Cotati City Council
Agenda Staff Report
Item type: REGULAR AGENDA (ACTION)
To: City Council
Subject: Public Consideration of the Draft 6th Cycle Housing Element during the 30-day Public Review Period
Date: October 11, 2022
Written by: Noah Housh, Director of Community Development Recommendation
It is recommended that the City Council notify the public that the 2023 draft Housing Element is available for a 30-day public review and comment period from September 27, 2022, through October 27, 2022.
Background
All cities in the State of California are required to maintain a Housing Element, which is one of the required chapters of the General Plan. Unlike other components of the General Plan, which can be adopted within a flexible time frame, Housing Elements are generally required to be updated on eight-year cycles with the City of Cotati’s next housing element to be adopted shortly after January 1, 2023. The draft “sixth cycle” Housing Element identifies goals, policies and programs to meet the City’s housing needs through the years 2023-2031.
October 24, 2019, Cotati City staff held a Housing Workshop to present an overview of State legislation affecting the upcoming 6th Cycle Housing Element Cycle. Among other things, this presentation included the changes to the RHNA process affected by AB 1771 and SB 828; the likely changes to the RHNA Distribution Methodology; and the upcoming Housing Methodology Committee (HMC) process managed by ABAG/MTC.
Following up on this workshop, city staff initiated the first community engagement effort to support the 6th Cycle Housing Element Update, the Community Housing Survey and over 100 responses were received.
In December 2020 thru February 2021, City staff gathered community input regarding the design of housing within Cotati through the Multi-Family Visual Preference Survey. Over 75 individual responses to this survey were received with the input informing the Multi-Family Objective Design Standards, which were adopted by the City Council in September 2021. Input from this survey also helped to shape draft housing policy responses included within the draft 6th Cycle Housing Element.
On November 10, 2020, City staff presented the outcome of the HMC process to the City Council, providing a summary of the findings and direction of the HMC including the significant increase in the projected sixth cycle RHNA, the likely use of the Plan Bay Area (2050) as the baseline data source and the significant changes to the Housing Element Update process to result from numerous changes in state law.
On September 28, 2021, the City Council awarded consultant contracts to 4LEAF, Rincon and Civic Edge consultants to assist the City in completing the required sixth cycle Housing Element.
On October 12, 2021, a “kick-off” presentation at a joint Planning Commission/City Council meeting was held via Zoom, covering the Housing Element update process, new laws, opportunities for engagement, and local housing demographics. This meeting also included an opportunity for members of the public to speak and provide input on the upcoming Update process.
October 31, 2021, City staff tabled at the Cotati Candy Land Trick or Treat Halloween Carnival, providing residents and visitors with an overview of the Housing Element process, the community survey and had a zoning map on display for booth visitors to identify sites suitable for housing development.
On December 4, 2021, Civic Edge Consultants tabled to provide information and solicit survey responses at the Cotati Chamber of Commerce annual “Shop and Stroll” holiday event in downtown Cotati.
On February 2, 2022, a Community stakeholder group interview was conducted, and continuing stakeholder interviews with community-based organizations and housing developers followed to gain more insight and nuanced input on specific topics.
On February 22, 2022, a presentation to a joint meeting of the Planning Commission and City Council was made via Zoom via Zoom to discuss preliminary policy strategies to respond to the community input received to-date. This meeting also included an opportunity for members of the public to identify priority areas for the upcoming Draft Housing Strategy. Following the Joint meeting, a presentation was made to the City Council to discuss and gain input on the draft Housing Opportunity sites.
On May 17 and May 18, 2022, Town Hall events were held by City and consultant staff to further engage residents in the Housing Element Update process, with an interest in discussing equity, residents’ individual housing needs & concerns, and diligent, targeted outreach to equitably reach renters and students.
On June 1, and June 8, 2022 Cotati Community Development Department staff tabled at the Cotati Farmers market to solicit community member input in person and via survey responses, on the draft Housing Element policies and potential Housing Opportunity Sites.
On September 27, 2022, the draft sixth cycle Cotati Housing Element was published for a 30-day public review and comment period, which will end on October 27, 2022.
On September 28, 2022, Community Development Department staff met with representatives to the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria via Zoom as a component of our required Tribal Consultation process. Tribal input was received and incorporated as a comment response and consultation continues as of the date of this report.
Analysis/Discussion
As identified above, the 30-day public comment period on the draft 2023 City of Cotati Housing Element began on September 27, 2022 and will conclude on October 27, 2022. Following the public comment period, staff and consultants will utilize a 10-day State mandated response time to provide responses to public comments and update the documents as necessary. At the conclusion of the response time, consulting staff will submit the draft Housing Element to the State Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) for review. HCD then has 90-days to conduct the review and provide comments on any shortfalls they identify in the analysis, policies or programs.
After receiving HCD’s comments and amending the documents accordingly, the finalized draft documents, and formal CEQA determination regarding the potential impacts of the Housing Element Update will be brought through the City’s formal ordinance adoption process, including public hearings with the Planning Commission and City Council. This meeting is an informational presentation intended to summarize the remaining process for completing the Housing Element Update, and to raise awareness of the public review period for the community.
Anyone interested in providing public comment on the documents should do so via email at:
[email protected]
Alternatively, comments may be provided directly to Community Development Department staff at: 201 W. Sierra Avenue, Cotati, CA 94931 or 707-665-3636 Anyone interested in housing issues more broadly can review information and sign up for direct email updates on the City’s Housing Interest list at:
https://www.cotaticity.org/city_hall/departments/community_development/housing Financial Considerations
The total anticipated cost of the Housing Element Update is $149,289, which includes public engagement, CEQA analysis and the updated housing element itself. As the Council is aware, City staff were successful in securing multiple grants to cover portions of the costs. These grants are anticipated to cover approximately $85,000 of the housing element update leaving an approximate General Fund cost obligation of $64,289. This falls within the $65,000 of General Fund monies allocated in FY21/22 for the Housing Element Update.
Environmental Issues
This action is an informational presentation only and as such, is not a project under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The completed draft housing element will be analyzed under the requirements of the CEQA and a formal determination will be made prior to any decision actions on the proposed project.
Attachments:
Cotati Public Review Draft Housing Element Update (09-26-2022) (PDF) Cotati Public Review Draft Technical Background Report (09-26-2022) (PDF)