10 Housing Tenure and Vacancy
Housing tenure refers to whether a household owns or rents a home. Ample homeownership and rental opportunities allow people of all incomes and household sizes to choose the type of housing and location best suited to their needs and preferences. Housing vacancy rates, in combination with housing tenure, also affect the prices and rents charged for housing units. According to SCAG’s Pre-certified Local Housing Data, a slight majority of households rent at 56.6%, and 43.5% of households are owner occupied. In the SCAG region, the owner occupancy is higher than renter occupancy at 52.5% and 47.5%, respectively, which is common for communities in the High Desert region. Typically, the availability of land reduces the cost for construction and makes it more affordable to build single-family homes.
Housing vacancies are a measure of how well the supply of housing matches the demand for housing.
Typically, vacancy rates of 4% to 6% for apartments and 3% to 5% for homes are considered optimal. The optimal vacancy rate ensures that consumers have sufficient choices for different types of housing products, that prices are generally moderated because a balanced supply is available, and that developers have a financial incentive to continue building housing. Higher vacancy rates lead to price depreciation.
Lower vacancy rates are not desirable; they indicate a tight market and cause housing prices to increase.
According to the Census, the homeowner vacancy rate is 3.1% and rental vacancy rate is 9.0%, which is comparably higher than the vacancy rates of 1.7% for owners and 4.0% for rentals in the county.
Historically, the City has experienced high rates of housing vacancies due in part to the changing local economy, lack of jobs, property owners living out of town, and the high turnover of residents. Because of the continued high number of vacant units in the community and the potential for excess vacancies contributing to blight, the City of Barstow has adopted a Housing Vacancy Enforcement Team. The purpose of the team is to identify housing units that are vacant and that have been illegally entered. The program helps to secure residents’ property, reduce the blight resulting from illegal occupancies and damages, and stabilize neighborhoods and the values of surrounding residential units.
Table B-13, Housing Tenure and Vacancy in Barstow and SCAG, compares the tenure of households and vacancy of housing units within the City of Barstow versus the greater SCAG region.
Table B-13 Housing Tenure in Barstow and SCAG (2018)
Occupancy
Barstow SCAG
Number Percent Number Percent
Housing Tenure
Owner Occupied 3,613 43.5% 3,150,310 52.5%
Renter Occupied 4,690 56.6% 2,852,437 47.5%
Total 8,303 100% 6,002,747 100%
Vacancies Number Percent Number Percent
Owner Occupied -- 3.1 -- 1.7
Renter Occupied -- 9.0 -- 4.0
Source: SCAG Pre-Certified Local Housing Data for Barstow, April 2021.
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix B: Housing Assessment Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page B-11 Housing Age and Condition
When looking at data for the conditions of the local housing stock, the most widely referred to variable is the age of housing stock. The use of this information is based on the premise that older units are more likely to require some form of repair or maintenance. Housing age can be an important indicator of housing conditions within a community. Generally, housing units built over 30 or more years ago are considered to need some type of rehabilitation, including, but not limited, a new roof, plumbing and electrical upgrades, windows and door repairs or replacement, along with other areas of repair. Housing over 50 years old is more likely to necessitate more substantial renovations that can be more costly, including upgrades to comply with the state code such as fire, earthquake, and other safety regulations.
Approximately two-thirds of all homes in Barstow are older than 50 years.
Table B-14, Age of Housing Stock of Occupied Units, provides a breakdown of the housing age (when the home was built) in Barstow.
Table B-14 Age of Housing Stock of Occupied Units
Decade Home Built Number of Units Percentage of Total Units 2010 and Later 172 1.8%
2000–2009 584 6.2%
1990–1999 778 8.3%
1980–1989 1,454 15.5%
1970–1979 1,918 20.4%
1960–1969 1,944 20.7%
1950–1959 1,957 20.8%
1940–1949 363 3.9%
< 1939 220 2.3%
Total 9,390 100%
Source: SCAG Pre-Certified Local Housing Data for Barstow, April 2021.
Other useful indicators of dilapidated units include units lacking heating, plumbing, and/or kitchens.
According to ACS 2022 5-year estimates of Barstow’s housing stock, 120 housing units (1.3%) lack complete plumbing, 237 units (2.6%) lack complete kitchens, and 398 units (4.4%) lack telephone service.
However, many of these conditions do not necessarily mean a unit needs repairs or replacement.
According to City of Barstow Code Enforcement staff, based on their ongoing fieldwork and discussions with other City staff and emergency services personnel, an estimated 5% of the housing stock (480 units) require minor rehabilitation and 3% (288 units) require moderate/major repairs, including replacement.
The low price of homes, age of housing, and the harsh desert climate mean that the cumulative cost of multiple repairs can result in the home being suitable for replacement.
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix B: Housing Assessment Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page B-12 Overcrowded Housing
Overcrowded housing units may be an indicator of potential housing problems. When a housing unit is occupied by a large number of persons, the quality and condition of the housing typically deteriorates faster due to the more intensive use of the structure. According to the census definitions, a unit with more than one person per room is considered overcrowded, and housing units containing 1.5 persons or more per room are considered to be severely overcrowded. In this definition, “rooms” include living rooms, dining rooms, and bedrooms, but do not include kitchen or bathrooms.
Households will live in overcrowded situations for a variety of reasons. While some families with low incomes may willingly opt for overcrowded living arrangements to reduce spending, many lower-income residents often have no choice but to live in overcrowded housing. In other cases, family members (particularly extended family members) may wish to live in the same quarters to care for one another or simply stay together as a family. In any case, these overcrowded housing units place a strain on the use and condition of physical facilities and can also lead to higher levels of stress for occupants.
Overall, in 2019, approximately 9.0% of Barstow’s households lived in overcrowded conditions, which was approximately the same prevalence as a decade ago in 2010. However, the prevalence of housing overcrowding was approximately seven times higher for renters than homeowners. Of the 8,312 total occupied units, 2.2% of owner-occupied units were identified as being overcrowded (66 units) or severely overcrowded (13 units). Of the City’s renter occupied units, 14.4% of were identified as being overcrowded (523 units) or severely overcrowded (142 units).
Table B-15, Overcrowding in Barstow, provides a breakdown of the number of overcrowded units by tenure that were identified in Barstow in 2019.
Table B-15 Overcrowding in Barstow (2019)
Persons/Room
Owner-Occupied Renter-Occupied Total
Units Percent Units Percent Units Percent
1.00 or less (not overcrowded) 3,598 97.8% 3,970 85.6% 7,568 91.1%
1.01 to 1.50 (overcrowded) 66 1.8% 523 11.3% 589 7.1%
1.51 + (severely overcrowded) 13 0.4% 142 3.1% 155 1.9% Total Housing Units 3,677 2.2% 4,635 14.4% 8,312 9.0%
Source: U.S. Census, ACS 2019 5-Year Estimates, Table B25014.
Generally, housing overcrowding is much more prevalent among larger families as affordable apartments with three or more bedrooms are typically in higher demand than available. This lack of supply results in households doubling up in small one bedroom units and overcrowding. Regionally, the prevalence of household overcrowding among lower income seniors is typically rare, unless seniors or extended family members are doubling up with their children’s families in existing housing units.
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix B: Housing Assessment Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page B-13 Housing Price and Affordability
In 2020, 22 homes sold in the City. The median homes sale price increased from $136,250 to $165,000 in 2019 and 2020, respectively, according to CoreLogic report of California Home Sale Activity. According to SCAG, in 2018, the median home sale price was $132,000, which is significantly less than the SCAG region average of $560,977. Table B-16, Median Home Value, provides the median home values in the City, which was $117,100 in 2019. Approximately 36% of owner-occupied units have a home value of less than $99,999; 52.4% of owner-occupied units have a home value between $100,000 to $199,999.
Table B-16 Median Home Value (2019)
Value (dollars) Number of Units % of Total Units
Less than $50,000 614 16.7%
$50,000 to $99,999 710 19.3%
$100,000 to $149,999 1146 31.2%
$150,000 to $199,999 780 21.2%
$200,000 to $299,999 310 8.4%
$300,000 to $499,999 75 2.0%
$500,000 to $999,999 42 1.1%
Source: U.S. Census, ACS 2019 5-Year Estimates, Table DP04.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) formulated Fair Market Rent (FMR) schedule serves as a guide for the maximum rents allowable for units receiving Section 8 assistance. HUD uses the Consumer Price Index and census data to calculate the FMRs for each area. Table B-17, Fair Market Rents, shows the FMR for homes in the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario area. The rent for each bedroom category slightly increased from 2020 to 2021. All of the bedroom categories increased by 7%.
Table B-17 Fair Market Rents
Number of Bedrooms 2020 2021 % Change
1 Bedroom $1,030 $1,106 +7.4%
2 Bedroom $1,289 $1,390 +7.8%
3 Bedroom $1,789 $1,917 +7.2%
4 Bedroom $2,216 $2,369 +7.0%
Source: HUD, FY 2021 Fair Market Rent Documentation System, Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA MSA.
In the City, 56.6% of housing is renter-occupied. Table B-18, Median Rent (2019), breaks down the number of units by monthly rent category. The median rent in the City is $768 and the majority of units range from $500 to $900 a month. Housing rents vary by the age of the structure, surrounding neighborhood, and property amenities. The Census Bureau does not provide rents separately for different types of housing City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix B: Housing Assessment Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page B-14 (e.g., apartments versus single-family homes), making the comparison difficult. However, single family housing rents typically command a higher price than apartments.
Table B-18 Median Rent (2019)
Gross Rent (per month) Number of Units % of Renter Units Less than $500 693 15.3%
$500 to $999 2,961 65.5%
$1,000 to $1,499 702 15.5%
$1,500 to $1,999 80 1.8%
$2,000 to $2,499 85 1.9%
Total 4,521 100%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2010, 2019 ACS, Five Year Estimates, Table DP04.
HUD conducts annual household income surveys to determine eligibility for federal housing assistance.
Based on this survey, the HCD developed income limits that can be used to determine the maximum price/rent that could be afforded by households in the upper range of their respective income category.
Households in the lower end of each category can afford less by comparison than those at the upper end.
Table B-19, Annual Income Limits for San Bernardino County indicates the household income limits for the lower income categories in 2020, provided by HUD in relation to the County’s AMI of $77,500. These figures are arranged according to the number of people that make up a household. For example, a oneperson household is considered low income if its annual household income is $44,250, while a five-person household is considered low income if its annual income is $68,300. This information may be used to determine what percentage of a household’s income will be spent monthly for housing. For example, a three-person household with an annual income of $56,900 ideally should not spend more than $1,422 per month on housing costs—which is 30% of their annual income.
Table B-19 Annual Income Limits for Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario (2020) Household Size
Extremely Low (30%)
Income Limit
Very Low (50%) Income
Limit Low (80%) Income Limit
1 $16,600 $27,650 $44,250
2 $19,000 $31,600 $50,600
3 $21,960 $35,550 $56,900
4 $26,500 $39,500 $63,200
5 $31,040 $42,700 $68,300
Source: Income Limits Datasets, 2020. HUD Office of Policy Development and Research.
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix B: Housing Assessment Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page B-15 Overpayment for Housing
Housing affordability refers to how much a household can afford to pay in rent or mortgage. Typically, housing affordability is defined as the ratio of housing expenses to income, referred to as “cost burden.” A household is considered cost burdened when 30% of their income is spent on housing and face “severe cost burden” when housing costs exceed 50% of income. Overpaying for housing is an indicator of a vulnerable population as the household may find it difficult to afford other basic necessities.
Table B-20, Households by Share of Income Spent on Housing Cost, shows the share of income spent on housing for each income category. Of the total 1,498 households that spend more than 50% of their income on housing, 1,225 households (81%) earn less than 30% AMI, which is extremely low income. Of the total 4,424 households that spend less than 30% of their income on housing (no cost burden), 2,640 households earn above than 100% AMI income category—moderate or above moderate income.
Table B-20 Households by Share of Income Spent on Housing Cost (2016) Income Category
Income Spent on Housing Cost
<30% 30–50% >50%
<30% AMI 245 435 1,225
30-50% AMI 169 664 255
50-80% AMI 840 134 8
80-100% AMI 530 25 10
>100% AMI 2,640 54 0
Total Households 4,424 1,312 1,498
Source: SCAG Pre-Certified Local Housing Data for Barstow, April 2021 Table B-21, Income Spent on Housing by Tenure, shows that 84% of owner households are not facing any cost burden compared to 43% of renter households. In the City, renters experience the greatest rate of being cost burdened at 23% –3 to 4 times the percentage of homeowner households.
Table B-21 Income Spent on Housing by Tenure (2019)
Income Spent on Housing
Owner Household Renter Household Total Households
Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent
<=30% (No Cost Burden) 3,085 83.9% 2,240 48.3% 5,325 64% >30%–50% (Cost Burden) 255 6.9% 1,140 24.5% 1,395 17%
>50% (Severe Cost Burden) 319 8.6% 1,085 23.4% 1,404 17% Cost Burden Not Available 25 0.7% 165 3.5% 190 2%
Total 3,675 — 4,635 — 8,314 100%
Source: HUD, Comprehensive Housing Affordability Strategy, 2015-2019.
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix B: Housing Assessment Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page B-16 Special Needs Groups
Certain households have greater difficulty finding decent, affordable housing due to special needs. State law defines “special needs” groups narrowly to include seniors, persons with disabilities, large households, female-headed households, farmworkers, and people who are experiencing homelessness. This section provides a summary of the needs of each group and availability of resources to address them.
Senior Citizens
According to the federal government, a household is defined as “elderly family” if it consists of two persons, at least one of whom is 62 or over. Typically, elderly people are retired and have fixed incomes.
As a result, these households experience greater difficulty in maintaining adequate housing. Even senior homeowners, who are at an advantage because their housing payments are fixed, are still subject to increasing utility rates and other living expenses. Moreover, many elderly residents may elect to remain in their own homes that are not designed to accommodate their special needs.
According to ACS 2015-2019 data estimates, 2,135 elderly households live in Barstow (25.6% of households). Of that total, 44% of elderly households consist of an elderly individual living alone. As shown in Table 21, approximately two-thirds of elderly households are homeowners and one-third are renters.
Of Barstow’s 2,135 total elderly households, each of the lower income categories comprises about 20% of all elderly households, but 39% earn more than lower incomes. Table B-22, Elderly Households by Income and Tenure, shows income characteristics of elderly residents by tenure in Barstow.
Table B-22 Elderly Households by Income and Tenure, 2019 Elderly Households % of Total Elderly
Income Category Owner Renter Total Household
< 30% AMI 85 355 440 21%
30%–50 % AMI 260 165 425 20%
50%–80 % AMI 320 120 440 21%
80%+ AMI 735 95 830 39%
Total 1,400 735 2,135 100%
Source: HUD Comprehensive Housing Strategy, 2015-2019.
The following are some key issues (disability, fixed income, and service need) of the elderly population.
The majority of seniors will eventually have a disability that may limit one or more life activities. Whereas some disabilities may limit mobility, others may make it difficult to take care of personal needs. This underscores a need for accessible housing and supportive services. Many of Barstow’s seniors are on fixed incomes and may earn lower incomes. As a result, these seniors could apply a larger share of their income towards housing. For lower income senior renters, 70% of households are cost burdened. And finally, seniors may need a different type of living arrangement, from independent age-restricted housing for more active lifestyles to assisted living with more supportive services. Seniors also rely on services, such as transit, health care, home maintenance, and other services.
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix B: Housing Assessment Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page B-17 Housing Accommodations
Barstow faces the challenge of how to accommodate the needs of its seniors. With a growing baby boomer population and aging residents, a comprehensive strategy for housing seniors is needed. While the City no longer has RDA funds for senior housing, the City is assisting in other ways by proposing land writedowns for projects that house seniors. Additionally, the City currently provides $1.00 a year space to the Barstow Senior Center, which offers a range of supportive services to senior residents.
The City recognizes the goal of enabling seniors to “age in place,” that is, to keep their current residences for as long as possible. Achieving that goal involves offering a range of supportive services. The City provides low cost or free transit services, referrals to service providers, and other services when resources become available. Approximately three-quarters of Barstow’s seniors live in single-family homes and nearly one-quarter in rental units. The following housing options for seniors, summarized below and in Table B-23, Senior Housing Options, are available:
• Apartments. The Housing Authority offers 49 units of senior housing on E. Williams Street. The Veteran’s Home offers independent/assisted living for veterans, including those with disabilities.
The City has entered into an exclusive negotiating agreement to pursue an affordable senior project on city-owned land.
• Age-Restricted Mobile Home Park. The Holiday Homes Mobile Home Park is an age-restricted, independent living park. The park currently has 264 lots with room for expansion. Upon sufficient demand, the park will expand.
• Residential Care Facility. Residential care facilities provide extended care for the elderly who may have a disability. The City’s one facility, Barstow Retirement Plaza, is being converted to provide independent living and intermediate care for up to 220 elderly/disabled residents.
Table B-23 Senior Housing Options
Housing Options
Senior Housing
Housing
Projects
Number of
Units Project Description
Age-Restricted
Senior Apartments1
1 40 Public housing set-aside for affordable senior
housing affordable to low income households
Age-Restricted
Mobile Homes 2
1 264 Privately owned mobile home park on
Montara Road (low income)
Veterans Home of
California, Barstow3
1 220
Occupants
Residential facility with Independent
Living/limited to veterans only
Residential Care
Facilities for Elderly
0 0 (See Veterans Home of California above)
Sources:
1. Housing Authority of the County of San Bernardino;
2. City of Barstow, internet search of mobile home parks.
3. County of San Bernardino Department of Veterans Affairs (website: hss.sbcounty.gov/va/ContactVHBarstow.html).
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix B: Housing Assessment Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page B-18 Farmworkers
Statewide, farmworker housing is of unique concern and of unique importance. Farmworkers are traditionally defined as persons whose primary incomes are earned through permanent or seasonal agricultural labor. Permanent farm laborers work in the fields, processing plants, or support activities on a year-round basis. When workload increases during harvest periods, the labor force is supplemented by seasonal workers. For some crops, farms may hire migrant workers, defined as those whose travel prevents them from returning to their primary residence every evening.
The primary agriculture in the Barstow area is hay and alfalfa. The North Desert area of the County’s agricultural production area (which includes Barstow) accounts for $33.5 million, or 9.2% of the County’s contribution. However, there are few farms or agricultural fields. In the City there are 75 people who work in the farming industry, which makes up less than 1% of total employees. In Table B-24, Farmworkers by Occupation, only 32 Barstow residents have full-time jobs in farming, fishing, and forestry.
Table B-24 Farmworkers by Occupation
Industry and Occupation
Barstow Residents’
Occupation
% of Barstow
Workers
Number of Workers
in SCAG Region
Farming Industry
Farming, fishing, forestry 43 0.53% 57,741
Full-time employed 32 0.60% 31,521
Agricultural Industry
Agricultural, forestry, fishing 41 0.51% 73,778
Full-time employed 81 1.52% 44,979
Source: SCAG Pre-Certified Local Housing, 2021
According to the USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Survey, the number of farms in San Bernardino County continues to decline, most recently from 1,249 to 1,062 farms in 2012 to 2017. The remaining agriculture in Barstow is limited to alfalfa fields irrigated with reclaimed water. The adjacent community of Hinkley includes the bulk of the fields in this area; one dairy farm (B & E Dairy) is located north of the City on Community Boulevard, and one is located on Mountain Road north of Old Highway 58 (Desert View Dairy). These farms likely employ the majority of the farmworkers in the area.
Farmworkers have special housing needs because of their limited income and often unstable nature of their employment (i.e., having to move throughout the year from one harvest to the next). Statewide surveys provide some insight into the demographic characteristics and housing needs of farmworkers.
Farmworkers fall within extremely low-income groups. While farmworkers are typically paid California’s minimum wage, the work is seasonal and consists of fewer hours. As a result, farmworkers have limited housing choices, may be forced to double-up to afford rents, and live in substandard housing.
With the decline in farmworkers in Barstow, higher housing vacancy rates, and the ample availability of affordable market rate housing available, there is not a need for farmworker housing at this time.
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix B: Housing Assessment Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page B-19 Persons with Disabilities Including Developmental Disabilities Physical, mental, and/or developmental disabilities are impairments that substantially limit life activities and make it difficult to care for oneself. Because of that, persons with disabilities have special needs for accessible housing. The U.S. Census Bureau defines a disability as a long-lasting physical, mental, or emotional condition that makes it difficult for a person to perform activities such as walking, climbing stairs, dressing, bathing, learning, or remembering.
Disability Types
Disability types include individuals with hearing, vision, cognitive, ambulatory, self-care, or independent living difficulties. The census and the ACS provide clarifying questions to determine persons with disabilities and differentiate disabilities within the population. Approximately 17% of the City’s noninstitutionalized residents (those living in independent housing units) have a disability. The ACS defines a disability as a report of one of the six disabilities identified by the following questions:
• Hearing Disability: Is this person deaf or does he/she have serious difficulty hearing? • Visual Disability: Is this person blind or do they have serious difficulty seeing even with glasses? • Cognitive Difficulty: Because of a physical, mental, or emotional condition, does this person have serious difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions? • Ambulatory Difficulty: Does this person have serious difficulty walking or climbing stairs? • Self-Care Disability: Does this person have difficulty dressing or bathing? • Independent Living Difficulty: Because of a physical, mental, or emotional condition, does this person have difficulty doing errands alone such as visiting a doctor’s office or shopping? Table B-25, Disability Status, provides the number of persons with disabilities in the City arranged according to key age groupings in 2019. Table B-25 identifies ambulatory difficulty as the most prevalent disability type among 18 to 64 and 64+ age groups. For the under 18 years of age group, cognitive difficulty is the most prevalent disability. The second most prevalent disability for the 18 to 64 years age group is independent living, and for 65+ years it is hearing difficulty.
Table B-25 Disability Status (2019)
Disability Type
Percent of Population with Disabilities by Age Group Total Under 18 years 18 to 64 years 65+ years Population
Hearing 0.2% 2.9% 17.2% 873
Vision 0.0% 4.7% 10.9% 928
Ambulatory 0.7% 10.2% 33.3% 2,311
Cognitive 4.4% 6.0% 14.1% 1,426
Self-Care 1.8% 3.8% 15.7% 1,030
Independent Living — 6.2% 17.0% 1,295
Source: U.S. Census, 2019 ACS 5-Year Estimates, Table S1810.
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix B: Housing Assessment Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page B-20 Developmental Disability
Developmental disabilities are defined as including intellectual disability, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, autism, and other developmental disabilities (WIC Section 4512). As defined by federal law, “developmental disability” means a severe, chronic disability that: is attributable to a mental or physical impairment or combination, is manifested before the individual attains age 22, is likely to continue indefinitely, results in substantial functional limitations, and reflects the individual’s need for a combination and sequence of special, interdisciplinary, or generic services, individualized supports, or other forms of assistance that are lifelong or extended duration, and are individually planned and coordinated.
According to the U.S. Administration on Developmental Disabilities, 1.5% of the population is generally considered to be developmentally disabled. The State Department of Development Services provides community-based services to persons with developmental disabilities and their families through a statewide system of 21 regional centers. The primary agency serving Barstow is B.E.S.T. Opportunities Inc.
B.E.S.T. Opportunities is an adult development center that works with adults with developmental disabilities, teaching them life skills necessary to live on their own.
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, an estimated one in four adults suffers from a diagnosable mental disorder in a given year. Even though mental disorders are widespread, the main burden of illness is typically concentrated in a much smaller proportion—or 1 in 17 people—who suffer from serious mental illness. A smaller percentage of those with severe mental illness have difficulty maintaining adequate and affordable housing. According to the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse, one in four people may also have an alcohol or drug problem sometime in their life.
People with mental illnesses face multiple problems when looking for decent, affordable housing. People with serious and persistent mental illness often live in poverty, have unstable employment, and are unable to afford decent housing. This group may also require support services to live successfully. Financial and housing resources available for those experiencing severe mental illness or for those caring for such individuals are limited, and NIMBY concerns are present in every community.
Housing Accommodations
Barstow’s housing vision is consistent with the Americans with Disabilities Act legislation to facilitate the most integrated setting appropriate for people with disabilities to reside, receive services, and participate in community life. The City’s strategy for addressing the various needs of people with disabilities is centered on three core goals: independence, productivity, and integration. The appropriate housing option is dependent on the severity of the condition, but can include long-term residential care, shortterm rehabilitation facilities, or services independent of housing.
Barstow’s housing options for persons with disabilities are typically residential care facilities serving adults with a disability, specialized facilities for occupancy, or state licensed facilities providing residential stays for people recovering from addictions. Presently, the County Department of Behavioral Health offers services on an outpatient basis as well as several private agencies. Given the City’s remote location, there are currently no facilities. The City has sober living units, but the exact number is unknown. As discussed in the Housing Plan, the City is updating its municipal codes to both allow and facilitate residential care facilities as well as update its reasonable accommodation codes.
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix B: Housing Assessment Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page B-21 Family Households (Large Families, Female Headed Families with Children) Families comprise the largest number of households in most communities and are often not thought of generally as having special housing needs. However, two groups of families-large families and female headed families with children- are an exception. These households tend to have higher living costs due to their children but fewer suitable housing opportunities, particularly for affordable housing.
Large families, female headed families, and female headed families with children have greater difficulty finding and affording housing. These groups makeup more than 50 percent of the City’s total households.
Table B-26, Large and Single-Parent Families, provides a breakdown of their needs.
Table B-26 Large and Single-Parent Families (2019)
Characteristics
Large Families (5 or
more members)
Single-Parent Households
Female Head
Female Head
w/Children
Male Head
w/Children
Total 1,121 2,268 1,728 460
Pct Total Households 14% 27% 21% 6%
Owners 528 (47%) 461 (20%) 153 (9%) 113 (25%)
Renters 593 (53%) 1,807 (80%) 1,303 (91%) 347 (75%)
Lower Income 66% N/A N/A N/A
Source: U.S. Census, American Community Survey, 2015-2019.
Among large families, perhaps the most at-risk group is renters. According to the 2015-2019 ACS, 95% of large families who rent housing (525 households) earn lower income, mostly extremely low and very low.
A survey of 5 apartment complexes providing 700 units found that 50 units (7%) are three-bedroom units and the rent averages $1,550 before utilities, meaning that large families also rent single-family homes.
Among renters, 100% of extremely low and 80% of very low income renters overpaid for housing, but housing overpayment was almost nonexistent for households earning higher incomes.
In 2018, Barstow was home to 8,303 households, which included 2,268 that were female headed. Of that total, 1,728 were female-headed families without a spouse and 460 were male-headed families without a spouse. In comparison to the region, 18% of households in Barstow are single parents with children, the highest in the county and double the county average. According to 2019 ACS data, the vast majority of single-parent households with dependent children (female and male) rented housing. The City has 1,595 households in poverty, of which 12.6% were female headed. Most of these female-headed households in poverty include children, specifically 927 households, 496 of those with 3 or more children.
An essential service for large families and single parents with children is childcare. If the primary householder is working out of the area, they may need full- or part-time childcare for their younger children. According to Winnie.com, 16 child/day care providers are listed in Barstow, and the average cost for a full-time/all-day daycare is $934 per month. While not all families need full-time care, the cost of even part-time daycare would likely exceed the resources of the family. As a result, families with children may turn to other options (doubling up or housing grandparents) to help with children.
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix B: Housing Assessment Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page B-22 Housing Accommodations
The City of Barstow recognizes the importance of addressing the needs of families. With the dissolution of the RDA, no money is available to offset the cost of new construction for family housing units. However, the City supports projects, such as the Tax Credit Allocation Committee (TCAC) apartments. Rental housing vouchers are offered by the Housing Authority. City residents have the following available housing options for families, which are summarized in Table B-27, Housing for Families. • Affordable Apartments. Barstow has six privately owned apartment buildings providing 700 affordable units, which include 60 units for large families. • Public Housing. Of the 610 units of HUD-managed housing, 50% of the units are occupied by single parents with children in Barstow. Thirty percent of public units are for large families. • Housing Vouchers. The County Housing Authority provides housing choice vouchers to qualifying low income Barstow residents, including families.
• Market Rate Housing. An undetermined number of multiple-family homes, most likely mobile homes and apartments are affordable to lower income households.
Table B-27 Housing for Families in Barstow
Affordable Housing
Family Housing
Number of
Projects
Affordable
Units Affordability
Family Affordable
Apartments*
6 total
(3 family)
700 total
(240 family)
Generally, all units affordable to lower
income households, of which 60 units are
for large families
Public Housing 5 219 Housing Authority owned units, of which 50% are occupied by large families and
female headed families with children
Housing Choice
Vouchers (HCV)
Undetermined 257 HCV is housing is a form of financial
housing assistance from the San
Bernardino County Housing Authority.
Market-Rate
Housing for
Families
Undetermined 3,691 Apartments (duplex and above) and mobile homes are typically affordable to lower
and moderate income families.
Sources: Housing Authority of the County of San Bernardino; internet surveys Approximately 55% of family households in Barstow have received public assistance in the past 12 months, the second highest rate in San Bernardino County behind Adelanto. The San Bernardino County Social Services Department has several offices in Barstow that assist and provide financial and family assistance to income qualified residents. These include Cal-Fresh (food stamps), Cal-Works, Medi-Cal, General Relief, and other services conveniently located in downtown. This is a critical service delivery point given the City’s remote location and the high number of families receiving public assistance. Other local nonprofits, faith-based institutions, and the military base also serve families in Barstow.
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix B: Housing Assessment Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page B-23 Extremely Low-Income Households
Extremely low and Very Low income (ELI) households are defined by the federal government as household incomes that do not exceed 30% and 50%, respectively, of the median family income (MFI). Households within this category typically represent the lowest wage earners in correspondence to the current annual minimum wage of $15.50 per hour for all employers as of 2023. Extremely low-income households earn less than 30% of the County Households Area Median Family Income (HAMFI)—up to $18,500 for a oneperson household and up to $32,470 for a five-person household in 2023.
According to the CHAS 2015-2019, shown in Table B-28, Housing Needs of Extremely and Very Low Income Households, 2,170 Barstow households(26% of all households) have extremely low incomes. The majority of these ELI households are renters (85%). Housing problems are common: 76% of renters and 83% of homeowners overpay for housing while 5% of owners and 10% of renters are living in overcrowded housing conditions. For very low income households, representing 17% of all households, the same housing problems are also prevalent, although to a lesser degree.
Table B-28 Housing Needs of Extremely and Very Low Income Households, (2019) Housing Problems
Tenure of Household
Owner Renter Total
Extremely Low Income
+ Number of Households 330 1,835 2,165
+ Households Overpaying 275 (83%) 1,400 (76%) 1,675
+ Households Overcrowding 15 (5%) 175 (10%) 190
Very Low Income
+ Number of Households 490 920 1,410
+ Households Overpaying 180 (36%) 655 (71%) 835
+ Households Overcrowding 10 (2%) 165 (18%) 175
Source: HUD, Comprehensive Housing Affordability Strategy, 2015-2019.
The Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) estimates a housing construction need of 172 very-low income units between 2021 and 2029. Of this number, the City estimates the construction of 86 extremely low income units. These units will be accommodated by designating appropriately zoned land for apartments and providing regulatory and financial incentives to encourage and facilitate the development of housing. As discussed later, the City has sufficient land and appropriate zoning and development standards to accommodate the City’s future need for extremely low income housing.
In addition to providing adequate sites with the appropriate development standards, the City’s approach to housing extremely and very low income households in the community also involves concentrating on:
1) working with the Housing Authority to continue providing quality affordable public housing; 2) preserving and conserving the affordability of City/state-assisted affordable housing in the city; and 3) assisting, where feasible, in providing supportive services for income-eligible households.
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix B: Housing Assessment Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page B-24 People Experiencing Homelessness
California state law has evolved to address the growing needs of people experiencing homelessness.
Homelessness may be a result of job loss, family strife, incarceration, or violence. People who are homeless face critical housing challenges due to their very low incomes and lack of appropriate housing.
According to the 2023 San Bernardino County Homeless Count, 5 the City had 154 sheltered and unsheltered adults and children. Of the sheltered persons experiencing homelessness, 42 were in shelters and 24 in transitional housing; 88 of the persons experiencing homelessness are unsheltered. Based on the 2024 Homeless Count and Survey,6 the number of sheltered and unsheltered adults and children declined to 113 (27% reduction), though the number of unsheltered persons only dropped to 87.
In 2019, the Barstow City Council established the Homeward Bound Committee to address how to assist persons experiencing homelessness in Barstow. The committee included two council members, City staff, social service provider representatives, and community members. In 2021, the City Council adopted the Homelessness Strategic Action Plan and Master Plan. Implementation of the Plan by the City will involve assisting service providers and acting as a liaison between them, other government agencies, law enforcement, etc. as they collaborate to serve this underserved population.
Short Term/Immediate Assistance/Homeless Shelter/Transitional Housing The first step is to offer shelter with a motel voucher. Efforts will be made to reunite unsheltered persons with their family or other support system. Once their needs are assessed, the City’s goal is to move them into transitional housing. These areas will be permitted in the Human Services Zone and will have policies and guidelines to protect the residents as well as the community.
Medium Term/Permanent Supportive Housing
The next step is to get displaced people into a supervised program where they can live and receive counseling, training, case management and learn a variety of life skills. These residential programs will require the individual to work a small number of hours in the day for the community’s good. The goal of homeless transitional housing is to provide a way for the applicant to prove that the those being sheltered at the facility are making measurable progress toward self-sufficiency.
Long Term/Integrated Community Member Strategy
The final step in the re-entry process is to become self-sufficient and rent a home or apartment. Goals at this level include renting small, affordable market-rate units or obtaining Section 8 housing or other units subsidized for low-income tenants. Although these rental units are available, common barriers include difficulty qualifying due to outstanding debt as well as poor credit history or no credit history at all.
Housing Accommodations
The City has assisted some of the nonprofit agencies by means of low rent ($1.00 a year for Desert Manna, and the City purchased $1.00 homes that are being used by New Hope, Too!). New Hope Village also 5 San Bernardino County Homeless Count and Survey Report. San Bernardino County. 2023. https://www.sbcounty.gov/uploads/sbchp/content/SBC-2023-Homeless-Count-Report.pdf. 6 San Bernardino County Homeless Count and Survey Report. San Bernardino County. 2024. https://main.sbcounty.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/80/2024/05/SBC-Point-in-Time-Count-Report-2024-Final.pdf.
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix B: Housing Assessment Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page B-25 acquired a new property with City CDBG funds to implement a Housing First approach. Under this model, persons experiencing homelessness are immediately transitioned into housing and provided wrap-around services to ensure longer-term housing stability. This is contrasted with a “housing readiness” model that focuses on individuals successfully addressing substance abuse or mental health issues or “graduating” through case management in a shelter/transitional home to become “housing ready.” Although the City’s preference is for rapid re-entry into permanent housing, the City recognizes that a full continuum of housing is needed to meet the needs of people experiencing homelessness at various stages. The following housing options are provided in Barstow for people experiencing homelessness. • Emergency Shelter. Barstow does not have any emergency shelters. Desert Manna used to run a shelter with 32 to 36 beds available for homeless people but has not been operating in the last year. Desert Manna still provides food assistance. Nonprofit organizations and churches may also provide emergency shelter for residents in need of shelter. • Desert Sanctuary/Haley House. This facility provides housing, food and clothing for women and their children who are victims of domestic abuse. In 2016, they helped 18 women and 44 children. This is a significant increase over the prior year of 37 women and children. Desert Sanctuary/Haley House anticipates the future will see more of an increase. • Residential Rehabilitation. New Hope Village contracts with the Department of Behavioral Health and is certified as a Sober Living Environment. Clients must enroll in an Intensive Outpatient Program. Clients may stay between 3 months to one year. New Hope Village maintains a House Manager on site.
• Rapid Rehousing. This refers to an approach of moving homeless people immediately off the street to permanent supportive housing that allows an environment conducive to stabilization. New Hope Village provides 10 units for transitional and rapid rehousing. Groups like Growing Outreach Growing Opportunities actively provide rapid rehousing options. • Transitional Housing. New Hope Village operates a transitional facility, which includes a 5- unit apartment complex that consists of one 3-bedroom unit, two 2-bedroom units, and two studio units. Residents can stay up to two years and receive case management services that prepare the resident to live independently.
• Permanent Supportive Housing. A residence that provides permanent housing linked with ongoing support services where formerly unhoused residents can live permanently. The City has acquired several properties under the HUD’s Dollar Homes Program. and leases these homes to New Hope, Too! to provide permanent supportive housing.
To increase the opportunities for and encourage the development of housing for people who are unhoused and in need of appropriate types of shelter, the Housing Element proposes several programs that will revise the definitions of emergency shelters, transitional housing, and navigation centers and remove potential impediments to their siting (e.g., conditional use permit), and update parking standards.
This will remove any governmental impediments to the development of appropriate shelter in Barstow.
Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA)
The Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA) is a mandated goal for all communities to accommodate housing commensurate with their fair share of the region’s growth and need for new housing. The goal for new construction incorporates additional units to accommodate two factors in the housing market.
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix B: Housing Assessment Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page B-26 First, the housing market requires a certain number of vacant units to allow sufficient choice for consumers, maintain rents and prices at adequate levels, and encourage normal housing maintenance and repair. In the Southern California region, SCAG assumed a regional housing vacancy factor of 3.5%, which assumes a 1.5% ownership vacancy and 4.5% rental vacancy.
The RHNA model also adjusts the construction need goal for replacement units. For instance, over time, all cities can expect that some level of housing units will be lost due to demolition, fire, conversion to nonresidential uses, recycling to other uses, or a variety of other reasons. In Barstow, the demolition rate is typically one to three units per year. New construction is varied, with some years having no residential development. However, during the housing boom in 2006–2008, more than 6,000 new homes were proposed, in addition to a 25,000-home sub-city called Waterman Junction. The housing market crash resulted in a small fraction of the homes being built.
State law requires that the formula used to distribute the RHNA construction goals be designed to avoid overconcentration of income groups in any given city, but rather distribute a mix of housing types, tenure, and affordability in an equitable manner across the region. In practice, the idea is to require cities with a smaller proportion of lower income units to provide a larger share of lower income units as part of their goals to compensate for other jurisdictions that already accommodate more than their fair share. SCAG’s regional “fair share” policy is designed to move each city 10% closer to their respective county’s overall household income distribution. SCAG provides a website with greater detail on the RHNA formula.
With these criteria, the City of Barstow has a RHNA of 1,520 units for the 2021–2029 planning period, including a breakdown by level of affordability (see Table B-29, RHNA Construction Goal, 2021-2029).
Table B-29 RHNA Construction Goal, 2021-2029
Household Income Level
Allocation
Units Percent of Units
Very-Low Income* 172 11%
Low Income 227 15%
Moderate Income 299 20%
Above Moderate Income 818 54%
Total 1,516 100%
Source: SCAG 6th Cycle Final RHNA Allocation Plan Note: * Includes 86 units at the Extremely Low-Income level.
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix B: Housing Assessment Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page B-27 Affordable Housing Units At-Risk
Publicly subsidized housing typically provides the
largest supply of affordable housing in most
communities throughout the state of California.
Public subsidized housing refers to multiple-family
projects, typically apartments, which receive
financial subsidies or low cost financing from the
City, state, or federal government in return for
designating and maintaining a portion of the units
and rents affordable to low or moderate income
households or households with special needs. This
situation is also the case for the City of Barstow and
its inventory of affordable housing units.
Barstow has two basic categories of affordable
housing projects in the community reserved for
income qualified residents: a) six privately owned apartments that have received local, state, and federal subsidies; and b) five publicly owned affordable apartments owned by the San Bernardino County housing authority. The majority of these projects are designated for occupancy by families and seniors earning low to moderate incomes. In total, these eleven projects offer 781 units that are affordable to Barstow residents earning lower or moderate income.
Over time, apartment properties that offer affordable rents may convert to market rents when their affordability restrictions or covenants expire. Indeed, this has occurred several times in Barstow during the past housing element planning period. Given the difficulty and cost of facilitating and encouraging the production of affordable housing and the residents who depend on subsidized low rent units, the City is concerned about the premature conversion or loss of affordable housing in the community.
California law therefore requires that all housing elements include an analysis of “assisted multifamily housing” projects regarding their eligibility to change from low-income housing to market rates. Assisted at-risk apartments are rental projects that receive federal, State, and/or local financial assistance that may change from low-income to market-rate rents within 10 years of the beginning of the Housing Element planning period (by 2031). If units are “at risk” of conversion during this period of time, the Housing Element must include a detailed inventory and analysis.
The inventory must list:
• Each development by project name and address
• Type of governmental assistance received
• Earliest possible date of change from low-income use
• Total elderly and nonelderly units that could be converted • An analysis of costs of preserving and/or replacing these units • Resources that could be used to preserve the at-risk units • Program for preservation of at-risk units and quantified objectives Riverview Apartments, Barstow
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix B: Housing Assessment Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page B-28 Inventory of Units
Table B-30, Publicly Assisted Multifamily Housing, is a list of all multifamily rental projects that have received public assistance and are deed restricted as affordable to lower income residents. Included is information on project characteristics, funding sources, and information on covenants.
Table B-30 Publicly Assisted Multifamily Housing
Project Name
and Address
Project Characteristics Expiration
Date of
Covenants
Census
Tract
Target
Group
Year
Built
Total Units /
Bdrm Mix
Property
Owner
Project
Funding
Suncrest Apts.
201 N. Yucca Ave
94 Family 2003 80 du
2 bd: 33 du
3 bd: 24 du
4 bd: 24 du
Simpson
Housing
Group
LIHTC 2058
Riverview Apts.
200 N. Yucca Ave
94 Family 2006 80 du
2 bd: 17 du
3 bd: 48 du
4 bd: 16 du
Simpson
Housing
Group
LIHTC 2061
Virginia Terrace
615 E. Virginia
95 Family 1981 75 du
1 bd: 13 du
2 bd: 47 du
3 bd: 16 du
Lincoln
Properti
es
LIHTC 2069
Sunrise Vista
755 E. Virginia
95 N/A 1986 156 du
1 bd: N/A
2 bd: N/A
N/A NSP
HOME
2030
Sunset Pointe
501 E Virginia
95 N/A 1986 144 du
1 bd: 144 du
N/A NSP
HOME
2030
Lantern Woods
435 S 2nd Street
95 N/A 1954/
rehab
2011
28 du
16 studios
1 bd: 4 du
2 bd: 8 du
N/A HOME 2055
421 7th Street 94 Family 1952 74 du HACSB RAD: PBV 10/2038 740 William St. 95 Senior N/A 40 du HACSB RAD: PBV 10/2038 921 Bighorn Dr 120.01 Family 1972 70 du HACSB RAD: PBV 10/2038 1050 Deseret 120.01 Family 1984 15 du HACSB RAD: PBV 10/2038 1929 Yosemite 120.01 Family 1972 18 du HACSB RAD: PBV 10/2038 Notes:
LIHTC = Low Income Housing Tax Credit PBV: Project-Based Rental Voucher NSP: Neighborhood Stabilization Funds RAD: Rental Assistance Demonstration project HOME: HOME Partnership funds
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix B: Housing Assessment Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page B-29 At-Risk Status
Barstow has two deed-restricted apartment properties totaling affordable 300 units that are identified as being at risk of conversion to market rents during the housing element planning period. These properties are the Sunrise Vista Apartments and Sunrise Pointe Apartments. The City also has five public housing projects that are not at risk and slated for expiration by 2038. The other four privately owned projects have expiration dates after 2050. For the purpose of this analysis, the financial commitment needed to preserve all 300 units is provided. Available options to preserve projects fall into three categories.
New Construction
National studies show that median total development costs per unit for affordable apartments in California are $389,4000 (land included) and $285,000 (without land) based on a sample of LIHTC projects in urban areas. However, the acquisition costs for land would be expected to be lower in the desert region.
A recent 2021 survey conducted by the City of Twentynine Palms of multiple housing developers that build affordable units in the desert region determined that the average construction cost for affordable units is approximately $317,000 per unit. Based on this general estimate, the cost of replacing the 300 atrisk affordable apartment units in Barstow would be approximately $95 million.
Acquisition/Rehabilitation/Conversion
Acquisition and rehabilitation costs depend on the condition of the property and level of deferred maintenance. Twentynine Palms Apartments was acquired and rehabilitated at $125,00 per unit. Kimberly Park Apartments in Victorville was acquired/rehabilitated for $104,000/unit. Victorville has another project that is being converted from market rate to affordable for $8.6 million or $142,000 per unit.
Assuming these ranges are applicable, the cost of acquisition and rehabilitation of the 300 at risk units in Barstow would range from $31.2 to $42.6 million. However, the length of the covenant would also play an important role as many acquisition and rehabilitation projects have shorter covenants.
Extend Rent Subsidies
Housing affordability can also be preserved by seeking alternative means of subsidizing rents, such as the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program. Under Section 8, HUD pays the difference between what tenants can pay (defined as 30 percent of household income) and what HUD estimates as the fair-market rent on the unit. The fair market rent for one-bedroom units in the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario subregion is $1,106 and the 50% rent limit is $740, according to HUD as of June 2021. Based on this information, the monthly subsidy per unit is $366 per month, or $4,392 per year per unit. This would translate into a rental subsidy for 300 units for $1.3 million annually or $26.4 million over 20 years or $72.5 million over the typical 55-year life of a tax credit project.
Given the difficulty of attracting affordable housing developers to Barstow and securing the competitive state and federal grants needed to finance the construction of housing, efforts should be made to retain, whenever feasible, existing affordable housing. Many of the apartment properties are currently rated as Class C assets and have some level of maintenance and rehabilitation needs. The property owners may therefore be more amenable to acquisition and/or rehabilitation financing options.
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix B: Housing Assessment Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page B-30 Figure B-1. Affordable Housing Projects in Barstow
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix C: Housing Constraints Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page C-1 Appendix C. Housing Constraints
State law requires the housing element to analyze governmental factors that can constrain the development, maintenance, and improvement of housing. These include land use and zoning regulations, code enforcement, on-site and off-site improvements, permit processes, fees and exactions, and other local regulations that can impede development. Further, an analysis of nongovernmental constraints related to the availability of financing, land costs, construction costs, and infrastructural and environmental constraints is required, as well as an analysis of local efforts to remove constraints to the development of housing.
Governmental Constraints
Land Use and Zoning
The State of California requires that each city adopt a general plan that establishes policy guidelines for long-term planning and future development. Barstow General Plan Land Use Element sets forth land use designations to guide the location, type, and density of permitted development. Barstow’s Zoning Code implements the Land Use Element by providing specific direction and development standards within each land use category. The General Plan Land Use Element outlines several goals related to housing:
• To foster and promote a well-planned, orderly development pattern. • To ensure an aesthetically pleasing appearance and preserve the value of the community. • To enhance the prosperity and economic vitality of Barstow. • To consider supporting annexation of unincorporated lands to improve services, accommodate anticipated population growth, and improve the range and diversity of the City’s housing stock.
The Housing Element specifically addresses the policies of the General Plan Land Use Element due to its designation of both the location and extent of residential development within the City. Table C-1, Residential Zoning Districts, details the five land use districts that permit residential uses.
Table C-1 2021 Residential Zoning Districts
Land Use
Designation
Zoning
District Primary Residential Use Allowed
Estate ER Single-family residential district typified by single-family detached homes in a rural setting with lots no less than 2.5 acres.
Low-Density LDR Single-family residential district typified by single-family detached homes in a rural or ranchette setting with lots no less than 1 acre.
Single-Family SFR Single-family residential district typified by single-family detached with a density of no more than 7 units per acre.
Medium-Density MDR Multifamily residential district typified by multiple units with a density allowing up to 20 units per acre.
Diverse Use/
Human Services
DU/HS Mult-use districts that allow a mix of residential and commercially oriented uses, at a density of up to 16 units per acre.
Source: Barstow General Plan, 2020.
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix C: Housing Constraints Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page C-2 Analysis of Residential Uses by Zone
The City’s zoning regulations accommodate a diversity of housing types to meet the varying needs of residents at all economic segments. This includes housing to meet special needs of seniors, persons with disabilities, farmworkers, and those experiencing homelessness. Table C-2, 2021 Zoning for a Variety of Housing Types, details the residential housing types permitted under each zoning designation, which can be found in Municipal Code Sections 19.10, 19.12, and 19.14.
Table C-2 2021 Zoning for a Variety of Housing Types
Type of Unit
Residential Zones
SFR SingleFamily ER Estate
Residential
LDR LowDensity
MDR
MediumDensity
DU/HS Diverse
Use/Human
Services
Conventional Housing
Single-Family P P P P P
Manufactured Home P P P P P
Multifamily X X X P P
Mobile Home Parks X X X C X
Diverse Use X X X P P
Affordable Senior P P P P P
Accessory Dwellings P P P P P
Special Housing Needs
Residential Care, Limited
(6 or fewer tenants)
NS NS NS NS NS
Residential Care, General
(7 or more tenants)
X X X C C
Boarding House7 X X X P P
Emergency Shelter Refer to narrative on following pages Transitional Housing Refer to narrative on following pages Supportive Housing Refer to narrative on following pages Navigation Center Refer to narrative on following pages Single Room Occupancy X X X X C
Employee Housing NS NS NS NS NS
Source: Barstow Municipal Code, 2021.
Notes: P = Permitted by right; C = Conditional Use; NS = Not specified; X = Prohibited 7 Defined as a residence wherein three to five rooms are rented to individuals under separate rental agreements.
Residents in a boarding house are not considered a family or single housekeeping unit.
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix C: Housing Constraints Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page C-3 Accessory Dwelling Units
Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) that provide complete independent living facilities for one or more persons on the same parcel as a legal single-family residence are allowed by right in all single- and multifamily districts subject to the applicable district standards and Chapter 19.10.070 of the Barstow Municipal Code. The City amended its code in 2009, 2017, and 2021 to comply with State law, allowing the approval of ADUs through a ministerial process subject to reasonable development standards. The current code permits ADUs to be no larger than 75% of the existing living area or 1,200 square feet, whichever is less. Conversion of space within the primary dwelling and other accessory structures to an ADU is permitted, as well as both attached and detached newly constructed ADUs.
Given that ADU law changes almost annually, a review of current BMC regulations suggests that several revisions are necessary to comply with state law.
• AB 345 (2022) builds upon recent changes to State ADU Law, particularly Government Code § 65852.2 and § 65852.26, to require the allowance of the separate conveyance of ADUs from the primary dwelling in certain circumstances, provided they meet certain conditions. • AB 3182 (2021) builds upon recent changes to State ADU Law, specifically Government Code § 65852.2 and Civil Code § 4740 and 4741, to further address barriers to the development and use of ADUs and JADUs.
• AB 671 (2019) requires local agencies’ housing elements to include a plan that incentivizes and promotes the creation of ADUs that can offer affordable rents for very low-, low-, or moderateincome households.
ADUs are not widely developed in Barstow. Only two units were built in each year—2021, 2022, and 2023.
The primary reason is the availability of affordable single-family homes and the City’s higher vacancy rate.
With a surplus of homes available, it is not financially feasible to build an ADU in the present market.
Nonetheless, the City has drafted an updated ADU ordinance, Program 9, of the Housing Element and will revise the ordinance to address recent changes in state law, including an incentive program.
Single Room Occupancy Housing
Single room occupancies (SRO) are defined as residential facilities where each unit has a floor area ranging from 150 to 220 square feet. SROs are conditionally permitted within the HS zoning district. SRO facilities are not generally suitable in desert communities due to the remote location and availability of land.
Should SROs be built, however, they must comply with the following requirements:
• Density. An SRO facility shall be consistent with the density of the HS land use. • Laundry facilities. Laundry facilities must be provided in a separate room. • Unit size. An SRO unit shall have a minimum of 150 sq. ft. and a maximum of 400 square feet • Occupancy. An SRO unit shall accommodate a maximum of two people. • Bathroom and kitchens. An SRO unit is not required to but may contain partial or full facilities. • Accessibility. All SROs shall comply with applicable accessibility and adaptability requirements. • Management. A management plan shall be submitted to be approved by the City. • Parking. Off-street parking shall be consistent with section 19.06.050. • Tenancy. Tenancy of SRO units shall be limited to 30 or more days.
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix C: Housing Constraints Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page C-4 Mobile Homes, Manufactured, Factory Built Housing
The City of Barstow presently has a large stock of mobile homes (more than 800 units) in the community and a large number of manufactured/modular/factory built housing as well. These residential uses provide affordable housing options for families and seniors as well. With respect to permitting, the City treats manufactured, factory built units, and mobile homes the same as single-family dwellings and permits both residential uses in the same manner as single-family dwellings. The City defines a dwelling unit as “one or more rooms, with facilities for living, sleeping, cooking and eating designed for occupancy by one family and shall include bachelor or efficiency unit.” Both residential uses fit this definition.
While the City’s practice has served to allow these housing types, the BMC does not define manufactured housing, mobile homes, mobile home parks, or factory-built housing consistent with the Health and Safety Code § 18007, § 18008, § 18214, or § 19971. Moreover, the BMC does not appear to explicitly permit these uses as required by the relevant California codes, including manufactured or modular housing (Gov’t Code §65852.3), mobile home parks (Gov. Code § 65852.7), or factory-built housing (H&S Code § 19993).
While these omissions have not constrained the development of these housing types, clearly defining, referencing, stating their requirements will improve clarity in administering these state laws. Program 9 includes the commitment to revise and adopt the required code amendments.
Mobile home parks are conditionally permitted in the Medium Density Residential (MDR) zones. Title 19, Zoning, § 19.02.005 of the Barstow Municipal Code, defines a mobile home park as an area or tract of land where one or more mobile home lots are rented or leased or held out for rent or lease to accommodate mobile homes used for human habitation. As later detailed in the Permitting Processes and Fees section, a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) requires review by the Planning Commission. There are no special architectural standards required for mobile homes in park settings.
Mobile home parks are subject to the following requirements set forth in Title 15, Building and Construction, under § 15.24.020, Parking, for automobiles:
• Two parking spaces shall be provided on the site for each mobile home lot in the park. • Each parking space shall be a minimum size of 10 feet by 20 feet, tandem parking permitted. • Parking for visitors and guests at a minimum of one parking space for every five mobile home sites is required. Space minimum size of 9 feet by 20 feet double striped. • No mobile home shall be further than 200 feet from guest parking. All parking shall be paved.
Permanent Improvements:
• A concrete slab containing at least 200 square feet.
• All utilities shall be provided, and the utilities shall be underground. • The minimum area of a mobile home park shall be 200,000 square feet. • Storage area. An open storage area shall be provided in the mobile home park for the storage of boats and trailers, and travel trailers.
• Signs. One double face identification sign (park name and address only) at the main point of entry to the development not exceeding 18 square feet in area for each.
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix C: Housing Constraints Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page C-5 Transitional Housing
The BMC defines transitional housing as “available to, and intended for, persons who are homeless, or atrisk of homelessness, and have multiple barriers to employment and housing stability, including mental illness, chemical dependency, or other disabling or chronic health conditions. All members of tenant households must have facilitated access to case managers who provide access to supportive services, including intensive case management, information, and referral to services to health and dental care, mental health, substance abuse services, transportation coordination, and linkage to out-placement.” Gov’t Code § 65582, which was amended in 2014, defines transitional housing as “buildings configured as rental housing developments, but operated under program requirements that require the termination of assistance and recirculating of the assisted unit to another eligible program recipient at a predetermined future point in time that shall be no less than six months from the beginning of the assistance.” While it is unlikely that the differences between the City’s and California’s definitions in transitional housing are material enough to serve as a constraint to their development, the City’s codes should be revised to assist potential applicants and provide clarity and predictability in administering state law.
Transitional housing is permitted as a residential use by right in multifamily districts (zones MDR, DU/HS).
The BMC states that pursuant to Gov’t Code § 65583(a)(5), transitional housing must be considered as a residential use of the property, subject only to restrictions that apply to other residential dwellings of the same type in the same zone. However, the BMC also references that projects designed for more than seven individuals must be consistent with BMC § 19.10.120, Large residential care facilities. Since this code section is inoperative, these provisions will be amended to be consistent with state law.
Permanent Supportive Housing
The BMC defines permanent supportive housing as housing that is available to, and intended for, persons who are homeless, or at-risk of homelessness, and have multiple barriers to employment and housing stability, which barriers include mental illness, chemical dependency, or other disabling or chronic health conditions. The definition slightly differs from State law, which defines it as “housing with no limit on the length of stay that is linked to on-site or off-site services that assist residents in retaining their housing, improving their health status, and maximizing their ability to live and work in the community.” Other services include case management, mental health treatment, and life skills counseling.
The BMC allows permanent supportive housing as a residential use, subject only to those restrictions that apply to other residential dwellings of the same type in the same zone. However, the BMC also indicates that permanent supportive uses serving 7 or more clients are subject to compliance with BMC § 19.10.120, large residential care facilities, which would imply the need for a CUP. To improve clarity, the City will amend its zoning code to ensure permanent supportive housing is permitted by-right in all zones where multifamily uses and mixed use residential is permitted, if the proposed development satisfies requirements of Gov’t Code § 65651, as stated in Program 14 of the Housing Element. In addition, the reference to being subject to BMC § 19.10.120 (inference of CUP) will be deleted to reduce confusion.
Other provisions and requirements will also be reviewed to ensure consistency with state law.
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix C: Housing Constraints Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page C-6 Emergency Shelters and Navigation Centers
The Barstow Municipal Code does not contain a definition of emergency shelters and navigation centers.
However, the Health and Safety Code § 50801 defines emergency shelters as housing with minimal supportive services for homeless persons that is limited to occupancy of six months or less. No individual or household may be denied emergency shelter because of an inability to pay.” In 2023, the Gov’t Code § 655384(A)(4) expanded the definition of “emergency shelters” to include other interim interventions, such as navigation centers, bridge housing, and respite or recuperative care. Gov. Code § 65662 provides the correct definition of a navigation center. For clarity purposes, the Housing Plan proposes a revision to municipal codes to include the correct definition for emergency shelters and navigation centers.
The Barstow Municipal Code § 19.14.020(4) allows “temporary shelter for homeless population” and lowbarrier navigation centers as per the Gov’t Code § 65583 in the Human Services (HS) zone. The HS zone also permits single- and multifamily residential uses, commercial uses, nursery schools, day care centers, and sober living facilities. However, subsequent section 19.14.030 (7) requires a conditional use permit for “shelters and provision of services for homeless, at-risk and special needs populations.” To update the BMC consistent with state law, Program 14 proposes removing the CUP requirement and updating development standards for new emergency shelter parking requirements per AB 139. The City may also require a management plan requirement for emergency shelters as allowed by state law.
State law requires the need for emergency shelters to be assessed based on the capacity needed to accommodate the most recent homeless count, the number of beds available on a year-round and seasonal basis, the average number of shelter beds unused monthly within a one-year period, and the percentage of those in shelters that move to permanent housing solutions. The 2023 San Bernardino County Homeless Countrecorded 154 homeless people in Barstow, which includes 88 unsheltered people, 42 sheltered people, and 24 people in transitional housing. The 2024 Homeless Count reported that Barstow’s homeless residents declined to 113 and the number of unsheltered people remained the same (87). To address this need, the City has 27 beds of permanent supportive and transitional housing through New Hope Village (10 beds) and Desert Sanctuary (17 beds). See Appendix B.
The unsheltered homeless (87 people) must be addressed by identifying adequate sites for shelters. The HS zone will comply with State law for permitting emergency shelters by-right. Approximately 14 acres of vacant land (7 parcels) are zoned HS, with access to infrastructure that can accommodate emergency shelters. The smallest parcel is 0.85 acre and the largest is 4.25 acres. Roughly 83 individuals could be accommodated for the unsheltered population per parcel based on the following assumptions of a 16,662-square foot building on the 0.85-acre parcel: permitted floor area ratio of 0.90 and a 45 percent maximum lot coverage, required setbacks, one-story development (even though heights can reach at least 35 feet), and 200 square feet per space. All other parcels could accommodate a larger number of individuals. Accordingly, there is sufficient capacity to address the unsheltered need of 87 people.
The HS Zone where emergency shelters are allowed is served by transit along I-40. The area zoned as HS is also located near local resources such as Desert Manna, a local food bank, and a Walmart Supercenter.
There are no known environmental constraints that would limit development or create conditions inappropriate for human habitability. In fact, the HS Zone contains a mix of existing uses such as singlefamily and multifamily housing units, churches, physical fitness gyms, and restaurants. As a result, emergency shelters can be located and integrated into the same area where other residents have access to. Therefore, the zone and vacant sites for shelters are adequate and appropriate for that use.
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix C: Housing Constraints Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page C-7 Residential Care Facilities
Community care facilities are defined as any facility, place, or building that is maintained and operated to provide nonmedical residential care, day treatment, adult daycare, or foster family agency services for children, adults, or children and adults, including, but not limited to, the physically handicapped, mentally impaired, incompetent persons, and abused or neglected children, and includes residential facilities, adult day programs, therapeutic day service facilities, foster family agencies, foster family homes, small family homes, social rehabilitation facilities, and community treatment facilities.
The Community Care Facilities Act requires that residential care facilities serving six or fewer people be allowed as a by right residential use in all residential districts, including single and multiple-family residential districts. The use must be permitted in the same manner as other housing units in the same district and not be subject to business licensing, fees, inspections, use permit, building standards, or other regulations not otherwise required of similar residential uses in the same district. Spacing requirements are governed by state law and vary by type of facility. The Barstow Municipal Code is silent on small residential care facilities, but the City would permit such facilities if proposed.
Large residential care facilities serving seven or more clients are state-licensed facilities providing 24-hour nonmedical care for persons in need of personal services, supervision, protection, or assistance essential for sustaining the activities of daily living. The Zoning Code permits such care facilities in the MediumDensity Residential, Diverse Use, and Human Services zones with a CUP. As further detailed in the Permitting Processes and Fees section of this appendix, a project requiring a CUP may be approved by the Planning Commission provided that the commission can make findings that the following conditions exist:
• That the use applied for at the location set forth in the application is properly one for which a conditional use permit is authorized by this title.
• That the use is necessary or desirable for the development of the community and is not detrimental to existing uses or uses specifically permitted in the district classification. • That the site is adequate in size and shape to accommodate the use and that the yards, setbacks, walls/fences, landscaping, and other features required in order to adjust the use to existing uses or possible future uses on adjoining land in the neighborhood be compatible with one another. • That the site for the proposed use conforms to streets and highways properly designed and improved so as to carry the type and quantity of traffic generated or to be generated by the proposed use.
• City sewer service shall not be provided to any parcel not meeting the requirements of this chapter.
Although Barstow has a few residential care facilities, City staff could not recall examples of when the permitting process or any other requirement constrained the development of these facilities. Regardless, Program 12 commits the City to revise the definition of residential care facilities, allow such uses in zones that allow residential uses, and explicitly state that they are subject only to the same permitting requirements and treatment as any other similar family dwellings in the same zone. Large residential care facilities that serve more than six residents will be allowed with a conditional use permit in all zones allowing residential uses based on generally applicable, nondiscriminatory findings. The City will also review its CUP findings and make any modifications needed to ensure consistency with fair housing law.
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix C: Housing Constraints Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page C-8 Employee and Farmworker Housing
Farmworkers are defined as persons whose primary incomes are earned through permanent or seasonal agricultural labor. Permanent farm laborers work in the fields, processing plants, or support activities on a generally year-round basis. When workload increases during harvest periods, the labor force is supplemented by seasonal workers, often supplied by a labor contractor. The City has experienced a sharp decline in the amount of agriculture and farmworker occupations since 2000; only 48 Barstow residents are employed in the agriculture industry as of 2018. These residents are likely employed at the Cityoperated alfalfa field. Hinkley includes the bulk of the fields in this area, with one dairy farm (B & E Dairy) on Community Boulevard and one on Mountain Road (Desert View Dairy).
The Employee Housing Act (EHA) regulates the provision of employee housing. The EHA requires that any employee housing for six or fewer employees shall be treated as a single-family home and shall not be required to secure any permit or undergo any approval process not required of a single-family home in the same zone. Farmworker housing must be permitted consistent with Health and Safety Code §§ 17020 to 17027 and may only be subject to objective, quantifiable, written development standards, conditions, and policies. The code includes employee housing consisting of bunkhouses of 36 beds or 12 units to be permitted in all zones that allow agricultural uses in the same manner as other agricultural uses.
Program 9 commits the City to amend the zoning code to make City regulations consistent with State law.
Definition of Family and Dwelling Unit
Municipal codes can create fair housing concerns if the definitions could be used to limit housing opportunities or fair housing choice. For example, fair housing law prohibits defining a family (and by extension living quarters) by the relationship of members (e.g., marital status), number of occupants, or other characteristics. The Barstow Municipal Code defines a “family” as an individual, or two or more persons related by blood, marriage or adoption, or a group of persons, excluding servants, who are not so related, living together as a single housekeeping unit in a dwelling. While the definition is consistent with the definition used by the Census Bureau, the first part of the definition could raise concerns in the realm of fair housing and should be deleted in favor of the second part.
Other definitions in the municipal code could present fair housing concerns. Specifically, the BMC contains the following definitions of a dwelling unit, with particular references to exclusive occupancy or use:
• Dwelling unit means one or more rooms, with facilities for living, sleeping, cooking, and eating designed for occupancy by one family and shall include bachelor or efficiency unit. • Dwelling, one-family, means a detached building that is designed exclusively for the occupancy of one family.
• Dwelling, two-family, means a building designed and/or used exclusively for the occupancy of two families living independently of each other.
• Dwelling, multiple, means a building designed and used for occupancy by three or more families, all living independently of each other.
While these definitions have not been used to limit housing opportunities for residents, the references to “designed exclusively” or “used exclusively” for one, two, or three families could potentially be interpreted as precluding inter-generational families from sharing a unit. The Housing Plan therefore City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix C: Housing Constraints Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page C-9 contains Program #9 to revise these municipal code definitions that could pose fair housing concerns if applied to limit occupancy.
Reasonable Accommodation
The City is required by the Federal Fair Housing Act and the California Fair Employment and Housing Act to provide a process of reasonable accommodation requests. The City has therefore adopted a procedure to implement fair housing law and to ensure housing for people with disabilities. Reasonable accommodations may be made to the City’s zoning and land use regulations, policies, and practices when needed to provide an individual with a disability an equal opportunity to use and enjoy a dwelling.
Reasonable accommodation requests are reviewed by the hearing officer and may be approved, conditionally approved, or denied in accordance with the following findings of approval:
• The requested accommodation is requested by or on behalf of one or more individuals with a disability protected under the fair housing laws.
• The requested accommodation is necessary to provide one or more individuals with a disability an equal opportunity to use and enjoy a dwelling.
• The requested accommodation will not impose an undue financial or administrative burden on the city as “undue financial or administrative burden” is defined in fair housing Laws and interpretive case law.
• The requested accommodation will not result in a fundamental alteration in the nature of the City’s zoning program, as “fundamental alteration” is defined in fair housing laws and interpretive case law.
• The requested accommodation will not, under the specific facts of the case, result in a direct threat to the health or safety of other individuals or substantial physical damage to the property of others.
• In making these findings, the decision maker may approve alternative reasonable accommodations that provide an equivalent level of benefit to the applicant.
A residential care operator may request reasonable accommodation to provide needed housing. In these cases, the Barstow Municipal Code provides three findings that the City Council may, as an option, consider in the case of residential care facility operators seeking to locate in the community:
• Whether the requested accommodation is needed to make facilities of a similar nature or operation economically viable in light of particularities of the market and its participants. • Whether the existing supply of facilities of a similar nature and operation is sufficient to provide individuals with a disability an equal opportunity to live in a residential setting • Whether the requested accommodation would create an institutionalized environment due to the number of and distance between facilities that are similar in nature or operation.
Program 12, Housing for Persons with Disabilities, includes an action to accept reasonable accommodation requests. While the Health and Safety Code sets criteria for over-concentrations, typically a distance of 300 feet from another similar facility, the City’s municipal code may conflict, in some cases, with state law concentration regulations. Program 12 commits to a revision of residential care facility provisions in the City’s municipal codes to ensure consistency with state law.
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix C: Housing Constraints Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page C-10 Residential Development Standards
While the General Plan establishes the broad intent of a land use designation, the Zoning Code implements its intent. Each zone that permits residential uses regulates the residential use permitted, lot size, density, and parking requirements. While regulations such as setbacks, lot size, and lot coverage can limit the number of dwelling units that can be developed on a particular lot, residential densities are primarily limited by established maximum densities and have not constrained residential projects.
Table C-3, Development Standards for Zones That Permit Residential Uses, describes zones where residential uses are permitted in the City and their respective development standards.
Table C-3 2021 Development Standards for Zones That Permit Residential Uses Development
Standards
Residential Zones
SFR SingleFamily ER EstateLDR LowDensityMDR MediumDensity Minimum
Lot Area
6,000
square feet
108,900
square feet
43,560
square feet
6,000
square feet
Maximum Density
(units per acre)
1 per lot
7 units per acre
1 per lot
1 unit per 2.5 acres
1 per lot
1 unit per acre
20 units
Minimum Size for
Lot Width
Lot Depth
50 feet
90 feet
300 feet
300 feet
150 feet
150 feet
60 feet
100 feet
Outdoor Living area
(Open Space)
N/A N/A N/A 15% of gross
floor area/unit,
excluding yard
Maximum Lot
Coverage
45% N/A N/A N/A
Maximum Floor
Area Ratio
— — — —
Front Yard Setback 10 feet 25 feet, 15 feet
Street Side
25 feet, 15 feet
Street Side
15 feet
Garage/Carport
Setback
24 feet 25 feet 25 feet 24 feet
Side Yard Setback 5 feet 25 feet 25 feet 5 feet
Rear Yard Setback 5 feet 10 feet 10 feet 5 feet
Maximum Building or
Structure Height
2 Stories 3 Stories 3 Stories 4 Stories
Parking Requirement See analysis that follows
Source: Barstow Municipal Code, 2023.
Note: Development standards are included for the most prevalent examples of residential structures in the City.
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix C: Housing Constraints Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page C-11 Exceptions may exist depending on the location of the home near other structures and on different types of streets.
Diverse Use and Human Services Zone
In addition to the standard residential zones discussed earlier in Table C-3, the City adopted a Diverse Use and Human Services zoning district (DU/HS). This designation is intended to provide for diversity of compatible and mutually beneficial commercial and residential uses (such as housing, retail stores or offices) on a given parcel or combination of parcels. The designation is intended to encourage development featuring convenient linkages between commercial and residential uses that provides a buffer between major public or industrial areas or highways and lower density residential land uses.
The DU/HS zoning district allows any land use that is permitted in the Single-Family Residential (SFR) and MDR districts at the same standards of the zoning district which the use replicates. Development standards are based on development standards of the zoning district that the use replicates as well as adjacent uses. Further details can be found in Municipal Code §§ 19.12 and 19.14. As shown in Table C-4, the DU/HS zoning district facilitates development of residential structures in conjunction with commercial and/or office spaces through modified development standards.
Table C-4 2021 Development Standards for Diverse Use/Human Services Zoning District Type Description
Minimum Lot Area 6,000 square feet
Maximum Density (units per acre) 16
Minimum Lot Width 50 feet for new lots, no requirement for existing lots Maximum Floor Area Ratio 1.5 for residential structures
0.9 for commercial/office space not combined with housing Front Yard/Street Side Setback 15 feet
Side Yard/Rear Yard 5 feet (side); 5 feet (rear)
Garage/Carport Setback 20 feet
Open Space
For mixed use or single use buildings, the total usable open space shall equal 25 percent of gross floor area for any residential units. Such open space may be above the ground level in the form of decks, balconies, or similar features.
Maximum Building Height
35 feet when directly adjacent to single-family residential 45 feet when located along an arterial street, highway, or interstate, or next to multifamily residential
Maximum Lot Coverage
50% for residential and commercial/office space combined 45% for commercial/office space not combined with
residential uses
Parking Requirement See analysis that follows
Source: Barstow Municipal Code, 2023.
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix C: Housing Constraints Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page C-12 Parking Standards
The Municipal Code sets forth parking standards to (1) alleviate or to prevent traffic congestion caused by a shortage of parking spaces in addition to the loading and unloading of trucks on public streets; (2) to ensure that off-street parking and loading facilities are provided incidental to new land uses and alterations/enlargements of existing land uses in proportion to the need for such facilities created by the particular type of land use; and (3) to ensure that off-street parking and loading facilities are designed in a manner that will result in maximum efficiency, protect the public safety, provide for the special needs of the physically handicapped, and where appropriate, insulate surrounding land uses from their impact.
The City’s parking standards are in § 19.06.050 of the Barstow Municipal Code and detailed in Table C-5, Parking Standards for Residential Use.
Table C-5 2021 Parking Standards by Residential Use
Use Basic Requirement Regulatory Concession
Accessory Dwelling 1 covered parking space None
Single-Family 2 enclosed (garage) parking spaces None
Multifamily 1 parking space per studio unit
2 parking spaces per unit for 1+ bedrooms
50% enclosed plus 10% for visitors
Potential use of carports in
lieu of garages
Senior Citizen (Deed
Restricted)
0.75 parking spaces per unit
50% garage or carport plus 10% for visitors
Consideration of slight
parking reduction.
Boarding Houses 1 parking space per guestroom or per 2 beds None Mobile Home Parks 2 covered parking spaces per unit None Group Care Facilities 1 parking space per 2 beds plus on for each employee on the maximum shift
None
Special Needs Not specified Not specified
Source: Barstow Municipal Code, 2023.
Barstow’s parking space requirements are not seen as constraints to development. At generally two spaces per unit, they match the vehicle ownership patterns and parking needs of residents. The guest parking requirement of one space per 10% of required parking units meets or exceeds the needs of the associated complexes. Parking space reductions are allowed for multifamily units and senior housing (for deed restricted properties, multifamily units). In accordance with state density bonus law, the City will also consider an alternative parking ratio and other parking incentives.
However, several changes will be necessary to bring the code up to date. Program 22, Reduced Parking Requirements, will amend the zoning code to be consistent with the requirements of Government Code § 65913.6 and Program 14, Homeless Services, will ensure that shelter parking is consistent with AB 139.
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix C: Housing Constraints Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page C-13 Cumulative Impact of Development Standards
The City’s residential zones contain development standards relating to density, height, setbacks, parking, open space, and maximum lot coverage. The primary requirements that consume developable areas are setbacks and parking for all residential and open space for multifamily. In the ER and LDR zones, which allow up to 1 unit per acre, the development standards allow construction to achieve the highest end of the density range on any lot that meets the minimum lot size requirements.
Single-Family Housing Zones
The SFR and MDR zones allow up to 7 and 20 dwelling units per acre, respectively. On a sample one acre lot in the SFR with a single dwelling unit, setbacks would consume up to 18% of the lot and parking would consume another 13% (calculated at two spaces per unit and 400 square feet for garage space), leaving roughly 30,000 square feet of buildable space controlled by a maximum height limit of two stories. Each house could be at least 2,240 square feet as a single-story home and up to 4,480 square feet as a twostory home. This is a substantial amount of building space and home size for a residential unit, and development standards would not be a constraint to development in this zone.
Multifamily Housing Zones
On a sample one-acre lot in the MDR zone with 20 units of housing in a multifamily building, setbacks would consume up to 19% of the lot and parking (surface lot format) would consume another 30% (calculated at one space per unit and 300 square feet per space), and the open space requirement would consume another 15%, leaving roughly 18,870 square feet of buildable space controlled by a maximum height limit of four stories. This zone does not have a maximum parcel coverage. Assuming a maximum of four stories in height, each of the 20 units (5 units per story) could be an average of 3,774 square feet.
Such units could easily contain at least four bedrooms while still providing large common living and kitchen areas. Applying these same standards to a 6,000-square-foot lot still allows for 20 du/ac with 1,201- square-foot units—large enough for three-bedroom, two-bathroom configurations.
Diverse Use Zone
On a sample one-acre lot in the DU zone with 16 units in a multifamily building, setbacks would require 22% of the lot, parking (surface lot format) would require 24% (calculated at one space per unit and 300 square feet per space), and open space requirement would consume another 25%, leaving roughly 17,691 square feet of buildable space controlled by a maximum height limit of three or four stories. Assuming even only two stories in height, each of the 16 units (8 units per story) could be an average of 2,211 square feet. Such units could easily accommodate four bedrooms while still providing large common living and kitchen areas. Applying these same standards to a quarter-acre lot still allows for 16 du/acre with 2,015- square-foot units in two-story buildings—large enough for four-bedroom, two-bathroom configurations.
Increased density provided as part of a density bonus was not analyzed because affordable housing developments are also entitled by state law to concessions, including reduced parking standards that ensure the housing development can reach the maximum density requested.
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix C: Housing Constraints Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page C-14 Building Codes and Enforcement
Barstow implements a wide variety of standard building codes to ensure that all housing is safe, energy efficient, accessible, and meets all acceptable performance and quality standards for residents. Building codes are enforced by Building Division staff through the initial permitting of residential development and periodic inspections conducted by Building Division and Code Compliance staff.
Building Codes
Local building codes are implemented and enforced to protect the public's health, safety, and property.
The “California Building Standards Code” establishes minimum “building standards” that control all aspects of the erection of buildings throughout California. These “Title 24 codes” are reissued triennially upon input received from the Division of the State Architect, the Department of Housing and Community Development, Office of the State Fire Marshal, and professional organizations. Local governments are required to either adopt these codes or adopt them with local amendments as authorized by state law.
Barstow implements the 2022 edition of the California Building Code pursuant to Ordinance 1021-2023.
Specific codes include:
• 2022 Building Code
• 2022 Residential Code
• 2022 Electrical Code
• 2022 Mechanical Code
• 2022 Plumbing Code
• 2022 Energy Code
• 2022 Green Building Code
• 2022 Fire Code with amendments
The California Building Standards Code also requires new residential construction to comply with the federal American with Disabilities Act. The City provides information on universal design and barrier-free housing for people with disabilities, and retrofitting of structures to allow for the fullest access to housing.
Code Compliance
The Code Compliance Division is tasked with enforcing compliance with municipal codes. Common code violations include visible debris, discarded furniture and trash, illegal dumping not in progress; inoperative vehicles, excessive weeds, fencing and external building maintenance, unsecured abandoned property, unsecured refrigerators, sign maintenance and business licensing. Code Compliance also enforces the water conservation ordinance, which bans watering at certain times of day during the hottest months.
The Code Compliance division is a complaint driven function and does not focus efforts on any one area.
In 2020/21, the City increased the number of code compliance staff from one to four officers and two admin staff to address additional cases and implement required inspections of new cannabis facilities.
Housing inspections also help to ensure the safety of homes for residents. In 2018, the City began to require annual fire inspections for all properties (~300) with three or more housing units. In 2021, the City adopted its Annual Rental Property Inspection Program, as articulated in the BMC, Chapter 5.91. This program covers 3,500 single-family rental housing properties and 200 apartment complexes. The Program is intended to help identify and correct substandard, unsanitary, or other prohibited conditions in rental units that are a hazard to the health, safety, and welfare of tenants and/or neighboring residents. The inspection is external only and subsequent inspections can be waived for well-maintained properties.
Mobile home park inspections, except for fire inspections, are contracted out to California HCD staff.
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix C: Housing Constraints Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page C-15 Energy Conservation
The City implements California’s progressive energy conservation measures for water and renewable energy resources. California’s Energy Efficiency Standards require all new housing to meet minimum conservation standards through mandatory components such as minimum insulation, heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems and efficient heating equipment. Residential projects are subject to meeting the state building codes, which include energy conservation standards. The City meets or exceeds CALGreen Standards by including additions and alterations of all projects except where exempted in City codes. Program 7, Resource Conservation, commits to implementing CALGreen Standards.
Given the desert climate of Barstow and its high temperatures, the City has also adopted additional requirements to further conserve energy, including: 1) all new reroofs of low-slope roofs be “Cool Roof” certified or otherwise appropriately insulated; 2) water-conserving flushing must comply with industry standards or manufacturer’s instructions; and 3) pre-installation of conduits in all new buildings for future photovoltaic systems. Moreover, mixed-use projects and multifamily buildings four or more stories in height must comply with Tier I standards, which are comparable to LEED certification. These measures further assist in meeting local and state goals for energy conservation.
Finally, pursuant to BMC § 19.08.090, the City offers incentives for creative/sustainable residential, commercial, and industrial design. Design incentives are included for new development using site design that is creative and incorporates sustainability principles, as described below and/or that involves the incorporation of innovative and creative architectural design as well as sustainable building materials and practices and energy-conservation measures for both exterior and interior spaces. Incentives are also considered for existing development that is rehabilitated, remodeled and/or retrofitted to improve and enhance aesthetics and/or energy efficiency. Incentives may also be provided for dedication of parklands or conservation easements. Available incentives may include:
(1) Modification of site development guidelines, zoning requirements or architectural design guidelines including but are not limited to:
a. Reductions in setback and minimum square footage requirements; b. Reductions in required vehicular parking spaces (not to exceed 20 percent of total required spaces); c. Density bonuses and other incentives for projects qualifying for LEED certification; d. Other incentives for projects that provide day care, carpooling, electric vehicle charging stations or other features that promote jobs/housing balance and/or environmental sustainability; (2) Other regulatory incentives or concessions proposed by the developer or the city that result in identifiable reductions in energy, water use or greenhouse gas emissions.
The City of Barstow’s local utility providers also offer a variety of rate incentives to encourage the conservation of resources. Agencies and rate incentives are offered by Golden State Water, Southern California Edison, and Southern California Gas. The City also facilitates and encourages the installation of rooftop solar panels. The City’s website at https://www.barstowca.org/residents/energy-savings provides additional opportunities for residents, business, and other consumers to save energy.
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix C: Housing Constraints Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page C-16 On-Site and Off-Site Improvements
On-site and off-site improvements are needed to ensure that housing is supported with the necessary facilities. Requirements for improvements vary depending on the presence of existing improvements, as well as the size and nature of the proposed development. The City requires developers to provide on-site and off-site improvements necessary to serve proposed residential projects for projects that require a discretionary entitlement, or when improvements reach certain thresholds. The City may require developers to fulfill obligations specified in the Subdivision Map Act, including water, sewer, and other utility lines and extensions; street construction to City standards; and traffic controls reasonably related to the project.
The City regulates the design, installation, and maintenance of improvements needed for housing.
Engineering drawings are provided for prospective developers. Further on-site or off-site improvements include street right-of-way (ROW) dedication, sidewalks, street lighting, pavement, curbs and gutters, and water and sewer mains. Standard improvements consistent with City requirements include:
• Local streets must have 60 feet of ROW with 40 feet of roadway. Collector streets must have 60 feet of ROW and 44 feet of roadway. Secondary arterials must have 80 feet of ROW and 64 feet of roadway. Primary arterials must have at least 100 feet of ROW and 84 feet of roadway. • Street improvements, including street trees on both sides of the street in accordance with the City’s Landscape Guidelines, pavement, curbs, gutters and sidewalk, streetlights, signage, and other similar appurtenances.
• Utility lines, including electric, communications, street lighting, and cable television to serve the subdivision. All electrical distribution lines of 16,000 volts or less, telephone, cable television, etc. which provide direct service to the property being developed shall be installed underground. • Water infrastructure, including water mains, sub-mains, and services needed for the distribution of water to each lot or parcel. Construction of all new water and drainage distribution systems related to projects are completed by the developer.
• Parks and recreation, including open space, park, and recreational facilities for which dedication of land and/or payment of a fee is required per the General Plan and fee schedule. The General Plan requires a total fee equivalent to five acres per 1,000 residents.
Subdivision improvements for five or more parcels are required to be completed by the subdivider prior to approval of the final map, or as specified in the subdivision improvement agreement. However, for single-family residential subdivisions of up to four parcels, the requirements shall be enforced with regard to requirements related to the construction of public off-site street improvements. Alternatively, the property owner may, upon approval by the City Engineer, pay a fee-in-lieu for public off-site improvements. The City will hold these funds until sufficient monies are available to construct the required public improvements in the neighborhood surrounding the subject property.
In some cases, infrastructure to support a proposed residential development is already in place or can be simply extended from surrounding residential or nonresidential projects. In addition, sufficient capacity for vehicular traffic exists within the existing street network. Overall, the City’s subdivision and infrastructure requirements are similar to cities across Southern California and are not identified as a unique cost or actual constraints upon the development, improvement, and maintenance of housing. To further reduce the cost of infrastructure and the potential for it serving as a constraint, the City is pursuing an Enhanced Infrastructure Financing District (see Program 17).
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix C: Housing Constraints Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page C-17 Permitting Processes
Local processing and permit procedures can also constrain the development of housing through unnecessary discretionary permit requirements, lengthy permit processing timelines, and subjective requirements that leave uncertainties in the overall development design and density. The following outlines the City’s permitting process for residential development.
Discretionary actions can be required for development design reviews, required use permits, zone or plan amendments, and subdivisions. Whereas ministerial, or by-right, permits involve the application of objective standards and criteria. Further, in accordance with Section 65913.4 of the California Government Code, also known as SB 35, a permit applicant may apply for a development that is subject to the streamlined, ministerial approval process and is not subject to a CUP, if they meet the objective planning standards as outlined in the Government Code and as summarized as follows:
• Multifamily housing developments on infill sites zoned for residential or residential mixed-use. • A minimum of 10% of the units are dedicated as affordable to lower income households. • For developments with 10 or more units, a prevailing wage requirement is included.
The City’s 5th Cycle Housing Element identified the realistic capacity to be 15 du/ acre in the MDR district, 6 du/acre in the SFR district, and 5 du/ in the DU/HS district. Because the City’s Zoning Code does not have a minimum density requirement, it did not have any requests to develop at lower densities. However, analysis of permits issued during the 5th Cycle reveals four projects on identified sites. Of those four projects, the percentage of the maximum permitted density achieved includes one project each at 207%, 67%, 64%, and 40% of the maximum, respectively. However, if the City received requests to develop housing at densities below those anticipated in Appendix E—specifically on sites identified for lower- and moderate-income housing—it would potentially limit meeting the City’s RHNA goals. While the City is not responsible for constructing housing, several programs in the Housing Element aim to incentivize development:
• Program 10 could provide financial assistance for construction of affordable housing. • Program 15 will track all proposals on the sites to accommodate the RHNA and provide by-right approval for projects with affordable projects on prior RHNA sites • Program 18 provides an affordable housing streamlined approval process Additionally, in an effort to increase transparency of the development permitting process as required by AB 1483 in 2019, the City makes the following available on its website, as applicable, and updates any changes to the information within 30 days of the change:
• A current schedule of fees, exactions, and affordability requirements imposed by the City, applicable to a proposed project and applicable parcels. • All zoning ordinances and development standards, which shall specify the zoning, design, and development standards that apply to each parcel. These can be found at:
• The list required to be compiled of information that will be required from any applicant for a development project.
• Current and five previous annual fee reports, budgets, or annual financial reports. • An archive of impact fee nexus studies, cost of service studies, or equivalent City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix C: Housing Constraints Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page C-18 Permit Processes and Timelines
The City of Barstow has the responsibility to ensure that developments are of lasting quality, that housing opportunities are available, and that public health and welfare are protected in all residential structures.
To that end, the Municipal Code establishes standard procedures for processing applications for the development of housing. The review process follows one of three tracts noted below:
Administrative Review: BMC § 19.05.060 (A)(3)
This review is without notice, based upon standards adopted by the city as law or policy. This process is used by tenant improvements within a facility that meets the city’s development standards, or when the existing facility has been previously approved for the same or similar use. However, proposals for singular single-family homes on previously subdivided lots will go straight through administrative review to building permit application, without review. Site Plan review is not involved, with residential projects going straight forward to the submittal of building permit application. Time frame: two weeks.
Administrative Review with Notification: BMC § 19.05.020 (C) This review includes residential projects of more than one unit, additions to multiple residential, revisions to previously approved site plans, and projects involving a change/intensification of use. This process is also used for multiple-family projects with 2 to 4 units. Notices are sent only to parties requesting notice.
City staff receive an application and provide written comments, which are incorporated moving forward.
Plan resubmittal is not required. The information requested by Planning is routine and includes: project description, site plan, floor plans, and elevations. A cursory review of project design is also provided, and any recommendations provided for incorporation into the more detailed application that goes to the Planning Commission or Building Department. Engineering may provide additional comments on dedications, public utilities and services, and on-off site improvements. After receiving admin review, the proposed project application goes to the building division for permits. Time frame: two weeks.
Site Plan Review with Planning Commission Review: BMC § 19.05.020 (D) This administrative review process applies to projects of more than four units, retail commercial, nonresidential commercial/professional/industrial uses, public/quasi-public uses that are subject to review by the city, projects recommended by the planning director to the commission for decision, or any project requiring a negative declaration, mitigated negative declaration, or environmental impact report.
This process is exactly the same as the administrative site plan review, except that the project is scheduled for review by the Planning Commission given the larger size of the project. There is no discretionary review of the use or the creation of subjective conditions. Time frame: 6 to 8 weeks.
The Planning Commission makes four findings to approve the project:
1) The site is adequate in size and shape to accommodate all yards, open spaces, setbacks, walls and fences, parking areas, fire and building code considerations, etc. 2) The proposed use will not have a substantial adverse impact and will not generate excessive noise, vibration, traffic, or other disturbances, nuisances, or hazards; 3) The proposed use is consistent with goals, policies, standards and maps of the development code, general plan, and other applicable codes and ordinances adopted by the city; 4) The site for the proposed use has adequate access, meaning that the site design incorporates street and highway limitations.
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix C: Housing Constraints Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page C-19 Design Review
The Barstow Municipal Code contains design guidelines that apply to residential, commercial, industrial, and other projects proposed for development. The standards are generally objective in nature and simple to comply with. City staff informally review the project during the site plan review and direct the developer to provisions in the municipal code. No specific findings of approval are made. City staff briefly makes the developer aware of the guidelines with instructions to incorporate them in their plans/elevations. City staff welcome new developments and do not seek to use the design guidelines to impose unnecessary costs on the developer or make the project infeasible. Time frame: Concurrent with site plan review.
Building Plan Application
Once the project has received either administrative, staff level, or planning commission review, the developer submits detailed plans to the building and engineering department. City staff provide an online form that can be used to expedite and provide clarity to the process. https://www.barstowca.org/home/showpublisheddocument/5887/637133036533630000. Common items include grading plans, off-site improvement plans, building plans, and fire plans. The timeframe required is based on the developer’s expertise. However, City staff commit to a two week turnaround.
Typically, the process takes two rounds of review to receive permits. Time frame: 4 to 6 weeks.
Time Frames
The time frames for approval are relatively short. Single-family residences typically require plan check without discretionary review, entailing four to six weeks from initial application submittal to permit.
Multifamily projects follow the same process except must also be reviewed by the Planning Commissions.
A hearing adds 6 to 8 weeks to prepare staff reports and hold the commission meeting. Still, even multiple family projects can go from initial application to building permit within 12 to 16 weeks. Taken together, the City’s permitting process is fairly streamlined as evidenced by consolidated reviews, staff policy of turning around application reviews within 2 weeks, and concurrent reviews where possible.
Table C-6, Residential Development Approval Time Frames, details the steps and timeframes associated with reviewing and approving residential developments in Barstow.
Table C-6 Residential Development Approval Timeframe
Permit Process
Review
Authority
Development Type
Single Family
Dwelling or
Alterations
Multifamily
Dwelling
(2–4 units)
Multifamily
Dwelling
(5+ units)
Site Plan Review City Staff – 2 weeks 2 weeks
Public Review Plan. Comm. – – 6–8 weeks
Building Permit City Staff 4 to 6 weeks 4 to 6 weeks 4 to 6 weeks Conditional Use Permit City Council N/A N/A N/A
Total Time frame City Council 4 to 6 weeks 6 to 8 weeks 12 to 16 weeks Source: Barstow Municipal Code and City staff interviews, 2023.
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix C: Housing Constraints Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page C-20 Conditional Use Permits
The conditional use permit process controls the location and operation of certain land uses to ensure public health, safety, and general welfare, and mitigates and avoids incompatibility with neighboring properties. The City utilizes the conditional use permit process to review configuration, design, location, and potential impacts of proposed uses in order to evaluate the compatibility of the proposed use with surrounding uses and the suitability of the use to the site. The permitting process can take approximately 2 to 3 weeks for staff to review and requires newspaper notice, which takes an additional 3 weeks. The overall conditional use permitting process takes 2 to 4 months.
As is the typical case, the conditional use permit requires a public hearing, an application fee, and review by the Planning Commission. Public noticing of the hearing is required to notify all property owners within 300 feet of the project boundary. The findings for approval are as follows:
• That the use applied for at the location set forth in the application is properly one for which a conditional use permit is authorized by this title.
• The use is necessary or desirable for the development of the community and is not detrimental to existing uses or uses specifically permitted in the district classification as per this title. • The site for the intended use is adequate in size and shape to accommodate it and that all of the yards, setbacks, walls or fences, landscaping, and other features required in order to adjust the use to existing uses or possible future uses on adjoining land be compatible with one another. • The site for the proposed use conforms to streets and highways properly designed and improved so as to carry the type and quantity of traffic generated or to be generated by the proposed use. • City sewer service shall not be provided to any parcel not meeting the requirements of this chapter.
In evaluating the conditional use permit and its findings, the City’s ordinances appear reasonable. Findings that are required to be made to approve a conditional use permit are consistent with state law and court rulings. Findings are also consistent with those provided in the “The Planner's Training Series: The Conditional Use Permit Process,” California Governor's OPR (July 1997). Case law has established that conditional use permit findings can address only four broad topics of concern: general welfare, nuisance standard, zoning consistency, and general plan consistency. All of the City’s findings fall within these categories and none are unduly ambiguous, discretionary, or lack merit. However, OPR’s technical memo does not address the impact of the conditional use permit on fair housing opportunity.
As noted earlier in this chapter, the Barstow Municipal Code does not require a conditional use permit for single-family or multiple-family residential uses. All conventional residential uses are approved by-right.
However, a conditional use permit is required for many of the housing products typically considered suitable for special needs. As an objective for the housing element, the City is eliminating the conditional use permit process for certain residential uses where pre-empted by state law, such as • Remove CUP for emergency shelters
• Remove CUP for transitional housing that includes 7 or more units • Remove CUP for supportive housing that includes 7 or more units Transitional and supportive housing will simply conform to state definitions and permitting process and will eliminate any reference to the size or number of units.
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix C: Housing Constraints Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page C-21 Variances
Variances are requests for a deviation from development standards as they apply to particular uses when practical difficulties develop from the strict interpretation and enforcement of zoning codes, or when unusual circumstances involving site topography, shape, or size are involved. No variances to the land use classifications of the zoning code are allowed. Variances may pertain to building height, parking, setbacks, density, walls, landscaping, fencing, and building operation, among others.
Variances require noticed public hearings with a review by the Planning Commission. A decision to approve or disapprove an application is based on the findings of fact in the zoning code. Variances are uncommon in the City of Barstow because an applicant must prove in writing they meet all of the following requirements before applying for a variance.
• There are exceptional or extraordinary circumstances or conditions applicable to the subject site that do not apply generally to the sites in the same zoning district. • Granting the application is necessary for the preservation and enjoyment of a substantial property right of the applicant and to prevent unreasonable property loss or unnecessary hardship. • Granting the application would not be detrimental or injurious to property or improvements in the vicinity of the subject site, or to the public health, safety, or general welfare. • Granting the application is in conformance with the goals, policies, and objectives of the General Plan, and the purpose and intent of any applicable specific plan and the purposes of the zoning code and would not constitute a grant of special privilege inconsistent with limitations. • The cost to the applicant of strict compliance with a regulation shall not be the primary reason for granting the variance.
Subdivisions
The Subdivision Map Act requires that any subdivision of land into four lots or units or less requires a parcel map and any subdivision of five lots or units or more requires a tract map. Tentative maps completed in accordance with BMC § 18.06.011 are first submitted to the Community Development Department with an application and associated fees. The Department forwards copies of the tentative map to the affected public agencies, who then return comments and recommendations to the Department to ensure that the subdivision can be adequately served. The Department will then send a notice of the filing of the tentative tract map to the school district that would serve the proposed subdivision, who may then send a written report regarding the impact on the school district to be used in Planning Commission consideration of approving or conditionally approving the tentative tract map.
All subdivisions shall have a public hearing that may be held by the Community Development Department or Planning Commission. Upon receipt of a valid application, completion of the subdivision conference, and having received the Department’s report and recommendations for the proposed tentative map, the City planner shall set the matter for public hearing. The Hearing Officer or Planning Commission will review the tentative map for consistency with the applicable zoning and general plan land use designations. Final tract maps are to be completed within the timeframe allowed and are scheduled for approval by the City Council after approval from the City engineer and within 10 days after filing with the City clerk.
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix C: Housing Constraints Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page C-22 Fees and Exactions
Barstow charges fees to recover the cost of processing planning reviews and approvals, building permits, design reviews, and other services. In addition, development impact fees are assessed to ensure that infrastructure, public services, and facilities have adequate capacity to accommodate the demands placed upon them by new residential development. The Government Code allows such service fees provided the fee amount approximates the estimated reasonable cost of providing the service and has a reasonable relationship to the infrastructure costs associated with a proposed project.
The schedule of planning and permitting fees in Barstow is provided in the Master Fee Schedule. Check the current master fee schedule for updates. The 2021 master fee schedule is detailed below in Table C-7, 2021 Permitting Fees. Plan checking fees are provided by the City and are set to recover the costs associated with certain services and fees. The City’s last update to their fee schedule was in 2021. Fees associated with the planning department are on page 41 of the Master Fee Schedule.
Table C-7 2021 Permitting Fees
City/Agency Service Fee
General Plan Amendment (Initial Request) $1,193
General Plan Amendment (Actual) $2,282
Zone Change $2,282
Site Plan Review – Administrative Review $375
Site Plan Review – Admin Review with Public Notice $750 Site Plan Review – Planning Commission Review $1,000
Conditional Use Permit $1,009
Development Permit $855
Planned Unit Development $2,269
Lot Line Adjustment/Lot Merger $531
Parcel Map - Tentative $913
Parcel Map (Vesting) – Tentative $2,108
Parcel Map – Final (Include Vesting) $707
Tract Map – Tentative $1,913
Tract Map (Vesting) – Tentative $2,108
Tract Map - Final $1,595
Variance $791
Preparation of Specific Plan Actual Costs
Appeal to City Council $700
Appeal to Planning Commission $621
Source: City of Barstow website, 2023.
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix C: Housing Constraints Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page C-23 In addition to various permit (service) fees, the City also charges a Development Impact Fee to offset the impact that new residential development has on the provision of public facilities and services. This fee includes categories of service—law enforcement; circulation system, including local streets, signals, and bridges; storm drainage collection systems; general facilities, including recreational and educational; public meeting facilities; aquatic facilities; and parkland and open space acquisition. These fees can increase the cost of housing and may influence the financial feasibility of affordable housing projects.
As a means of evaluating the impact that development fees contribute to the cost of constructing housing in Barstow, the City estimated the average fees for an 80-unit apartment project (average of 900 square feet per unit) and a 10-unit, single-family housing development based on an average of 1,500 square feet.
Table C-8, 2021 Approximate Fees per Housing Unit, provides an estimate of City, development, and other agency fees for multifamily and single-family units.
Table C-8 2021 Approximate Fees per Housing Unit
Fee Category
Approximate Fees per Housing Unit
Multifamily Unit Single Family Unit
City Service Fees
Plan Check and Building Fees $1,345 $1,782
Planning and Environmental $0 $0
Development Impact Fees
Development Impact Fee $10,041 $4,527
Fire Department Impact Fee $625 $809
Sewer Connection Fee $1,500 $1,500
Other Agency Fees
Barstow USD Impact Fee $3,024 $5,024
Golden State Water No connection fee is charged
Total Fee $16,535 $13,658
Note: The fees above were estimated as per unit for a multifamily 80-unit apartment complex averaging 900 square feet per unit and a 10-unit single-family residential development averaging 1,500 square feet per unit. Not all of these fees are established by the City of Barstow. Check with the City with your final floor plan to get an exact cost structure.
Impact fees are closely regulated by state law and required to be tied to the actual cost of service.
Assuming the appropriate nexus and service cost of service studies have been undertaken, a comparison with surrounding of fees can provide a magnitude of order assessment of their reasonableness. The 2019 National Impact Fees Survey surveyed 37 jurisdictions in California, reporting median impact fees of $27,256 per single-family unit and $18,234 per multifamily unit in California. The City of Barstow’s development impact fees fall below the statewide average. In addition, a survey of local adjacent communities found that the overall residential development impacts are comparable and therefore would not serve as a constraint to the development or improvement of housing in Barstow.
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix C: Housing Constraints Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page C-24 Locally Adopted Ordinances
The City has adopted a local density bonus program to encourage the provision of affordable housing. The City implements the incentives of the State Bonus Density Law through § 19.10.090 of the City’s Code of Ordinances, which defers to the incentives provided under Government Code § 65915. The following relevant sections of the State Density Bonus are included in the City’s Municipal Code:
19.10.090 (e) Density bonus
A density bonus for a housing development means a density increase over the otherwise maximum allowable residential density under the applicable zoning and land use designation on the date the application is deemed complete. The amount of the allowable density bonus shall be calculated as provided in state density bonus law. The applicant may select from only one of the income categories identified in state density bonus law and may not combine density bonuses from different income categories to achieve a larger density bonus.
In the sole discretion of the city council, the city council may approve a density bonus and/or incentive(s) in accordance with state density bonus law for a project that does not maximize the underlying base zoning density. Additionally, nothing herein prevents the city from granting a greater density bonus and additional incentives or waivers than that provided for herein, or from providing a lesser density bonus and fewer incentives and waivers than that provided for herein, when the housing development does not meet the minimum thresholds.
The density bonus and incentive provisions do not apply to new construction on an existing property if it will result in the reduction of affordable housing units on the site. Instead, the project only qualifies for a density bonus and incentives if it maintains the existing number and proportion of onsite affordable housing units serving low- and very-low-income households. Replacement units must also be made affordable for 55 years to the same income category, or a lower category, as the units to be replaced. If the incomes of the former residents are unknown to the developer, then one-half of the replacement units must be affordable to very low-income households and the other half to low-income households.
19.10.090 (f) Incentives
The number of incentives granted shall be based upon the number the applicant is entitled to in state law.
An incentive includes a reduction in site development standards or a modification of zoning code or architectural requirements that result in identifiable, financially sufficient, and actual cost reductions. An incentive may be the approval of diverse use zoning (e.g., commercial) in conjunction with a housing project if the diverse use reduces the cost of the development and is compatible with the project. An incentive may, but need not be, the provision of a direct financial incentive, such as fee waivers. A requested incentive may be denied only for those reasons provided in the state density bonus law. Denial of an incentive is a separate and distinct act from a decision to deny or approve the entirety of the project.
19.10.090 (g) Discretionary approval authority retained The granting of a density bonus or incentive(s) shall not be interpreted in and of itself to require a general plan amendment, zoning change or other discretionary approval. If an incentive would otherwise trigger one of these approvals, when it is granted as an incentive, no general plan amendment, zoning change or other discretionary approval is required. However, if the base project without the incentive requires a City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix C: Housing Constraints Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page C-25 general plan amendment, zoning change or other discretionary approval, the city retains discretion to make or not make the required findings for approval of the base project.
19.10.090 (h) Waivers
A waiver is a modification to a development standard such that construction at the increased density would be physically possible. Modifications to floor area ratio in an amount equivalent to the percentage density bonus utilized is allowable as a waiver. Requests for an increase in the floor area ratio above that equivalent percentage shall be considered a request for an incentive. Other development standards include, but are not limited to, height limitation, setback requirement, on-site open space requirement, or parking ratio that applies to a residential development. An applicant may request a waiver of any development standard to make the project physically possible to construct at the increased density. To be entitled to the requested waiver, the applicant must show that without the waiver, the project would be physically impossible to construct. There is no limit on the number of waivers.
19.10.090 (k) Design and quality
Affordable units must be constructed concurrently with market rate units and integrated into the project.
Affordable units shall be of equal design and quality as the market rate units. Exteriors shall be similar to the market rate units. Interior finishes and amenities may differ from those provided in the market rate units, but neither the workmanship nor products may be of substandard or inferior quality as determined by the building official. The number of bedrooms in the affordable units shall be consistent with the mix of market rate units. Parking standards shall be modified as allowable under state density bonus law and anything beyond those standards shall be considered a request for an incentive.
The City provides incentives for new developments that use site design that is creative and incorporates sustainability principles, as described below and/or that involves the incorporation of innovative and creative architectural design, sustainable building materials and practices, and energy-conservation measures for both exterior and interior spaces. Incentives are also considered for existing development that is rehabilitated, remodeled, and/or retrofitted to improve and enhance aesthetics and/or energy efficiency. Incentives may also be provided for dedication of parklands or conservation easements.
Available incentives may include the following:
• Modification of site development guidelines, zoning requirements, or architectural design; • Reductions in setback and minimum square footage requirements; • Reductions in required vehicular parking spaces (not to exceed 20% of total required spaces); • Density bonuses and other incentives for projects qualifying for LEED certification; • Density bonuses and other incentives for projects providing day care, carpooling, electric vehicle charging or other features that promote jobs/housing balance or environmental sustainability; • Other regulatory incentives or concessions proposed by the developer or the City that result in identifiable reductions in energy, water use or greenhouse gas emissions.
As detailed in Program 8, Removal of Potential Constraints, the City will expand the use of these incentives to developments that support lower income-households, including extremely low-income households and developments that provide opportunities for those with disabilities. The City will also revise its density bonus ordinance to address any changes in state law.
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix C: Housing Constraints Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page C-26 Nongovernmental Constraints
Nongovernmental constraints are barriers to building housing that the City has less control over but can strive to influence or help support greater change. These include market constraints related to the availability of financing; the costs of land, labor, and construction, and construction timelines; and environmental constraints such as biological resources and geological hazards.
Development Costs
Construction Financing
Changes in construction lending practices have had a significant impact on the financial feasibility of building new housing. During the housing boom of the late 1980s, it was not uncommon for developers to receive construction loans for 100% or more of a project’s estimated future value. After the boom period of the early to mid-2000s and ensuing plummet in the housing market, financial institutions tightened regulations for approving construction. This has resulted in developers often needing to put up at least 25% of the project value up front in order to secure a loan.
Although there is no hard threshold for how much up-front financial equity is too much before a project would become infeasible, the higher proportion of equity that is required, the less likely a developer will proceed with the project. Not only would it require more upfront cash, but higher equity contribution means a project must be able to achieve an even higher value at completion in order to generate the cash flow needed to meet acceptable returns on the investment.
The availability of financing is further complicated with the elimination of the Redevelopment Agency (RDA). The RDA had funds that could have been used towards financing either the development of, purchase of, or preservation of units for affordable housing. With the dissolution of the RDA, there are no funds available throughout the City. The most likely source of financing would be through private lending institutions, or other available financing sources including Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and CHFA.
Program 10, Financial Assistance for Housing, will continue efforts to seek/apply for funding assistance.
Mortgage Financing
Home mortgage interest rates are a function of the national economy and personal credit ratings. Low rates make housing purchase attractive to prospective homebuyers and decrease monthly mortgages, because increased rates create differences in monthly mortgage payments by as much as a few hundred dollars for each interest point. The Home Mortgage Disclosure Act mandates that lenders disclose information on the disposition of loan applications and the income, gender, and race of loan applications.
In Barstow in 2019, 63% of loans for mortgages, home improvement, and refinance loans were approved as summarized below in Table C-9, Disposition of Home Loans (2019).
Table C-9 Disposition of Home Loans (2019)
Total Applicants Total Approved Total Denied Other
1,371 859 221 291
Source: 2019 Home Mortgage Disclosure Act Lending Activity MSA/MD by Census Tract.
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix C: Housing Constraints Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page C-27 Land and Construction Costs
The cost of land for residential development can represent a significant market constraint to the production of new housing in Barstow. Barstow has a significant amount of available land for residential development. Typically, land costs are lower than nearby cities. However, during the housing bubble from 2000–2006, land prices significantly increased. Many landowners anticipating development have yet to adjust their asking prices in accordance with the current financial realities, keeping acquisition costs beyond the range within which homes can be profitably built.
Construction costs include both “hard” and “soft” costs. Hard costs, such as labor and materials, typically account for 50% to 70% of construction costs, while soft costs, such as architectural and engineering services, development fees, construction financing, insurance, and permitting, average around 20% to 30% of total costs, although they can be higher for subsidized affordable housing or complex projects. A significant cost in residential construction is building materials. Between 2017 and 2020, the cost of raw materials (i.e., concrete, lumber, and steel) increased by approximately 20%, and during 2020 a shortage of materials was brought on by the pandemic, causing increases in costs and delays in product deliveries.
Multifamily residential land can usually benefit from economic of scale with discounts for materials and diffusion of equipment mobilization costs. These costs can account for more than half of the total construction cost. According to the latest Building Valuation Data release in 2021, the national average for development costs per square foot for apartments and single-family homes in 2021 are as follows:
• Type I or II, Multifamily: $157.74 to $179.04 per square foot • Type V Wood Frame, Multifamily: $120.47 to $125.18 per square foot • Type V Wood Frame, One- and Two-Family Dwelling: $130.58 to $138.79 per square foot The costs of design, regulation, and operations do not vary much by building size, so larger buildings allow developers to spread these fixed costs over more units. In general, construction costs can be lowered by increasing the number of units in a project, reflecting some level of economy of scale, until the size of the project requires a different construction type that commands a higher per-square-foot cost.
Manufactured homes are significantly less expensive than conventional construction.
Labor costs also greatly contribute to construction costs. They are generally two to three times the cost of construction materials. A 2019 study for Smart Cities Prevail found that California has lost about 200,000 construction workers since 2006. Many lost their jobs during the recession and found work in other industries. For older workers, many retired and did not return to the construction industry. Prepandemic, the industry already faced a historic shortage of skilled labor, and the labor gaps may continue to widen, especially in states like California. This led to an increase in wages.
Construction wages began increasing to match both the surge in demand and general inflation, rising an average of 20% from 2021 to 2023. In the three years since the pandemic, the percentage of the over 55- years-old working population has not made a meaningful recovery from the pandemic. Many left the workforce permanently and did not return. Post-COVID, construction companies have therefore been left with a different pool of laborers without having the time to adapt their building practices accordingly. The resulting mismatch between jobs and workers means that labor costs more but results in less output.
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix C: Housing Constraints Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page C-28 Timing and Density of Development
Per AB 879, the housing element must analyze the requests to develop housing at densities below those anticipated in a specified analysis, and the length of time between receiving approval for a housing development and submittal of an application for building permits for that housing development that hinder the construction of a locality’s share of the regional housing need.
Density of Development
While the City is known for lower densities for single-family residential development, apartments have been built at much higher densities. Planned and built multifamily projects built in Barstow in the past 15 years show that the average capacity achieved or targeted exceeds maximum (greater than 100%) density levels due in large part to the inclusion of affordable housing. Examples include:
• 7th Avenue Specific Plan, which includes a 3.3-acre site planned for 81 affordable housing units (24.5 du/ac or 122% of MDR’s max density of 20 du/ac). The balance of the housing component anticipates 100 units at 19.6 du/ac or 122% of Diverse Use’s maximum density of 16 du/ac. • 203 W. Main Street Motel Conversion Project under development in 2024 will result in 18 units on a 0.72-acre parcel zoned for Diverse Use (DU). This represents a density of 25 units per acre or 156% of the 16 unit per acre maximum density allowed by DU zoning. • Lantern Woods is an acquisition and rehab project completed in 2011 that has 28 units (studio, one-, and two-bedroom units), on a 0.90-acre site zoned for DU, which represents a density of 31 units per acre or 194% of the 16 unit per acre maximum density allowed by DU zoning.
Timing of Development
The length of time between receiving approval for a housing project and submittal of an application for a building permit will vary. In Barstow, the process is completed in an expeditious fashion. The City sampled single-family projects built in 2022 and 2023 to determine the average length of time. While there were no recent apartments developed, the City also sampled the rehabilitation and reconfiguration of existing structures to accommodate apartment units. As shown in Table C-10, the time frame between project entitlement and building permit issuance is less than 2 weeks and often less than one week.
Table C-10 Time Frame from Application Approval to Permit Project Address
Application
Submitted
Project
Entitled
Bldg Permit
Issued C/O Issued
8 unit studio 119 Otis Ave 3/23/16 03/23/16 03/23/16 07/25/16 12 unit studio 117 Otis Ave 10/24/17 10/25/17 10/25/17 04/26/19 10-unit studio 200 W. Williams 07/06/18 07/06/18 07/6/18 04/10/19 1 unit SFR 1151 Tecate Dr. 6/29/2023 06/29/23 07/7/23 03/21/24 1 unit SFR 1150 Monterey 8/17/2022 10/25/22 10/25/22 05/30/23 1 unit SFR 1140 Monterey 3/23/2023 03/23/23 03/31/23 11/20/23 Source: City of Barstow, 2024.
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix C: Housing Constraints Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page C-29 Environmental Constraints
A number of environmental factors in Barstow affect the character and density of development in the City. These include natural resources, hazards, and safety concerns. Water supply, sewer capacity, earthquake risks, and fire hazards are addressed in this section.
Infrastructure Availability
Water Supply
Golden State Water Company’s Barstow service area (GSWC Barstow) is located in San Bernardino County (County) in the center of the Mojave River Basin area and serves mostly residential connections in the City and surrounding unincorporated areas, along with some commercial and industrial customers. The City’s water supplies have long relied on local groundwater resources and have been augmented over time to adapt to changing conditions and provide a diverse and flexible water supply portfolio. In accordance with the 2020 Urban Water Management Plan, GSWC Barstow has reliable supplies to meet its retail customer demands in normal, single-dry years, and five consecutive dry year conditions through 2045. Groundwater reliability is based on GSWC’s share of the projected Mojave Basin’s annual Free Production Allowance and the many current and planned projects designed to increase the reliability of the groundwater supply.
As such, GSWC Barstow will not face shortages during normal or dry years during the planning horizon.
Sewer Capacity
Barstow is an older city, and its sewer system contains older lines. Approximately 5% are over 70 years old. Though many of the lines are in good working condition and still have useful life (the pipes are designed to last 90–110 years), other improvements are needed. A small number of sewer lines are composed of what is known as “Orangeburg pipe,” with a life expectancy of 50 years. Moreover, significant portions of the City do not have access to sewers and instead rely on onsite septic systems. In 2009, the City updated its Sewer Master Plan and adopted the Sewer Facility Charge to pay for the construction and upgrade of sewer infrastructure to meet the City’s needs through 2030. Revenue generated by the Sewer Facility Charge is mainly used for sewer lines and plant maintenance. The remaining funds may be used for increasing capacity, enhancements, and other upgrades. This fee is set at $31.00 per unit. The sewer system has sufficient capacity for the next 10 years spanning the housing element cycle.
Infrastructure Financing
While Barstow incorporated in 1947, many areas in the community date back to the early 1900s. The City’s older age, remote location, proximity to unincorporated areas, and recent infrastructure condition studies underscore the need for repairing, improving, and extending infrastructure in a timely, prescribed manner. With the demise of "redevelopment” authority in 2012, the City has also sought new mechanisms to finance the development and improvement of infrastructure, including streets, sewer facilities, bridges, and water lines, etc. pursuant to new state law, one new mechanism is Enhanced Infrastructure Financing Districts (EIFD). In 2024, the City Council passed a resolution to establish an EIFD, the Barstow EIFD Public Financing Authority (PFA), and approve organization of the Public Financing Authority Board. As the EIFD formation process continues, the City anticipates developing and implementing a priority and ranking system that will be the basis for funding improvements and extensions to infrastructure.
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix C: Housing Constraints Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page C-30 Natural Hazards
Like many communities in the deserts of southern California, natural hazards in Barstow are present.
These include seismic, geologic, and flood concerns. These natural hazards can also impact the location, structural safety, and construction cost of residential development. While the Safety Element of the General Plan provides a full accounting of such hazards and potential mitigation measures to protect residents, property, and businesses, the text below provides a high level overview of the most pressing natural hazards in Barstow. Figure 2 illustrates the location of the key hazards.
Seismic Concerns
Barstow’s location in a seismically active area necessitates greater structural modifications to protect from earthquake events. As noted later in this element, the City has periodically experienced moderate tremors of four on the Richter scale. More restrictive building standards for roof sheathing, diaphragms, footings and foundations, shear walls, and building separation will reduce the risk of injury and property damage in the event of an earthquake. The Mt. General fault runs northwest/southwest through the central section of the City, crossing Interstate 15, Rimrock Road, and W. Main Street.
Fire Hazards
Barstow is a low fire hazard location due to a lack of vegetation. However, while there are few large natural fire hazards, there is a high potential for human-caused fires within the immediate area due to the dry heat, flammable desert brush, and freeways where roadside fires can occur. Moreover, heat is also a concern. Building code restrictions refer to extreme heat conditions in restricting metal siding on residential buildings due to the probability of causing burns. Providing cooling locations where families without good insulation or cooling systems can go when the weather gets hot is important.
Flooding
Flooding remains a concern, as large portions of the city are subject to a 100-year floodplain (along the Mojave), 200-year floodplains, or 500-year flooding. Nearly all of the residential areas within the City are either outside of a floodplain or are protected by levees along the Mojave River. To maintain safety from flood hazards, the City’s Floodplain Management Ordinance (BMC, Chapter 15.16) mandates enhanced standards of construction, elevation and flooding proofing techniques, and other design modifications to protect from flooding. The County is responsible for periodic maintenance and repairs of the levees.
Climate Change
Climate change has the potential to exacerbate adverse impacts of some natural hazards in Barstow. In 2022, Cal OES awarded Barstow a $732,000 Jumpstart grant. This is a first-in the-nation Prepare California Program that assists the State's underserved cities, which are susceptible to natural disasters, to build a more resilient community. The Jumpstart grant will allow the City to hire and fund a temporary Climate Resilience Officer (CRO) or consultant to develop local climate resilience strategies, procedures, and initiatives that addresses topics such as but not limited to, extreme weather, drought, heat, earthquakes, flooding, and fires. The goal is to establish a whole community approach, where the government, private organizations, developers, the public, and the disadvantage community members work together to identify and resolve topics. One major goal is to develop the City’s Climate Resilience Plan (CRP), which is or will be mandatory to obtain current and future grant funding for climate initiatives.
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix C: Housing Constraints Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page C-31 Figure 2. Natural Hazards in Barstow
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix C: Housing Constraints Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page C-32 Analysis of Local Efforts to Remove Constraints
The City has made efforts to overcome constraints to housing development, resulting in neither governmental nor environmental constraints posing limitations to the production, maintenance, and improvement of housing. The primary constraint to housing is market-based; developers and financial institutions need to be convinced of a viable market for new housing in Barstow. The City continues to make efforts to address this constraint, including increasing allowable densities, improving infrastructure to reduce the costs of housing development, making land available for development, and encouraging mixed residential/commercial development through establishment of the DU/HS land use designations.
The City adopted the following ordinances to remove constraints during the 5th Cycle Housing Element planning period:
• Adoption of Ord. No. 936-2015 to streamline permitting processes for rooftop solar • Adoption of Ord. No. 934-2015 to comprehensively update the zoning ordinance • Adoption of Ord. No. 934-2015 to provide written design guidelines for new housing • Adoption of Ord. No. 934-2015 to create the DU land use and zoning designation • Adoption of Ord. No. 934-2015 to allow for emergency shelters in the Human Services district, • Adoption of Ord. No. 953-2017 to modify the density bonus provisions per state law • Adoption of Ord. No. 954-2017 to implement a formal Site Plan Review procedure. • Adoption of Ord. No. 976-2021 to revise accessory dwelling unit ordinance. • Adoption of Ord. No. 982-2021 to provide for transitional and supportive housing There is optimism that these efforts, combined with an ongoing national and regional economic upturn, will have the effect of increasing the availability of housing in Barstow. The programs set forth in the 6th Cycle Housing Element demonstrate the City’s commitment to the reduction of barriers to development while protecting other interests, such as quality of life, parks and open space, and local resources.
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix D: Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page D-1 Appendix D. Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing
Fair housing occurs when individuals of similar income levels in the same housing market have the same range of housing choice available to them regardless of their characteristics as protected under local, State, and Federal laws. It is important to the City of Barstow (City) that its citizens have fair housing choice, free from discrimination on the basis of race/ethnicity, religion, sex, marital status, ancestry, national origin, color, familial status, or disability, and other characteristics protected by the California Fair Employment and Housing Act, California Government Code § 65008, and other State and Federal laws.
In 2018, Assembly Bill 686, Affirmatively Further Fair Housing, amended §§ 65583 and 65582.2 of the California Government Code to require a public agency to administer its programs and activities relating to housing and community development in a manner to affirmatively further fair housing. The City intends to affirmatively further fair housing choice in accordance with Housing Element law and related laws. To achieve this, the City identifies impediments to fair housing choice and works to remove these impediments. The City collaborates with the County of San Bernardino (County) to prepare the Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice for the Community Development and Housing Department.
From freeway expansion to discriminatory loan practices, underserved communities have experienced decades of housing disinvestment and infrastructure underinvestment, leaving many with higher rates of air pollution, poverty, unemployment, educational attainment, and health risks. State and Federal laws have established pathways for local government to create more diverse and equitable communities, but reversing decades of discriminatory policies at all levels of the public and private sector is complex and challenges to equitable development remain. The Housing Element seeks to affirmatively further fair housing by drafting goals, policies, programs, and sites to plan for housing with regards to the accessibility of various opportunities including jobs, transportation, good education, and health services.
This appendix serves as an assessment of fair housing (AFH) practices, prepared pursuant to California Government Code § 65583(c)(9) in the City. Housing Element AFHs are required, at minimum, to include the following:
• A summary of fair housing issues in the jurisdiction and an assessment of the jurisdiction’s fair housing enforcement and outreach capacity.
• An analysis of data and knowledge to identify integration and segregation patterns and trends, racially or ethnically concentrated areas of poverty, disparities in access to opportunity, and disproportionate housing needs within the jurisdiction, including displacement risk. • An assessment of the factors that contribute to the fair housing issues identified in the analysis. • An identification of the jurisdiction’s fair housing priorities and goals, giving highest priority to the greatest contributing factors that limit or deny fair housing choice or access to opportunity, or negatively impact fair housing or civil rights compliance; and • Measurable strategies and actions to implement fair housing priorities and goals in the form of programs to affirmatively further fair housing.
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix D: Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page D-2 Fair Housing Outreach and Enforcement
Fair Housing Enforcement
While outreach and community engagement have always been important, in recent years significant strides have been made in technology and level of effort regarding engagement. Past engagement efforts may not have had multiple forms of media due to technology limitations, meaning that public meetings were the primary form of communication, with surveys and stakeholder interviews and other types of engagement taking a back seat. Public meetings are not always the most accessible for multiple reasons.
If a meeting is at only one specific time, or if it is only offered in English, it can leave out people unable to go at that time, or people without proficiency in English. Virtual meetings are also not always accessible for similar reasons but could also be inaccessible if individuals do not have reliable internet.
Engagement related to the Housing Element has attempted to be comprehensive while in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Online surveys were used to engage residents with local needs and concerns. In 2020, the City held three housing forums to educate elected leaders, City staff, and stakeholders, regarding the City’s housing issues through public forums and individual discussions. In 2021, the City held a housing element virtual workshop via social media platforms to give the public an opportunity to discuss housing with City staff. This workshop included Spanish translation to communicate fair housing issues.
Workshop questions regarding housing/fair housing-related issues led to meaningful feedback from residents to identify areas they would like to see future growth accommodated and fair housing issues.
Fair housing services available in the service area include outreach and education, complaint intake, and testing and enforcement activities. These organizations include:
• U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The Federal agency responsible for national policy and programs that address America’s housing needs, improve and develop the nation’s communities, and enforce fair housing laws.
• HACSB provides rental assistance to low-income families by placing households in HACSB-owned and managed units, by providing financial assisting to landlords who rent their units to qualified households, or distributing rental housing vouchers to tenants. • California Department of Fair Employment and Housing. This entity provides statewide oversight of California fair housing laws and pursues remedies for discrimination.
Outreach Capacity
The City hires the Inland Fair Housing Mediation Board (IFHMB), a nonprofit, public benefit corporation that is a HUD-approved Housing Counseling Agency, for a variety of services, including outreach. IFHMB serves San Bernardino County and parts of Riverside and Imperial Counties to assist individuals and families in resolving issues related to housing discrimination, homeownership sustainability, rental complaints, and disputes in court through the provision of resource recommendations, education, and mediation. IFHMB also offers landlord-tenant mediation, housing counseling, and senior services.
IFHMB’s fair housing department is dedicated to providing information, investigation, education, conciliation, and/or referral of housing discrimination complaints free of charge to individuals and entities in its service area. Fair housing workshops are offered year-round to educate housing providers, tenants, homeowners, and financial and lending institutions on the key aspects of fair housing laws. Specifically, IFHMB provides the following services on behalf of the City of Barstow:
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix D: Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page D-3 • Fair Housing: IFHMB’s fair housing specialists assist residents in filing fair housing complaints and provides residents with information on housing rights. In other cases, IFHMB may initiate litigation or petition for assistance with the State DFEEH
• Landlord/Tenant and Mobile home Mediation: IFHMB’s mediators facilitate negotiations between landlords and tenants when disputes arise and/ provide education on housing rights/responsibilities.
• Housing Counseling: IFHMB’s provide confidential, one-on-one counseling and group workshops on default/foreclosure, reverse mortgages, rental counseling, displacement/homelessness, financial literacy education, first-time homebuyer education, and unfair lending investigations. • Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR): IFHMB offers flexible alternatives, including mediation, arbitration, and more for small claims and unlawful detainer actions, civil law and family law cases, and creditor/debtor collections without having to go through the court system. • Senior Services: Persons 55 and older can call or visit IFHMB for assistance applying for benefits under California’s Home Energy Assistance Program and for more information about other resources related to Social Security, Medicare, Medi-Cal, and partnering agencies.
Complaints, Findings, Lawsuits, Enforcement Actions, Settlements, or Judgments Between 2013 and 2021, HUD reported 0.86 fair housing inquiries per every 1,000 people in Barstow. This includes 21 total inquiries, 4 of which were based on disability status, 1 of which was based on familial status, and the rest of which were not categorized. In 2010 HUD reported 85 total fair housing cases in the San Bernardino region, 22 of which were on the basis of race, 35 of which were on the basis of disability status, and 18 of which were on the basis of familial status. In 2020 HUD reported only 12 total fair housing cases in the San Bernardino region (2 on the basis of race, 8 based on disability status, and 1 based on familial status), indicating a shift in fair housing issues. In 2019, the DFEEH reported 933 filed complaints in the San Bernardino region, 21 of which were housing-related complaints. There are no known fair housing findings, lawsuits, enforcement actions, settlements, or judgments in the City of Barstow.
Compliance with Fair Housing Laws and Regulations
The City of Barstow complies with existing fair housing laws and regulations. The City assists local fair housing organizations to address complaints regarding housing discrimination within Barstow through referrals to IFHMB. Programs of the Housing Element that will further publicize fair housing laws and regulations include Program 16, Equal Housing Opportunities, which will update the City’s website to better connect residents with IFHMB and resources on fair housing, incorporate fair housing information into the City’s housing forums, and coordinate meetings with County staff to advocate for increased funding to assist the City. Additionally, the City makes all reasonable modifications to policies and programs to ensure that disabled people have an equal opportunity to enjoy all of its programs and services, which often requires special requests so that the City may adequately accommodate the need.
The City hosts access to an online Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) form for complaints about inaccessibility relating to public transportation services, and residents of the City can call the City’s ADA Coordinator for modification requests, or to file a complaint about an act of discrimination or that a program, service, or activity of the City is not accessible to persons with disabilities.
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix D: Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page D-4 Built Land in the City
Barstow is unique for its large areas of vacant land. Situated at the crossroads of Interstate 15, 40, and Route 66, and other local highways, the City is often a pit stop destination for those travelling between Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and other places in the desert. Therefore, while the City is geographically isolated, it is socially and economically linked to major cities in the southwest. The vast majority of residents live within the central core, although some development is in southwestern Barstow as shown by Figure 3A.
The physical layout of the City is such that the vast majority of residents have ready access to services.
Main Street is the commercial corridor for central Barstow, while the southwestern commercial area along Interstate 15 is oriented towards travelers who visit the outlet mall or travel (trucking destination) centers.
Due to the nature of its built environment, the largest job sectors are government, education, and retail.
Employment in the City is highly centralized with few travelling beyond neighboring desert cities for work.
As can be seen, a vast majority of the community surrounding the central core is currently undeveloped.
Figure 3A. Built Land in Barstow
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix D: Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page D-5 Undeveloped Land in the City
Although there is currently little development in the southwestern area of the city, Figure 3B, Zoning Map, indicates possible growth for commercial, residential, and various mixed uses. There is very little residential development south of L Street along Interstate 15 except in Barstow Heights, which is considered part of the County of San Bernardino. Furthermore, the largest land uses planned are for industrial to the southwest of the City along the I-15 corridor. The southeastern portion of Barstow is the location of the military base. This is more clearly evident from a review of the City’s zoning map. As such, while the City is very large geographically, the residential neighborhoods are relatively smaller. the following assessment of fair housing and maps consider the City’s built and undeveloped form.
Figure 3B. Current Zoning Map
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix D: Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page D-6 Integration and Segregation
Patterns of segregation have been commonly linked to poorer life outcomes in income, housing, educational attainment, and life expectancy, according to research from UC Berkeley. Affirmatively furthering fair housing involves overcoming patterns of segregation that foster inclusive communities.
Race and Ethnicity
The population within the City is predominantly White and Latino. Approximately 68% of the City’s population identified as White, 23% as Black or African American, and 5% as American Indian or Alaska Native. Approximately 46% of the population, from any race, identifies as Hispanic or Latino. The majority of residents who identify as White are from a Hispanic/Latino ethnic group. White Non-Hispanic residents comprised only 6,036 residents or 25% of the population in 2019. Table D-1, Race and Ethnicity (2019), indicates the ethnic and racial characteristics of the City’s population.
Table D-1 Barstow, Race and Ethnicity (2019)
Race/Ethnicity
Number of
Persons % Persons
White (alone) 16,310 68.2%
Black or African American (alone) 5,527 23.1%
American Indian or Alaska Native (alone) 1,066 4.5%
Asian, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander 1,328 5.5% Other 1,711 7.2%
Hispanic or Latino (of any race) 10,966 45.9%
Source: U.S. Census, American Community Survey, 2015-2019, Table DP05.
Figure 4A, Racial and Ethnic Distribution (Barstow), on the following page, shows the percentages of the non-White population by block group. Non-White groups account for more than 40% of residents, with the majority along the Main Street corridor and near the community college, and less near the military base. The block group with the highest percentage of Nonwhite residents, at 81%, is near Barstow Road and East Main Street. At a regional level as illustrated in Figure 4B, Racial and Ethnic Distribution (Regional), the City has a higher share of non-White residents relative to its surrounding area, but similar to Ontario, Riverside, and San Bernardino where non-White residents are over 60% at block groups.
A statistical measure called the “diversity index” can measure the level of integration among racial and ethnic groups. The index shows the likelihood that two people, chosen at random from the same area, belong to different racial or ethnic groups. The index ranges from 0 (no diversity) to 100 (complete diversity). Figure 5A, Diversity Index (Barstow), indicates high diversity in most of the populated areas of the City. The exception is north of the community college, which falls within the 70 to 85 ranking in diversity index, as well as the military base on the east side of the City and the uninhabited land on the west side. As shown in Figure 5B, Diversity Index (Regional), Barstow is among the highest ranked community on the diversity index, along with Victorville and communities in the San Bernardino Valley.
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix D: Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page D-7 Figure 4A. Racial and Ethnic Distribution (Barstow)
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix D: Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page D-8 Figure 4B. Racial and Ethnic Distribution (Regional)
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix D: Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page D-9 Figure 5A. Diversity Index (Barstow)
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix D: Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page D-10 Figure 5B. Diversity Index (Regional)
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix D: Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page D-11 Household Income
Household income affects a household’s ability to balance housing costs with other basic life necessities.
Discriminatory housing practices of the past, such as redlining, restrictive zoning, urban renewal, and steering, while illegal today, have led to a gap in household wealth among race and ethnicity. Within the Southern California Association of Governments region, African American households make up the largest proportion of extremely low-income households. Gaps in household income persist because home ownership paired with the appreciation of home values have long been a pathway to wealth accumulation. Additionally, home ownership was primarily afforded to White households for many years.
The cost of living in Barstow is lower than many areas in the state as are home prices and wages as well.
Household income in the City is demonstrated in the following maps. Figure 6A, Median Income (Barstow), shows that the lowest median income bracket (less than $30,000 annually) in the City runs along the northern side of Mountain View Street and past East Main Street. In this area, about 40% of the population receives financial assistance through programs such as CalFresh. The household median income in this area is below the poverty level as shown in Figure 7A, Poverty Status (Barstow). Figure 8A, Low to Moderate Income (Barstow) shows a further concentration of low- to moderate-income residents in the aforementioned area.
The other large section of less than $30,000 income annually is located in the military base, though the American Community Survey may not accurately reflect income levels of military personnel. In most of central Barstow and in the northwestern portions south and west of Lenwood, the median income is above $30,000 and below $55,000. Areas of highest median income is in the southwest area of the City core; it should be noted that a portion of the block group is undeveloped, and some of the block group boundary overlaps with Barstow Heights, which is considered part of San Bernardino County. Still, the City’s median household income places it within the lower income category.
Providing regional context helps to illustrate income disparities between Barstow and surrounding cities.
Figure 8B, Median Income (Regional), shows that the entire City is below the State Median Income (less than $87,100 annually), whereas median household income for most of the southwestern area of the region is greater than the Statewide Median Income. Consequently, the poverty level is also among the highest, as shown by Figure 7B, Poverty Status (Regional), where the City’s poverty rate is similar to Adelanto, San Bernardino, and Victorville. Figure 8B, Low to Moderate Income (Regional), illustrates that populated centers have more than 25% of low- to moderate-income population.
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix D: Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page D-12 Figure 6A. Median City Income (Barstow)
Figure 4B. Regional Median Income
Figure 4A. Median Income
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix D: Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page D-13 Figure 6B. Median Regional Income (Regional)
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix D: Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page D-14 Figure 7A. Poverty Status (Barstow)
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix D: Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page D-15 Figure 7B. Poverty Status (Regional)
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix D: Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page D-16 Figure 8A. Low to Moderate Income (Barstow)
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix D: Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page D-17 Figure 8B. Low to Moderate Income (Regional)
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix D: Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page D-18 Familial Status
Familial structure is something that impacts the care of children, type of housing needed, and more.
Single-parent households require more time to take care of children than married or cohabitating couples do, which impacts the jobs available to parents, their income, and the amount of support for their children. Familial structure is something that has evolved over time in the United States, resulting in a decreasing number of couples marrying, and cohabitation occurring more often. However, far too often many single parent families earn lower incomes, experience high levels of housing overpayment, and have less access to community amenities than other higher income status families.
Figure 9A, Children in Single Mother Headed Households (Barstow), shows a high concentration of children in single mother headed households in central Barstow, most notably in an area between I-15 and East Main Street, where 60% to 80% of households are headed by a single mother with no spouse or partner present. Another area of concentration for children in single mother-headed households exists to the south of I-15 and stretches to the southern boundary of the City. Figure 9B, Children in Single MotherHeaded Households (Regional), reveals that while the percent of children in single mother or no spouse households is prominent in Barstow, it is less than 40% for the majority of the region.
Figure 10A, Adults Living Alone (Barstow), indicates that in general, the City has a low population of adults that live alone, but a slight concentration exists north of E Main Street in central northern Barstow where between 20% and 40% of adults report living alone. Figure 10B, Adults Living Alone (Regional), reveals that the majority of the region has few households with adults living alone, but is slightly more common in northern Barstow. Figure 11A, Adults Living with a Spouse (Barstow), indicates that a majority of Barstow census tracts have 40% and 60% of adults living with a spouse, with an area of slightly lower concentration along the I-40 corridor in eastern Barstow, and an area of least concentration where less than 20% of households consist of adults living with a spouse or partner. This could either be due to retired seniors or even military personnel. Figure 11B, Adults Living with a Spouse (Regional), shows that Barstow is one of the few places that has less than 20% of the population living with a spouse.
Figure 12A, Children in Married Couple Households (Barstow), shows that a majority of the City falls into the bracket of between 40% and 60% of households consisting of a married couple with children. An area of higher concentration exists north of the City and extends into the northeastern corner of the City, reporting between 60% and 80% of married households with children. It should be noted that there is no development in this area; this area falls within a census tract that primarily encompasses areas outside of City limits, including Irwin Estates, Hutt, and Hinkley. Areas with lower percentage of children in married couple households exist in central Barstow, including an area of below 20% of married couple households reporting this familial archetype in the area between Interstate 15 and East Main Street, and another area of 20% to 40% of married couple households existing directly to the north of East Main Street and through most of northern Barstow. Figure 12B, Children in Married Couple Households (Regional), shows that most of the region has more than 20% of children in married couple households, including Barstow.
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix D: Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page D-19 Figure 9A. Children in Single Mother-Headed Households (Barstow) City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix D: Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page D-20 Figure 9B. Children in Single Mother-Headed Households (Regional) City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix D: Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page D-21 Figure 10A.Adults Living Alone (Barstow)
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix D: Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page D-22 Figure 10B Adults Living Alone (Regional)
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix D: Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page D-23 Figure 11A.Adults Living with a Spouse (Barstow)
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix D: Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page D-24 Figure 11B. Adults Living with a Spouse (Regional)
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix D: Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page D-25 Figure 12A.Children in Married Couple Households (Barstow) City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix D: Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page D-26 Figure 12B. Children in Married Couple Households (Regional) City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix D: Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page D-27 Persons with Disabilities
Persons with disabilities can often experience discrimination in the housing process, both in purchasing or renting housing, and often encounter difficulties navigating certain dwelling units or areas. Within the central populated areas in Barstow, 20% of noninstitutionalized people have a disability (Figure 13A).
As shown on Figure 13B, Disabilities (Regional), much of the populated southwestern region has less than 10% of persons with a disability as opposed to rural areas.
Disability types include individuals with hearing, vision, cognitive, ambulatory, self-care, or independent living difficulties. The U.S. Census and the ACS provide clarifying questions to determine persons with disabilities and differentiate disabilities within the population. The ACS defines a disability as a report of one of the six disabilities identified by the following questions:
• Hearing Disability: Is this person deaf or do they have serious difficulty hearing? • Visual Disability: Is this person blind or has serious difficulty seeing even when wearing glasses? • Cognitive: Does this person have difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions? • Ambulatory Difficulty: Does this person have serious difficulty walking or climbing stairs? • Self-Care Disability: Does this person have difficulty dressing or bathing? • Independent Living: Difficulty doing errands alone such as visiting a doctor’s office or shopping? Table D-2, Disability Status, shows the number of disabled persons in the City by age groupings in 2019.
Ambulatory difficulty is the most prevalent disability type among adults and seniors. For the under 18 years of age group, cognitive difficulty is the most prevalent disability. The second most prevalent disability for the 18 to 64 years age group is independent living, and for 65+ years it is hearing difficulty.
Table D-2 Disability Status (2021)
Disability Type
Percent of Population with Disabilities
Under 18
years of age
18 to 64
years of age
65+
years of age
Total
Population
Hearing Difficulty 0.2% 2.9% 17.2% 873
Vision Difficulty 0.0% 4.7% 10.9% 928
Ambulatory Difficulty 0.7% 10% 33.3% 2,311
Source: U.S. Census, 2019 ACS 5-Year Estimates, Table S1810.
The Housing Element Program #12, Housing for People with Disabilities, includes objectives to address the needs of people with disabilities. Within the area with the highest concentration of residents with a disability, the City is completing its North Barstow ADA Infrastructure Improvement Project, which includes $500,000 in improvements to streets, sidewalks, and ramps. Program #12 also includes a commitment to revise zoning code regulations and allow state licensed care facilities as a by right use in all zones allowing residential uses. Finally, the City has also recently completed ADA retrofits at facilities in Lillian Park, the Barstow Cemetery, and other locations using county CDBG funding.
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix D: Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page D-28 Figure 13A.Residents with Disabilities (Barstow)
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix D: Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page D-29 Figure 13B. Residents with Disabilities (Regional)
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix D: Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page D-30 Neighborhood Segregation
Residents in highly segregated neighborhoods often experience poorer life outcomes. The typologies in Figure 14A, Neighborhood Segregation (Barstow), identify which groups have more than 10% representation within the given tract. There is a high level of diversity in all of the populated areas of the City, and in the rural outer boundaries of the City, the population is made up of mainly White and Latinx communities. Figure 14B, Neighborhood Segregation (Regional), further exemplifies Barstow as a diverse desert city compared to the broader region. Barstow reflects neighborhood segregation similar to the most populated cities in the southwest regarding low segregation.
Another often used measure of neighborhood segregation within a city (versus compared to the region) is the dissimilarity index. The dissimilarity index varies between a score of 0 and 100, and measures the percentage of one group that would have to move across neighborhoods to be distributed the same way as the second group. The index ranges from a score of 0 (total integration) to 100 (total segregation).
Values of 60 or above are considered high and means that 60 percent (or more) of one group would need to move to a different tract for both groups to be equally distributed. Values of 40 or 50 are moderate, and values in the 30s and below are designated as low segregation.
In Table D-3, five of six race-ethnic group pairings significantly improved in integration scores over the last twenty years, from 2000 through 2020. This analysis shows that while the dissimilarity varies by decade, virtually all of the index scores are considered to be evidence of low levels of segregation. This indicates that the City’s population by race and ethnicity are generally well integrated within different neighborhoods of Barstow, satisfying a key goal of the AFH legislation to have inclusive neighborhoods.
Table D-3 Dissimilarity Index (2020)
Race & Ethnic Pairing
Index Scores by Decade
2000 2010 2020
White-Black 10.3 11.0 19.3
White-Hispanic 10.5 8.0 2.8
White-Asian 17.1 19.0 19.1
Black-Hispanic 10.3 8.2 18.3
Black-Asian 12.9 26.4 33.1
Hispanic-Asian 21.8 23.9 19.1
Source: Brown University, 2023
Figure 14A and Figure 14B show that neighborhoods are well-integrated and consist of a mix three race and ethnic groups (White Non-Hispanic, Black Non-Hispanic, and Hispanic).
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix D: Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page D-31 Figure 14A.Neighborhood Segregation (Barstow)
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix D: Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page D-32 Figure 14B.Neighborhood Segregation (Regional)
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix D: Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page D-33 Areas of Poverty or Affluence
Concentrated areas of poverty or affluence raise fair housing concerns as they are often due to unequal access to opportunity, including jobs, environmental quality, education, transportation, housing, etc. Two measures used to measure the presence of concentrations are racially or ethnically concentrated areas of poverty (R/ECAPs) and racially concentrated areas of affluence (RCAA), defined below.
Racially or Ethnically Concentrated Areas of Poverty (R/ECAPs) R/ECAPs are neighborhoods with concentrations of both poverty and single races or ethnicities. These are census tracts with a majority of non-White residents (greater than 50%) and a poverty rate of 40% or greater, or three times the average census tract poverty rate for the county, whichever threshold is lower.
R/ECAPs also have lower economic opportunity in the present day. Figure 15A, R/ECAP, Segregation, and Poverty (Barstow), shows that a R/ECAP area exists in the City, beginning at the northern edge of East Main Street and extending through most of northern Barstow. This area falls under the lowest median income bracket within the City (less than $30,000 annually) and has the highest concentration of poverty status within the City (over 40%) as identified in Figures 4A and 5A. It is important to note that this area consists primarily of commercial businesses, vacant land, a rail yard, and several affordable housing projects. Figure 15B, R/ECAP, Segregation, and Poverty (Regional), showsthe City in relation to the region, where there is a larger cluster of R/ECAPs in the Victorville area and in San Bernardino.
Racially Concentrated Areas of Affluence
Racially concentrated areas of affluence are census tracts where 80% of the population is White and the median household income is $125,000 or greater. RCAAs have not been studied extensively or defined precisely by HCD or HUD. As shown earlier in this housing element, White residents make up 65% of the population of Barstow and San Bernardino County, based on the 2019 ACS 5-Year Estimates. Local knowledge in Barstow indicates that the majority of those that identify as White also identify as Hispanic or Latino background. There are no census tracts in Barstow that fit the criteria of a racially concentrated area of affluence as none are over 80% White and have a median household income of $125,000 or greater. In conclusion, no census tract qualifies as a racially concentrated area of affluence with respect to race-ethnic composition or household income threshold.
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix D: Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page D-34 Figure 15A.R/ECAP, Segregation, and Poverty (Barstow)
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix D: Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page D-35 Figure 15B. R/ECAP, Segregation, and Poverty (Regional) City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix D: Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page D-36 Access to Opportunity
AB 686 requires the AFH to evaluate access to employment, schools, transit, housing mobility, and a healthy living environment throughout the City. The analysis must also assess any disparities in access to opportunity, such as further distance to jobs, proximity to hazardous environmental conditions, or limitations in the ability to move between neighborhoods. The Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) requires this analysis as part of the AFH analysis.
Resource Opportunity Areas
California Government Code § 65583 (c)(10)(A)(ii) requires the AFH to include a map and analysis of access to resources such as living-wage jobs, good schools, quality neighborhoods, and environment. The California Tax Credit Allocation Committee (TCAC) issues opportunity maps each year that provide insight into the local issues to address in the AFH. Overall, opportunity maps are intended to display which areas, according to research, offer low-income children and adults the best chance at economic advancement, high educational attainment, and good physical and mental health.
The TCAC and HCD have developed Opportunity Maps to identify areas in the region whose characteristics are shown by research to support positive economic, educational, and health outcomes for low-income families, particularly long-term outcomes for children. • High Resource Areas. The areas have high levels of employment and proximity to jobs, access to high educational resources, low poverty rate, and low environmental pollutants. There are currently no high resource areas within the immediate community. • Moderate Resource Areas. These tracts have access to some of the same resources as higher resource areas, but have longer commutes, lower home values, fewer educational opportunities, and a greater level of environmental concerns. There are no moderate resource areas in the City. • Low Resource Areas. Low resources areas refer to areas where the majority of residents have limited access to quality education, economic opportunities, transit, and a healthy environment.
A review of the City shows that all of the City’s census tracts are considered lower resource.
Figure 16A, TCAC/HCD Opportunity (Barstow)shows these areas using a composite score which is created from scoring access to opportunity in relation to education, economic development, and environmental factors. When compared to the region as shown in Figure 16B, TCAC/HCD Opportunity (Regional), Barstow compares similarly to the densely populated cities in the Pomona Valley and San Bernardino Valley that identify as having low and moderate resources. In contrast, suburban and foothill cities in Figure 16B have the highest resources. The geographic distribution of affordable and publicly owned housing within the City should thus consider distribution in areas where transportation and services are readily available. As such, this section will review access to opportunity in relation to education, economic development, environment, transportation, and access to opportunities for persons with disabilities.
This section discusses the opportunity for Barstow’s residents in the context education and employment, transportation options, clean environment, and other community amenities and opportunities.
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix D: Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page D-37 Figure 16A.TCAC/HCD Opportunity (Barstow)
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix D: Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page D-38 Figure 16B. TCAC/HCD Opportunity (Regional)
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix D: Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page D-39 Educational Opportunity
The TCAC Opportunity Area Access to Education analysis considers percentage of fourth graders who meet or exceed math and reading proficiency standards, high school graduation rates, and student poverty rates at the tract level. 8 Figure 17A, Opportunity for Education (Barstow), identifies fewer positive outcomes in the City. Only the furthest southeastern corner and northernmost point of the City show moderately positive education outcomes; however, these areas have limited residential development, while the southeastern corner is encompassed by the military base. At a regional scale, suburban cities also indicate low educational resource; see Figure 17B, Opportunity for Education (Regional). These cities include Adelanto, Victorville, and Apple Valley, which have similar median incomes and sociodemographic as the City. Therefore, this may be a regional issue rather than reflective of individual City efforts.
Barstow Unified School District (BUSD) serves the City with six elementary schools, two junior high schools, two high schools, and one adult education center. Barstow Community College (BCC) also offers higher education and a pathway to a four-year college. Students in the City have the opportunity for higher education through community college education that prioritizes disadvantaged residents. Barstow High School and BCC have formed a program called the Barstow College Promise. This program is eligible to first-time college students and eligible AB 540 students who graduate from Barstow High Schools. The Barstow College Promise covers the first 2 years of enrollment fees and tuition to the community college regardless of family income. This allows students to earn an associate degree debt free.
Established in 1959, the Barstow Community College, located in the city, enrolls 2,500 students annually.
The College offers a Career and Technical Education programs that is designed to improve readiness to be employed in emerging or high demand fields, such as Justice Administration, Business, Management, Child Development, Cosmetology, Photography, Automotive Technology, Welding, Logistics/ Warehousing, and Industrial Maintenance and Technology. BNSF Railway and BCC also collaborate to provide welding certification for railroad employees and management program tailored to BNSF jobs. The College also offers a CARE program to eligible single parents with children to help fund their educational expenses. On an annual basis, approximately 250 single parents with children are assisted.
Despite the educational resources within Barstow, overall educational attainment is generally mixed. The City of Barstow ranks near the top (2nd highest) of all San Bernardino County cities for individuals who have earned an associate degree as their highest grade, which is expected given the presence of BCC.
However, this trend does not hold for bachelor’s degree or higher. Approximately 9% of all adults ages 25 years have a college degree–the 2nd lowest rate among all the 24 San Bernardino cities behind Adelanto.
This fact underscores, in part, the reason for the lower median income in the city and the need for living wage jobs that match the skills of residents. Barstow residents have been supportive in approving local bonds for schools, most recently approving the levying of $39 million (Measure F) in 2015. 8 California Fair Housing Task Force Methodology for the 2023 TCAC/HCD Opportunity Map, December 2023.
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix D: Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page D-40 Figure 17A.Opportunity for Education (Barstow)
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix D: Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page D-41 Figure 17B.Opportunity for Education (Regional)
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix D: Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page D-42 Employment Opportunity
Poverty, adult education, employment, job proximity, and median home value are analyzed when assessing access to opportunity for economic development.9 The City has historically had a low-income population and has been known for limited access to employment opportunities. The primary jobs that are available include manual labor, government, and railroad associated occupations. Local data for Barstow shows that there are 9,660 total employees and 850 businesses. The total daytime population is 25,130 compared to the resident population of 23,585. The cost of living within the City of Barstow is significantly lower than most communities in metropolitan areas of California.
Figure 18A, Opportunity for Economic Development (Barstow), indicates that Barstow and other desert cities have the lowest positive economic outcomes, both as a community and compared to other cities in region (Figure 18B, Opportunity for Economic Development (regional). Figure 19A, Jobs Proximity Index (Barstow), shows that southwestern Barstow has a higher jobs proximity scores as this area is near The Outlets, an area which has a concentration of eateries, hotels, a shopping center, and other roadside amenities that serve travelers between Los Angeles and Las Vegas. As shown by Figure 19B, Jobs Proximity Index (Regional), Barstow is the furthest to jobs compared to their southwestern counterparts.
The lack of employment opportunity and lower educational attainment are key community development issues facing Barstow. Without economic development, the City will be unable to generate revenue to reinvest in the community, remove blighting influences, and provide living wage jobs. Moreover, without educational attainment, residents will be unable to access jobs that improve their economic standing. To address these two related issues, the following initiatives are being undertaken:
• Barstow International Gateway. BNSF plans to invest $1.5 billion to build a 4,500-acre integrated rail facility, consisting of a rail yard, intermodal facility and warehouses for transloading freight to domestic containers. Approximately 8,00 direct jobs and 12,000 indirect jobs are anticipated. The sheer economic impact of this project will significantly improve the local economy. • Business Incentives. The City has a variety of state and federal opportunity zones that cover census tracts in the city, including R/ECAPs. Development projects proposed in these tracts are eligible to receive incentives and grants. In 2022, American Quartz received $5 million to expand operations and guarantee that 75% of new full time jobs will be reserved for Barstow residents. • Educational Initiatives. BNSF is working with BCC to expand training for jobs created by the BIG project, ranging from accounting and information technology to logistics and welding. BCC will serve as the forum for a collaboration group that will meet regularly to understand the educational and training needs of the BNSF workforce and determine how to meet these needs.
As of 2024, the City of Barstow is updating and modernizing its general plan and will be supporting additional opportunities for economic development and growth through proactive land use policies, fostering of private and public sector investment in the City’s economic development target areas, supporting development of the Barstow International Gateway, and working with educational institutions in the community to train residents to benefit from the jobs created from economic development. 9 California Fair Housing Task Force Methodology for the 2021 TCAC/HCD Opportunity Map, December 2020. https://belonging.berkeley.edu/2021-tcac-opportunity-map.
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix D: Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page D-43 Figure 18A.Opportunity for Economic Development (Barstow) City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix D: Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page D-44 Figure 18B.Opportunity for Economic Development (Regional) City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix D: Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page D-45 Figure 19A.Jobs Proximity Index (Barstow)
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix D: Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page D-46 Figure 19B.Jobs Proximity Index (Regional)
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix D: Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page D-47 Transportation
Access to consistent, efficient, and varied
modes of transportation is important,
especially for persons without access to a car.
The City does not have access to individual rail
transit but is well served by Victor Valley
Transit Authority, which provides three hourly
routes throughout the City and three hourly
intercity routes. Victor Valley Transit
Authority provides online resources for
schedules and regular non-hourly routes.
VVTA also opened a new transit facility in
Barstow (shown in graphic to the right)
In less urban areas and suburban neighborhoods, or any place without access to major transit lines, access to a vehicle is important for long distance commutes. Many people live in the City because it is where there are more employers than surrounding areas. The California Healthy Places Index (HPI) provides a ranking for each census tract within the City based on state-wide scores for vehicle access. The Citywide rates of automobile ownership are depicted in Figure 20A, Automobile Access (Barstow). Central Barstow tends to have the lowest automobile ownership rates. These less developed areas on the western side of the City are generally subject to longer commutes due to a greater distance to a given destination.
Figure 20A.Automobile Access (Barstow)
New VVTA Transit Facility
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix D: Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page D-48 Healthful Environment
Access to a clean and healthy environment plays an important role in maintaining residents’ quality of life.
Air pollution and access to open spaces are among the most important environmental factors in Barstow.
Figure 21A, Opportunity for Environment (Barstow), shows the cumulative impacts of multiple sources of pollution. The City core falls into the less positive outcomes, the northern area falls into a moderate and above moderate score (indicating improving positive outcomes), and the southern area of the central City has more positive scores. Figure 21B, Opportunity for Environment (Regional), shows the City ranks lower in positive environmental scores when compared to desert cities such as Apple Valley and Victorville.
The City of Barstow ranks within the 80th to 90th highest percentile statewide with respect to ozone exposure, which is linked to increased asthma and cardiovascular health cases. Ozone air pollution is brought in by wind currents from the San Joaquin Valley and Los Angeles Basin. While the City has limited control over regional air pollution, the City addresses air pollution issues by requiring activated carbon air filters in apartment complexes. The Mojave Desert outside of the City scores in the 100th percentile, meaning it has the worst ozone pollution in the State. Ozone and excessive long-term exposure to air pollution are linked to asthma, heart disease, and chronic pulmonary obstructive disease.
The City continues to address underground contamination of water due to nitrate and perchlorate in the northern portion of Barstow, north of the Mojave River and BNSF railroad tracks. The nitrate plume emanated from the City’s wastewater treatment plant and series of ponds located east of the I-15 freeway (when previously under separate, non-City ownership and operation). The perchlorate plume emanated from the former Mojave River Pyrotechnics Company, a 5.5-acre facility located west of the I-15 freeway.
As of July 2023, the City is providing bottled replacement water to approximately 16 residences affected by the plumes within the study area. City efforts have continued to facilitate cleanup efforts. The City has upgraded its WWTP as required. Meanwhile biofiltration systems have been installed as long term remediation of the perchlorate plume.
Figure 22A, Healthy Places Index (Barstow), shows the healthy places index scores for the City. Barstow scores very low, with the entire City falling in the two lowest HPI brackets. As shown on Figure 22B, Healthy Places Index (Regional), much of the region is healthier than Barstow except for major cities such as Ontario, Pomona, and San Bernardino. While the City has poor air quality, its 13 parks and open space areas provide recreational optionsfor residents to be physically active. In 2021, the City was awarded $6.9 million in California ATP grants to install pedestrian, bicycle, and safe routes to eight schools. And in 2023, the City was granted an additional $4.0 million for bicycle, pedestrian, and safety improvements.
Finally, the City has been successful in replacing the former Barstow Hospital with a new facility in 2012.
The City has also been successful in attracting a variety of new health care service providers to the City.
In the past five years, new and expanded community health facilities include the following:
• Mission City Health Clinic opened in 2018 and Indian Health Clinic significantly expanded in 2018 • SAC Health opened up a community clinic in 2021
• Radiant Primary Care Clinic and Alliance Desert Physicians opened in 2023 These new health facilities and clinics will further assist in augmenting the supply of preventive health care services, which will ultimately improve the long term health and wellbeing of residents.
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix D: Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page D-49 Figure 21A.Opportunity for the Environment (Barstow)
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix D: Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page D-50 Figure 21B.Opportunity for the Environment (Regional)
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix D: Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page D-51 Figure 22A.Healthy Places Index (Barstow)
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix D: Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page D-52 Figure 22B. Healthy Places Index (Regional)
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix D: Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page D-53 Figure 23. Parks and Open Space (Barstow)
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix D: Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page D-54 Disproportionate Housing Needs and Displacement
According to the American Community Survey (ACS), a total of 3,682 housing unit (43.1%) in the City were owner occupied in 2021, and 4,861 occupied units (56.9%) were renter occupied. This section will analyze disproportionate housing needs, including risk of displacement, as it is important to understand how some groups of persons, particularly people with protected characteristics and households with low incomes, experience severe housing needs when compared to the rest of the population.
Substandard Housing
Approximately 68% of Barstow’s housing stock was built before 1970. Aging homes have numerous problems, especially if the owners do not keep up with or do not have funds for regular maintenance.
With the abolishment of redevelopment funds, the City has not identified a source of funding to aid homeowners with failing infrastructure. Increasing standards of building make it extremely expensive to upgrade old homes to meet new standards, and many homeowners put it off until absolutely necessary.
Due to its dry climate, the City is a mold-free area unless a resident has a large and persistent plumbing leak. Common household issues are usually related to pests and lack of maintenance.
The State of California has focused on the following four severe housing problems:
• Lack of complete kitchen facilities
• Lack of complete plumbing facilities
• More than one person per room
• Monthly housing costs above 30% of monthly income
Figure 24, Households with Any of Four Severe Problems (Barstow), which uses the criteria listed above, shows that 20% to 40% of households experience any one of those four housing problems. According to ACS 2022 5-year estimates of Barstow’s housing stock, 120 housing units (1.3%) lack complete plumbing, 237 units (2.6%) lack complete kitchens, and 398 units (4.4%) lack telephone service. However, the lack of complete utilities does not necessarily mean a unit needs repairs or replacement because junior accessory units may, in some cases, not have complete kitchens. Therefore, City staff sought additional input from City code enforcement and building officials regarding the number of substandard housing units.
According to City of Barstow Code Enforcement staff, based on their ongoing fieldwork and discussions with other City staff and emergency services personnel, an estimated 5% of the housing stock (480 units) require minor rehabilitation and 3% (288 units) require moderate/major repairs, including replacement.
The low price of homes, age of housing, and the harsh desert climate mean that the cumulative cost of multiple repairs can result in the home being suitable for replacement. The Housing Plan, Program #1, contains a commitment to implement the City’s rental housing inspection and fire inspection programs to ensure that homes in Barstow satisfy local building, safety, and property maintenance standards and provide a healthful living environment for the City’s residents.
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix D: Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page D-55 Figure 24. Households with Any of Four Severe Problems (Barstow) City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix D: Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page D-56 Housing Affordability
Rental housing is considered “affordable” if the persons living there pay no more than 30% of their income for rent or mortgage. The rental cost burden in the City can be seen in Figure 25A, Renter Cost Burden (Barstow), with between 40% and 60% of the City households reporting being cost burdened.
This map does not consider if the individual receives government subsidy and if the subsidy covers their cost of rent. Barstow’s renter cost burden is similar to or less severe than other areas of the region, as shown in Figure 25B, Renter Cost Burden (Regional). It should be noted that rent levels are some of the most affordable in San Bernardino County, however, household income in the City is also lower.
Homeowner cost burden in the City is significantly less than renter cost burden, as shown in Figure 26A, Homeowner Cost Burden (Barstow). Two of the four most populated areas fall below a 20% cost burden.
The area north of Main Street falls in the 40% to 60% cost burden category, and the remainder of the City falls in the 20% to 40% category. These findings are due to the affordable cost of housing in Barstow.
This is shown in Figure 26B, Homeowner Cost Burden (Regional), where overpayment by homeowners is one of the least in the region due to the low cost of housing. However, since many homes are smaller and older, as soon as a family accumulates wealth or has children, they tend to move out of the City.
Residential Overcrowding
Residential overcrowding is used to reflect demographic and socioeconomic conditions of a given area.
Overcrowding is defined as households with more than 1.0 person per room and severe overcrowding as households with more than 1.5 persons per room. Housing overcrowding is disproportionately concentrated within the rental housing stock. In the City, the northern central area located north of Main Street reports the highest level of overcrowding, with 12% to 15% of households overcrowding, as shown in Figure 27A, Household Overcrowding (Barstow). While Barstow has a slightly higher prevalence of overcrowding than the statewide average, it is significantly less than that of the southwest metropolitan cities, including Victorville and San Bernardino (Figure 27B, Household Overcrowding, Regional).
Housing Displacement
Displacement can occur due to heightened investment, disinvestment, or even natural disasters.
Gentrification, or the influx of capital and higher-income residents into working-class neighborhoods can occur when increasing housing costs or neighborhood conditions “price-out” the lower income residents.
The Urban Displacement Project’s 2023 displacement map indicates that the City’s core is at risk, while HCD’s 2024 neighborhood map indicates that neighborhood change has not occurred. Given that the City’s housing overpayment and overcrowding rates are below peer cities, housing rents and sales prices are modest, and vacancy rates are double the regional average, market-based displacement is not a risk.
Disaster-driven risk of displacement is always a concern in California, particularly in recent years in southern California for those communities subject to wildfire and severe flooding hazards. Barstow could experience some level of displacement risk due to natural hazards (e.g., flooding and earthquakes), although these risks are generally no greater than many of the communities in southern California.
However, unlike many communities in California, Barstow does not have any very high fire severity zones.
Displacement, if it occurs, would be temporary and most likely related to periodic desert storms and associated flash flooding events or overtopping of the levees around the Mojave River.
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix D: Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page D-57 Figure 25A.Renter Cost Burden (Barstow)
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix D: Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page D-58 Figure 25B. Renter Cost Burden (Regional)
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix D: Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page D-59 Figure 26A.Homeowner Cost Burden (Barstow)
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix D: Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page D-60 Figure 26B. Homeowner Cost Burden (Regional)
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix D: Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page D-61 Figure 27A.Household Overcrowding (Barstow)
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix D: Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page D-62 Figure 27B. Household Overcrowding (Regional)
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix D: Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page D-63 Homelessness
Homelessness is a significant issue regionally. While the prevalence increased from 62 people in 2019 to 154 people in 2023, the unsheltered population more than doubled to 88 individuals. The 2024 Homeless Count reported that the total number of homeless people in Barstow decreased to 113, but the number of unsheltered people remained essentially the same (87). To provide insight into their needs, the San Bernardino County Coordinated Entry System uses a Vulnerability Index Service Prioritization Decision Assistance Tool (VI-SPDAT) assessment. The VI-SPDAT assessment produces an acuity score that can help identify an appropriate housing intervention for someone experiencing homelessness.
In San Bernardino County, a matching process is conducted based on the acuity score a person receives from their VI-SPDAT, which in turn guides housing coordinator recommendations. Those falling into the lowest acuity score range (0–3) are given an Affordable Housing referral and referrals to other populationspecific housing resources that might apply to them. Those in the mid-acuity scoring range (4–7 for individuals, 4–8 for families) are granted referrals for Rapid Re-Housing programs and Affordable Housing programs that may apply to them in a population specific manner, and those in the highest acuity score range (8+ for individuals, 9+ for families) are provided Permanent Supportive Housing referrals.
As of August 2021, three funded programs offer shelter to Barstow’s homeless people, but each only serves a very specific population. Desert Sanctuary provides shelter only to victims of domestic violence; Barstow Community College provides shelter only to students; and New Hope Village offers transitional housing programs to those who apply and are accepted into a specific program. During COVID, the County Community Development and Housing Agency provided funding to cities through a program entitled HEAP (Homeless Emergency Aid Program). In the City, the majority of this funding was directed to “Rapid Rehousing,” which provided hotel vouchers to homeless persons. This program expired in June 2021.
Barstow Homelessness Strategic Plan provides short, medium, and long-term strategies to address local needs. The City also appointed a program coordinator to maximize the existing efforts of various agencies already providing many services for the homeless population. Homelessness programs will be operated by the groups experienced in providing these social services. The City’s program coordinator will assist service providers and act as a liaison between them, other government agencies, law enforcement, etc. as they collaborate to serve this underserved population.
While nonprofits provide the actual services, the City’s primary role is to remove governmental constraints to the development of housing for unhoused residents. Program #14 includes commitments to:
• Continue to provide discounted rent ($1 year) location(s) for facilities directly serving homeless residents in Barstow.
• Amend the zoning code to correctly define and permit low barrier navigation centers as a by-right use in mixed-use and nonresidential zones that permit residential uses. • Amend the zoning code to correctly define and permit emergency shelters as by-right use in the HS Zone consistent with state law.
• Amend zoning code to define transitional and permanent supportive housing, permit in all zones allowing residential uses, and treat in the same way as other residential uses in the same zone.
The City will amend the municipal code accordingly within one year of adoption of the housing element, which will eliminate a key constraint to siting housing for homeless people in Barstow.
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix D: Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page D-64 Figure 28. Sensitive Communities
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix D: Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page D-65 Local Data, Knowledge, and Other Relevant Factors
Local Data and Knowledge
During the update of the housing element, the City is also undertaking a general plan update. In 2021, HCD’s review of the draft housing element noted the need for local data and knowledge to supplement fair housing issues. To address that concern, in 2023, a bilingual community survey was drafted to identify address local issues, including fair housing opportunities, in Barstow. The survey attempted to determine whether residents have access to adequate housing opportunities that are diverse in type, affordable in price, address special needs, are safe and maintained, and are discrimination-free.
The bilingual survey was completed by more than 200 Barstow residents as well as residents living within the City’s sphere of influence, including the communities of Lenwood, Barstow Heights, and Yermo. This provided the opportunity to hear from residents who not only live in Barstow, but also those who work within the community but live in adjacent unincorporated areas. The following Table D-4 lists the major fair housing issues raised and their frequency mentioned by survey respondents.
Table D-4 Fair Housing Issues Raised in Barstow, 2023
Fair Housing Issues
Frequency
of Response
Program
Response
+ Provide regulatory and/or financial incentives for affordable units 54% #8 + Pursue funding to rehabilitate existing homes 52% #10 + Streamline permit processes for all types of housing 43% #17 + Assist special needs housing (e.g., disabled, domestic violence, etc.) 38% #12 + Assist existing residents with housing costs 33% #11
+ Address fraud, displacement, or discrimination 28% #15 + Assist transitional, supportive, or other emergency housing 25% #14 Source: City Survey, 2023.
The Housing Plan contains specific programs to address each of these priorities. In some cases, the City works with groups to implement programs as the City lacks the expertise and funding to operate a separate program. Since the City is not an entitlement jurisdiction, funding is only received on a pro-rata basis from San Bernardino County. Furthermore, Barstow does not rank highly against other urbanized cities in competing for state and federal grants. In other cases, the City has proposed municipal and zoning code amendments to incentivize or remove constraints to the provision of special needs housing.
It should also be noted that the lack of housing opportunities was overshadowed by the overwhelming need for living wage job opportunities. The City is a low resource community and one of the poorest in the High Desert and San Bernardino County. Residents desire to have higher paying employment opportunities that allow them to afford housing and a future for their families. Residents believe that this can only be achieved through significant efforts directed at economic development.
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix D: Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page D-66 Other Relevant Factors
Besides the issues described earlier in this chapter, other relevant factors contributed to fair housing issues in Barstow city. Chief among them are historical land use and investment practices that affect environmental, economic, housing, and fair housing issues. These broader fair housing issues arose within the context of Barstow’s growth and development as a community.
Barstow’s Early Years
Barstow arose at the junction of pioneer trails, referred collectively as the “Mormon Corridor.” The community was founded in 1880 during a silver and borax mining rush in the mountains above Barstow.
Because of the mining activities in Calico and Daggett, in 1883 the railroads constructed a line from Mojave California through Barstow to Needles, California. In 1886 the first post office was established, and the area was renamed in honor of William Barstow Strong, then president of the Santa Fe Railroad. The BNSF railroad operation continues to be one of the largest employers in Barstow to the present day.
On July 4, 1925, Barstow’s business district was moved from in front of the Harvey House in between the railroad tracks to where Old Town Barstow is today. Route 66 was established in 1926, with Barstow being the second city after Needles encountered by visitors driving into California. In 1929 Barstow International Airport opened after the site near Lenwood Road and National Trails Highway was chosen by Charles Lindbergh for TAT (later TWA) airline. The First Street Bridge, allowing motorists to cross over the massive Barstow Rail Yard, opened on April 26, 1930.
As was common in Southern California, the military played a prominent role in Barstow’s growth. During the Second World War, the federal government established a large U.S. Marine Corps supply depot and the expansive Fort Irwin armor and desert training center. These facilities brought thousands of military personnel into the region to train and be deployed during World War II. Today, Barstow’s Marine Corp Logistics Base employs 1,530 personnel. The Barstow MCLB facility has also expanded, adding additional facilities located in Nebo, Yermo Annex, and the surrounding desert communities.
The City’s military, railroads, and logistics industries shaped Barstow. When Congress passed the Chinese Exclusion Act and other immigration quotas in the late 1800s and early 1900s, U.S. railroad companies (including Santa Fe) recruited Mexicans to offset the labor shortage. Many also migrated from Benton, New Mexico, following the expansion of BNSF into Barstow. Similarly, the U.S. government began recruitment of African Americans to fill labor shortages during World War I and II. These federal regulations helped Hispanics and Arican Americans to establish local communities in Barstow and both groups comprise more than half of the City’s population today.
Incorporation as a City
In 1947, Barstow incorporated as the 9th city in San Bernardino County. Over the next decades, Barstow saw the development of a wide range of public facilities to support its growing community. The Barstow Hospital opened in 1958 and has undergone several modernizations since then. Barstow Community College was founded in 1960. Barstow’s wastewater plant was built in 1968 as a primary treatment facility.
The modern Vineyard Library opened in 1974, replacing the City’s original facility built in 1912. The County modernized and relocated the county courthouse in 1976. To manage the delivery of services, special districts were set up for water, wastewater, drainage, parks, cemeteries, and road maintenance.
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix D: Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page D-67 Transportation and freeway investments also played a major role in Barstow’s early development.
Barstow was originally known as a jumping off place for immigrants entering the state on Route 66, a state highway that extended through Barstow’s downtown. Later federal investments improved the I-40 and I-15, which both converged at the city limits with the SR-58. While greatly improving regional and statewide mobility for motorists and the logistics industry, these freeways made it possible to bypass Barstow, reducing the number of travelers to the city and leading to the decline of Barstow’s downtown.
Modern Challenges
Barstow civic leaders have known that the City’s remote location make its economy subject to the regional and state economy. For instance, the late 2000s recession severely impacted the housing market and economy of Barstow. During that recession, approximately 7.5% of the City’s single-family homes were foreclosed upon and unsold. To respond to the crisis, the City used its redevelopment funds to finance 250 homes under its home improvement program and 325 homes with mortgage assistance. The City also expended $12 million in NSP funds to rehabilitate several hundred apartment units.
The City’s primary industries have also contributed to environmental hazards to this day. For instance, a health risk assessment of the BNSF yard found high levels of air pollutants, specifically diesel particulate matter that has been linked to cancer. After CARB released its findings, BNSF entered into an agreement with CARB to implement actions that would reduce diesel particulate emissions to safe levels. 10 The United States Marine Corp has also been active in cleaning up pollution at all three MCLB sites due to chemicals that leached into soil and groundwater. The Barstow site was officially placed on the National Priorities List by the EPA on November 15, 1989, and base cleanup activities are ongoing.11 Looking Forward
The City’s 2030 Strategic Plan sets the vision for Barstow as a progressive High Desert community with small-town advantages that preserves and promotes a quality environment. The City’s Strategic Plan is intended to: 1) create a financially sustainable City government that provides services of the highest quality; 2) grow a diverse local economy; 3) ensure a safe, beautiful city that provides the housing and amenities residents and business desire; and 4) modernize City operations, facilities, and infrastructure.
The City is also implementing a $200 million CIP budget to implement these goals.
Economic development and job growth will be a key driver of the City’s success as it creates revenue that supports the community and the quality of life desired by residents. BNSF Railway plans to invest $1.5 billion to construct the Barstow International Gateway, a 4,500-acre integrated rail facility in west Barstow that will serve as an intermodal facility and warehouses for shipping freight across the nation. This facility is anticipated to bring thousands of direct and indirect jobs to the High Desert region. The City also completed a Downtown Specific Plan to improve US-66, the primary transportation corridor. Economic development incentives continue to be available citywide and in specific opportunity zones. 10 https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/sites/default/files/classic/railyard/hra/bnsf_barstow_final.pdf. 11 https://www.navfac.navy.mil/Divisions/Environmental/Products-and-Services/Environmental-Restoration/ Southwest/Barstow-MCLB/Site-Descriptions/.
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix D: Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page D-68 Contributing Factors
State law requires that the housing element must include an identification and prioritization of significant contributing factors to fair housing issues. Fair housing issues include situations such as segregation, racially or ethnically concentrated areas of poverty, significant disparities in access to opportunity, disproportionate housing needs, and evidence of discrimination or violation of civil rights law or regulation related to housing. Fair housing contributing factor (or contributing factor) means a factor that creates, contributes to, perpetuates, or increases the severity of one or more fair housing issues. Contributing factors to fair housing issues can include both public actions and private actions.
Access to opportunity encompasses education, employment, safe and decent housing, low rates of crime, transportation, recreation, healthy food, and a healthy environment. AB 686 also requires identification of metrics or quantified objectives and milestones for determining what fair housing results will be achieved. Strategies and actions to implement priorities and goals may include but are not limited to: 1) enhancement of mobility strategies and promoting inclusion for protected classes; 2) development of new affordable housing in high-resource areas; 3) place-based strategies for community revitalization, including preserving affordable housing; and 4) protecting existing residents from displacement.
Barstow’s fair housing issues, contributing factors, and initiatives proposed to ameliorate them are summarized below and in Table D-5, Fair Housing Issues, Contributing Factors, and Plan.
Issue #1: Disparity in Access to Education and Economic Opportunity The 2021-2029 Housing Element found that many Barstow residents earn lower incomes and have difficulty meeting their basic necessities, including affording housing in the community. The reasons are multiple layered but are driven by the condition of the local economy, types of jobs available, and the educational attainment of residents. Barstow’s economy has four main sectors–government/schools, military, transportation/warehousing, and retail commercial–with most nonprofessional positions paying generally lower to moderate income wages. The entirety of the City ranks within the poorest category for economic opportunity, both locally and regionally (Figure 16A and 16B), resulting in fewer job options for residents. With respect to educational attainment, more than 90% of adults ages 25 years and older do not have four-year college degrees with most residents having more limited post-secondary education.
To improve economic opportunity, the Housing Element proposes the following actions:
• Address Land Use Planning. Update the general plan, prepare a specific plan for the Barstow International Gateway (BIG), and process annexation for the project after general plan adoption.
The BIG project is anticipated to bring 8,000 direct jobs to Barstow-doubling the local job base. • Offer Economic Incentives. Pursue economic development grants available from the County, work with businesses to expand or relocate within the opportunity zone that covers the City’s R/ECAP and other qualified tracts and continue efforts at business retention. • Improve Employment Opportunities. Liaise with BNSF and Barstow College to provide training programs that match BNSF employment needs to the College’s Technical Education programs.
Coordinate with BNSF to enact local hiring preference policy so residents can work on the BIG. • Expand Educational Options. Work with the College to expand the marketing of CARES program to single-parent families with children to subsidize their educational and living expenses. Focus on Census Tracts 95 and 120.01, where single-parent families are most prevalent.
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix D: Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page D-69 Issue #2: Community Investment in Infrastructure
Barstow is responsible for providing and maintaining a multimillion dollar system of infrastructure. This includes providing water lines, sewer lines, wastewater treatment facility, roadways, bridges, park and recreation facilities, and also ensuring their long term serviceability. As an older community, some of the City’s infrastructure is older and in need of rehabilitation. The City is completing a sewer system facility assessment and pavement management inventory, which both recommend significant capital investments to the City’s infrastructure systems. In other cases, the City is working with SBCTA to improve regional infrastructure that is essential for the City’s future economic development, such as replacing the 1,200-foot bridge spanning the BNSF Yard at a cost of $80 million.
To address infrastructure needs, the Housing Element proposes the following actions:
• Complete Infrastructure Studies. Complete studies of infrastructure condition, such as wastewater and sewage facilities master plan, pavement management conditions, and other such studies. Additional studies are underway for the surrounding unincorporated area. • Adopt Enhanced Infrastructure Financing District. The City will be pursuing the formation of an Enhanced Infrastructure Financing District (EIFD) that will assist in providing an alternative financing structure to extend, improve, and maintain critical infrastructure. • Prepare Capital Improvement Plans. The City has long prepared a five year capital improvement program (CIP) to manage its infrastructure and will continue to prepare its CIP and incorporate the results of its infrastructure studies and financing mechanisms.
Issue #3: Segregation and Integration
The 2021-2029 Housing Element found that certain groups in Barstow have limited housing opportunities integrated within the community. These include familial status, income, and need for services. Barstow’s has a relatively modest percentage of persons with disabilities, and limited residential care facilities (that are not serving seniors) to house them. The City’s unhoused residents total 155 residents, and nearly twothirds live in a shelter. However, the zoning codes for emergency shelter, transitional housing, and supportive housing are not compliant with state law, potentially limiting these land uses. Finally, the City has the largest percentage of single-parent families with children in the county, and many of them are lower income living in HUD-subsidized housing due to HUD voucher preference policy. A review of Barstow’s municipal code found zoning laws that contribute to disproportionate need.
To improve integration of housing opportunities, the Housing Element proposes the following actions:
• Revise Zoning Code (housing for disabled residents). The City will revise its code for residential care facilities or those needing group housing and update its reasonable accommodation and modification ordinance to ensure it fully complies with state law. • Revise Zoning Code (housing for homeless residents). The City will revise its code for emergency shelter, transitional housing, supportive housing, and navigation centers to comply with state law.
The City will also continue to subsidize housing costs where possible. • Facilitate Development of Senior Housing. While the City allows for senior housing, options are limited. The City will continue to solicit developers to convert the former hospital site into an 80- unit affordable senior project to alleviate the shortage of senior housing.
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix D: Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page D-70 Issue #4: Housing Conditions
The 2021-2029 Housing Element found that housing conditions in neighborhoods are a key issue. Many homes experience some level of deferred maintenance. Vacant homes also attract vagrancy. The high number of rental homes also mean that attention is needed to ensure rental properties are maintained.
The City has an active code compliance staff and has a new rental property inspection program that applies to 5,700 (60%) of the 9,600 housing units in the community. Finally, while many market rate homes are affordable to moderate income residents, the City still relies on affordable apartments to serve its lower income residents. Of the 780 affordable apartments, 300 are at risk of conversion to market rents.
To address these housing needs, the Housing Element proposes the following actions:
• Rental Housing Inspection. The City will continue to implement its new rental property inspection program and require annual inspections covering 3,200 single family rental homes and 207 apartment complexes (that provide more than 2,500 units). • Preserve Existing Affordable Housing. The City will continue to explore opportunities to ensure the long-term extension of affordability of 300 at risk units in the community. In addition, the City will work with the HACSB to lobby and maintain the 600 vouchers currently provided. • Code Compliance. Continue code compliance efforts to address housing and property maintenance issues; open at least 500 cases annually to address vegetation, property, vehicle, and other code issues needed to maintain the quality of housing and neighborhoods. • Rehab for temporary and permanent workforce housing. Identify funding and financing mechanisms to rehabilitate 50 housing units in need of moderate/major repair for use as rental housing for the BIG project construction workforce. Focus on units in the community core.
Issue #5: Environmental and Community Health
As an older, industrial, and desert community, the City faces issues such as air pollution, environmental contamination from legacy industrial uses, and need for active living options. The AFH found that the City central core falls into the less positive environmental outcomes, the northern area falls into a moderate score (indicating improving positive outcomes), and the southern area has more positive scores. The City is actively involved in improving environmental conditions in the community. These include working with partners to address underground water contamination due to nitrate and perchlorate in north Barstow, working with major industries (e.g., BNSF) to reduce potential health concerns with the BIG project, and pursing active transportation improvements in the neighborhoods that comprise its central core.
To address the above needs, the Housing Element proposes the following actions:
• Remediate Environmental Pollution. Continue to work with responsible parties and state and regional environmental resource agencies to facilitate completion of the cleanup of perchlorate and nitrate contamination of groundwater in northern Barstow • Minimize Industrial Pollution Sources. Continue to work with BNSF to ensure onsite equipment and facilities (e.g., hostlers and cranes) are full and hybrid-electric to minimize the use of trucks and emission of air pollutants
• Improve Opportunities for Active Living. Complete the installation of Cycle 5 ($4.1 million) and Cycle 6 ($6.9 million) of active transportation and safe routes to school infrastructure improvements within the City’s central core.
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix D: Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page D-71 Table D-5 Fair Housing Issues, Contributing Factors, and Plan Implementation Measure Strategy Specific Metrics
Area of the
Community Time Frame
Types of Strategies:
HMI: Housing Mobility Improvement DISP: Displacement Protection Strategies NHC: New Housing Choices ATO: Enhanced Access to Opportunity PBS: Place-Based Strategies
Issue #1: Economic Development and Job Opportunities
Priority: High (See Program #5)
a. Process specific plan and annexation
application to facilitate development
of the BIG project and job growth
ATO Adopt Spec. Plan
Annex Plan Area
West
Barstow
End 2025
End 2026
b. Encourage reinvestment in the City’s
R/ECAP by marketing opportunity
zone incentives to eligible business
ATO Reach out to top
10 businesses on
eligibility and
options
R/ECAP Quarterly
c. Work with BNSF to adopt a local hiring
preference for the BIG project
Work with Community College and
BNSF to expand CTE program
PBS; ATO Preference Policy
Coord. Meeting,
revise General
Plan policies
Citywide &
R/ECAP
Dec 2025
Biennial
d. Work with BCC to expand marketing of
CARES program to single-parent
families with children to subsidize
their educational and living expenses
ATO; PBS Reach 100 singleparent families
with material
Census
Tracts 95 and
120.01
December
2025
Issue #2: Adequacy of Infrastructure
Priority: High (See Program #17)
a. Complete studies of pavement
inventory conditions and sewer
system master plan
Complete PMI
Complete SSMP
Citywide End 2025
Mid 2024
b. Complete formation of the enhanced
infrastructure financing district to
finance infrastructure needs
PBS Complete EIFD Citywide Mid 2025
c. Prepare capital improve. program:
+ rebuild First Avenue Bridge
+ rehabilitate the WWTP digestor
PBS Complete CIP
Complete bridge
Complete rehab
Citywide
West
Barstow
Annual
End 2025
End 2023
Issue #3: Segregation and Integration
Priority: High (See Programs #12 and #14)
a. Amend zoning code to allow
residential care facilities in all zones
allowing residential uses in a manner
consistent with fair housing law.
NHC Adopted Code
Revision
Citywide One year
following
housing
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix D: Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page D-72 Table D-5 Fair Housing Issues, Contributing Factors, and Plan Implementation Measure Strategy Specific Metrics
Area of the
Community Time Frame
Types of Strategies:
HMI: Housing Mobility Improvement DISP: Displacement Protection Strategies NHC: New Housing Choices ATO: Enhanced Access to Opportunity PBS: Place-Based Strategies
b. Amend zoning code to allow
emergency shelter, transitional,
supportive housing, and navigation
centers by right in zones per state law
NHC Adopted Code
Revision
Citywide Element
adoption
c. Seek qualified developers to build
affordable senior housing on the
former Barstow Hospital site
HMI Construction of
80-unit project
R/ECAP Biannual
End 2026
Issue #4: Housing and Neighborhood Conditions
Priority: Medium (See Programs #1, #11, and #21)
a. Implement rental housing inspection
program to improve the safety and
quality of rental housing
PBS; DISP Inspect up to 500
rental properties
Citywide Annual
b. Preserve at risk affordable housing
and work with HACSB to maintain
voucher commitments
PBS; DISP Preserve 300 du
Preserve 600 HV
R/ECAP
Citywide
By 2030
Annual
c. Open compliance cases to address
vegetation, property, vehicle, and
other code issues
PBS Open 500 cases Citywide Annual
d. Rehab for temporary housing PBS; DISP Rehab 50 du Citywide with a focus
on the City’s
core
By 2028
Issue #5: Environmental and Community Health
Priority: High (See Program #20)
a. Work with responsible parties and
resource agencies to facilitate cleanup
of perchlorate/nitrate contamination
PBS; DIS Meet Quarterly Northern
Barstow
Quarterly
b. Work with BNSF to ensure onsite
equipment (hostlers and cranes) are
full and hybrid-electric to minimize
truck use and air pollution emissions
PBS; DIS Meet Quarterly Western
Barstow
Quarterly
c. Complete Cycle 4 and 5 active
transportation and safe routes to
school grant projects
PBS; HMI Complete
projects
R/ECAP and
Citywide
Dec 2026
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix D: Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page D-73 Figure 29. Planned Improvements to Low Resource Areas
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix E: Sites Analysis and Inventory Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page E-1 Appendix E. Sites Analysis and Inventory
Every local government is responsible to plan for their share of the region’s need for housing for an eight year period (2021 through 2029). As provided under Government Code § 65583(a)(3), the Housing Element must include an inventory of sites that are suitable, available, and capable of development that meets the local housing need at all income levels. The Sites Analysis describes the City’s housing target for the 6th Cycle planning period, analyzes development trends and methodology by which realistic development capacity was determined, and summarizes the approach for identifying vacant sites to accommodate all income levels. The Sites Analysis concludes with a summary of an analysis of development capacity, and various infrastructure and environmental factors considered in this analysis.
Regional Housing Needs Assessment
Each local government in the State has a responsibility to accommodate zoning for the projected housing needs in its region. The process of allocating regional housing needs to local governments is called the Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA). The RHNA for local governments in the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) region was developed for the 6th Cycle Housing Element and covers the planning period beginning June 30, 2021 and ending October 15, 2029. SCAG assigned the City of Barstow a RHNA of 1,520 total units for the projection period.
Summarized in Table E-1, the total 2021-2029 RHNA housing production goal is divided into five household income / housing affordability categories, including extremely low income units.
Table E-1 Regional Housing Needs Allocation, 2021-2029
Income Category/
Affordability Levels Income Range
Allocation
(Number of Units)
Percentage of
Units
Extremely Low 0 to 30% of AMI 86 5.7%
Very Low 31 to 50% of AMI 86 5.7%
Low 51 to 80% of AMI 228 15.0%
Moderate 81 to 120% of AMI 300 19.7%
Above Moderate 121% and above 820 53.9%
Total 1,520 100%
Source: Southern California Association of Governments, 2021-2029 Regional Housing Needs The City of Barstow will address its 2021-2029 RHNA planning obligation through a combination of planned and entitled units and vacant parcels with appropriate zoning and access to infrastructure to facilitate development during the planning period. To ensure that adequate capacity is maintained to accommodate its RHNA units and meet the housing needs of the City throughout the entirety of the 6th Cycle, the City will monitor the housing capacity identified in the Sites Analysis and Inventory throughout the planning period to maintain sufficient capacity for the remaining RHNA at all income levels.
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix E: Sites Analysis and Inventory Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page E-2 Planned and Entitled Units
The City first analyzes projects that are already planned and/or entitled for residential development and are expected to be built during the planning period. These projects represent individuals and companies that have already committed significant time and money into securing the right to build housing in the near future. As detailed in the table below and subsequent narrative description, the City has already approved a substantial amount of residential development that addresses much of the RHNA allocation.
Table E-2 summarizes the City’s RHNA and credits for residential development in the pipeline.
Table E-2 Pipeline Development
RHNA 2021-2029
RHNA Housing Affordability Categories
Very Low Low Moderate Above Mod Total
172 228 300 820 1,520
Planned or Entitled Units
Single Family Subdivisions - - 474 474
203 W. Main St. Motel Conversion 18 - - 18
7th Avenue Specific Plan 101 80 - 181
Subtotal 119 80 474 673
Remaining RHNA 2021-2029 281 220 346 847
Source: City of Barstow, 2024.
Single Family Subdivisions
Three single family subdivisions have been approved and are slated for development in the near future.
While some of these homes may sell at prices that are affordable to moderate income households, the City conservatively assumes affordability only for above moderate income households. South of the College and Veterans Parkway, a 75-acre collection of parcels is approved for 276 single family homes. To the west of the College and on the north side of Veterans Parkway, a 52-unit project is approved. Finally, to the east, on the south side of Rimrock Road across from Stringham Memorial Park, a 36-acre collection of parcels is approved for 146 single family homes. In total, these three projects represent 474 units of market-rate housing that addresses over half of the City’s above moderate income RHNA allocation. 203 W. Main Street Motel Conversion Project
The City approved a general plan amendment and zone change for the 203 W. Main Street Motel, to convert 21 motel rooms into 18 housing units. The property owner/developer has worked on similar conversion projects in Barstow, including an 8-studio unit project (119 Otis Ave, issued 2016 and finalized 2018), a 12-studio unit project (117 Otis Ave, issued 2017 and finalized 2019), and a 10-unit project (200 W. Williams St, issued 2018 and finalized 2019). Recent rental listings for 119 Otis and 200 W. Williams (as of May 2024, rent.com) were $735 and $895, respectively (affordable to 1- and 2-person very low income households. Based on direct communication in May 2024, the property owner for the 203 W.
Main motel cited a monthly rental range of $645 to $745 per unit for the conversion project, which is affordable to 1- and 2-bedroom very low income households, and also noted a completion date of 2025.
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix E: Sites Analysis and Inventory Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page E-3 7th Avenue Specific Plan
The 7th Avenue Specific Plan was adopted in 2020, with the intent to attract affordable housing, including affordable housing for seniors, commercial, and transit improvements through the revitalization of the old hospital site. The old hospital was demolished in 2020 and the overall site is cleared and ready for development. The City maintains control/ownership of the land, with the City Council reconfirming its commitment to the Specific Plan and targeted affordability as recently as early 2024.
The City of Barstow has pursued an Affordable
Housing and Sustainable Communities (AHSC)
grant to support development of the affordable
housing component. Although unsuccessful the
first time applying, the City will be applying for
Round 8/9 of the AHSC funding. The City also
regularly seeks both state and federal funding for
the implementation of this plan. In March 2024,
the City was awarded a $350,000 grant to perform
environmental assessments to further the
readiness of the site for residential development.
The City anticipates development of this project to
take place once AHSC or other funds are secured,
with a target date for completion of 2028.
The Specific Plan will accommodate 181 units. On a 3.3-acre portion of the Specific Plan, 81 lower income units are planned as higher density apartments consistent with the Medium Density Residential designation (up to 20 units per acre plus density bonus). On two other portions of the Specific Plan (2.4 acres of senior housing and 2.27 acres of non-age restricted housing), the City anticipates additional affordable housing based on targeted funding resources. The future housing would also likely be moderate or higher density apartments consistent with the Diverse Use designation (up to 16 units per acre plus density bonus). For the purposes of the Housing Element, the City is applying more conservative assumptions regarding the future housing affordability of units on these two areas of the Specific Plan: 20 lower income and 80 moderate income units.
The following resources are available less than a mile from the Specific Plan area. These resources help to support the residents living within the specific plan area with public services, schools, parks, transit, and other services that further air housing opportunity.
• Community Centers (Desert
Discovery and Dana Park Centers
• Schools (Cameron Elementary, Barstow
High School, Barstow STEM Academy)
• New Transit Hub • Parks (Camerion Park, Lillian Park) • Library and Post Office • San Bernardino Superior Court • City Hall • Fire Station
• Main Street • Women, Infants, Children (WIC)
• Hospital • Department of Motor Vehicles
7th Avenue Specific Plan
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix E: Sites Analysis and Inventory Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page E-4 Vacant Land Inventory
State Housing Element law emphasizes the importance of adequate land for housing and requires that each Housing Element “…identify adequate sites … to facilitate and encourage the development of a variety of housing types for all income levels…” (California Government Code § 65583(c)(1)). To allow for an adequate supply of new housing, land must be zoned at a variety of densities to ensure that development is feasible for a wide range of income levels. The identified land must also have access to appropriate services and infrastructure, such as water, wastewater, and roads.
As such, this section includes an inventory of vacant land that identifies sites that area available with appropriate zoning and development standards, public services, and facilities needed to facilitate and encourage the development housing for households of all income levels.
Development Criteria
Although the City contains a large amount of vacant land, specific criteria were applied to select only sites with the best chance of developing during the planning period, while maintaining consistency with the policies elsewhere in the General Plan and approaches to affirmatively furthering fair housing.
Vacancy Status
Any site included must be vacant, precisely defined as land that is not already slated for future development and lacks any building improvements, unless they are clearly abandoned or so dilapidated as to be nonfunctional. Additionally, consistent with changes in state law, land used for agricultural purposes is no longer considered functionally vacant even with an absence of building improvements.
Environmental Hazards or Restrictions
Any site included must be free from environmental hazards and restrictions that could make future housing development unsafe or increase development costs substantially. Vacant sites were excluded if they contained or were exposed to hazards related to earthquakes, 100-year flooding, dam/basin inundation, very high fire hazard severity zones, wind erosion, and proximity to the military base. Vacant sites were also excluded if they were subject to conservation easements or Williamson Act contracts or designated as farmland that is prime, of statewide importance, or unique.
On the sites zoned for Single Family Residential, some topographical constraints will likely limit development capacity (assumption of 50% reduction). Such sites are large enough, however (9 to 24 acres), that the required grading and reduction of land capacity are not considered to be a barrier to development. Additionally, such sites are only considered for above moderate income capacity. All other sites are unconstrained by topography.
Resource Areas and Future Development
The City applied the lens of AFFH when considering vacant sites using the state’s assessment of access to economic, educational, and environmental resources: the California Tax Credit Allocation Committee’s Opportunity Maps. While all of the Census tracts in and around Barstow are designated as low resource, the City focused on sites in areas that had the best economic, educational, and environmental characteristics; preferred areas closer to where future new market-rate development will take place; and avoided the census tract designated (as of 2024) as an area of high poverty and segregation.
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix E: Sites Analysis and Inventory Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page E-5 Parcel Characteristics
Sites were only considered for lower-income capacity if they were at least one-half acre and no larger than 10 acres. Sites larger than 10 acres were only included for above moderate income capacity.
Additionally, parcels were excluded if they presented any constraints based on shape, access, easements, zoning overlays, or other property conditions. Only one parcel is theoretically constrained by having limited access to the current roadway system; however, the property owner of this parcel also owns an adjoining, smaller parcel that would logically be developed together, thus negating the constraint.
Parcels between one and five acres in size are ideal for 100% affordable housing (lower income) based on discussions with affordable housing developers and a review of past projects in San Bernardino County.
While parcels below one acre in size can also be excellent candidates for smaller affordable housing developments, the City limited the inclusion of such parcels to those owned by entities that also owned other adjoining candidate sites.
Ownership
Sites were only included if they were owned by private individuals or entities. No sites were included if they were owned by exempt entities (e.g., federal government, tribal entities, state surplus sites, school districts, railroads, and special districts), which requires more extensive coordination or agency approvals of surplus land designations as a condition for residential development.
Infrastructure
Sites were only included if they could be served by piped water and wastewater systems without extensive and/or expensive extensions/connection. The City has ample water supply and wastewater treatment capacity for many units beyond the RHNA allocation. The City also only included vacant sites that were served by existing paved roadways, electricity, and telecommunications systems.
Transit
Proximity to existing transit was a high priority, with sites selected for lower income capacity if they were either adjacent (most desirable) or within walking distance of a transit stop(s). Proximity to transit was also desirable for moderate and above moderate income sites but was not considered essential. The City’s urban core is well served by transit with a new transit station just constructed in central city.
Residential Zoning, Density, and Affordability
The City considered vacant land zoned for Medium Density Residential (MDR), which allows housing at a density between 5 and 20 units per acre to have the capacity to accommodate housing affordable to lower-income households. This conclusion was based both on state law, which deems zoning that allows at least 20 units per acre can be presumed to accommodate lower-income housing for the purposes of determining RHNA capacity. A default density of 20 units per acre is based on language from the HCD’s 2022 technical memorandum: “Housing elements due prior to January 1, 2022, may continue to use default densities identified in HCD’s June 20, 2012, technical assistance memo” and the City’s status as a suburban jurisdiction given its population levels below 25,000 from the 2010 Census. Any capacity on sites zoned MDR were also presumed to be affordable for moderate income households as well.
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix E: Sites Analysis and Inventory Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page E-6 Development Trends
Planned and built multifamily projects built in Barstow in the past 15 yearsshow that the average capacity achieved or targeted exceeds maximum (greater than 100%) density levels due in large part to the inclusion of affordable housing. Examples include:
• The 7th Avenue Specific Plan, which includes a 3.3-acre site planned for 81 units of affordable housing (24.5 du/ac or 122% of MDR’s maximum density of 20 du/ac). The balance of the housing component of the Specific Plan anticipates 100 mixed-income units across two sites at an average density of 19.6 units per acre or 122% of Diverse Use’s maximum density of 16 units per acre). • The 203 W. Main Street Motel Conversion Project under development in 2024 will result in 18 units on a 0.72-acre parcel zoned for Diverse Use (DU). This represents a density of 25 units per acre or 156% of the 16 unit per acre maximum density allowed by DU zoning. • Lantern Woods is an acquisition and rehab project completed in 2011 that has 28 units (studio, one-, and two-bedroom units), on a 0.90-acre site zoned for DU, which represents a density of 31 units per acre or 194% of the 16 unit per acre maximum density allowed by DU zoning.
Realistic Development Potential
The City started with the maximum density that would be permitted by right for a lower-income housing development and made adjustments to account for factors that reduce a site’s capacity below the maximum level allowed (explained below). To be conservative and follow guidance from HCD, the City did not add any increase in density due to the application of state density bonus provisions. • Land use controls: No adjustment. The City evaluated the cumulative impact of its development standards (e.g., setbacks, building height, parking; see Constraints analysis in Appendix C), and determined that no downward adjustment factor is necessary due to the general permissive development standards in place to support residential development. • Site improvements: 80 to 90% factor. The City reduced maximum site capacity 10% to reflect onsite improvements, including: sidewalks, roads, utility easements, and infrastructure. Maximum capacity for sites larger than five acres was reduced 20% for internal roadways. These factors are on top of earlier refinements made to adjust for public right of way easements. • Infrastructure availability: No adjustment. All sites are served by or are adjacent to parcels that are currently served by infrastructure; and therefore, no downward adjustment to development capacity is needed for infrastructure availability.
• Environmental constraints: No adjustment to 50%. On the sites zoned for Single Family Residential, some topographical constraints will likely limit development capacity (assumption of 50% reduction). All sites are unconstrained by natural hazards or resources that would reduce capacity, and are outside areas designated for 100-year flood, fire hazard severity, Alquist-Priolo fault (or other hazards), and areas restricted for conservation or designated as farmland. • Trends and incentives: 50% to 90%. An evaluation of past development trends of lower-income housing found that multifamily projects achieved densities exceeding current density thresholds.
However, to be conservative, the City applied a 90% adjustment factor. For above moderate income housing, a 50% reduction factor was assumed to reflect the product type and densities.
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix E: Sites Analysis and Inventory Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page E-7 The City’s sites inventory allows for a maximum capacity of nearly 2,200 units and a realistic capacity of just over 1,200 units. Based on default density standards and the adjustment factors, the vacant sites provide capacity for 304 lower income units, which satisfies the City’s remaining lower income RHNA of 281 units, plus 8% surplus capacity. Other RHNA income levels are met as well.
Parcels Identified in the Previous Element
The following vacant parcels identified in the prior two Housing Elements (4th and 5th cycles) are again considered in this element (6th cycle): 042421729, 018352120, 018360105, 018194165, 018317127, 018318144, 018307125, 018307101, 018183126, 018183128, 018202124, and 018203110.
If such sites were to be identified in this Housing Element to accommodate any portion of the City’s lower income RHNA allocation, state law would require such sites to permit, by right, housing developments that propose a density of 20 units per acre or more and in which at least 20% of the units are affordable to lower income households. However, none of these parcels are identified to accommodate any portion of the City’s lower income RHNA allocation. Accordingly, no additional action or zoning is required on these sites.
Summary of Capacity to Accommodate the RHNA
The City’s housing allocation for the 2021-2029 planning period consists of 1,520 total units. Table E-3, Housing Capacity Identified, provides a breakdown of the RHNA and the City’s capacity through planned/entitled units and developable vacant sites with appropriate zoning capacity. Table E-4, Capacity on Vacant Sites, provides the City’s sites inventory by assessor parcel number. As shown in Table E-3, there is a surplus of capacity for lower-income, moderate-income, and above-moderate income units.
Table E-3 Housing Capacity Identified
Category Total Units
Housing Affordability Levels
Lower Moderate Above Moderate
RHNA 1,520 400 300 820
Planned/Entitled 673 119 80 474
Vacant Sites 1,222 304 372 546
Total Capacity 1,895 423 452 1,020
Surplus Capacity -- +23 +152 +200
Source: City of Barstow, 2024.
A map of all the housing sites identified to address the City’s RHNA is shown in Figures 30 to 33.
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix E: Sites Analysis and Inventory Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page E-8 Table E-4 Capacity on Vacant Sites
# APN1 AC2
Current
GP/Zone
Density Capacity
Min Max Max Adjust3 Realistic LWR M AM
1 042427223 0.51 MDR/MDR 5 20 11 81% 9 9 - -
2 042812206 1.09 MDR/MDR 5 20 22 81% 18 18 - -
3 042427223 2.68 MDR/MDR 5 20 54 81% 44 44 - -
4 042427224 2.81 MDR/MDR 5 20 56 81% 46 46 - -
5 042427224 3.52 MDR/MDR 5 20 71 81% 58 58 - -
6 042427223 3.61 MDR/MDR 5 20 73 81% 60 60 - -
7 018190101 4.18 MDR/MDR 5 20 84 81% 69 69 - -
8 018318142 0.42 MDR/MDR 5 20 9 81% 8 - 8
9 018318143 0.55 MDR/MDR 5 20 11 81% 9 - 9 -
10 018317122 0.87 MDR/MDR 5 20 18 81% 15 - 15 -
11 0183071254 0.89 MDR/MDR 5 20 18 81% 15 - 15 -
12 018360104 0.91 MDR/MDR 5 20 19 81% 16 - 16 -
13 042424114 0.96 MDR/MDR 5 20 20 81% 17 - 17 -
14 0183171274 1.00 MDR/MDR 5 20 20 81% 17 - 17 -
15 0183071014 1.01 MDR/MDR 5 20 21 81% 18 - 18 -
16 0183601054 1.06 MDR/MDR 5 20 22 81% 18 - 18 -
17 0183181444 1.08 MDR/MDR 5 20 22 81% 18 - 18 -
18 0183521204 3.09 MDR/MDR 5 20 62 81% 51 - 51 -
19 0181941654 3.68 MDR/MDR 5 20 74 81% 60 - 60 -
20 0424217294 7.58 MDR/MDR 5 20 152 72% 110 - 110 -
21 042427224 10.77 MDR/MDR 5 20 216 40% 87 - - 87
22 018321105 12.47 MDR/MDR 5 20 250 40% 100 - - 100
23 042413240 22.72 MDR/MDR 5 20 455 40% 182 - - 182
24 0181831264 12.06 SFR/SFR 0 7 85 40% 34 - - 34
25 0181831284 16.72 SFR/SFR 0 7 118 40% 48 - - 48
26 0182021244 24.27 SFR/SFR 0 7 170 40% 68 - - 68
27 0182031104 9.35 SFR/SFR 0 7 66 40% 27 - - 27
TOTAL 149.9 2,199 - 1,222 304 372 546
RHNA Balance - - 847 281 220 346
Surplus Capacity - - - 23 152 200
Notes:
1. Some parcels share the same APN (042427223 and 042427224) but are owned by the same entity. The parcel configurations do not reflect any past or active development and the sites can be developed separately or together. While the 3.61-acre parcel with APN 042427223 would normally require an access easement and smaller adjustment factor would it be assumed to develop on its own, the adjacent 0.51-acre parcel (also APN 042427223) is owned by the same entity and provides direct access that negates the need for any further reduction in the adjustment factor.
2. Actual parcel acreages are larger for many parcels. Acreage figures shown in this table reflect gross net acreage that removes areas necessary for public rights of way. This acreage reduction is in addition to the adjustment factor applied.
3. While there are no regulatory or market restrictions that would prevent each site from achieving its maximum capacity, adjustment factors have been applied to provide a more conservative estimate of realistic development capacity.
4. Vacant sites used in the prior two Housing Elements (4th & 5th cycles). None of these sites are for lower income units.
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix E: Sites Analysis and Inventory Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page E-9 Figure 30. Barstow Sites Inventory Map
Figure 31. Housing Sites Along Rimrock Road
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix E: Sites Analysis and Inventory Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page E-10 Figure 32. Housing Sites North and South of Interstate 15 Figure 33. Housing Sites North of Main Street/Route 66
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix E: Sites Analysis and Inventory Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page E-11 Fair Housing Implications of Housing Sites
Gov’t Code § 65583(c)(9) requires that the housing sites identified to meet the City of Barstow’s 2021- 2029 RHNA affirmatively further fair housing opportunity. For example, sites must be identified and evaluated relative to the full scope of the assessment of fair housing (e.g., segregation and integration, racially and ethnically concentrated areas of poverty, access to opportunity, etc.). The City must ensure that affordable housing is dispersed equitably throughout the City and avoid concentration in areas of High Segregation and Poverty or Low Resource areas that have historically been underserved. The latter goal is necessary to create more inclusive communities that have access to equal opportunity.
Sites in Relation to Segregation and Integration
The 2015-2020 General Plan planned for the majority of new housing to be built far from the City’s core in the under-developed western half, with some limited low density housing south of the community core.
The City’s updated General Plan will shift the focus of all new housing in the eastern half to a wider range of housing types located adjacent to the City’s core. This core is only 3 square miles. The City's intent is to avoid a "new vs old" development pattern and to bring new housing investments in proximity to existing public facilities, services, and residents, which will ensure that new residents support and help fund improvements to existing public facilities and create new public facilities that are accessible by residents.
For example, new park and school facilities may be needed and would be located close to existing neighborhoods. Additionally, improvements to existing parks and pedestrian and bicycle networks would be better supported under the City's new plan with new housing supporting higher quality programmed open spaces, business, and services within the community’s core. The placement and focus of new housing around the community core will likely bring more affluent residents to support Barstow's schools, both financially and through volunteerism, improving resources available to students. Finally, locating residential around the existing community core (in contrast with areas to the west) will bolster support for transit that would only require minimal extensions to service the new residential areas.
The following provides a brief overview and summary of anticipated impacts of the RHNA sites on fair housing opportunities in Barstow consistent with HCD’s fair housing guidebook.
Racial Segregation
While in many places past discriminatory policies such as redlining practices have segregated the racial composition of the region, at a local level, there are no visible patterns of racial segregation in the City.
The City’s predominant population identifies as non-White, the majority identifying as Hispanic or Latino.
As discussed earlier in this Appendix (page D-30), a dissimilarity index analysis of census tracts shows high levels of race and ethnic integration in Barstow. Racial segregation patterns are more apparent at the regional level, which show a lower proportion of Nonwhite residents than in Barstow itself.
Multiple family housing (e.g., apartments) in Barstow is often affordable for lower income households.
Federally subsidized housing in Barstow is occupied predominantly by Black households (50%), followed by Hispanic (25%) and White (25%) households. However, no multiple-family housing sites are located in the City’s current R/ECAP. Moreover, the highest number of projected low income units (217 in CT#120.02 and 69 units in CT#120.01) are slated for tracts with the lowest proportion of lower income households.
Therefore, the City’s planned site/housing inventory will encourage better integration of units.
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix E: Sites Analysis and Inventory Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page E-12 Income Segregation
Housing sites to address the 2021-2029 RHNA were analyzed by comparing the existing income distribution of households, the planned income distribution of new units only, and the City’s projected future household income distribution once the units have been built. The City’s current RHNA requirement is 26% lower income, 20% moderate income, and 54% above moderate income. The overall SCAG goal for the County is 40% low income, 18% moderate income, and 42% above moderate income.
Of the five primary census tracts that accommodate housing, four tracts will meet the 2021-2029 RHNA.
Table E-5 summarizes the impact of the “RHNA sites” on the household income distribution of each tract.
Census tract #93 remains unchanged as no units are anticipated for that tract. For CT#94, the City’s only R/ECAP, the RHNA sites improve the income distribution with planned sites for single-family homes and no sites for multiple-family housing. Tracts #95, #120.01, and #120.02 will see a decline in the proportion of lower income units. Moderate income units for all tracts (except CT# 120.02) remains relatively unchanged. In conclusion, the changing income distribution is consistent with SCAG goals, though the overall change leaves the City as a predominantly lower income community compared to the region.
Table E-5 Income Impacts of RHNA
Existing Income
Distribution
Census Tracts SCAG
CT 93 CT 94 CT 95 CT 120.01 CT 120.02 GOAL
Lower 67% 85% 69% 49% 55% --
Moderate 9% 6% 19% 29% 20% --
Above 24% 9% 12% 22% 25% --
Future
Lower 67% 75% 66% 45% 51% 40%
Moderate 9% 5% 19% 28% 26% 18%
Above 24% 20% 15% 27% 22% 42%
Source: City of Barstow, 2024
Persons with Disabilities
Approximately 17% of City residents have a disability, which is the fourth highest in the county. More rural communities tend to have a higher percentage of individuals with a disability including Needles (26%), Yucca Valley (21%), and Twentynine Palms (16%) due to the low cost of housing, warm climate, and slower pace of life. However, the actual distribution across the City is relatively even, and ranges from 13% to 20% by census tract. The highest percentage with a disability is in the central area of the City, bound by Main Street to the north and Interstate 15 to the south. This area overlaps with the area where 40% of residents receive assistance through CalFresh food stamps. However, there are no sites specifically designated for housing disabled people that would result in a greater concentration in any tract. Of note, the City is also expending $7.5 million in grants on ramp improvements, bicycle lanes, and sidewalks in the community core to improve the accessibility of its neighborhoods for disabled people.
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix E: Sites Analysis and Inventory Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page E-13 Familial Status
Barstow has a mix of familial structures such as a moderate to high percentage of adults living with a spouse and married couple household with children. The one household type which is disproportionately concentrated in Barstow is female headed households without a spouse who have their dependent children living with them. Approximately 16 percent of Barstow’s households are single female parents with children, the highest in San Bernardino County. Of the five primary census tracts that allow for housing, census tracts #95 and #120.01 contain more than 20% single female parents with children.
A closer analysis explains the reason for the existing concentration. These census tracts have 500 HUDsubsidized units and about 60% of the units are occupied by single females with children due to voucher preference policy adhered to by the County Housing Authority. However, limited lower income housing (85 units) and no public housing with vouchers are forecasted by 2029. Although new housing would likely attract some single female parents with children, it is unlikely that the additional increment of households would be expected to exacerbate any existing concentrations in either census tract.
R/ECAP and Isolated Sites
Barstow has one R/ECAP area (Tract 94) in the northernmost portion of the City. For purposes of this land inventory, no sites for lower income housing were designated in this area to address the RHNA. Instead, this area will accommodate up to 307 above moderate income units. As a result, the proportion of lower income units will decline from 85% to 75% while above moderate income units will double to 20%. The City is also making up to $500,000 in ADA repairs coupled with $7 million in bicycle and pedestrian corridor improvements. While these changes will not eliminate the tract’s R/ECAP designation, the land use and infrastructure improvements will uplift the quality of life and housing options in this tract.
As discussed in the opening paragraphs of this section, the City’s older general plan originally planned for housing on its westside, far from existing services and neighborhood infrastructure. The general plan update plans for more compact development within its community core, an area of three square miles.
All sites are within existing residential neighborhoods and generally have access to a complement of services and infrastructure, including parks, open space, water and sewer service, fire and police stations, businesses providing local services, schools, and nonprofit service organizations. The street network is gridded, and significant funds are being expended to improve accessibility to pedestrians and bicyclists.
The City’s smart growth strategy will allow the community to grow in a more sustainable manner.
Disproportionate Need
Barstow has some of the most affordable housing in the region. As explained earlier in this Appendix, the prevalence and severity of housing overpayment and overcrowding are largely the result of lower incomes and underemployment and not higher housing costs. Homeowner overpayment (among those with a mortgage) has declined significantly, from 32% in 2010 to only 23% in 2019, while renter overpayment has increased slightly from 50% in 2010 to 55% in 2019. Four tracts show the greatest prevalence of renter overpayment (about 60% on average) and overcrowding. However, these three tracts are only slated for 85 units of apartments over the remainder of the planning period. Meanwhile additional apartment sites are designated in the southern portion of Barstow’s core, which will ensure an appropriate vacancy/occupancy rate and moderation of rent increases that often leads to disproportionate burden.
The City’s increased code compliance efforts should also reduce the occurrence of substandard housing.
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix E: Sites Analysis and Inventory Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page E-14 Disparity in Access to Opportunity
The 2015-2020 General Plan planned for the majority of new housing to be built far from the City’s core in the under-developed western half, with some limited low density housing south of the community core.
The City’s updated General Plan will shift the focus of all new housing in the eastern half to a wider range of housing types located adjacent to the City’s core. This core is only 3 square miles. The City's intent is to avoid a "new vs old" development pattern and to bring new housing investments in proximity to existing public facilities, services, and residents, which will ensure that new residents support and help fund improvements to existing public facilities and create new public facilities that are accessible by residents.
Within the three-square-mile core, the following amenities are readily available to residents:
• Community Centers (Desert
Discovery and Dana Park) as well as
Barstow Senior Center
• Educational Institutions: 8 elementary,
junior, and high schools, Barstow
Community College, and private schools
• Transportation: Victor Valley Transit
Hub, Caltrans offices, and Trans Dev
transit for disabled residents
• Parks and Recreation: 13 neighborhood
and community parks, including museums
and historic sites
• City Hall Complex, Parks and
Recreation, Public Works, County
Library, Post Office
• Public Safety: Fire Station and Police
station, Emergency Operations Center,
CHP Dispatch Station
• Barstow Community Hospital, County
IHSS offices, Cal-Vet offices, Veterans
home for disabled veterans
• Clinics: Indian Health Clinic, Mission City
Clinic, SAC Health, Barstow Public Health
Clinic, and several others
• Main Street business district with
numerous businesses and
accompanying services for residents
• Multiple grocery stores as well as the
Barstow MCL Commissary Facilities, which
is open to the public
• Workforce Development. Barstow
Community College, Cora Harper
Center Workforce Center
• County offices – Aging and Adult Services,
Family and Children Services, Transitional
assistance (welfare), WIC Services
Access to economic opportunity is a challenge and a critical factor for Barstow’s success. As mentioned earlier, Barstow is facilitating the development of the Barstow International Gateway. This $1.5 billion investment will result in more than 8,000 local jobs and a total of 12,000 regional jobs. The City is working with Barstow Community College and BSNF Railroad to expand the CTE program available for residents as well as establishing local hiring preferences. These programs will go a long way toward improving the local economy and the availability of living wage job opportunities for Barstow residents.
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix E: Sites Analysis and Inventory Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page E-15 Electronic Sites Inventory Form
EXHIBIT A
The following is a full list of sites; some nonsubstantive or repetitive columns are omitted but will be submitted in electronic format (e.g., Jurisdiction).
Site Location
ZIP
Code APN
Cons
Sites
Current
GP/Zoning
Min Max Parcel
Size (Ac)
Existing
Use
InfrastructurePublicly
Owned
Site
Status
In Last 2
Cycles
Income Category Capacity
Density Lower Mod Abv Mod Total
Arbor Way and Armory Rd. 92311 0424-272-23 A MDR/MDR 5 20 0.51 Vacant Yes No Available No 9 0 0 9 Grace St. and Barstow Rd. 92311 0428-122-06 - MDR/MDR 5 20 1.09 Vacant Yes No Available No 18 0 0 18 Arbor Way and Armory Rd. 92311 0424-272-23 - MDR/MDR 5 20 2.68 Vacant Yes No Available No 44 0 0 44 Arbor Way and Armory Rd. 92311 0424-272-24 - MDR/MDR 5 20 2.81 Vacant Yes No Available No 46 0 0 46 Arbor Way and Armory Rd. 92311 0424-272-24 - MDR/MDR 5 20 3.52 Vacant Yes No Available No 58 0 0 58 Arbor Way and Armory Rd. 92311 0424-272-23 B MDR/MDR 5 20 3.61 Vacant Yes No Available No 60 0 0 60 Rimrock Rd. and Broadway Ave. 92311 0181-901-01 - MDR/MDR 5 20 4.18 Vacant Yes No Available No 69 0 0 69 Juniper St. and Barstow Rd. 92311 0183-181-42 - MDR/MDR 5 20 0.42 Vacant Yes No Available No 0 8 0 8 Juniper St. and Barstow Rd. 92311 0183-181-43 - MDR/MDR 5 20 0.55 Vacant Yes No Available No 0 9 0 9 Juniper St. and Barstow Rd. 92311 0183-171-22 - MDR/MDR 5 20 0.87 Vacant Yes No Available No 0 15 0 15 Grace St. and Barstow Rd. 92311 0183-071-25 - MDR/MDR 5 20 0.89 Vacant Yes No Available Yes 0 15 0 15 Higgins Rd. and Calico Dr. 92311 0183-601-04 - MDR/MDR 5 20 0.91 Vacant Yes No Available No 0 16 0 16 Montara Rd. and Rimrock Rd. 92311 0424-241-14 - MDR/MDR 5 20 0.96 Vacant Yes No Available No 0 17 0 17 Juniper St. and Barstow Rd. 92311 0183-171-27 - MDR/MDR 5 20 1.00 Vacant Yes No Available Yes 0 17 0 17 Grace St. and Barstow Rd. 92311 0183-071-01 - MDR/MDR 5 20 1.01 Vacant Yes No Available Yes 0 18 0 18 Montara Rd. and Rimrock Rd. 92311 0183-601-05 - MDR/MDR 5 20 1.06 Vacant Yes No Available Yes 0 18 0 18 Juniper St. and Barstow Rd. 92311 0183-181-44 - MDR/MDR 5 20 1.08 Vacant Yes No Available Yes 0 18 0 18 Rimrock Rd. and Broadway Ave. 92311 0183-521-20 - MDR/MDR 5 20 3.09 Vacant Yes No Available Yes 0 51 0 51 Forane St. and Montara Rd. 92311 0181-941-65 - MDR/MDR 5 20 3.68 Vacant Yes No Available Yes 0 60 0 60 Arbor Way and Prospector St. 92311 0424-217-29 - MDR/MDR 5 20 7.58 Vacant Yes No Available Yes 0 110 0 110 Arbor Way and Prospector St. 92311 0424-272-24 - MDR/MDR 5 20 10.77 Vacant Yes No Available No 0 0 87 87 Lookout Dr and E. Virginia Way 92311 0183-211-05 - MDR/MDR 5 20 12.47 Vacant Yes No Available Yes 0 0 100 100 Montara Rd. and Rimrock Rd. 92311 0424-132-40 - MDR/MDR 5 20 22.72 Vacant Yes No Available No 0 0 182 182 N. Muriel Dr. and E. Main St. 92311 0181-831-26 - SFR/SFR 0 7 12.06 Vacant Yes No Available Yes 0 0 34 34 N. Muriel Dr. and E. Main St. 92311 0181-831-28 - SFR/SFR 0 7 16.72 Vacant Yes No Available Yes 0 0 48 48 Hillside Dr. & Rte 66/W. Main St. 92311 0182-021-24 - SFR/SFR 0 7 24.27 Vacant Yes No Available Yes 0 0 68 68 B Hill Ln and W. Main St. 92311 0182-031-10 - SFR/SFR 0 7 9.35 Vacant Yes No Available No 0 0 27 27
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix F: Stakeholder Engagement Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page F-1 Appendix F. Stakeholder Engagement
State law requires "diligent effort" to achieve participation by all segments of the community. The City solicited input from the public throughout the Housing Element process—during development of the draft element, public review of the draft element, and the adoption process. Significant outreach was also conducted as part of the Barstow International Gateway and General Plan update. The following presents outreach findings that assisted in updating the housing element.
Summary of Public Outreach
The City of Barstow conducted extensive public outreach that engaged all corners of the community as well as stakeholders. The COVID-19 pandemic stay-at-home orders of 2020 and 2021 provided the City with opportunities to explore new mediums of communication with residents. These new avenues for public engagement increased access for those that may otherwise have not been involved in the planning process. Through quick adaptation and response, the City found success in online engagement, which inherently provides greater access to residents who may experience mobility limitations. Much of the outreach and formal engagement activities were held virtually. The following outreach activities were conducted to engage stakeholders and inform the development of the City’s Housing Element:
2020 to 2021: Initial Outreach and 2021 Adoption
February 2020: Re-Imagine Barstow Community Workshop
Re-Imagine Barstow was a community workshop held on February 11, 2020, allowing for interested stakeholders to share their opinions or inclusion in the planning process. Respondents were asked about keywords that come to mind when envisioning housing; common responses included “home” (48%), “affordable” (38%), and “family” (24%). Comments indicated the desire for rehabilitating and constructing housing that is appealing in order to allure and retain residents. Respondents overwhelmingly reported that Barstow needs more housing (86%), to support business and growth; special housing for persons experiencing homelessness, seniors, and low-income households; and housing to attract new residents and business. Finally, respondents were asked about what type of housing Barstow needs most. Answers were varied, but the highest concentrations were affordable housing (19%), senior housing (16%), middle-class housing (14%), and housing solutions for persons experiencing homelessness (14%).
Feedback from this public outreach event helped to inform the following programs:
• Program 1, Housing Inspection and Code
Compliance
• Program 2, Downtown Barstow
• Program 5, Balanced Communities
• Program 6, Diverse Use
• Program 9, Alternative Housing Options
• Program 10, Financial Assistance for Housing
• Program 11, Rental Housing Assistance
• Program 12, Housing for Disabled Persons
• Program 13, Housing for Older Adults
• Program 14, Homeless Services
• Program 16, Equal Housing Opportunities
• Program 17, Efficient Permitting Process and
Affordable Housing Streamlining
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix F: Stakeholder Engagement Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page F-2 August 2020: Virtual Engagement Meeting and Survey
In August 2020, the City held a virtual engagement meeting and survey to gain insight regarding resident opinions on housing needs, projects, and services. Prior to the meeting, a preworkshop survey was posted asking participants about housing and the AHSC grant. Attendees responded to poll questions during the meeting as well. When asked about the future of the Old Barstow Hospital site, residentsidentified the site as being most suited for housing (26% of votes) or commercial uses (20%).
Respondents also found that the types of housing Barstow needs the most are single-family homes (33%), two-bedroom apartments (22%), and studio apartments (19%). Attendees were also polled about the specific types of housing which they prefer to see in the City; they identified senior housing (32%) and affordable medium-income housing (25%) as most appropriate and needed.
Feedback from this public outreach event helped to inform the following programs. Combined survey and polling results are shown in Exhibit A.
• Program 2, Downtown Barstow
• Program 4, Housing Design
• Program 5, Balanced Communities
• Program 6, Mixed-use and Higher
Density Residential Opportunities
• Program 8, Removal of Constraints
• Program 9, Alternative Housing Option
• Program 13, Housing for Older Adults
• Program 11, Rental Housing Assistance
• Program 15, Equal Housing Opportunities
• Program 17, Efficient Permitting Process and
Affordable Housing Streamlining
May 2021: Online Housing Element Survey
In May 2021, the City posted an online survey on the City’s website and emailed it to stakeholders.
The survey was available in English and Spanish. The full survey results are shown in Exhibit B. The majority of respondents live and work in the City (97%), with more than half living in Barstow for more than 10 years (71%). Most respondents (86%) lived in a single-family home. Respondents shared that the cost and affordability (63%), desirable neighborhoods (53%), and low crime rate/safety (48%) carried the most weight in their housing choices. A majority of respondents acknowledged that there are factors they believe are preventing affordable housing from being built in the city (65%), which parallels with the sentiment that the integration of affordable housing into the city is “not important” (47%). Feedback from this public survey informed the development of the following programs:
• Program 1, Housing Inspections and
Code Compliance
• Program 2, Downtown Barstow
• Program 4, Housing Design
• Program 5, Balanced Communities
• Program 6, Mixed-use and Higher
Density Residential Opportunities
• Program 8, Removal of Constraints
• Program 9, Alternative Housing Option
• Program 10, Financial Assistance for Housing
• Program 11, Rental Housing Assistance
• Program 15, Equal Housing Opportunities
• Program 17, Efficient Permitting Process and
Affordable Housing Streamlining
August to October 2021: Initial Draft and Adopted Housing Element Public Review The City’s initial Draft Housing Element was submitted on August 2, 2021 required prior to the passage of AB 215, which requires set periods of public review for the initial Draft (30 days) and subsequent draft Housing Elements (7 days). In an effort to meet the statutory deadline, the City adopted its Housing Element on October 12, 2021 after conducting outreach in August and making the document available for public review in September and October 2021.
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix F: Stakeholder Engagement Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page F-3 AUGUST 2021 VIRTUAL ENGAGEMENT MEETING
On August 4, 2021, the City held a virtual meeting for interested parties to learn about the planning process, the initial Draft Housing Element, and their role in the development of the plan. The meeting was held in English and Spanish, and the workshop proceedings were posted on the City’s website.
The workshop was held during a weekday evening and streamed live via Zoom and the City’s Facebook page to facilitate participation. Prompting questions including identifying areas for housing–and fair housing-related issues led to meaningful feedback on their priorities and areas where they would like to see future growth. Participants present included residents, property owners, and employees.
Participants highlighted housing availability and senior housing as the most urgent needs. Residents also wanted to learn more about homeownership assistance and entities that provide resources.
Feedback from this public outreach event helped to inform the following programs. Exhibit D provides a copy of the presentation.
• Program 9, Alternative Housing Options
• Program 10, Financial Assistance for Housing
• Program 11, Rental Housing Assistance
• Program 12, Housing for Disabled Persons
• Program 13, Housing for Older Adults
• Program 14, Homeless Services
• Program 15, Equal Housing Opportunity
OCTOBER 2021: PUBLIC REVIEW AND POSTING
Following the receipt of HCD’s comment letter on September 21, 2021, the City revised the Draft Housing Element and posted the revised Element on the City’s website and notified interested parties (allowing for more than the 7-day public review with posting) on October 1, 2021. On October 12, 2021, City staff presented the revised Draft Housing Element to the City Council for consideration and to allow for additional public comment. The following summarizes input received at the meeting.
Members of the Public
• Discussed concerns with the lack of public outreach.
• Cited concerns with the California HCD’s review of the Draft Housing Element. • Asked why the public hearing was not advertised on Channel 6.
Councilmember Comments
• Asked staff to clarify and confirm information presented on Appendix B, Table 17 and 23. • Asked that Desert Manna be removed from the Housing Inventory in Appendix B, page 27 • Asked about Appendix C and when prevailing wage goes into effect. • Asked staff to clarify the information on page 12 of Appendix C for developers. • Stated the calculations in Appendix D, Table 1 are incorrect. Asked staff to correct. • Asked staff to clarify data in Appendix D, percent of residents on government assistance. • Asked how the properties available for housing development were determined. • Asked for clarification about the eight-year cycle and the benefits. • Asked how the regional housing needs assessment was allocated throughout the City. • Asked how sites were identified in Appendix D and why Riverside Drive was not identified. • Requested a presentation on housing matters at an upcoming Council meeting.
Staff responded with clarifications on the data, process, and methods used in the housing element.
No policy and program changes were deemed necessary at that time and the City Council adopted the Housing Element update and directed staff to submit to HCD for review and certification.
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix F: Stakeholder Engagement Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page F-4 2022 to 2024: Additional Outreach and Revised Draft Housing Element Following HCD’s March 16, 2022 comment letter, the City conducted an additional outreach in tandem with its General Plan update (initiated later in 2022) to encourage and allow for additional public input.
August 2022 to March 2023: Stakeholder Meetings
The City led stakeholder meetings between August 2022 and April 2023 and met with 13 different collections of over 100 individuals representing local community organizations, public agencies, and interest groups: healthcare, real estate, education, homelessness, small business, Lenwood community, Marine Corps Logistics Base, youth sports, Silver Valley (Newberry Springs, Daggett, and Yermo), faith-based, seniors and veterans, students, the military, and Fort Irwin. The stakeholder input suggested a priority for creating living-wage employment options/careers and the development of new housing options, particularly for higher end market rate housing to attract more skilled workers that provide critical services (e.g., medical professionals). Additionally, the stakeholder input emphasized the importance of enhancing the City’s planning and facilities to address homelessness.
April 2023: Community Survey and Town Hall
The City launched an online bilingual Barstow community survey in April 2023 and received over 200 responses. The survey was intended to provide a platform where residents were able to inform city changes and be part of the General Plan Update, including the Housing Element. This survey had a Housing section, which asked respondents to identify their top three housing program priorities for the City. The top three housing programs the majority of respondents selected were: 1) provide regulatory and/or financial incentives for new developments to include affordable units; 2) pursue funding to rehabilitate existing homes; and 3) streamline permit processes for all types of housing.
Survey respondents also identified the top four strategiesto improve environmental justice conditions within Barstow. Strategies recommended for inclusion into the general plan were: 1) obtain funding to upgrade public facilities in underserved areas; 2) improve access to healthy food by fostering options like farmer’s markets; 3) improve pedestrian and bicycle access to parks and open spaces; and 4) increase the frequency of transit service along routes to places of work and essential services.
The City of Barstow also held a Town Hall in April
2023 to present and discuss the General Plan Update
(including Housing Element) and the Barstow
International Gateway project. Over 300 people
attended and expressed desires for additional livingwage jobs and economic development to spur new housing development and reinvestment in existing
housing stock. Additional support was expressed for
concentrating future housing development around
the existing community core and downtown area (to
support local businesses, spur reinvestment, and
place housing in proximity to existing services,
facilities, and transit facilities), and to prevent an “us vs them” pattern of new growth in the west part of
the community near the BIG project.
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix F: Stakeholder Engagement Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page F-5 March 2024: General Plan Update Open House and Scoping Meeting In March 2024, the City held a combined Open House and EIR Scoping Meeting on the General Plan Update, including the Housing Element. All material was made available in English and Spanish, with bilingual City staff and consultants onsite to facilitate conversations with all residents. The structure of this open house entailed different sections related land use changes, circulation and mobility, environmental justice, and housing. The City received substantial in-person comments from the over 200 attendees as well as written comments on EIR scoping for the General Plan update and Specific Plan for BNSF’s proposed new rail facility, both of which feed into the City’s housing planning, and directly on housing and related issues. The public shared various housing related issues that they would like to see improved, including the City’s aging housing stock, the need for revitalization efforts, lack of affordable housing, inability to purchase a home, and homelessness.
In response to public input received, the City incorporated the following programs:
• Program 2, Downtown Barstow
• Program 5, Balanced Communities
• Program 10, Financial Assistance for Housing
• Program 11, Rental Housing Assistance
• Program 17, Efficient Permitting Process
and Affordable Housing Streamlining
• Program 19, Increased Transparency
June 2024: Revised Draft Housing Element Public Review
Consistent with AB 215 requirements for revised submittals, the revised draft and a guide to revisions was released to the public for seven days from June 25 to July 1, 2024. The revised draft was distributed via the City’s website and emails to all previously interested members of the public and others who signed up for notification of general City activities.
The City also announced availability of the revised draft Housing Element at its June 25th Planning Commission meeting and July 1st City Council meeting to ensure broader awareness of the public review period and desire for the City to obtain input. After the conclusion of the public review period, no comments were submitted, although informal support was expressed for the City’s progress and changes. The draft Housing Element continues to be available on the City’s website for additional review and comment and the City will continue to accept public comments throughout the HCD review process and make edits as appropriate.
City of Barstow Housing Element
Appendix F: Stakeholder Engagement Hearing Draft August 2024 | Page F-6 Summary of Changes Based on Public Input 2022 to 2024
In addition to changes based on compliance with state law, the following revisions were made to Housing programs and other parts of the Housing Element based on public input received between 2022 and 2024.
• Sites Inventory and citywide land use plan: prepared land use plan that fundamentally shifts housing away from areas west of Interstate 15 and focuses future residential around the existing community core
• Program 2, Downtown Barstow: amended the program to include additional outreach and revised the draft Land Use Plan in the General Plan Update to expand housing options and avoid the need for general plan amendments
• Program 4, Housing Design and Program 8, Removal of Potential Constraints: reinforced the need to make changes to ensure and clarify that multifamily developments in the MDR, future HDR, and Diverse Use zones qualify for administrative review against the design guidelines, not subject to Planning Commission approval.
• Program 6, Mixed-use and Higher Density Residential Opportunities: amended the program to include and revised the draft Land Use Plan in the General Plan Update to expand housing options through the creation of a High Density Residential category/zone and increase the density range in the Diverse Use category/zone.
• Program 11, Rental Housing Assistance: revised objectives to include seeking funding to preserve up to 300 units of at-risk housing and provide technical assistance where feasible to extend the long-term covenants on these projects.
• Program 16, Infrastructure and Capital Improvements: new program to further implement an Enhanced Infrastructure Financing District to support new housing. • Program 19, Environmental and Community Health: new program to coordinate on and lead implementation of various activities and improvements to improve health and well-being of existing and future residents.
• Program 20, Temporary and Permanent Workforce Housing: new program to create new temporary and permanent workforce housing, with a focus on the use and rehabilitation of existing housing and nonresidential buildings.
TBD 2024: Public Hearings for Adoption of Revised Housing Element Placeholder based on HCD review and adoption hearings