Fresno City Council
September 15, 2022

Fresno County Multi-Jurisdictional
Housing Element Update
Study Session
September 15, 2022
Fresno County Multi
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Jurisdictional
Housing Element Update
2 Agenda
Introductions
Housing Element Overview/Contents
Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA)
Changes to State Housing Law

Fresno County Multi
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Jurisdictional
Housing Element Update
3 Project Team
» Fresno COG
 Kristine Cai, Deputy Director
 Simran Jhutti, Associate Regional Planner
» Consultant Team
 PlaceWorks
 Ascent – City of Fresno Project Lead:
• Chelsey Payne and Kim Untermoser
 Provost and Pritchard
 California Coalition for Rural Housing

FRESNO COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS

Fresno County Multi
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Jurisdictional
Housing Element Update
4 Meeting Objective
» Provide an overview of the Housing Element
Update process and new laws
» Share information about the schedule and
regional documents being prepared
» Gather initial input on potential housing issues
and opportunities

Housing Element Overview
Fresno County Multi
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Jurisdictional
Housing Element Update
6 What is the Housing Element?
» One of the eight mandated elements of the General Plan » Must be updated every 8 years
» Adoption Deadline: December 31, 2023
 6th Cycle Planning Period: December 31, 2023 – December 31, 2031  5th Cycle Planning Period: December 31, 2015 – December 31, 2023 » Plan for accommodating the jurisdiction’s “fair share” of the regional housing need (RHNA)

Fresno County Multi
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Jurisdictional
Housing Element Update
7 About the Housing Element
» Plans for housing needs of all economic segments of the community  Must have adequate zoning to meet housing needs (zoning changes may be required)
 Must include goals and policies to meet housing needs for the entire community, including special needs households
» Does not:
 Require the City or County to build housing
 Provide funding to build housing
 Approve residential developments
Fresno County Multi
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Jurisdictional
Housing Element Update
8 Housing Element Contents
» Housing Needs Assessment – analyzes demographic,
employment, and housing needs
» Fair Housing Analysis – identify barriers to equal
housing opportunities
» Housing Sites Inventory – identifies available sites for housing development or redevelopment
» Analysis of Constraints – assesses governmental and
non-governmental constraints on housing development
» Evaluation of Previous Housing Element – measures
progress and identifies gaps
» Policies and Programs – establishes policies and
programs to meet housing needs
Policies and
Programs
Sites Inventory
Fair Housing
Analysis
Constraints
Needs
Assessment
Evaluation
Fresno County Multi
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Jurisdictional
Housing Element Update
9 Regional Efforts – Timeline
July –
September
2022
January
2023
February
2023
February/
March
2023
April – June
2023
August –
September
2023
December
2023
Outreach
Admin.

Draft
Housing
Element
Public
Review
Draft
Housing
Element
(30-40 days)
Outreach
Submit to
HCD – 1st
Review
(90 days)
Submit to
HCD – 2nd
Review
(60 days)
Adoption
Hearings
Public outreach and engagement will be conducted throughout the process.

Regional Housing Needs Allocation
(RHNA)
Fresno County Multi
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Jurisdictional
Housing Element Update
11 How is the RHNA Determined?
State Role
The State projects future
housing needs at various
income levels and allocates
units to COGs Statewide
Regional Role
The COG develops a
methodology to distribute
housing needs to each
jurisdiction; methodology
approved by HCD
Fresno COG RHNA = 58,298
Adopted June 2022
Local Role
Cities and counties are
allocated units. They must
then find ways to
accommodate – enough
land at appropriate densities
Total RHNA = 2,502,971
Fresno County Multi
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Jurisdictional
Housing Element Update
12 Fresno COG RHNA
Clovis, 15%
Coalinga , 1%
Firebaugh, 1%
Fowler, 1%
Fresno City, 63%
Huron, 1%
Kerman, 2%
Kingsburg, 2%
Mendota, 1%
Orange Cove, 1%
Parlier, 1%
Reedley, 3%
Sanger, 3%
San Joaquin, <1% Selma, 3% Unincorporated Fresno County , 4% Jurisdiction RHNA
Allocation
RHNA
Allocation
Percentage
Clovis 8,977 15%
Coalinga 566 1%
Firebaugh 443 1%
Fowler 339 1%
Fresno City 36,866 63%
Huron 319 1%
Kerman 1,063 2%
Kingsburg 882 2%
Mendota 642 1%
Orange Cove 469 1%
Parlier 733 1%
Reedley 1,463 3%
Sanger 1,494 3%
San Joaquin 200 <1%
Selma 1,492 3%
Unincorporated
Fresno County 2,350 4%
Fresno County Multi
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Jurisdictional
Housing Element Update
13 Fresno RHNA by Income Level
Total of 15,324
Lower-Income
Units
In comparison:
 City of Clovis
RHNA: 8,977
 Fresno County
RHNA: 2,350
Income Level 2015-2023
RHNA (units)
2023-2031
RHNA (units)
Percent
Increase
Very Low Income
(<50% of AMI) 5,666 9,440 67%
Low Income
(51-80% of AMI) 3,289 5,884 79%
Moderate Income
(81-120% of AMI) 3,571 5,638 58%
Above Moderate
Income
(>120% of AMI)
11,039 15,904 44%
TOTAL 23,565 36,866 56%
2022 Fresno County Area Median Income (AMI) for a 4-person household = $80,300 Source: HCD 2022 Income
Limits; FCOG RHNA
Methodology, July 2022.

Fresno County Multi
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Jurisdictional
Housing Element Update
14 Density to Accommodate the RHNA
Cities and counties must show adequate
land zoned for housing to accommodate the
RHNA at each income level
» Default density standard for lower-income
housing is 30 units per acre for
metropolitan jurisdictions, like Fresno
(Section 65583.2(c)(3)(B))

Fresno County Multi
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Jurisdictional
Housing Element Update
15 Strategies to meet the 6th Cycle RHNA
Consider Pipeline Projects and Specific Plans
Projected Accessory Dwelling Units (ADU)
Look at Vacant and Underutilized sites
Focus on sites larger than 0.5 acres and smaller than 10 acres Starting with sites from the 5th cycle element
Key Changes to State Law
Fresno County Multi
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Jurisdictional
Housing Element Update
17 New Laws
» AB 215: Updates to Housing Element Timeline
 Adds mandatory public review period for Housing Elements prior to HCD submission • 30-day minimum public review period, with an added 10 business days if comments are received
 Extends HCD’s review period
• Draft Element: 60 days  up to 90 days
• Adopted Element: 90 days  up to 60 days
 Deadline for Housing Element adoption does not change (December 31, 2023) Fresno County Multi
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Jurisdictional
Housing Element Update
18 New Laws
» AB 1398: Rezone Timeframe
 Requires jurisdictions to adopt a compliant Housing Element within 120 days of the deadline
• If not in compliance by deadline, rezones must be completed within one year of the beginning of the planning period – if not competed, compliance may be revoked • If the Housing Element is adopted more than one year from the element due date, the element cannot be found in compliance until rezones are complete  Removes the 4-year update consequence if adopted outside of the 120-day deadline Fresno County Multi
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Jurisdictional
Housing Element Update
19 New Laws
» AB 72: Accountability and HCD Enforcement
 HCD may revoke housing element compliance for failure to complete housing element rezone obligation (or any other act or failure to act that is inconsistent with the housing element)
 HCD may report to the Attorney General violations of no net loss statue, housing accountability act, density bonus law, and fair housing law » AB 1397: Identification of Realistic Sites
 If more than 50% of lower-income sites are non-vacant, the law assumes that the existing use will prevent redevelopment unless there is evidence to the contrary  Sites smaller than 0.5 acres or larger than 10 acres are presumed inappropriate for lower- income housing unless there is a track record of similar development Fresno County Multi
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Jurisdictional
Housing Element Update
20 New Laws
» SB 166: No Net Loss Zoning
 If a project is approved on a housing element site with fewer units or a different income category, cities must either:
• Make a written finding that other housing element sites are adequate to meet the RHNA for lower- or moderate-income housing; or
• Identify and make available within 180 days other sites zoned at a density suitable for lower- or moderate-income housing
» SB 35: Application Streamlining
 Applies if number of building permits issued is less than the share of the RHNA by income category for the reporting period.

Fresno County Multi
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Jurisdictional
Housing Element Update
21 New Laws
» SB 330: Removes “Roadblocks” to Development
 Prohibits downzoning and reduces process time
 No Subjective Design Standards
» AB 686: Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing
 Housing Elements must:
• Assess fair housing issues in the community
• Analyze areas of opportunity and access to resources
• Identify housing sites that foster an inclusive community and provide equitable access to resources • Identify strategies to address barriers to fair housing and combat discrimination and displacement • Include programs to implement these strategies
Fresno County Multi
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Jurisdictional
Housing Element Update
22 New Laws
» SB 9: Housing Development Approvals
 Legislation:
• Allows 2 units per lot, for a potential of 4 units on single-family lots • Urban lot splits to be allowed within urbanized areas on lots that do not require demolition or alteration of moderate- to very low-income housing and will be roughly equal in size
 Impacts on the Housing Element Update Process:
• Coordination with HCD to determine approach to meeting the RHNA • Analyzing how SB 9 units may help meet the moderate-and/or above moderate-income RHNA
Thank you