Supplemental Agenda Related Writings/ Documents Provided To A Majority Of The Ridgecrest City Council / Successor Redevelopment Agency Board Members / Financing Authority / Housing Authority After Distribution Of The August 5, 2026 Special Open Session Agenda Packet
7. A Resolution Of The City Council Of The City Of Ridgecrest Adopting The 2023-2031 Draft General Plan Housing Element @ The Fair Housing Analysis And Authorizing Staff To Submit The Same To The California Department Of Housing And Community Development For Certification Spurlock
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City Council Agendas
Ridgecrest City Council
Successor Redevelopment Agency
Financing Authority
Housing Authority
STAFF REPORT
SUBJECT: Adopt 6th Cycle Housing Element and Fair Housing Analysis and authorize submission to the State Housing and Community Development
PRESENTED BY: Heather Spurlock, Community Development Manager BACKGROUND:
California law requires every city and county to prepare and maintain a certified Housing Element as part of its General Plan. The Sixth Cycle Housing Element covers the 2023–2031 planning period. The Housing Element is one of the seven mandatory elements of the General Plan and establishes policies and programs to address the housing needs of residents at all income levels. The California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) reviews and determines whether each jurisdiction's Housing Element complies with state law.
City staff, working with a consultant, initiated the Housing Element update in early 2023. The first draft was submitted to HCD in September 2023, and HCD issued its initial comment letter on January 17, 2024. The consultant worked with HCD through the informal review process from January through September 2025 in an effort to resolve the outstanding comments, but the issues were not fully resolved.
A revised Draft 2 was formally submitted to HCD on November 3, 2025. HCD issued a second comment letter on January 2, 2026. City staff and the consultant then met with HCD technical staff to develop a strategy for addressing the remaining comments. An informal Draft 3 was completed in April 2026 and submitted to HCD technical staff on May 11, 2026. The consultant's contract was terminated later that month.
HCD provided additional comments on July 21, 2026. Staff submitted Draft 4, incorporating those revisions, on July 22, 2026. HCD technical staff indicated that the revisions addressed the outstanding issues, allowing the City to begin the required seven-day public review period. As part of that review, the City conducted outreach to affordable housing developers to solicit comments on the draft Housing Element. The public review period concluded on July 30, 2026, after which the City prepared and submitted the final Housing Element to HCD. HCD subsequently issued the approval letter included as Attachment
2. Following the City Council's adoption of the previously approved Housing Element, HCD identified additional revisions necessary to achieve compliance with state law. The final Housing Element incorporates those revisions. The principal changes are below and attached as Attachment 3:
• Site Inventory – Sites under 1 acre not included on inventory. • Program 15. Update Zoning and Subdivision Ordinances
• Program 19. Emergency Shelter.
• Program 21. Previously Identified Sites in Last Cycles. • Program 23. Place-Based Neighborhood Revitalization.
• Program 28. Farmworker Housing.
• Program 30. Large Sites > 10 Acres.
• Program 32. Affordable Housing Program Inventory, Allocation of Resources, and Grant Applications.
• Program 36. Inclusionary Housing.
• Program 37. Prioritize Resources to Areas of High Segregation & Poverty. • Program 39. Zoning Code Amendment for Special Housing Needs, Low-Income, and ModerateIncome Housing.
Ridgecrest City Council
Successor Redevelopment Agency
Financing Authority
Housing Authority
STAFF REPORT
The revisions primarily consist of additional analysis, revisions to implementation programs, clarification of zoning commitments, and updates requested by HCD to demonstrate compliance with statutory requirements.
The revisions do not change the City's Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA). Rather, they modify policies, programs, and site analyses to address HCD comments and demonstrate compliance with state law.
HCD certification demonstrates that the City's Housing Element complies with state housing law.
Maintaining a compliant Housing Element helps preserve eligibility for various state housing and infrastructure grant programs and reduces the City's exposure to certain legal and regulatory consequences associated with noncompliance.
IMPLEMENTING ACTIONS:
The Housing Element includes the implementation programs required for HCD certification (Chapter 6), including policies and programs that further fair housing goals. Several existing programs have been retained and updated, while others have been revised or added in response to HCD comments.
Collectively, these programs are intended to bring the City's zoning regulations, housing policies, and development procedures into compliance with state housing law.
Following adoption and certification, the City is required to implement the programs contained in the Housing Element and submit Annual Progress Reports to HCD documenting implementation and housing production.
ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATION:
The City of Ridgecrest’s 6th Cycle (2023–2031) Housing Element builds upon the goals, policies, objectives, and programs adopted in prior Housing Element cycles, including the 5th Cycle (2015-2023) Housing Element. Many of the policies and programs carried forward into the current Housing Element were previously analyzed under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) as part of the City’s General Plan and prior Housing Element updates and do not require additional environmental review at this time. All programs contained within the 6th Cycle (2023–2031) Housing Element can be reasonably determined to have no potential for causing a significant environmental effect, as they consist of policylevel planning actions that do not authorize physical development. Accordingly, these programs are exempt from CEQA review pursuant to State CEQA Guidelines §Section 15061(b)(3), commonly known as the “common sense” exemption.
FISCAL IMPACT: None
ACTION REQUESTED: The proposed action is to adopt the revised Sixth Cycle Housing Element, incorporating the changes required by HCD, and authorize its submission as the City's certified Housing Element for the 2023–2031 planning period.
CITY MANAGER’S RECOMMENDATION: Same
Submitted by: H. Spurlock Action Date: August 5, 2026