RESOLUTION NO. _______ (N.C.S.)
A RESOLUTION TO ADOPT THE 2023-2031 HOUSING ELEMENT (GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENT 2023-002), AUTHORIZE STAFF TO SUBMIT THE 2023-2031 HOUSING ELEMENT TO THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT (HCD) FOR CERTIFICATION, AND AUTHORIZE STAFF TO MAKE NON-POLICY REVISIONS TO THE HOUSING ELEMENT IN RESPONSE TO FUTURE HCD COMMENTS.
WHEREAS, the Housing Element is a required chapter of the City of Salinas’ (City) General Plan; and WHEREAS, the City adopted the current 2015-2023 Housing Element in 2015; and WHEREAS, the 2015-2023 Housing Element expires in December 2023 and the City is statutorily required to adopt an updated 2023-2031 Housing Element by December 15, 2023; and WHEREAS, the City has conducted extensive community outreach and detailed technical analyses to prepare a 2023-2031 Housing Element that adheres to State regulatory requirements and reflects the City’s commitment to supporting housing development and programs that equitably serve all residents of the City; and WHEREAS, the Housing Element update process included the preparation of a draft 2023-2031 Housing Element, a mandatory 30-day public review period, followed by a 10-business day City response to comment period, and a 90-day review period by the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD); and WHEREAS, the City made the Draft 2023-2031 Housing Element available for public review from May 12 through June 20, 2023, and responded to comments received before submitting the Draft 2023-2031 Housing Element to HCD on July 6, 2023; and WHEREAS, the City received initial comments from HCD in August and issued a revised Draft 2023-2031 Housing Element for public from September 27, 2023 through October 4, 2023; and WHEREAS, the City received an official comment letter HCD in October and revised the Draft 2023-2031 Housing Element to incorporate the recommendations from HCD; and WHEREAS, the City published the Final 2023-2031 Housing Element for public review on November 9, 2023; and WHEREAS, on November 15, 2023 the Planning Commission received and had the opportunity to comment on the Final 2023-2031 Housing Element and recommended the City Council adopt the 2023-2031 Housing Element (General Plan Amendment 2023-002), authorize staff to submit the 2023-2031 Housing Element to the State of California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) for Certification, and authorize staff to make non-policy revisions to the 2023-2031 Housing Element in response to future HCD comments; and WHEREAS, the City considered comments from the Planning Commission and published a revised Final 2023-2031 Housing Element for public review on November 28, 2023; and WHEREAS, the environmental impacts of the Final 2023-2031 Housing Element were analyzed in accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), and the 2023-2031 Housing Element was determined to be exempt from CEQA per Section 15061(b)(3) of the CEQA Guidelines.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SALINAS CITY COUNCIL that the Salinas City Council adopts the 2023-2031 Housing Element (General Plan amendment 2023-002), authorizes staff to submit the 2023-2031 Housing Element to the State of California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) for certification, and authorizes staff to make non-policy revisions to the housing element in response to future HCD comments; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Salinas City Council adopts the following findings as the basis for its determination, and that the foregoing recitations are true and correct, and are included herein by reference as findings:
Environmental Analysis
Salinas City Council finds that impacts of the 2023-2031 Housing Element were analyzed in accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), and the 2023-2031 Housing Element was determined to be exempt from CEQA per Section 15061(b)(3) of the CEQA Guidelines.
The 2023-2031 Housing Element is exempt as a “common sense” exemption under State CEQA Guidelines Section 15061(b)(3) because it involves only goals, policies, programs, and action plans to meet the City’s Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) and affirmatively furthering fair housing (AFFH) goals but does not involve any physical changes with the potential to create an adverse effect on the environment. Furthermore, no regulatory changes are required for the City to adopt the 2023-2031 Housing Element to meet its RHNA obligations; therefore, it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that adopting the 2023-2031 Housing Element would result in a significant effect on the environment.
General Plan Amendment:
Salinas City Council finds that the proposed Amendment is in conformance with the Salinas General Plan.
The proposed Amendment will update the City’s General Plan Housing Element to comply with the Salinas General Plan and allow the City to adopt local policy options to meet the documented housing needs. The 2023-2031 Housing Element provides a detailed analysis of the City’s demographic, economic, and housing characteristics and it also provides an evaluation of the city’s progress in implementing past policy and action programs relating to housing needs. The document demonstrates that the City can accommodate its “fair share” of housing as established by the Regional Housing Needs Allocation, distributed by income levels for the planning period of December 31, 2023 through December 31, 2031.
Salinas City Council finds that the public necessity, convenience and general welfare permit the adoption of the proposed amendment.
The proposed Amendment advances the public necessity, convenience and general welfare by identifying the housing needs of residents of all income levels and specific groups such as seniors, disabled persons, and the homeless. The Amendment will allow the city to adopt local policy options to address these documented housing needs and thus provide potential housing opportunities for City residents. The Draft City of Salinas 2023-2031 Housing Element, once adopted by the City Council and certified by the State, will be in conformance with State law. A certified Housing Element is vitally important in assisting the City and other not-for profit entities seeking public funding to leverage the much needed provision of affordable housing.
PASSED AND APPROVED this 5th day of December 2023, by the following vote:
AYES:
NOES:
ABSENT:
ABSTAIN:
APPROVED:
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Kimbley Craig, Mayor
ATTEST:
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Patricia M. Barajas, City Clerk