DATE: JUNE 6, 2023
DEPARTMENT: COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
FROM: LISA BRINTON, DIRECTOR
THROUGH: ROD POWELL, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR
BY: GRANT LEONARD, PLANNING MANAGER
TITLE: GENERAL PLAN UPDATE QUARTERLY REPORT AND SUBMITTAL OF DRAFT 2023-2031 HOUSING ELEMENT RECOMMENDED MOTION:
Motion to recommend that the Salinas City Council approve a resolution authorizing the submittal of the Draft 2023-2031 Housing Element to the State of California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) for review.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
The 2023-2031 Housing Element is a tool for the City to plan for the community’s housing needs over the next eight-year planning cycle. Through research, analysis, and extensive public engagement, the Housing Element establishes the City’s official housing policies and objectives and identifies available candidate housing sites to accommodate the Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA) goals as determined by the Association of Monterrey Bay Area Governments (AMBAG).
The Housing Element contains a detailed outline and work program of the City’s goals, policies, quantified objectives, and programs for the preservation, improvement, and development of housing for a sustainable future. The Housing Element will be implemented over the next eight years and will allow the City to build off recent successes in the development of critically needed housing and programs to ensure all Salinas residents have access to safe, affordable, stable, and equitable housing.
As part of the Housing Element update process, the City has prepared a draft for review by the public and HCD. Following the public and HCD review period, the City will finalize the 2023-2031 Housing Element and release it for final review and consideration of approval in November 2023.
BACKGROUND:
The Housing Element is the City’s guiding policy document for housing matters and is one of the required chapters of the General Plan. The City of Salinas’ current Housing Element (2015-2023) was adopted in 2015 and was certified by HCD as complying with State law. Because the current Housing Element expires at the end of 2023, the City is required to adopt an updated Housing Element by December 15th. This sixth cycle update of the Housing Element will cover the planning period of December 31, 2023 through December 31, 2031.
The process for updating the Housing Element includes providing a draft Housing Element for 30-day public review and a consultation with HCD. The draft Housing Element will be available for public review from May 12, 2023, through June 20, 2023. The City will have two weeks to respond to any comments received before submitting the draft Housing Element to HCD for a 90-day review and comment period on July 6, 2023. The City will receive HCD comments by early October and will incorporate any requested changes into the final 2023-2031 Housing Element, which will be considered at the November 15th Planning Commission for recommendation to City Council in advance of Council’s consideration of adoption on December 5, 2023.
Other General Plan Work Between April and June
Although completion of the Draft 2023-2031 Housing Element was the primary focus of the General Plan Update work this quarter, staff did also continue to make progress on the Public Safety Element engagement that was started in the previous quarter. Public Safety engagement consisted of the following:
326 completed SALC Youth Ambassador surveys
4 community pop-up activities that engaged 150 community members 2 community meetings (one in Spanish and one in English) that engaged 70 community members.
Through this engagement, the community was asked “What would make your community safer?” The top three responses were:
More lighting in streets and public spaces
Pedestrian/traffic safety
Youth programming/services
Staff will use the information gathered through the engagement process to help shape the Public Safety Element as it is written over the summer.
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CITY OF SALINASHOUSING AND LAND USE COMMITTEECITY OF SALINASHOUSING AND LAND USE COMMITTEE
CITY OF SALINAS
HOUSING AND LAND USE COMMITTEE
CITY OF SALINAS
HOUSING AND LAND USE COMMITTEE