AGENDA ITEM #1
TOWN OF FAIRFAX
SPECIAL MEETING STAFF REPORT
April 19, 2023
TO: Mayor and Town Council
FROM: Heather Abrams, Town Manager
SUBJECT: Receive Presentation and Public Comments on Public Review Draft Sixth Cycle Housing Element and Revised Notice of Preparation (NOP) of a Draft Environmental Impact Report for the Fairfax General Plan Housing Element Update Scoping Meeting
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RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the Council receive two presentations from Dyett & Bhatia and comments from the public on:
a) Public Review Draft Sixth Cycle Housing Element; and b) Revised Notice of Preparation (NOP) of a Draft Environmental Impact Report for the Fairfax General Plan Housing Element Update Scoping Meeting.
BACKGROUND
On March 31, 2023, the Town released a Public Review Draft Sixth Cycle Housing Element for the legally-required 30-day local review period. A Revised Notice of Preparation (NOP) of a Draft Environmental Impact Report for the Fairfax General Plan Housing Element Update was released on April 3, 2023. Both documents were posted to https://www.townoffairfax.org/housing-element/ and promoted via Town Newsletter. A detailed Housing Element Update was also provided at the Council Meeting on April 5, 2023.
DISCUSSION
This Special Council Meeting was scheduled to provide a Scoping Meeting with the NOP and elicit additional public comments, at approximately the mid-point in the Public Review Draft period, thus giving readers time to digest the content.
Following the close of the comment period and review before the Town Council, the Draft Housing Element will be updated to incorporate community feedback as directed by Fairfax decision-makers and submitted to HCD for the legally-required 90-day review period. Submittal to HCD is anticipated by mid-May 2023.
Accordingly, HCD review would continue through mid-August 2023, and thereafter, the Town will work as expeditiously as possible to address comments from HCD and achieve certification.
In prior consultation, HCD staff has expressed willingness to continue to meet with the Town and its consultant and offer assistance in addressing all statutory requirements of State Housing Element Law.
ATTACHMENT
Dyett & Bhatia Memo outlining the meeting
— MEMORANDUM —
Housing Element Update Project | Town of Fairfax
To: Heather Abrams, Town Manager, Town of Fairfax
From: Andrew Hill, Principal, Dyett & Bhatia
Re: Special Town Council Meeting of April 19, 2023
Date: April 12, 2023
Heather
This memo outlines the approach for the 4.19 hybrid Town Council Meeting and Community Open House. It clarifies the objectives for the event and provides a proposed agenda and staffing plan for discussion.
Objectives
The meeting is intended to achieve the following objectives:
• Introduce the Draft Housing Element to the community and the Council during the 30- day public review period;
• Provide an opportunity for community members to learn about the Draft Housing Element and make comments in a structured context;
• Satisfy the legal requirements for a Scoping meeting on the re-released Notice of Preparation and provide opportunities for community comments in writing or orally at the meeting.
Meeting Details
Date: Wednesday April 19, 2023
Time: 5:00 - 9:30 pm
Location: Fairfax Women's Club - 46 Park Road, Fairfax, and Zoom Approach
The meeting will be held in a hybrid format. Prior to the formal opening of the meeting, two stations with display boards will be set up at seating portion of the main room, each staffed by D&B. The intent is to present key information regarding the project at the two stations to provide community members with an opportunity to review and ask questions in an informal format prior to the formal comment period. Handouts will also be prepared in case there is a significant turn out and the crowds around the stations are large. The handouts will be shown onscreen for community members participating via Zoom, with the option to submit a comment via email to [email protected]
— MEMORANDUM —
- 2 -
The stations (and handouts) will be as follows:
• Welcome Station: Attendees will receive hand outs and comment cards. A sign-up sheet for the mailing list will be available
• Station 1 - Draft Housing Element: This station would feature a large 36 x 48 display board with an introduction to the Housing Element that explains what a Housing Element is, shows a chart of RHNA requirements by income category, and displays a map of the housing opportunity sites annotated to describe related implementing programs (ex:
clustered hillside residential development; downtown rezoning). A summary of how RHNA obligations will be met will also be provided. Comment cards will be available for participants to fill out and submit.
• Station 2 - EIR: This station will describe the CEQA process, identify the topics to be addressed in the EIR, and summarize likely impacts based on the NOP. Comment cards will be available for participants to fill out and submit.
Outline and Flow
The following summarizes the anticipated flow of the meeting. - Town Council Special Meeting begins; Mayor invites participants to circulate to stations or submit comments via email to: [email protected] - Consultant presentation on the Housing Element overing the following topics:
• Legal requirements for the Housing Element, including penalties for non-compliance • Process recap
• Introduction to the sites and capacity projections
• Overview of the Action Plan
• Next Steps
- Community comments on the Draft Housing Element
- Consultant presentation on the EIR covering the following topics:
• CEQA process flow
• Environmental resource categories addressed
• Likely environmental impacts.
- Community Comments
- Meeting adjourned