HOUSING ELEMENT – 2021-2029
5. HOUSING PLAN
Laguna Beach Housing Element – 2021-2029 | January 2023 105
5.2-7 Affordable Housing Partnerships
Continue to work with existing partners such as the Friendship House, Habitat for Humanity and Laguna Beach Seniors, and seek new partners and volunteers from stakeholder and industry groups to further opportunities and provide incentives where possible for affordable housing.
Action Time Frame and Objectives
a. Conduct outreach to religious institutions to provide information and technical assistance on state law regarding developing housing units on religious-use parking spaces.
Annual outreach to at least two
religious institutions to share
information and increase housing
opportunities.
Facilitate development of affordable
housing on religious use properties
identified in sites inventory to achieve
the City’s overall goal of 192
affordable units across the very-low to
moderate income categories.
b. Offer letters of support and where possible, incentives for affordable housing -related grant applications as appropriate.
As funding permits, provide City affordable housing funds as local match for grant applications.
Proactively offer to provide at least
one letter of support annually to
support housing partners in Laguna
Beach or nearby cities.
Facilitate the development of 192
affordable units over eight years.
c. Promote senior mobility with transit providers to facilitate aging in place.
Engage with transit planners as a part
of the Regional Transportation Plan
update process and as opportunities
arise. Continue to operate Laguna
Beach Transit.
d. Proactively outreach to affordable housing developers with information on site availability and development incentives to assist in the development of housing for lower-income
households, including extremely low-income households and households with special needs, persons experiencing
homelessness; farmworkers; persons with disabilities,
including developmental; and elderly. Development incentives to be developed through Program 5.2-9(h).
At least annually work with
developers to pursue affordable
housing and identify development.
Invite developers to attend monthly
meetings and present to the Housing
and Human Services Committee two
or more times per year to discuss
potential sites and incentives, and to
form partnerships with the City.
Financing: Community Development Department budget
Responsible Agencies: Community Development Department and Housing and Human Services Committee
HOUSING ELEMENT – 2021-2029
5. HOUSING PLAN
Laguna Beach Housing Element – 2021-2029 | January 2023 106
5.2-8 Housing Preservation and Rehabilitation
Continue to engage in programs that work toward preserving affordable housing that is “at-risk” for converting to market-rate housing. In addition, encourage the preservation of additional lower-cost housing, including mobile homes and older units, that may need renovations, and strive to remedy nonconforming units that functionally contribute to the City's affordable rental housing.
Action Time Frame and Objectives
a. Impose adequate conditions of approval on projects that include extremely-low, very-low, low-, and moderate-income housing, to ensure that affordable units will continue to be priced at intended levels and that occupancy restrictions related to income and age will continue to be observed.
Ongoing, to monitor and preserve the
City’s existing affordable housing stock
of 159 units.
b. Continue mobile home preservation. Ongoing, to preserve rental housing stock. Preserve 5-10 units during the
6th Cycle housing element timeframe.
c. Monitor implementation of the Short-Term Lodging Ordinance.
Restrictions to short-term lodging are intended to help preserve rental housing stock by limiting their use for vacation rental purposes.
d. Continue to support aging in place through amortization and abatement agreements which allow residents to remain on the property under specified conditions to improve the property. e. Where safety concerns can be addressed, allow residents to remain in unpermitted spaces while they are adapted to meet work/live code. If funding is available, develop incentives and funding programs to assist building owners and tenants to make the building modifications necessary to conform with work/live ordinances.
Ongoing
f. Engage in dialogues with affordable housing providers to learn if there are actions the City can take to support their continued operations.
Reach out annually to affordable
housing providers operating in the City.
g. Explore the development of an amnesty program for
unpermitted residential units.
By 2023, as it pertains to ADUs, as a
part of the SCAG grant program
discussed in Program 5. By 2024 as it
pertains to additional residential uses.
Legalize 20 unpermitted units during
the 6th Cycle housing element
timeframe.
Financing: Community Development budget
Responsible Agencies: Community Development Department, Planning Division, and Housing and Human Services Committee
HOUSING ELEMENT – 2021-2029
5. HOUSING PLAN
Laguna Beach Housing Element – 2021-2029 | January 2023 107
5.2-9 Affordable Housing Funding and Programs
Pursue grants and other funding opportunities that support the initiation, operation, and expansion of affordable housing programs. To the extent that funding is secured, continue to provide incentives such as fee reductions or waivers, and develop and implement new incentives.
Action Time Frame and Objectives
a. Complete rollout of the Affordable Housing Loan and Grant Program. By the end of 2023 b. Continue implementation of City’s Inclusionary Housing Policy HE-2-4. Ongoing c. Continue to maintain an In-Lieu Housing Fund in accordance with policies HE 1-8, HE 1.9, HE-1.10, HE 2-1, and HE-2.4.
Ongoing
d. Consider establishing a local dedicated funding source for affordable housing.
Ongoing
e. Monitor financial assistance programs administered by the California Department of Housing and Community Development and apply for funding that the City is eligible for and can competitively vie for. Current program information is posted on HCD’s website at:
https://www.hcd.ca.gov/grants-funding/index.shtml.
Annually explore funding
options available.
f. As a participating city, continue to provide input to the County of Orange on use of Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), Home Investment Partnership (HOME), and Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) and other programs as available. Seek funds for eligible projects to assist in the development of housing for lower-income households, including extremely low-income households and households with special needs, persons experiencing homelessness; farmworkers; persons with disabilities, including developmental; and elderly, as opportunities arise.
Annually
g. Refer affordable housing developers to the Orange County Trust Fund for potential gap financing for the acquisition, development or construction of supportive and affordable housing projects that provide housing for lower-income households, including extremely low-income households and households with special needs, persons experiencing homelessness; farmworkers; persons with disabilities, including developmental; and elderly.
Annually update website
information and share
information with developers
who approach the City.
h. Develop a set of incentives to promote the development of affordable housing projects that provide housing for lower-income households, including extremely low-income households and households with special needs, persons experiencing homelessness; farmworkers; persons with disabilities, including developmental; and elderly. The incentive package could include components such as flexible development standards, reduced parking requirements, the waiving of fees and the expediting of permits. See Program 2 for additional potential code incentives, Program 3 for permit streamlining, and Program 5 for ADUs.
By 2025
HOUSING ELEMENT – 2021-2029
5. HOUSING PLAN
Laguna Beach Housing Element – 2021-2029 | January 2023 108 Financing: Community Development Department budget, In-Lieu Housing Fund
Responsible Agencies: Community Development Department, Planning Division, and Housing and Human Services Committee
5.2-10 Information, Education and Marketing
Provide technical assistance and information regarding housing rehabilitation, rent subsidies, ADUs, housing assistance, fair housing, senior housing, historic preservation, and energy conservation. Continue to encourage the rehabilitation and maintenance of existing residential units, and the development of new affordable units.
Action Time Frame and Objectives
a. Update the City website periodically to cover:
- Housing Rehabilitation Assistance including information on lowinterest loans - Housing Choice Voucher rent subsidy program administered by the County of Orange
- SB 329 (2019) outreach that SB 329 redefines the term “source of income” in regard to housing discrimination laws to mean verifiable income paid directly to a tenant, or paid to a housing owner or landlord on behalf of a tenant, including federal, state, or local public assistance and housing subsidies
- Housing Assistance Guide on fair housing
- ADU opportunities and programs
Update by the end of 2022
then maintain on an ongoing
basis, to provide information,
encouragement, and technical
assistance.
Preserve and maintain at 5-10
units during the 6th Cycle
housing element timeframe.
b. Administer and market the Senior Housing Aging in Place Program which includes:
- Senior Housing Rehabilitation Assistance
- Senior Housing Repair Program information
- Annual aging-in-place workshop
- Senior Specialist Program “one stop” shop
c. Provide information on historic preservation incentives and programs d. Promote and market affordable housing incentives/allowances and programs to encourage their use.
e. Increase community awareness of and support for affordable housing through activities such as town halls, articles in local newspapers, and website postings.
Financing: Community Development Department budget
Responsible Agencies: Community Development Department, Planning and Building Division, Zoning Division, Housing and Human Services Committee; Senior Services Coordinator, Laguna Beach Heritage Committee