Agenda Item
City Council
Item #: 9.2. 2/14/2023 File #: 23-0107
TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
THRU: Tom Kisela, Interim City Manager
FROM: Jeffrey Adams, Interim Community Development Director
1. SUBJECT
Continued Public Hearing to consider General Plan Amendment No. 2022-0001; City of Orange 2021 -2029 Housing Element Update and finding of CEQA exemption. (Continued from February 10, 2023)
2. SUMMARY
A request to adopt the revised 2021-2029 General Plan Housing Element in accordance with State law. The updated Housing Element replaces the 2014-2021 Housing Element in its entirety. The updated Housing Element identifies and analyzes existing and projected housing needs, plans for the long-term provision of housing for a variety of household income levels, and articulates the City’s official policies for the preservation, conservation, improvement, and production of housing within the City. The City Council adopted the Housing Element on February 8, 2022. The document has been revised to address comments made by the State of California Department of Housing and Community Development on the originally adopted document and must be re-adopted for final submittal to the State.
3. RECOMMENDED ACTION
Adopt Resolution No. 11431. A Resolution of the City Council of the City of Orange approving General Plan Amendment No. 2022-0001 adopting the City of Orange 2021-2029 General Plan Housing Element.
4. FISCAL IMPACT
None.
5. STRATEGIC PLAN GOALS
Goal 3: Enhance and promote quality of life in the community c. Support and enhance attractive, diverse living environments.
6. DISCUSSION AND BACKGROUND
The Housing Element is one of the chapters or “elements”of the City’sGeneral Plan required by State law, establishing the City’sofficial policies related to housing. Pursuant to state law, it is also required to plan to accommodate new housing development consistent with the City’s Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA) allocation.
The California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) has an established 8- City of Orange Printed on 2/10/2023Page 1 of 3
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Item #: 9.2. 2/14/2023 File #: 23-0107
The California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) has an established 8- year Housing Element update cycle, with the present cycle encompassing the 2021-2029 timeframe (commonly referred to as the “6th Cycle”). The content of the Housing Element addresses state requirements as detailed in Attachment 8. The Housing Plan (Section 4) of the Housing Element update (Attachment 3) establishes four central goals supported by 34 policy actions to address the City’s housing needs. These goals include:
· Providing high quality housing stock and neighborhoods · Accommodating all income levels of the City’s RHNA allocation · Ensuring maintenance, preservation, and development of housing · Providing equal housing opportunities for all
Through implementation of the policy actions and the identification of candidate housing sites within the adequate sites analysis, the Housing Element demonstrates that the City is providing substantive opportunities and making a good-faith effort to address the housing needs of the community consistent with State law.
The City Council adopted the 2021-2029 Housing Element update on February 8, 2022. That document identifies and analyzes the existing and projected housing needs of the Orange community and articulates the City’s policy actions for the preservation, conservation, improvement, and production of housing units in the city. Detailed information about the Housing Element process, content and RHNA are outlined in Attachment 8 and Appendix C of the Housing Element update (Attachment 3).
7. ANALYSIS AND STATEMENT OF THE ISSUES
Staff submitted the adopted Housing Element to HCD for certification in February 2022. Upon review of the document, HCD identified certain content that did not entirely meet State Housing Element guidelines and requirements, and warranted further refinement in order to certify the document (find in compliance with state requirements). Areas of comment and document revisions are as follows:
· Homeless support services
· Accessory dwelling units
· Affirmatively furthering fair housing
· Integration and segregation of disadvantaged populations · Development review process and timeframes
· Viability of opportunity sites
· Community outreach
· Measurable and meaningful outcomes for Policy Actions Staff and the City’sconsultant have worked with HCD to craft responses that have now received informal approval from HCD. Upon Council re-adoption of the revised document HCD has informally indicated that the City will receive state certification. A matrix of comments and City responses is provided in Attachment 4 to this report. The revised document with changes incorporated is provided as Attachment 3.
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Item #: 9.2. 2/14/2023 File #: 23-0107
8. ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
The Housing Element update is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) as follows: (i) pursuant to Section 15061(b)(3) of the State CEQA Guidelines (Common Sense Exemption) because it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the proposed 2021- 2029 Housing Element Update would have a significant effect on the environment; (ii) no property re- zoning is needed to accommodate the City’s Regional Housing Needs Allocation, and potential residential development densities have already been analyzed and mitigated in an earlier Environmental Impact Report (the Program Environmental Impact Report prepared for the 2010 Comprehensive General Plan Update, State Clearinghouse No. 2006031117); and (iii) pursuant to Guideline 15283, CEQA does not apply to Regional Housing Needs determinations made by a city.
For these reasons, no further CEQA documentation is required.
9. ATTACHMENTS
· Attachment 1 Resolution No. 11431
· Attachment 2 HCD Compliance Letter, January 27, 2023
· Attachment 3 Revised Draft 2021-2029 Housing Element Update · Attachment 4 HCD Comments and Response Matrix
· Attachment 5 Resolution No. 11378, February 8, 2022
· Attachment 6 City Council Staff Report and Minutes, February 8, 2022 · Attachment 7 Planning Commission Resolution No. PC 01-22 · Attachment 8 Planning Commission Staff Report and Minutes, January 3, 2022 City of Orange Printed on 2/10/2023Page 3 of 3
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