Housing Element
Programs HP-2.1
and HP-2.2
Santa Clarita – Housing Element June 2023
49 Program HP- 1.14: Sites Identified in Multiple Planning Periods:
Government Code § 65583 requires analysis and justification of the sites included in the sites inventory of the City’ s Housing Element. The Housing Element may only count non -vacant sites included in one previous Housing Element inventory and vacant sites included in two previous Housing Elements if the sites are subject to a program that allows affordable housing by rig ht. Some sites within this Housing Element were used in previous cycles, and this program is included to address the by-right approval requirement. Per Government Code § 65583, the use by -right of these sites during the planning period is restricted to developments in which at least 20 percent of the units in the development are affordable to lower income households. This provision is valid on the condition that these sites have sufficient water, sewer, and other dry utilities available and accessible, or that they are included in an existing General Plan program or other mandatory program or plan to secure sufficient water, sewer, dry utilities supply to support housing development.
Prior to the end of 2022, Community Development Department staff will provide a pop-up “Notice” in Accela for each inventoried parcel subject to these requirements.
The Notice will prompt staff to not require a Conditional Use Permit application for a residential development project on that site if at least 20% of the units are provided as affordable. A training session will be held to ensure that all staff are aware of the by-right allowances for projects providing at least 20% of units as affordable on these specific sites. The Unified Development Code will be amended concurrent with the Housing Element to ensure compliance with Government Code § 65583.2(c).
Timeline: Adopt code amendment with Housing Element. Set up Notice in Accela prior to the end of 2022. Within the first three years of the planning period, ensure staff receives training.
Ongoing.
Responsibility: Community Development Department
Funding: Departmental Budget
Program HP-2.1: Zoning Code Changes for Consistency with State Law City staff will bring forward Municipal Code amendments to address recent changes to state law. Specific Code amendments to ensure compliance include but are not limited to the following:
• Transitional Housing: Allow transitional and supportive housing in all zone districts that allow residential uses, subject to only those restrictions that apply to other residential dwellings of the same type in the same zone. (SB 2, 2007)
• Supportive Housing: Supportive housing, as defined in Government Code Section 65650, to be a by-right use in all zones where multifamily and mixed-uses are permitted. (AB 2162)
Santa Clarita – Housing Element June 2023
50 • Emergency Shelters: Review development standards for emergency shelters, particularly Standard D, and revise to be objective (SB 2, 2007) • Low Barrier Navigation Centers: to be a use by-right in zones where multifamily and mixed-uses are permitted, including the nonresidential zones where multifamily is permitted. (GC 65660)
• Employee and Agricultural Worker Housing: employee housing for six or fewer employees is to be treated as a single-family structure and permitted in the same manner as other dwellings of the same type in the same zone.
Employee housing consisting of not more than 12 units or 36 beds are to be considered an agricultural use and permitted in the same manner as other agricultural uses in the same zone (AB 1783)
• ADUs: Update Accessory Dwelling Unit Ordinance pursuant to HCD’s ADU Guidebook, including allowing such units by-right in all residential zones and reduction of side and rear setbacks as well as to reflect changes in these laws made by AB 3182, AB 68, and SB 13.
• Group Homes: Allow group homes for seven or more residents as a permitted use in residential zones. Review current code requirements for all housing types serving people with disabilities for consistency with fair housing laws and make amendments as necessary, including ensuring the number of parking spaces for residential care facilities do not exceed those of other non-group home uses of the same form in the same zone.
• Design Review: Develop Objective Design and Development Standards for multi-family and mixed-use projects, and integrate the standard conditions of approval currently applied through the Development Review process into the objective design and development standards for development projects with residential components.
• Parking: Adopt the parking requirements for multifamily affordable housing from Government Code Section 65915 into the Code to provide clear standards and expectations for potential developers to use the reduced parking requirements without the need to make a separate request.
Additionally, undertake a parking study and consult with not less than four developers with local experience to identify the most appropriate parking ratio and identify any constraints posed by the City’s current parking requirements for market rate multifamily development, especially as it relates to 1 bedroom unit and studios. Based upon the outcome of this study, amend the ordinance to mitigate any identified constraints by July 2025.
Timeline: Review by June 2023; Make necessary amendments to address transitional housing, supportive housing, emergency shelter standards, low barrier navigation centers, employee and agricultural worker housing, ADUs, group homes, and parking requirements for multifamily affordable housing by the end of 2023 Develop Objective Design and Development Standards by 2024 Undertake parking study and amend ordinance by July 2025 Responsibility: Community Development Department
Santa Clarita – Housing Element June 2023
51 Funding: Departmental Budget
Objective: Facilitate special needs housing, including transitional, supportive, senior, group home, and affordable housing, for 700 households by the end of the planning period.
Program HP-2.2: Updates to Administrative Procedures
Prior to the dates specified in each sub -program below, City staff will update the following administrative procedures and materials:
• SB 35: The City will develop an SB 35 application process, including the pre- application and the procedure that will be used to provide a streamlined ministerial approval process to qualified residential and mixed-use development projects. The written procedures and checklists shall be developed and made available on the City’s website no later than January 1, 2023.
• Development Fees and Transparency Requirements: The City will meet the new transparency and development fees requirements of AB 602 and SB 319 by 1) posting all required information about development standards and fees to an easily accessed location on the City’s website by January 1, 2023; and 2) ensuring that new development impact fee studies and resulting fees comply with the new AB 602 requirements for fee studies prior to initiation of the next fees study in 2024.
• Fee Deferrals: The City will defer fee collection for residential developments until final building inspection or issuance of the certificate of occupancy, whichever occurs first, unless the requirements of Government Code 66007(b) have been met.
• Expedited Processing for Affordable Housing Projects: The City will continue to expedite processing for affordable housing projects, including one-stop preliminary review, concurrent application review, designation of a primary contact, and fast-tracking of construction and grading plan review, permitting and inspection. Promotion of the Expedited Processing program will occur as a part of Program HP-2.10, the Proactive Outreach Program, to be initiated in 2023 and provided as ongoing throughout the 6th planning cycle. • Parking handout: The City will create and publish explanatory documents to delineate between the different parking requirements for different types of multifamily housing projects and mixed-use projects as updated by AB 2345, including those providing affordable units and those located close to transit. • Design Review: The City will review and amend its design review requirements to remove discretionary findings related to site suitability, including Finding 4.
Timeline: SB 35 Procedures: July 1, 2023;
Fee Transparency: July 1, 2023;
Santa Clarita – Housing Element June 2023
52 Fee Deferrals: Begin implementing July 1, 2023
AB 602 Requirements (Development Fees): 2024;
Parking Handout: July 30, 2023;
Amend Design Review findings: end of 2024
Responsibility: Community Development Department
Funding: Departmental Budget
Program HP-2.3: Specific Plan Code Review
The City will review its Specific Plans to determine if changes are needed to comply with State laws related to transitional housing, supportive housing, group homes (community care facilities) and Low Barrier Navigation Centers. The review will be completed by the end of 2022, with any needed Specific Plan amendments occurring by the end of 2023.
Timeline: Review by end of 2023; amend by end of 2024
Responsibility: Community Development Department
Funding: Departmental Budget
Program HP-2.4: Continuing Affordability
Ensure that the City’s lending guidelines require long-term affordability of at least 55 years for affordable rental units and through a shared equity or other similar affordability mechanism for affordable ownership units.
Timeline: Review funding guidelines in 2022; then ongoing Responsibility: Community Development Department
Funding: HOME, CDBG, Bonds, PDA/TOD funds
Program HP-2.5: Collaboration with Non-Profit Affordable Housing Developers The City continues to partner with non-profit affordable housing developers for the creation of new affordable housing developments and will continue to be responsive to the proposals of housing developers. The City is committed to supporting proposed projects that show promise to provide affordable housing to meet the City’s identified housing needs, including for seniors, disabled, and families, especially those who are extremely low-income. Currently, affordable housing developers approach the City informally with projects in various stages of development, making it difficult to bring projects to fruition. A formal Request for Qualifications/Proposals (RFP/RFQ) will streamline and clarify this process. The RFP/RFQ will include information on the affordable housing goals of the City, i ncluding the provision of housing for large households and extremely low-income households. The RFP/RFQ for this program will be posted by Summer 2023 and will include at least one outreach meeting/event to gauge housing developers’ interest. The RFP/RFQ process, once posted, will be made