1 City of Susanville
66 N. Lassen Street • Susanville CA
Mendy Schuster, Mayor
Russ Brown, Mayor pro tem
Curtis Bortle • Patrick Parrish • Dawn Miller
Susanville City Council
Regular Council Meeting • City Council Chambers
Wednesday, January 7, 2026 – 4:30 PM
Call to Order
Roll Call
1. Approval of Agenda: (Additions and/or Deletions)
2. Public Comment Regarding Closed Session Items (if any): Any person may address the City Council at this time upon any subject for discussion during Closed Session.
A. A. Public Employment - pursuant to Government Code §54957
1. City Manager - Evaluation
4. Return to Open Session: (recess if necessary)
• Reconvene in open session at 5:00 PM
• Pledge of Allegiance
• Invocation
• Report any changes to agenda
• Report any action out of Closed Session
• Awards or Presentations by the City Council
5. Business from the Floor: Any person may address the City Council at this time upon any subject on the agenda or not on the agenda within the jurisdiction of the City Council. However, comments on items on the agenda may be reserved until the item is discussed and any matter not on the agenda that requires action will be referred to staff for a report and action at a subsequent meeting.
Presentations are subject to a three-minute limit.
6. Consent Calendar: All matters listed under the Consent Calendar are considered to be routine by the City Council. There will be no separate discussion on these items. Any member of the public or the City Council may request removal of an item from the Consent Calendar to be considered separately.
6.A. Minutes of the City Council December 17, 2025 regular meeting
6.B. Vendor and Payroll Warrants
7. Public Hearings:
7.A. Consider Resolution No. 26-6505, approving the General Plan Housing Element update for the Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) 7th Housing Cycle 2024-2029
8. Council Discussion/Announcements:
2 9. New Business:
9.A. Consider the following resolutions for the upcoming 2026 Election:
Resolution No. 26-6502, calling and giving notice of the holding of a general municipal election to be held on Tuesday, June 2, 2026, for the election of certain officers as required by the provisions of the laws of the State of California relating to general law cities; Resolution No. 26-6503, adopting regulations for candidates for elective office pertaining to candidate’s statements submitted to the voters at an election to be held on Tuesday, June 2, 2026;
Resolution No. 26-6504, requesting the Board of Supervisors of the County of Lassen to consolidate a general municipal election to be held with the statewide primary election to be held on Tuesday, June 2, 2026
9.B. Consider the modified approved position list.
9.C. Consider discussion regarding updating of the City Council Chambers.
9.D. K-9 Program Presentation
10. Planning Commission:
11. Susanville Community Redevelopment Agency:
12. Susanville Municipal Energy Corporation:
13. Continuing Business:
13.A. Discussion regarding Memorial Ball Park Grandstand Fire Emergency Operations
14. City Manager's Reports:
14.A. Department Reports - Admin Services Department Update
15. Future Council Items:
15.A. Future Council Items
16. Adjournment:
• The next regular meeting of the Susanville City Council will be held on January 21, 2026 at 4:30 PM.
Reports and documents relating to each agenda item are on file in the Office of the City Clerk and are available for public inspection during normal business hours and at the meeting. These reports and documents are also available at the City’s website www.cityofsusanville.gov, unless there were systems problems posting to the website.
Accessibility: An interpreter for the hearing-impaired may be made available upon request to the City Clerk seventy-two hours prior to a meeting. A reader for the vision-impaired for purposes of reviewing the agenda may be made available upon request to the City Clerk. The location of this meeting is wheelchairaccessible.
I, Heidi Whitlock, certify that I caused to be posted notice of the regular meeting scheduled for January 7, 2026 in the areas designated on December 23, 2025.
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Agenda Item No. 6.A.
Standard Review
Susanville City Council Agenda Item
Submitted By: Heidi Whitlock, City Clerk
Action Date: January 7, 2026
Subject: Minutes of the City Council December 17, 2025 regular meeting Presented By: Heidi Whitlock, City Clerk
Summary: Attached for the Council's review and approval are the minutes of the December 17, 2025 meeting.
Fiscal Impact: None.
Action Requested: Motion to approve and file the minutes of the City Council's December 17, 2025 meeting.
Attachments:
1. 2025.12.17.cc.min
Regular Council Meeting Minutes
Wednesday, December 17, 2025 – 4:30 PM
Mayor Schuster called the meeting to order at 4:30pm.
Roll call: Schuster, Brown, Miller, Parrish.
Absent: Bortle
1. Approval of Agenda: (Additions and/or Deletions)
MOVER: Council Member Dawn Miller
SECONDER: Council Member Patrick Parrish
AYES: Mayor Mendy Schuster, Mayor Pro Tem Russ Brown, Council Member Patrick Parrish, Council Member Dawn Miller
NAYS: None
RESULT: Passed
2. Public Comment Regarding Closed Session Items (if any): Any person may address the City Council at this time upon any subject for discussion during Closed Session.
No comments offered.
A. PUBLIC EMPLOYMENT - pursuant to Government Code §54957
1. Public Works Director
2. Public Safety Chief
Council met in closed session at 4:35pm to discuss the closed session items.
4. Return to Open Session: (recess if necessary)
• Reconvene in open session at 5:00 PM
Council reconvened in open session at 5:01PM
• Pledge of Allegiance
• Invocation
• Report any changes to agenda
• Report any action out of Closed Session
Dan Newton, City Manager, stated that the Council met in closed session, direction was provided to staff but no reportable action was taken.
• Awards or Presentations by the City Council
5. Business from the Floor: Any person may address the City Council at this time upon any subject on the agenda or not on the agenda within the jurisdiction of the City Council.
However, comments on items on the agenda may be reserved until the item is discussed and any matter not on the agenda that requires action will be referred to staff for a report
and action at a subsequent meeting.
Presentations are subject to a three-minute limit.
Charlotte Roberts. public, provided an update on the 2025 Turkey Trot.
6. Consent Calendar: All matters listed under the Consent Calendar are considered to be routine by the City Council. There will be no separate discussion on these items. Any member of the public or the City Council may request removal of an item from the Consent Calendar to be considered separately.
MOVER: Council Member Dawn Miller
SECONDER: Council Member Patrick Parrish
AYES: Mayor Mendy Schuster, Mayor Pro Tem Russ Brown, Council Member Patrick Parrish, Council Member Dawn Miller
NAYS: None
RESULT: Passed
6.A. Minutes of the City Council December 3, 2025 regular meeting
6.B. Vendor and Payroll Warrants
7. Public Hearings:
7.A. Consider Resolution No. 25-6501, Accepting FY 2024-25 Annual Report of Development/Mitigation Fees
Mayor Schuster opened the public hearing at 5:06pm.
Mr. Newton provided an explanation of the item and requested approval of Resolution No. 25- 6501.
Mayor Schuster closed the public hearing at 5:14pm.
MOVER: Council Member Patrick Parrish
SECONDER: Council Member Dawn Miller
AYES: Mayor Mendy Schuster, Mayor Pro Tem Russ Brown, Council Member Patrick Parrish, Council Member Dawn Miller
NAYS: None
RESULT: Passed
8. Council Discussion/Announcements:
Mayor Schuster offered thanks to staff for all their work on the Uptown Country Christmas event.
9. New Business:
9.A. Consider Resolution No. 25-6500, approving a budget increase and authorizing the City Manager to execute an agreement for the SCADA system upgrade and PRV maintenance.
Erik Edholm, Acting Public Works Director, provided an explanation of the item and requested approval of Resolution No. 25-6500.
MOVER: Council Member Patrick Parrish
SECONDER: Council Member Dawn Miller
AYES: Mayor Mendy Schuster, Mayor Pro Tem Russ Brown, Council Member Patrick Parrish, Council Member Dawn Miller
NAYS: None
RESULT: Passed
9.B. Consider purchase of Hangar #30 at the Susanville Municipal Airport Mr. Edholm provided an explanation of the item and requested Council direction.
It was the consensus of the Council to decline the purchase.
10. Susanville Community Redevelopment Agency:
No business.
11. Susanville Municipal Energy Corporation:
No business.
12. Planning Commission :
No business.
13. Continuing Business:
No business.
14. City Manager's Reports:
Mr. Newton provided an update on the backstop netting at the Frank Ernaga Ball Park. The update included a potential date to pour the footings for the poles o2 January 9, 2026. He added that a request has been made to start the fabrication of the poles to keep the process moving forward, and he is hoping the netting is installed prior to the college's opening date in February.
15. Future Council Items:
15.A. Future Council Items
No new items.
16. Adjournment:
Meeting adjourned at 5:23pm.
• The next regular meeting of the Susanville City Council will be held on January 7, 2026 at 4:30 PM.
_____________________________ ______________________________ Heidi Whitlock, City Clerk Mendy Schuster, Mayor
Approved on:
Agenda Item No. 6.B.
Agenda Item
Susanville City Council Agenda Item
Submitted By: Stefanie Steward, Asst. Director - Finance Action Date: January 7, 2026
Subject: Vendor and Payroll Warrants
Presented By: Chandra Jabbs, Finance Director
Summary: Warrants dated December 3, 2025 through December 17, 2025 numbered 225474-225508 and 225510-225589.
Fiscal Impact: Accounts Payable warrants totaling $143,906.61, plus $329,530.14 in Payroll warrants, for a total of $473,436.75.
Action Requested: Motion to file and receive.
Attachments:
1. 12-04-2025
2. 12-11-2025
Agenda Item No. 7.A.
Standard Review
Susanville City Council Agenda Item
Submitted By: Jolene Arredondo, Deputy City Manager
Action Date: January 7, 2026
Subject: Consider Resolution No. 26-6505, approving the General Plan Housing Element update for the Regional Housing Needs
Allocation (RHNA) 7th Housing Cycle 2024-2029
Presented By: Dan Newton, City Manager
Summary: Housing Element Update - Background
Since 1969, every city and county in California has been required to have a Housing Element as part of their General Plan. Unlike other mandatory General Plan elements, the Housing Element must be updated on a prescribed schedule (every four or eight years) and is subject to review and certification by the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD).The City initiated the Housing Element Update in April 2024 as part of a larger Technical General Plan Update. City staff has been coordinating with the consultants (Mintier Harnish), the public, and stakeholders to draft an updated Housing Element for the community for the 2024-2029 planning period prescribed by the State.The Housing Element includes technical analyses and a policy document. The technical analyses evaluate housing needs, constraints to production, opportunities for residential development, and fair housing issues. Informed by the conclusions of these evaluations, the policy document (Section 6: Policy Document) includes goals, policies, and programs that make up the City’s housing action plan to address housing needs through 2029.
Each section of the Housing Element is summarized below. • Section One: Introduction. This chapter summarizes
the purpose of the Housing Element and community
engagement efforts that informed the process.
• Section Two: Housing Needs Assessment. This
chapter summarizes existing population, demographic,
and housing data. It also discusses households with
special housing needs, like seniors, those with a
disability, and large households.
• Section Three: Zoning for a Variety of Housing
Types. This section describes the zoning regulations
relative to a variety of housing types and identifies any
constraints imposed by the existing Zoning Ordinance
on households with special housing needs.
• Section Four: Housing Constraints. This section
identifies potential governmental and non-governmental
constraints to housing production, including an
evaluation of current City practices such as permit
processing and zoning regulations.
• Section Five: Sites Inventory Analysis. This section
summarizes residential capacity to meet the City’s
State-identified housing goal, called the Regional
Housing Need Allocation (RHNA).
• Section Six: Policy Document. This section includes
the City’s housing goals, policies, and implementation
programs that work to encourage and support housing
production, preservation, and rehabilitation, as well as to promote affordability and access.
• Appendix A: Evaluation of the Existing Housing
Element. This appendix summarizes the City’s efforts to implement the existing 2019-2024 Housing Element
Update.
• Appendix B: List of Entities Qualified to Preserve AtRisk Units. This appendix includes a list of organizations, government agencies, and companies
qualified to own and operate assisted housing
developments.
• Appendix C: Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing
Analysis. This appendix analyses fair housing issues in the city and proposes meaningful actions to work to
overcome them.
The City published the Public Review Draft on April 15, 2025, for review and comment.
On June 4, 2025, the City held a study session on the Public Review Draft 2024-2029 Housing Element Update during the regularly scheduled City Council meeting. This informational meeting included an introductory presentation summarizing the Public Review Draft Housing Element, followed by discussion with the City Council and opportunities for public input.
Following the study session, the City submitted the Housing Element to the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) for initial 90-day review, as required by State law. During this review period, HCD provided informal comments to the City outlining additional edits required for compliance with State law. The City revised the Housing Element accordingly, posted the revised document for 7-day public review, and resubmitted it to HCD for consideration in the review period. On November 10, 2025, HCD completed its initial formal review and
found that the Housing Element, as drafted and revised, meets the requirements of State law.
DISCUSSION AND PROJECT OVERVIEW
Public Engagement Efforts
As required by State housing law, public participation played a critical role in the formation and refinement of the updated Housing Element. A community engagement program was developed to ensure the community and other stakeholders were engaged in the process and were given ample opportunities to provide input.
Engagement efforts that informed the Draft included virtual workshops, online surveys, study sessions with the City Council, stakeholder interviews, and a Housing Element Focus Group including City staff from various departments.
Residential Sites Inventory
The sites inventory is a required component of the Housing Element used to identify specific sites to meet the City’s RHNA, which represents the future housing needs for all income levels in the City for the next five years (2024-2029). The RHNA is prepared by HCD and allocates to the City and unincorporated areas of the county their “fair share” of the projected housing need, based on household income groupings over the five-year planning period for the Housing Element of each specific jurisdiction. The sites inventory must identify sites with appropriate zoning and available capacity to meet the RHNA
For the 2024-2029 planning period, the City’s RHNA included two units; one very-low income and one low-income. To meet the RHNA, the City identified five vacant sites with R-4 zoning appropriate for very low- and low-income capacity. Based on the low density development trends in the city, these sites are assumed to have a realistic capacity of 127 units.
For more information, see Section Five: Sites Inventory Analysis.
Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH)
Assembly Bill (AB) 686 requires that all housing elements due on or after January 1, 2021, contain an Assessment of Fair Housing (AFH) consistent with the core elements of the analysis required by the federal Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) Final Rule of July 16, 2015. Under California law, AFFH means “taking meaningful actions, in addition to combating discrimination, that overcome patterns of segregation and foster inclusive communities free from barriers that restrict access to opportunity based on protected characteristics.” California Government Code Section
65583 (10)(A)(ii) requires local jurisdictions to analyze racially or ethnically concentrated areas of poverty, disparities in access to opportunity, and disproportionate housing needs, including displacement risk.
Appendix B: Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Analysis, provides an in-depth assessment of fair housing issues and identifies factors that contribute to fair housing issues in Susanville.
The Analysis is organized by fair housing topic. For each topic, the regional and local conditions are addressed. Through public input and discussions with stakeholders and the Housing Element Focus Groups, the City of Susanville identified factors that contribute to fair housing issues. These contributing factors are in Table 14, Factors Contributing to Fair Housing Issues, with associated actions to meaningfully affirmatively further fair housing related to these factors. Programs to affirmatively further fair housing are included in the Policy Document.
Policy Document
This section describes housing goals, policies, and programs for the City of Susanville. A goal is defined as a general statement of the highest aspirations of the community. A policy is a course of action chosen from among many possible alternatives. It guides decision-making and provides a framework around which the housing programs operate. A program is a specific action, which implements policies and moves the community toward the
achievement of its goals.
Key Housing Element programs Include:
• HE-1: Housing Element Implementation. Engage the
State and HCD to secure technical and financial
assistance in implementing the requirements of the
Housing Element.
• HE-2: Zoning Ordinance Update. Revise to the Zoning
Ordinance to address constraints and ensure
compliance with State law. All actions within this
program are required by State law.
• HE-14: Wastewater Service Capacity. Engage the
sewer district to encourage and assist in assessing
conditions and pursuing grant funding.
• HE-18: Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing.
Complete various actions to address specific fair
housing issues and increase housing access. This
program is required by State law, but the details of the individual actions may be revised.
• HE-19: Place-based Strategies for Community
Revitalization. Complete geographically-targeted
actions aimed at improving conditions in areas with
concentrated needs or disproportional impacts.
• HE-22: Anti-displacement Strategy. Plan and adopt a
multi-pronged strategy to work to relieve displacement
pressures caused by the increasing income gap, lack of
recent production, and increasing housing costs in the
City. The program is required by State law, but the
details of the Strategy can be determined based on
engagement with the public and decision-makers
facilitated in preparation of the Strategy.
• HE-24: Address Fire Risk and Safety. Address fire risk and the high cost of insurance by ensuring continued
status as a Firewise community, addressing fuel
reduction and weed abatement, providing information to
residents, and partnering with CalFire to provide
inspections and mitigation of issues.
• HE-25: Residential Capacity Beyond the RHNA.
Evaluate non-residential zones to identify the feasibility for residential development; update the Zoning
Ordinance to allow residential uses by right in
appropriate zones based on the results of the
evaluation; identify and make available City-owned
surplus sites for residential development.
• HE-26: Economic Development to Support Housing.
Work to expand job opportunities and bring in new
employers, industries, and businesses to meet the
needs of the local community.
Summary of Recent Revisions
As discussed above, several edits were made to the draft Housing Element based on HCD comments during the 90-day review
period. These revisions are summarized below.
Please note: All page numbers reflect the final Public Hearing Draft, rather than version in track changes showing additions and deletions.
• Program HE-16: We have added a commitment that the
City will “assist with funding applications or provide letters of support” to encourage the preservation of existing
affordable housing.
• Program HE-19:We’ve revised action b to include a
commitment to pursue funding for targeted infrastructure improvements. This change is shown below:
“Evaluate and assess current infrastructure
and public facilities to identify deficiencies
and priority projects; continue to pursue
funding to complete improvements to
roadways, parks, public facilities, and
infrastructure, providing priority to projects in
lower resource areas.”
• Program HE-25:We’ve added a new action (action f) that works to evaluate opportunities to expand residential
capacity in the R-3 zone by increasing maximum density
and/or removing use permit requirements for missing
middle housing types.
“Missing Middle Housing: Work with the local
and regional development community to
evaluate opportunities to expand residential
capacity in the R-3 zone by increasing
maximum density, removing the use permit
requirement for small apartments, or both;
document the potential impacts these efforts
would have on development feasibility based
on input from the development community;
amend the zoning ordinance based on the
results of the evaluation and feasibility
analysis.”
• Households Experiencing Homelessness: We have
added three diagrams with captions to provide additional information on where more people experience
homelessness and how transportation and services are
available to those areas. Please see pages HE-91 and HE92. • Constraints. We have added the heading “On/Off-site
Improvements” to page HE-142 and added a paragraph
referencing Zoning Code section 12.20.140 to explain one way the City addresses constraints.
• Sites Inventory - Infrastructure. We have added the
following to page HE-154: “Infrastructure. All sites are located along established roadways and are within local water and sewer districts. None of the sites would require septic, nor would it be allowed. All sites have access to utilities, including electrical, broadband,
telecommunications, and cell service. Additionally, all five sites are located along public transit routes.”
• Sites Inventory Summary Table. We have edited the
table to include a column for each of the individual income categories. Please see page HE-155.
• Capital Improvements Inventory. To illustrate to HCD the
efforts the City has made to invest in and improve
community facilities, we have included a list of recent and ongoing capital improvement projects beginning on page
HE-187.
Link to HCD informal comment matrix, with City responses.
Next Steps
Following adoption, the City must resubmit the Adopted Housing Element to HCD for final review and certification.
CEQA/Environmental Analysis
The Housing Element Update is exempt as a “common sense” exemption under State CEQA Guidelines Section 15061(b)(3) because the project involves policies, programs, and actions to meet the City’s RHNA that would not have the potential to cause a significant physical effect on the environment. Because the City does not have to rezone any sites or make any physical
improvements to adopt the Housing Element Update, it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the proposed Housing Element would have a significant effect on the
environment.
Fiscal Impact: None
Action Requested: Motion to approve Resolution No. 26-6505, approving the General Plan Housing Element update for the Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) 7th Housing Cycle 2024-2029
Attachments:
1. 26-6505
2. Susanville Housing Element Informal Prelim Review
3. 2024-2029 Housing Element Draft
4. Official HCD Comment Letter - Post 90 Day Review
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RESOLUTION NO. 26-6505
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SUSANVILLE
ADOPTING THE CITY OF SUSANVILLE HOUSING ELEMENT OF THE GENERAL PLAN FOR THE PERIOD OF 2024-2029 IN COMPLIANCE WITH
STATE HOUSING ELEMENT LAW
WHEREAS, the California Legislature has found that “California has a housing supply and affordability crisis of historic proportions. The consequences of failing to effectively and aggressively confront this crisis are hurting millions of Californians, robbing future generations of the chance to call California home, stifling economic opportunities for workers and businesses, worsening poverty and homelessness, and undermining the state’s environmental and climate objectives” (Government Code Section 65589.5.); and
WHEREAS, the Legislature has further found that “Among the consequences of those actions are discrimination against low-income and minority households, lack of housing to support employment growth, imbalance in jobs and housing, reduced mobility, urban sprawl, excessive commuting, and air quality deterioration” (Government Code Section 65589.5.); and WHEREAS, the Legislature recently adopted the Housing Crisis Act of 2019 (SB 330) which states that “In 2018, California ranked 49th out of the 50 states in housing units per capita… California needs an estimated 180,000 additional homes annually to keep up with population growth, and the Governor has called for 3.5 million new homes to be built over 7 years;” and WHEREAS, State Housing Element Law (Government Code Sections 65580 et seq.) requires that the City Council adopt a Housing Element for the five-year period 2024-2029 to accommodate the City of Susanville regional housing need allocation (RHNA) of two housing units, comprised of one very low-income unit and one low-income unit; and WHEREAS, to comply with State Housing Element Law, the City of Susanville has prepared the Housing Element 2024-2029 (the Housing Element) in compliance with State Housing Element Law and has identified sites that can accommodate housing units meeting the City’s RHNA; and
WHEREAS, as provided in Government Code Section 65350 et. seq., adoption of the Housing Element constitutes a General Plan Amendment; and WHEREAS, a provided in Government Code sections 65352 – 65352.5 the City of Susanville has mailed a public notice to all California Native American tribes provided by the Native American Heritage Commission and to other entities listed; and WHEREAS, the City of Susanville conducted extensive community outreach over the last fourteen months including two public workshops before the City Council and Planning Commission and three publicly available workshops held online available to the public; and WHEREAS, in accordance with Government Code Section 65585 (b), on April 15, 2025, the City posted the draft Housing Element and requested public comment for a 30-day review period, and on August 12, 2025, after responding to public comments, the City submitted the draft Housing Element to the State Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) for its review; and
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WHEREAS, on October 22, 2025, HCD contacted the City of Susanville to discuss the adequacy of the draft Housing Element, and based upon this, City staff revised the draft Housing Element to include additional information and data; and WHEREAS, on November 10, 2025, the City received a letter from HCD stating that the draft Housing Element is in substantial compliance with State Housing Element Law, and will comply with State Housing Element Law when it is adopted; and WHEREAS, on November 11, 2025, the City published the final draft Housing Element (determined to be in substantial compliance by HCD) on the City’s website and requested public comment on the final draft; and
WHEREAS, on January 7, 2026, the City Council conducted a duly and properly noticed public hearing to take public testimony and consider this Resolution regarding the proposed Housing Element, reviewed the Housing Element and all pertinent maps, documents and exhibits, including HCD’s findings, the City’s response to HCD’s findings, the staff report, and all attachments, and oral and written public comments.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the City Council of the City of Susanville hereby approves the 2024-2029 Housing Element in its current form, which has been found by HCD to be in substantial compliance and as attached hereto.
Exhibit A: 2024-2029 City of Susanville Housing Element Exhibit B: HCD Finding Letter, dated November 10, 2025
APPROVED:_______________________
Mendy Schuster, Mayor
ATTEST:_______________________
Heidi Whitlock, City Clerk
The foregoing resolution was adopted at a regular meeting of the City Council of the City of Susanville, held on the 7th day of January 2026, by the following vote:
AYES:
NOES:
ABSENT:
ABSTAIN:
_____________________________
Heidi Whitlock, City Clerk
APPROVED AS TO FORM:_____________________________
Margaret Long, City Attorney
Susanville Draft 1 Preliminary Review 1
Received: 8/12/2025
Prior Review: 6/9/2025 (Informal)
Sent: 10/22/2025
Topic Guidance Page # Prelim
Review
1 Notes
Public Participation
General • Discuss how public outreach targeted
lower income and special needs
households or organizations
• Discuss language access efforts to
local populations such as Hmong
populations; revise and incorporate
further language access in future
outreach efforts
• Consider adding program to increase
allowable densities in the R3
HE-23-
HE-45
~/FYI • Moving forward, continue to use a
variety of methods and target outreach
for lower/special needs households or
representative agencies beyond the list
on HE-24
• Add program to increase allowable
densities
We will continue to use a variety of
methods and will expand targeted
outreach with additional contacts at local
churches, non-profits, the Susanville
Rancheria, senior facilities, and other
relevant groups/agencies.
R3 density: The City will engage
developers to discuss constraints to
development in the R3 zone, and
opportunities to increase development
by increasing density and/or removing
the CUP requirement for small
apartments. See new action f in program
HE-25.
Housing Needs Assessment
Extremely LowIncomeExpand analysis of ELI households such as disproportionate needs, compare
conditions to other income groups,
consider overlap with other special
housing needs, and discuss
effectiveness of strategies and
magnitude of the remaining need.
HE-88- Yes
Housing
Conditions
Estimate the number of units in need of
rehabilitation and replacement
HE-74 Yes
Special Housing
Needs
For all special needs groups, expand
analysis to discuss unmet needs
(difference between needs and
resources) Add discussion around
growth trends in population
Estimate of the number of persons
experiencing homelessness in the City
and evaluate characteristics (e.g.,
gender, disability, race)
HE-75- ~/Yes Programs HE-8, HE-9 and HE-10
Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing
Outreach and
Capacity
Address the capacity to provide
outreach, education and handle
complaints and add or modify programs
as appropriate
HE-185
C-83
Yes Program HE-17
Disproportionate
Housing Needs,
Including
Displacement
• For persons experiencing
homelessness, discuss access to
services and other opportunities. For
example, the element could expand
discussion on areas where more
people experience homelessness and
how transportation and homeless
services are available to those areas.
HE-91
C-71
C-73
Yes We have added three diagrams with
captions to help address the comment in
red. The diagrams show a google map
view of services concentrated along
Main Street; a portion of the City zoning
diagram showing commercial services
concentrated along Main and Ash; and a
diagram of public transit and bus stops.
See pages HE-92 and 93.
• Analyze disaster driven displacement
and disproportionate impact on lower
income and special needs
Contributing
Factors to Fair
Housing Issues
Based on the outcome of a complete
analysis, the element should reassess
contributing factors to fair housing issues
and prioritize those factors and then
formulate appropriate policies and
programs.
C-100 N/A
Sites Inventory and Analysis
Pending Projects • Demonstrate affordability based on
actual or anticipated sales and rents
or other mechanism ensuring
affordability (e.g., deed restrictions)
• Demonstrate availability in the
planning period including status,
remaining steps, barriers to
development in the planning period
and likelihood
• Consider adding pending SRO
development
• Alternatively, the element could just
rely on identified sites and not use
pending projects toward the RHNA
HE-157
HE-167
Yes Pending projects removed
Parcel Inventory Split out moderate and above moderate
income units
HE-163 ~ No moderate or above moderate RHNA
Could separate out for clarity and
consistency with electronic sites form
We have split out the income categories,
including VL, L, Mod, and ABMod. See
Page HE 165.
Realistic Capacity Support assumptions based on recent
trends – could utilize pending projects
HE-160
HE-142
Yes
Infrastructure Discuss accessibility of infrastructure to identified sites
? Is this addressed
We have added the following to page HE163:
Infrastructure. All sites are located along
established roadways and are within
local water and sewer districts. None of
the sites would require septic, nor would
it be allowed. All sites have access to
utilities, including electrical, broadband,
telecommunications, and cell service.
Additionally, all five sites are located
along public transit routes.
Environmental
Constraints
• Clarify what constraints were
considered beyond flooding (e.g.,
slope, soil, fire)
• Address any other known constraints
on development in the planning
period (e.g., shape, access,
contamination, airport compatibility,
easements, Williamson act contracts)
HE-161
HE-163
Yes
Electronic Site
Inventory
FYI - The City must utilize standards,
forms, and definitions adopted by HCD
when preparing the sites inventory and
submit an electronic version of the sites
inventory with the adopted element.
--- FYI
Zoning for a Variety of Housing Types
Emergency
Shelters
Discuss development standards,
including any special standards and
parking and add or modify programs
HE-108-
HE-176
Yes Program HE-2
Single-room
Occupancy (SRO)
Add discussion around development
standards and approval procedures such
as conditions placed on SROs and
amend Program HE-6 as necessary to
address identified constraints
HE-104
HE-179
Yes Program HE-6
Governmental and Non-governmental Constraints
Land Use Controls Analyze development standards in
multifamily zones including heights, lot
HE-133- ~/Yes
coverage and parking and add or modify
programs to address identified
constraints
Codes and Their
Enforcement
• Identify which building code is used
• Identify and analyze any local
amendments to the building code
• Discuss enforcement type (e.g.,
complain versus proactive)
HE-78
HE-137
Yes
On/Off Site
Improvements
Identify and analyze on- and off-site
improvements for impacts on housing
costs and supply
HE-148 ~/Yes Yes, this is covered on Page HE 150.
We’ve added the heading “On/Off Site
Improvements” and included a
paragraph explaining one way the city
works to overcome constraints.
I’ve also added the statement,
“Additionally, parcels zoned for
multifamily uses in the city are
positioned along existing streets and are
not constrained by the need to install
new roadways.” (Page HE-150)
We’ve added the clarified that curb,
gutter, and sidewalk improvement costs
“are not considered a constraint to
development.” On page HE-151.
Processing and
Permit Procedures
• List approval findings for the
Architectural Design and Site Plan
review and analyze impacts on
approval certainty
• Address multifamily CUP requirement
as a constraint if necessary
HE-138
HE-177
Yes Program HE-2
Yes, this was added previously to
Program HE-2.
Non-governmental
Constraints
• Timing: Discuss typical time between
approval and request for building
permits
• Density: Address recently requested
densities relative to assumptions in
the sites inventory
HE-135-
HE-142
Yes
Housing Programs: Adequate Sites
General Add or modify programs based on a
complete analysis
--- N/A
Infrastructure Expand actions to include technical
assistance in Program HE-14
HE-183 Yes
Emergency
Shelters
Program HE-2 - Commit to zone, nondiscretionary review and appropriate development standards including
revising parking requirements if
necessary
HE-176 Yes
By Right
Permanent
Supportive
Housing
Program HE-2 - Correct cite from 65583
to 65651; see suggested language
below
HE-105-
HE-176
Yes
Water/Sewer
Priority
Program HE-14 – Commit to establish
written procedures to grant priority water
service (City controlled)
HE-183 Yes Program HE-13
Housing Programs: Assist in Development
General Add or modify programs based on a
complete analysis
--- N/A
Density Bonus Add programs to revise ordinance with
minimal procedures, review authority
and timing, etc. to comply with state
density bonus law
HE-21
HE-102
HE-177
Yes Program HE-2
Housing Programs: Constraints
General Add or modify programs based on a
complete analysis
--- N/A
Housing Programs: Conserve and Improve
General Add or modify programs based on a
complete analysis
--- N/A
Rehabilitation Add actions to address rehabilitation
needs
HE-193 ~/Yes Program HE-27
Mobile Home
Parks
Add actions to address mobile home
park conditions
HE-187 ? structural conditions need to be addressed?
Programs 19 and 27 address mobile
home park conditions. Each program
targets mobile home parks (in addition to
Central Susanville).
HE-19:
e) Pursue funding opportunities in
support of community revitalization and
improvement, with a goal of securing
$50,000 for priority projects with 75
percent targeted to Central Susanville
and existing mobile home parks.
f) Complete three community
improvement projects benefitting
residents of a mobile home park,
potentially including, but not limited to,
sidewalk installation or repair,
community cleanup events/dumpster
days; enhancements to the public realm
and connections to surrounding uses,
and improvements to utility or roadway
infrastructure.
HE-27: Targets mobile home parks for
rehabilitation program (private
residences). The program prioritizes any
funding for mobile home parks and
Central Susanville.
Housing Programs: Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing General Add or modify programs based on a
complete analysis
HE-175
C-100-
N/A
Expanding programs to address natural
disaster displacement or risk, particularly
for elderly and persons with disabilities;
consider intersections with safety
element
HE-191 Yes Program HE-24
Place-based
Strategies
• Expand place-based strategies such
as community facilities, home-based
occupations small-scale/low intensity
commercial uses in Central
Susanville
• Add proactive outreach to community
groups to form private-public civic
partnerships for place-based
improvements such as parks
HE-187 ? Other improvements needed? Parks,
community facilities?
Response to the questions listed in this
cell:
The City has recently identified and
completed many of these projects. We
have added a current list of capital
improvement projects on page HE-197
and HE-198, most of which have been
completed. These include facility
upgrades, park improvements, and
repairs to public facilities, among other
projects. Program HE-19, action C
identifies remaining projects (ADA
bathrooms and sidewalk improvements).
We have also revised action B of
Program HE-19 to continue these efforts,
as follows:
“Evaluate and assess current
infrastructure and public facilities to
identify deficiencies and priority
projects; continue to pursue funding to
complete improvements to roadways,
parks, public facilities, and
infrastructure, providing priority to
projects in lower resources areas”.
Displacement Revise geographic targeting to central
Susanville
HE-189 We have clarified this within the
program.
Housing Programs: At-risk Preservation
Program HE-16
(At-risk)
Expand actions to preserve at-risk units
during planning period, including
outreach with qualified entities,
assistance with funding, education and
assistance for tenants
HE-184- ~/No Add assist with funding applications or
provide letters of support for funding
applications
We have added “assist with funding
applications or provide letters of
support” to the third bullet in Program
HE-16.
Quantified Objectives
ELI Households Add ELI and VL income group HE-196 ~/Yes Could separate Other Revisions
Other (HCD use only)
Public comments David Kellog
Document
availability
Yes See transmittal email
Rezone timing N/A – no shortfall and no prior identified sites
N/A
50% nonvacant
resolution
All vacant sites and RHNA of 2 N/A
Electronic sites
inventory
FYI – Submit with adopted Element FYI
AB 2339 Program HE-2 Yes
Overlay N/A – No shortfall N/A No shortfall
Other follow up
items from questions
• Increased density program
• PD process
• Multifamily 12 unit per structure
requirement
• Pending SRO development
• Other - See prior informal review
questions and response
? HCD Comments: Increased density
program? Large household footnote fix?
Female headed household analysis?
Increased density in R3: See new action f
in Program HE-25.
PD process: We commented on this
previously. The process of applying the
PD zone to a parcel is optional.
MF CUP for over 12 units: See revisions
to Program HE-2
Pending SRO Development: As stated in
the last review, this was not counted
towards the RHNA. The City adopted a
resolution allowing for conversion of
motel units on the site (Frontier Inn) to
SROs allowing long term stays in the
existing units.
Other: See responses to prior review
(shown as deleted by HCD in the track
changes here).
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Acknowledgements
Susanville City Staff
Dan Newton, City Manager
Kelly Mumper, City Planner (former)
Susanville City Council
Mendy Schuster, Mayor
Russ Brown, Mayer Pro Tem
Curtis Bortle, Council Member
Patrick Parrish, Council Member
Dawn Miller, Council Member
Project Consultants
Mintier Harnish
Jim Harnish, JD, Principal, Project Advisor
Brent Gibbons, AICP, Senior Project Manager
Ryan Lester, Project Manager, Housing
Element Task Lead
Michael Gibbons, Project Manager
Hannah Woolsey, Planner
Will Saalsaa, Planner
Focus Group Members
Dan Newton, City Manager
Bob Godman, Public Works Director
Erik Edholm, Public Works Assistant Director -
Engineering
Jolene Arredondo, Deputy City Manager
Tamra Spade, Economic Development
Director
Ruth McElrath, Building Permit Technician
Heidi Whitlock, City Clerk
Marci Rojas, Program Coordinator
Rebecca Peconom, Community Services
Officer
Additional Stakeholders
Cynthia Raschien, Lassen County
Transportation Department
Silas Rojas, Lassen County Office of
Emergency Services
Gaylon Norwood, Lassen County Planning
and Building Services
Steve Stump, Susanville Sanitary District
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City of Susanville General Plan
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Table of Contents
Section One: Introduction ...............................................................................................9 Community Context .................................................................................................................9 Purpose Of The Element .........................................................................................................13 Organization ..........................................................................................................................13 State Requirements................................................................................................................14 New Housing Laws .................................................................................................................15 Data Sources .........................................................................................................................23 Public Participation ................................................................................................................23 Consistency With The General Plan.........................................................................................48 Section Two: Housing Needs Assessment ........................................................................ 51 Population .............................................................................................................................51 Employment...........................................................................................................................55 Household Characteristics and Housing Supply ......................................................................58 Housing Stock Characteristics................................................................................................69 Special Housing Needs...........................................................................................................74 Assisted Housing Units...........................................................................................................94 Section Three: Zoning For a Variety of Housing Types ..................................................... 101 Multifamily Residential Housing............................................................................................101 Density Bonuses ..................................................................................................................101 Accessory Dwelling Units (Second Dwelling Units).................................................................102 Manufactured Homes...........................................................................................................103 Mobile Homes and Mobile Home Parks .................................................................................104 Single-Room Occupancy Units .............................................................................................104 Supportive Housing ..............................................................................................................105 Transitional Housing.............................................................................................................106 Emergency Shelters..............................................................................................................107
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City of Susanville Housing Element | HE-v
Low Barrier Navigation Centers.............................................................................................109 Residential Care Facilities ....................................................................................................109 Reasonable Accommodation................................................................................................109 Farmworker / Agricultural Employee Housing ........................................................................112 Section Four: Housing Constraints ............................................................................... 115 Analysis of Environmental/Physical Constraints ....................................................................115 Analysis of Governmental Constraints ..................................................................................119 Analysis of Non-Governmental Constraints...........................................................................141 Section Five: Sites Inventory Analysis........................................................................... 151 Regional Housing Needs Allocation.......................................................................................151 Meeting the RHNA ................................................................................................................152 Section Six: Policy Document ...................................................................................... 163 Goals and Policies................................................................................................................163 Goal HE-1 ............................................................................................................................163 Goal HE-2 ............................................................................................................................164 Goal HE-3 ............................................................................................................................165 Goal HE-4 ............................................................................................................................166 Goal HE-5 ............................................................................................................................166 Implementation Programs ....................................................................................................167 Capital Improvements Inventory ...........................................................................................187 Quantified Objectives...........................................................................................................189 Appendix A: Evaluation of the Existing Housing Element ..................................................A-1 Appendix B: List of Entities Qualified to Preserve At-Risk Units.........................................B-1 Appendix C: Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Analysis, 7th Cycle Housing Element......C-1
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Section One
Introduction
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Section One: Introduction
Community Context
City of Susanville is in the south-central part of Lassen County located in northeastern California. It is situated approximately 111 miles east of Red Bluff and 85 miles north-northwest of Reno on the eastern slopes of where the Sierra Nevada and Cascade mountain ranges meet in California.
Susanville was designated as the county seat in 1864 when Lassen County was established and became an incorporated city in 1900. Susanville remains today as the only incorporated city in Lassen County.
The city encompasses approximately eight square miles. The population as of 2020, as estimated by the U.S. Census, is 16,728 or approximately 51.1 percent of Lassen County’s total population of 32,730.
The Susanville Indian Rancheria has approximately 1,402 acres of land in trust status and 288 acres in fee status both within and immediately north of the city boundary. A portion of these tribal lands is surrounded by the city of Susanville boundary, and is bounded to the north by Skyline Road, to the east by N. Weatherlow Street, to the south by Chestnut Street, and to the west by Parkdale Avenue. The anthropological tribes associated with the Susanville Indian Rancheria are: Maidu, Paiute, Pit River, and Washoe.
The principal highway access to Susanville is via State Highway 36, which runs in a general east- west direction through the central portion of the city and is also Susanville’s Main Street. Highway 36 connects to Interstate 5 to the west in Red Bluff and to Highway 395 approximately four miles southeast of the city. State Highway 139 leaves Susanville in the center of town heading to the north to connect with the city of Alturas in Modoc County.
As seen in Figure HE-2, there are four census tracts present within the Susanville city limits. To increase readability, these census tracts will be referred to as:
• Census tract 6035040305 (Northern Susanville)
• Census tract 60350403031 (Eastern Susanville
• Census tract 6035040304 (Central Susanville)
• Census tract 6035040302 (Southern Susanville)
City of Susanville General Plan
2024-2029 Housing Element
HE-10 | Public Hearing Draft
Figure HE-1 Regional Map
City of Susanville General Plan
2024-2029 Housing Element
City of Susanville Housing Element | HE-11
Figure HE-2 Census Tract Reference Names, Susanville
Source: AFFH Data Viewer 2.0, HCD, 2023.
City of Susanville General Plan
2024-2029 Housing Element
HE-12 | Public Hearing Draft
History Of Susanville’s Origin
As the discovery of gold in 1848 sparked a flow of westward migration, new settlers sought an alternative to the route through Donner Pass to cross the Sierra Mountain Range. Peter Lassen first explored the area that is now Lassen County and, in 1851, William Nobles began leading settlers over a route that ran from the Humboldt River (in the state of Nevada) to Shasta City at the northern end of the Sacramento Valley. Of the thousands of people that passed through what is now Lassen County, some chose to remain in the Honey Lake Valley (what is now Susanville). Among those early settlers of Susanville was Isaac Roop, who established a trading post where travelers along the Nobles Emigrant Trail could stock up with provisions before crossing the Sierra Mountains. First known as Rooptown, Isaac Roop’s settlement later was named Susanville for Roop's daughter, Susan.
In 1856, Isaac Roop and Peter Lassen led a group of disgruntled settlers, who were unhappy over efforts of Plumas County, California officials to levy and collect taxes in the isolated and sparsely populated region in and around Susanville. At the same time, those settlers were equally unwilling to be considered a part of the Territory of Utah - a vast region that included parts of what were to become several western states. Roop, Lassen, and their followers opted to form a separate territory, which they named Nataqua. When the Territory of Nevada was established in 1861, Isaac Roop was made governor of the Territory. A few years later, surveys of the area established that Susanville was actually a part of the State of California, and the County of Lassen was established in 1864.
The Fernley & Lassen Railroad, built in 1913, finally provided a much-needed economic boost to Susanville and Lassen County by tapping into western Lassen's timber resources. The population growth of Susanville naturally followed. Today, the predominant sector of employment in Susanville is “Public Administration,” which comprised 30.1 percent of jobs in the city in 2022. Prior to 2023, Susanville had two State Correctional Centers located within the incorporated boundary of the City, which employed approximately half of the adult population of Susanville and the surrounding area.
However, the Susanville California Correctional Center was permanently deactivated in June 2023, leaving only the High Desert State Prison. In addition to the prison, other major employers are the Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, Lassen College, Banner Lassen Medical Center, as well as local schools and local governmental agencies. In production terms, however, agriculture has long been identified as Lassen County's leading industry and the City of Susanville benefits from this industry by providing services to a larger surrounding population.
The operations of the two prisons, the California Correctional Center (permanently deactivated as of June 2023) and High Desert State Prison, in the incorporated limits of Susanville have long been a major factor in the population numbers for the city. The California Correctional Center was established in 1963 and was annexed into the city in 1991. The High Desert State Prison was established within the city limits in 1995. As of the 2020 US Census, 7,550 inmates were housed between the California Correctional Center and the High Desert State Prison; however, following the closure of the California Correctional Center in 2023, the city’s prison’s population has decreased substantially. The effects of this unique population will be discussed further in Section 2: Housing Needs Assessment.
City of Susanville General Plan
2024-2029 Housing Element
City of Susanville Housing Element | HE-13
Susanville, and correspondingly Lassen County, have experienced some economic downturns that have affected their overall housing situation. In December 2003, Sierra Pacific Industries announced the closure of its sawmill complex adjacent to Susanville. The reason for the closure was linked to the loss of Forest Service timber contracts and competitive disadvantages from foreign imports and other states with fewer environmental regulations. Sierra Pacific Industries was the largest private sector employer in the county. The closure of the Susanville facility, which was the last operating sawmill in the county, resulted in the loss of approximately 150 direct jobs and additional support sector jobs. In June 2023, the California Correctional Center permanently closed due to an increasingly declining prison population which reduced the demand for prison employees and made the maintenance of the prison financially impractical. Although data is not available, this closure was expected to result in the loss of 1,000 prison jobs locally.
1 Purpose Of The Element
The Susanville Housing Element is part of the City’s General Plan, which is a comprehensive policy statement regarding the physical, economic, and social development of the city; the preservation and conservation of natural and human features of the landscape; and the reuse of land and buildings within the city. Although housing represents a high priority, planning for housing must be balanced with the community’s economic needs and environmental, resource, and open space protection policies, which are also essential aspects of the City’s General Plan.
Whereas general plans often reflect planning periods 15-25 years long, housing elements are updated every five to eight years, in accordance with State law. Susanville’s Housing Element is updated on a five-year cycle; the most recent update covered the 2019 to 2024 planning period. Housing elements address one of the State-mandated general plan topics and most basic human needs: shelter. For this reason, housing elements represent a critical link between land use and transportation policies, which define the location, layout, and movement of people and goods, and environmental/resource policies.
Organization
This Housing Element is organized into six sections that identify the housing needs in the community, the availability of zoning for a variety of housing types, constraints to development, resources for future development, a review of the past Housing Element, and goals, policies and programs to address the needs and constraints in the city of Susanville. The sections are as follows:
• Section One: Introduction provides information on the housing element process, State requirements for housing elements, primary data sources used for the Element, community involvement, and consistency with the General Plan.
1 Source: https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-09-09/la-me-rural-california-prison-closure-lawsuit
City of Susanville General Plan
2024-2029 Housing Element
HE-14 | Public Hearing Draft
• Section Two: Housing Needs Assessment contains an analysis of population, housing, and employment characteristics and trends; the needs of special population groups such as seniors, large families, persons with disabilities and developmental disabilities; indicators of unmet need, such as overcrowding, overpayment, substandard housing, and the potential loss of affordable rental housing; and future housing construction needs. The purpose of the community profile is to characterize existing conditions and unmet housing needs among Susanville’s current residents and to plan for future residents in the city. • Section Three: Zoning for a Variety of Housing Types analyzes the availability of zoning for a variety of housing types to promote a diverse housing stock (i.e., price, configuration, size). • Section Four: Housing Constraints contains an analysis of barriers to the development of housing as well as the financial and administrative resources available to facilitate housing production.
• Section Five: Sites Inventory Analysis identifies adequate sites with appropriate zoning, development standards, and infrastructure capacity to accommodate new construction needs. • Section Six: Policy Documentidentifies an action plan for meeting Susanville’s housing needs. • Appendix A: Evaluation of the Existing Housing Element evaluates the City’s past performance based on its progress toward achieving the objectives identified in the 2019-2024 Housing Element.
• Appendix B: List of Entities Qualified to Preserve At Risk Units provides a list of organizations and individuals who are interested in bidding on affordable properties and have been identified by the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) as qualified to own and operate assisted housing.
• Appendix C: Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing identifies fair housing issues in the community, the factors that have contributed to these issues, and meaningful actions that work to overcome them.
State Requirements
Beginning in 1980 and refined periodically, the California Legislature passed and Governors signed into law requirements for the contents of housing elements (California Government Code Sections 65580 to 65589.5). The contents of a housing element, as mandated by State law, include:
• An assessment of housing needs that includes an analysis of population and housing characteristics, employment and population projections, special housing needs, subsidized rental housing at risk of conversion, future housing construction need (regional housing allocation), and opportunities for energy conservation;
City of Susanville General Plan
2024-2029 Housing Element
City of Susanville Housing Element | HE-15
• An analysis of constraints (governmental and non-governmental) to the maintenance, improvement, or development of housing for all income levels; • An inventory of vacant and underutilized sites by zoning category, with an assessment of the availability of public facilities and services to those sites; and • A housing strategy containing an evaluation of past program achievements, goals, and policies, and a schedule of new implementing actions with quantified objectives.
Although State law regarding housing elements requires communities to address the needs of all residents, particular attention in the housing element law is devoted to the needs of extremely-low-, very low-, and low-income households. Specifically, State law requires housing elements to:
• Identify adequate sites to facilitate and encourage housing for all income levels; • Remove governmental constraints to housing production, maintenance, and improvement; • Incentivize or assist in the development of adequate housing for low- and moderate-income households;
• Conserve and improve the condition of existing affordable housing; and • Take meaningful action to overcome fair housing issues (e.g., discrimination, disparities in access) and promote housing opportunities for all.
New Housing Laws
Since the last Housing Element (2019-2024), many new laws have been passed that impact the content of this Housing Element Update. Below is a summary of these laws by topic:
Special Housing Needs
AB 2162 (2018) and AB 101 (2019) -By Right Transitional and Permanent Supportive Housing
AB 2162 requires the City to change its zoning to provide a “by right” process and expedited review for supportive housing. The bill prohibits the City from applying a conditional use permit or other discretionary review to the approval of 100 percent affordable developments that include a percentage of supportive housing units, either 25 percent or 12 units, whichever is greater. The change in the law applies to sites in zones where multifamily and mixed uses are permitted, including in nonresidential zones permitting multifamily use. Additionally, AB 101 requires that a low barrier navigation center development be a use by right in mixed-use zones and nonresidential zones permitting multifamily uses if it meets specified requirements. Program HE-2 commits the City to revising the Zoning Ordinance for compliance with the requirements of AB 101.
City of Susanville General Plan
2024-2029 Housing Element
HE-16 | Public Hearing Draft
AB 139 (2019) -Emergency and Transitional Housing Act of 2019 AB 139 established new criteria for evaluating the needs of the homeless population and established new parking standards for emergency shelters. The law also requires the Housing Element to include a review of the effectiveness of the housing element goals, policies, and related actions to meeting the jurisdiction’s special housing needs. For more information, please see the analysis of Special Housing Needs within Section 2: Housing Needs Assessment.
AB 2339 (2022) -Housing Element: Planning for Emergency Shelters AB 2339 makes two changes to housing element law. First, existing law requires local governments to plan for emergency shelters in their housing elements, and that the sites identified for emergency shelters must be in residential areas, which prohibits local governments from situating shelters in industrial zones or other areas disconnected from services. The law also seeks to ease constraints on the development of emergency shelters by requiring that any development standards applied to emergency shelters be "objective." The City of Susanville is not in compliance with the requirements of this new legislation. Currently, the City allows emergency shelters by right in the Public Facilities (PF) zoning district and with a use permit in the General Commercial and Shopping Center (C-2) Zoning district; however, emergency shelters are not currently allowed by right in any zoning districts which also allow residential uses. Program HE-2 commits the City to revising Zoning Ordinance to allow emergency shelters by right in a zone allowing residential uses (with sufficient capacity to meet the identified need) and to expand the definition of emergency shelters for compliance with AB 2339.
Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs)
AB 68 (2019), AB 881 (2019), AB 587 (2019), SB 13 (2019), AB 670 (2019), and AB 671 (2019) -Accessory Dwelling Units
In recent years, multiple laws have added requirements for local governments related to ADU ordinances. New laws approved by the legislature in 2016 and 2017 included changes pertaining to the allowed size of ADUs, permitting ADUs by right in at least some areas of a jurisdiction, and parking requirements related to ADUs. More recent laws reduce the time to review and approve ADU applications to 60 days, remove lot size requirements and replacement parking space requirements and require local jurisdictions to permit junior ADUs. Expanding on these laws, AB 68 allows an ADU and a junior ADU to be built on a single-family lot, if certain conditions are met. The State has also removed owner-occupancy requirements for ADUs, created a tiered fee structure that charges ADUs based on their size and location, prohibits fees on units of less than 750 square feet, and permits ADUs at existing multifamily developments. In addition, AB 671 requires the Housing Element to include plans to incentivize and encourage affordable ADUs.
City of Susanville General Plan
2024-2029 Housing Element
City of Susanville Housing Element | HE-17
AB 2221 (2022) -ADU: Cleanup of ADU Laws
AB 2221 contains clean-up language and clarifications to reduce permitting hurdles for ADU applicants, including:
• Expressly requires agencies to "approve or deny" an ADU application within 60 days of the completeness determination; agencies cannot use internal intermediary actions (such as interdepartmental referrals, issuing design comments) to bypass the 60-day deadline. • Agencies that deny an ADU application must provide a full set of comments to the applicant with a list of items that are deficient and a description of how the application can be remedied. • Clarifies that the construction of an ADU does not trigger a change in "Group R" occupancy of the residential building (thereby requiring stricter building code standards), unless the agency makes specific findings that the ADU would create an adverse impact on health and safety. • Clarifies that the construction of an ADU (attached or detached) cannot trigger a requirement to install fire sprinklers in an existing multifamily dwelling. • Finally, AB 2221 adds front setbacks to the list of objective development standards that local agencies cannot impose if they would prevent the construction of an ADU that is 800 square feet or smaller and adheres to fourfeet of rear and side yard setbacks and revised height limits. Front setbacks remain inapplicable to the "state exempt" class of ADUs found in Subdivision (e) of the state law.
SB 897 (2022) -ADU: Increased Height Limit and Detached ADUs SB 897 increases the minimum height limits that local governments may impose on ADUs to:
• 16 feet for detached ADUs on same lot with an existing or proposed single-family or multifamily dwelling,
• 18 feet for detached ADUs located on lot that is within a half mile of a major transit stop, or detached ADUs on lot with an existing or proposed multistory, multifamily dwelling, and • 25 feet or base zone height, whatever is lower, for attached ADUs.
The law introduces the potential for two-story ADUs if certain conditions are met, but ensures local agencies are not required to permit three-story ADUs. SB 897 clarifies that two detached ADUs may be constructed and qualify for building permit ministerial review under Subdivision (e) on lots with proposed multifamily dwellings. This change will allow developers to include two detached ADUs in their design and planning processes for new multifamily residential projects.
City of Susanville General Plan
2024-2029 Housing Element
HE-18 | Public Hearing Draft
AB 976 (2023) -Accessory Dwelling Units, Owner-Occupancy Requirements This law authorizes local agencies to require rental terms that are 30 days or longer for accessory dwelling units. This law also prohibits local agencies from imposing an owner-occupancy requirement on any accessory dwelling unit.
AB 1033 -Accessory Dwelling Units, Sale of ADUs
This law authorizes local governments to allow ADUs to be sold separately from the primary residence as a condominium.
AB 1332 (2023) -Accessory Dwelling Units, Pre-Approved Plans This law requires each local agency to develop a program by January 1, 2025, for the preapproval of ADU plans, whereby the local agency accepts ADU plan submissions for preapproval and approves or denies the preapproval applications. Under this law, local agencies are authorized to charge a fee to an applicant for the preapproval of an ADU plan. The law requires the local agency to post preapproved ADU plans on the local agency’s internet website. Local agencies are required to either approve or deny an application for a detached, pre-approved ADU within 30 days.
Summary of Compliance with Recent ADU Laws
The Susanville Zoning Ordinance Section 17.136 defines requirements for ADUs. The City most recently updated the ADU ordinance on September 18, 2024, as a part of the Zoning Ordinance update. The City’s ADU ordinance permits the construction of attached ADUs, detached ADUs, and JADUs in all zones that allow for residential uses. Portions of this ordinance that are not in compliance with State law include the following:
• The existing ordinance does not allow up to eight detached units in multifamily zones in compliance with Government Code Section 66323
Additionally, the City does not have a process for approving preapproved ADU plans, as required by AB 1332 (2023).
Program HE-2 commits the City to revising the Zoning Ordinance for compliance with all recent changes to ADU State law. Program HE-2 also commits the City to develop a program for the preapproval of ADUs.
Density Bonus
AB 1763 (2019) -Density Bonus
AB 1763 amended California’s density bonus law to authorize significant development incentives to encourage 100 percent affordable housing projects, allowing developments with 100 percent affordable housing units to receive an 80 percent density bonus from the otherwise maximum allowable density on the site. If the project is within half a mile of a major transit stop, the City may not apply any density
City of Susanville General Plan
2024-2029 Housing Element
City of Susanville Housing Element | HE-19
limit to the project, and it can also receive a height increase of up to three additional stories (or 33 feet).
In addition to the density bonus, qualifying projects will receive up to four regulatory concessions.
Additionally, the City may not impose minimum parking requirements on projects with 100 percent affordable housing units that are dedicated to special needs or supportive housing.
Density Bonus Law Changes: AB 2345 (2020)
AB 2345 makes certain changes to the State’s Density Bonus Law. Changes include:
• adds density bonuses of 38.75 to 50 percent for projects that provide 12 to 15 percent very lowincome units, 21 to 24 percent lower income units, or 41 to 44 percent moderate income units; • reduces the percentage of lower income units required to qualify for additional incentives or concessions from 20 to 17 percent for the second incentive or concession and from 24 to 20 percent for the third incentive or concession; and
• reduces parking requirements from 2 to 1.5 per dwelling unit for two- and three-bedroom units and clarifies the income requirements to qualify for the 0.5 parking space maximum for projects near transit.
AB 2345 also requires that additional information on density bonuses be included in annual reports to the Department of Housing and Community Development.
SB 290 (2021) -Density Bonus Law: Incentives or Concessions for Student Housing and Moderate-Income Families
This new law specifies that units required to satisfy a local government’s inclusionary zoning ordinance must count toward the total number of units to determine incentives and concessions under density bonus law. The law adds one incentive or concession for projects that provide housing to students that reserve at least 20 percent of the units for lower-income students. It also requires local agencies to include data on density bonuses granted to lower-income student housing development projects in their housing element Annual Progress Report.
SB 290 modifies the density bonus requirements for moderate-income developments to no longer require that the project be a common-interest development. Moderate-income developments may also receive a waiver from imposing a parking ratio of above 0.5 spaces per unit if the project provides at least 40 percent moderate-income units and is located within one half of an unobstructed mile of a major transit stop. The law also removes the option for a local government to refuse an incentive or concession on the grounds of an adverse impact to the environment.
AB 1551 (2022) -Density Bonus Law: Benefits for Mixed Use Projects AB 2551 reenacts a law that previously sunset on January 1, 2022, that provided State density bonus law benefits for commercial projects that include affordable housing. In order to qualify, a commercial
City of Susanville General Plan
2024-2029 Housing Element
HE-20 | Public Hearing Draft
developer must partner with a housing developer or provide housing that includes 30 percent lowincome units or 15 percent very low-income units. The housing must be on the site of the commercial development or on a site that is within the boundaries of the local government, in close proximity to public amenities including schools and employment center and be within a half mile of a major transit stop. Eligible commercial developments may be granted the following incentives, including but not limited to:
• Up to a 20 percent increase in maximum allowable intensity in the General Plan • Up to a 20 percent increase in maximum allowable floor area ratio • Up to a 20 percent increase in maximum height requirements • Use of a limited use/limited applicable elevator for upper floor accessibility or an exception to a zoning ordinance or other land use regulation
This tool may be useful in jurisdictions that want housing developed in tandem with commercial uses and where State density bonus law benefits can make a mixed-use project more financially feasible to support the residential component. This new law will continue until January 1, 2028.
AB 682 (2022) -Density Bonus Law: Benefits for Shared/Co-Living Housing AB 682 creates a new category of "shared housing" projects eligible for benefits under the State density bonus law. A shared-housing building is defined as a residential or mixed-use structure with five or more housing units and one or more common kitchens and dining areas designed for permanent residence of more than 30 days by its tenants. A shared-housing building qualifies for State density bonus law benefits if it contains 10 percent lower-income units, 5 percent very low-income units, or is a senior housing development. The law prohibits jurisdictions from requiring any minimum unit size requirements or minimum bedroom requirements for an eligible shared-housing building project. This is an important benefit as many shared-housing projects cannot meet local requirements as a result of the small size of the units.
AB 1287 (2023) -Density Bonus Law, Maximum Allowable Residential Density and Additional Incentives
This law defines “maximum allowable residential density” to mean the greatest number of units allowed under the zoning ordinance, specific plan, or land use element of the general plan, or, if a range of density is permitted, the greatest number of units allowed by the specific zoning range, specific plan, or land use element of the general plan applicable to the project. The law also removes the provision that the greater density prevails if the density allowed under the zoning ordinance is inconsistent with the density allowed under the land use element of the general plan or specific plan. Additional density bonuses are required to be granted by jurisdictions when the applicant conforms to specific requirements, including the percentage of units that are affordable to the range of very low- to moderate-income households.
City of Susanville General Plan
2024-2029 Housing Element
City of Susanville Housing Element | HE-21
Summary of Compliance with Recent Density Bonus Law
Due to the changing nature of the State’s density bonus requirements, the City’s density bonus provisions, addressed in Chapter 17.130 (adopted September 18, 2024) default to State standards.
Chapter 17.130 DENSITY BONUSES AND AFFORDABLE HOUSING INCENTIVES § 17.130.010 Purpose and intent.
Residential development shall comply with the allowability of density bonuses, incentives, exemptions, and concessions in compliance with State Density Bonus Law (Government Code Section 65915, as revised). Government Code Section 65915 requires the city to provide incentives for affordable housing, senior housing, and childcare facilities.
Although defaulting to State requirements is an appropriate approach to meeting State law, Chapter
17.130 does not outline a framework for processing density bonus requests. This creates uncertainty in the application and review process that could potentially constrain development. Program HE-2 commits the City to updating the Chapter 17.130 to identify the City’s framework for processing density bonus requests, including but not limited to, submittal requirements, decision-making authority, and review timelines.
Housing Element Contentsand Requirements
SB 6 (2019) -Standardization of Sites Inventory Analysis and Reporting SB 6 requires the City to electronically submit the sites inventory to HCD starting in 2021. The Housing Element will report on compliance with this requirement. The City will submit the form to HCD for review with each submission of the Housing Element Update.
SB 99 and AB 747 (2019) -Evacuation Routes
Two recent laws, AB 747 and SB 99, require the General Plan Safety Element to be updated to identify evacuation routes and their capacity, safety, and viability under a range of emergency scenarios and to include information identifying residential developments in hazard areas that do not have at least two emergency evacuation routes. The laws require these updates to occur with the 2024-2029 Housing Element update period. The City is currently updating the Safety Element, as required by State law.
Adoption of the update Element is tentatively scheduled for spring 2026.
AB 1304 (2021) -Affirmatively Further Fair Housing: Housing Element Inventory of Land
AB 1304 clarifies that a public agency has a mandatory obligation to affirmatively further fair housing. It revises the requirements and methodology for the housing element’s analysis of fair housing issues and requires that the schedule of actions to implement the housing element include an analysis of historical
City of Susanville General Plan
2024-2029 Housing Element
HE-22 | Public Hearing Draft
origins and current practices that contribute to fair housing issues. The law also requires the inventory of land to consider the relationship of parcels to fair housing obligations and determine whether the inventory affirmatively furthers fair housing. For more information, please see Appendix C: Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing.
AB 1398 (2021) -Housing Element: Rezones to Meet a Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA)Shortfall
AB 1398 requires a local government that fails to adopt a housing element that the Department of Housing and Community Development deems compliant with state law within 120 days of the statutory deadline to complete any rezones proposed to meet the state-identified housing need within one year of the statutory deadline. Further, a jurisdiction that adopts a housing element more than one year after the deadline cannot be deemed compliant until rezoning is complete. This Housing Element does not propose rezones to meet a RHNA shortfall.
Development Approvals and Permit Processing
AB 1486 and AB 1255 (2019) -Surplus Land Act Amendments AB 1486 refines the Surplus Land Act to provide clarity and further enforcement to increase the supply of affordable housing. The law requires the City to include specific information relating to surplus lands in the Housing Element and Housing Element Annual Progress Reports, and to provide a list of sites owned by the City that have been sold, leased, or otherwise disposed of in the prior year. AB 1255 requires the City to create a central inventory of surplus and excess public land each year. The City is required to transmit the inventory to the Department of Housing and Community Development and to provide it to the public upon request.
AB 1483 (2019) -Housing Impact Fee Data
AB 1483 requires the City to publicly share information about zoning ordinances, development standards, fees, exactions, and affordability requirements. The City is also required to update such information within 30 days of changes.
SB 330 (2019) -Housing Crisis Act of 2019
SB 330 enacts changes to local development policies, permitting, and processes that will be in effect through January 1, 2025. SB 330 places new criteria on the application requirements and processing times for housing developments; prevents localities from decreasing the housing capacity of any site, such as through downzoning or increasing open space requirements, if such a decrease would preclude the jurisdiction from meeting its RHNA housing targets; prohibits localities from imposing a moratorium or similar restriction or limitation on housing development; prevents localities from establishing nonobjective standards; and requires that any proposed demolition of housing units be accompanied by a project that would replace or exceed the total number of units demolished. Additionally, any
City of Susanville General Plan
2024-2029 Housing Element
City of Susanville Housing Element | HE-23
demolished units that were occupied by lower-income households must be replaced with new units affordable to households with those same income levels.
The City has not formally adopted a procedure for processing SB 330 applications. Program HE-2 commits the City to revising the Zoning Ordinance, as appropriate, to ensure compliance with the requirements of SB 330 by 2026.
Data Sources
Information contained in the Housing Element was compiled through the use of a variety of data sources, agency contacts, interviews, and the review of existing documents. This included data from the United States 2000, 2010, and 2020 Census of Population and Housing, State, and local government agencies and information from local organizations. The following is a list of the primary data sources that were used for the preparation of the Housing Element:
• U.S. Census data (2000-2020 data), including American Community Survey data (2022 five-year estimates)
• State Department of Finance, Housing and Population Data • State Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) – Lassen County 7th Cycle Housing Element data package
Public Participation
Section 65583(c)(5) of the Government Code states that "The local government shall make diligent effort to achieve public participation of all the economic segments of the community in the development of the housing element, and the program shall describe this effort." Public participation played a critical role in the formulation and refinement of the City’s housing goals and policies.
Housing issues affect the entire community including residents, employers, and the public and private sectors. The public participation requirement of housing element law presents an opportunity to engage community members and stakeholders in a dialogue where they define problems and create solutions. The inclusion of community stakeholders in the housing element public participation process helps ensure appropriate housing strategies are more efficiently and effectively evaluated, developed, and implemented. An inadequate public participation process may lead to community disagreements.
Successful public participation is important because a diverse cross section of the population can be engaged in defining housing problems and in crafting community sensitive solutions. Another benefit of broad public participation and true engagement of the public is that when it is time to adopt housing strategies and approve housing developments, a greater portion of the community has been involved and participated in the plan and more frequently will support its implementation.
In response to the need for public participation, City planning staff worked with consultants to develop a robust community engagement program tailored to ensure the community and other stakeholders are
City of Susanville General Plan
2024-2029 Housing Element
HE-24 | Public Hearing Draft
engaged in the process and are given ample opportunities to provide input. The key objective of the community engagement program is to maximize opportunities for everyone interested in the Housing Element to participate. The engagement program includes overall project branding, a project website, newsletters and eblasts, announcements on the City website, City’s Susanville Click & Fix app, City’s various social medias, eblasts distributed through email mailing lists, multiple workshops, and Planning Commission and City Council meetings and hearings. This section summarizes the City’s engagement program.
Engagement Targeted to Lower-income Households. The City worked to engage lower-income households, as well as agencies representing them, by providing a wide variety of engagement efforts and ways to participate. The City’s social media platforms and Click & Fix app were regularly used to broadcast notices and announcements citywide, as well as to agencies that work with, support, and provide services to lower-income households. The City provided an easily accessible Project website and videos of workshops so that working residents could participate after hours. The City also provided surveys in English and Spanish, accessibility tools for the website, and an extended public review period for the Draft Housing Element. Finally, the City reached out to over a dozen agencies and organizations to schedule stakeholder interviews, including agencies representing or supporting lower-income households, such as the Susanville Indian Rancheria, Lassen Community College, Banner Lassen Medical Center, and the California Correction Center, however, due to scheduling conflicts and lack of stakeholder availability, the City was not able to schedule one-on-one meetings with these groups as part of this Update effort.
Branding
A branding package was prepared for the Technical General Plan Update, including the Housing Element Update. This included a project logo and style templates for all work products, maps, presentations, and publicity materials. The common branding helps to build recognition for the project and ensures that this effort is distinct in the minds of the community. The logo above will be used on all materials developed for all elements being updated during the Susanville Technical General Plan Update process. eBlasts and Noticing
Throughout the Project, the Housing Element team sent out a variety of eblasts and notices to both residents and stakeholders that have signed up for the email list. Additionally, the City used mailing lists, Susanville Click & Fix app, social media, and physical flyers to extend the reach of notifications on the Housing Element and all related events and meetings.
City of Susanville General Plan
2024-2029 Housing Element
City of Susanville Housing Element | HE-25
Project Website(plansusanville.com)
During the development and review of the Housing Element, the City created and maintained a website for the Technical General Plan Update, including a page dedicated to the 2024-2029 Housing Element.
This website provided easy access to information on the project, including general information about housing elements and details about workshops and other engagement opportunities. Project documents were posted to the website and comments were encouraged through the provided "Comments" button on each page. A button on the website allowed residents to sign up for the email list, as shown in the images on the following pages.
City of Susanville General Plan
2024-2029 Housing Element
HE-26 | Public Hearing Draft
A
https://plansusanville.com
A Google Translate Tool allows users to translate the entire website into Spanish.
City of Susanville General Plan
2024-2029 Housing Element
City of Susanville Housing Element | HE-27
B
Email and contact buttons allow users to join the project email list and provide a comment to the project team.
B
City of Susanville General Plan
2024-2029 Housing Element
HE-28 | Public Hearing Draft
CommunityWorkshopand Focus Group Meeting Series
From December 2024 through February 2025, the General Plan Update Team facilitated a series of community workshops and Focus Group meetings to gain an understanding of housing needs, residential development opportunities, and fair housing needs in the city. Through this outreach, the Team heard a range of perspectives and opinions from residents and City staff members. The workshops and focus group meetings were designed to have corresponding meeting topics scheduled on the same day. These three topics were as follows: housing needs, constraints/sites inventory, and fair housing issues. Following publication of the Draft Housing Element, the City held a study session with the City Council to present and discuss the Public Review Draft Housing Element Update..
Community Workshops
The community workshop series includes four live virtual workshops via Zoom to discuss the Housing Element Update. The workshops provided a common understanding of the purpose of the Housing Element Update, key steps in the process, and sought public input on housing issues and distinct economic, social, and geographic housing needs. Each of the virtual workshops were recorded and posted to the project website. Residents who were unable to attend the workshops were encouraged to watch the meeting recording and submit their feedback either through the comments tab of the website or by emailing their responses to the Project Team, and to complete the online surveys posted to the project website.
City of Susanville General Plan
2024-2029 Housing Element
City of Susanville Housing Element | HE-29
Focus Group Meetings
In coordination with each public workshop, the Project Team facilitated a series of Focus Group meetings to obtain input from City staff. The Focus Group members were selected by the City and included nine members working in different City departments. The purpose of the Focus Group was to generate ideas, provide comments on each draft of the Housing Element, and offer recommendations to the Planning Commission and City Council.
Focus Group Members
Name Details
Dan Newton City Manager
Bob Godman Public Works Director
Erik Edholm Public Works Assistant Director - Engineering Jolene Arredondo Deputy City Manager
Tamra Spade Economic Development Director
Kelly Mumper City Planner/Code Enforcement Supervisor
Ruth McElrath Building Permit Technician
Heidi Whitlock City Clerk
Marci Rojas Program Coordinator
Rebecca Peconom Community Services Officer
Commentsfrom the Workshops and Focus Group Meetings
Throughout the community workshop and Focus Group meeting series, the Project Team facilitated discussions with residents and City staff on housing needs, housing constraints, sites inventory, and fair housing topics. A range of opinions and ideas were expressed in both the workshop and Focus Group discussions. Comments heard at these meetings are summarized below.
Please note that the fourth workshop and Focus Group meeting are scheduled for spring 2025 to review and discuss the Public Review Draft Housing Element.
Workshop #1/Focus Group Meeting #1: Housing Needs
A virtual public workshop and Focus Group meeting covering the purpose of the Housing Element Update, key steps in the process, and housing needs in the city occurred on December 12th, 2024. The following table summarizes comments received and identifies how the comment was addressed or responded to in the Housing Element Update:
City of Susanville General Plan
2024-2029 Housing Element
HE-30 | Public Hearing Draft
Housing Needs
Topic Comment Response
Senior Needs The Susanville Indian Rancheria will soon be opening a new health clinic, including a dialysis clinic.
Currently, residents need to travel a substantial
distance to access a dialysis clinic. Once complete,
the clinic may attract and increase the city’s senior
population in the coming years.
Thank you for the information.
Program HE-10 works to incentivize
housing for households with special
housing needs, such as seniors.
Student
Housing
There is a low stock of affordable housing appropriate
for students. At times, this pushes students to live in substandard housing. The Lassen Community College
has noted this issue in the past.
Program HE-9, Program HE-5, and
Program HE-6 we included to
promote the construction of new
affordable housing types (deedrestricted, ADUs, and SROs).
Rental Housing Citywide rental costs have increased in recent years.
This is particularly a financial concern for large
families, households with pets, and low-income
families.
Program HE-8, Program HE-9, and
Program HE-22 encourage the
development of affordable rental
housing, and an anti-displacement
strategy that addresses low stock
and other displacement pressures.
There is a low stock of existing rental properties,
causing competition amongst prospective renters
and inflating rental housing costs.
Housing
Conditions
Residences in the southeast quadrant of the city have
a higher need for rehabilitation due to age and/or
being in substandard condition, particularly for rental properties.
Program HE-6 and Program HE-20
address rehabilitation. Program HE6 targets “Central Susanville” which includes the southeast quadrant of
the city.
Mixture of
Housing Types
ADUs and JADUs create an opportunity to fill part of
the city’s housing need, as many parcels in the city
are large enough to fit a second unit and permitting
for this housing type is streamlined.
Program HE-9, Program HE-5, and
Program HE-6 we included to
promote the construction of new
affordable multifamily uses as well
as more affordable housing types
(ADUs, and SROs).
Most rental units in the city are on single-family
properties; more multifamily rental units are needed
to provide housing to a range of household incomes.
Subsidized
Housing
Several motels along Main Street are being used for
subsidized housing by the County; however, many of
these uses are in poor condition. The City should
continue to support the conversion of these motels to
single room occupancy (SRO) units or to short-term
stays.
Program HE-6 promotes the
conversion of substandard
hotels/motels to SRO units.
Supportive
Housing
The city’s only homeless shelter is over capacity and
there is a need to increase the city’s capacity for
supportive housing.
Program HE-7 addresses Emergency
Housing/Extremely low-income
housing needs; Program HE-2
commits the City to allowing
supportive housing in all zones
allowing residential uses and to
streamlining approval of supportive
housing.
City of Susanville General Plan
2024-2029 Housing Element
City of Susanville Housing Element | HE-31
Transportation The local public transportation system only stops once an hour at bus stops. Students are the largest
user of this system.
Program HE-18 commits the City
engagement local and regional
transportation agencies to explore
opportunities to expand current
services and routes.
Affordable
Housing
Development
There is a need for affordable housing to be
developed near transit, retail and health care
opportunities, and the community college.
The City considered this comment
in the development of the sites
inventory, and will continue to
prioritize residential development,
as particularly affordable housing
development near Main Street,
Lassen Indian Health Center, and
community college.
Workshop #2/Focus Group Meeting #2: Housing Constraints and Sites Inventory On January 9, 2025, the Project Team facilitated a virtual public workshop and Focus Group meeting to discuss housing production, residential sites in the city, and housing types with potential for affordable development. The following table summarizes comments received and identifies how the comment was addressed or responded to in the Housing Element Update:
Housing
Constraints or
Sites Inventory
Topic Comment Response
Development
Barriers
There is a lack of available developers for
typical home repairs or improvements. This
can make it difficult to afford a home that
requires many repairs. Some past approved
subdivisions never began construction of
units due to being unable to secure or afford
a developer.
The City has included Program HE-26, which
identifies actions the City will take to
promote economic development, including
the recruitment of developers, contractors,
and home service-oriented businesses.
Local market for new homes does not allow
developers to make enough profit, which
has decreased the amount of homes being
developed. Renovating existing,
substandard houses and new ADU
development seem to be more financially
feasible for contractors than development
of new homes.
Rehabilitation and preservation of existing
residential units is a priority for the City and
are addressed in Program HE-6 (rehab of
substandard units to SROs), Program HE-16
(preservation) addresses this issue. Program
HE-5 encourages the development of ADUs.
The Susanville Sanitary District lacks
capacity to support new residential
development. In recent years, multifamily
development in northern Susanville have
been disapproved due to this lack of
capacity.
This is the main constraint to housing
production in the City. Please see Program
HE-12 and Program HE-14.
The City placed a moratorium on impact
fees for five years and increased the cost
threshold that would require residential
This information was incorporated into the
analysis of development/impact fees within
the Constraints Analysis.
City of Susanville General Plan
2024-2029 Housing Element
HE-32 | Public Hearing Draft
Housing
Constraints or
Sites Inventory
Topic Comment Response
property owners to complete public
improvements.
Mixture of
Housing Types
There is a need for preapproved ADU plans
to streamline their development and reduce
costs for applicants.
Program HE-2 commits the City to provide a
procedure for approving pre-approved ADU
plans, as is now required by State law.
Program HE-5 encourages the development
of ADUs generally.
Past multifamily and/or affordable housing
developments have faced public/NIMBY
backlash, leading to project delays or
disapproval. City staff has found success
with residential permit processes that are
less discretionary, and wonder if educating
the public on the benefits of affordable
housing might reduce this opposition.
The City included engagement efforts in as
many housing programs as feasible and is
committed through Program HE-2 to
provide streamlined processes for approving
affordable housing developments in
compliance with SB 330 and SB 35.
Increasing the allowable density of the
Duplex/Triplex Residential (R-3) zone to 15
dwelling units per acre may encourage
denser residential developments in this
zone.
The Housing Element does not dictate
allowable density. At this time, the R-3 zone
allows up to 12 du/ac; the City will consider
this comment in the next update to the
General Plan Land Use Element.
There is interest in allowing residential
mixed use developments in commercial
zones in the city to expand housing
opportunities and improve economic
development.
Program HE-25 commits the City to
evaluating the feasibility of high density
residential uses in non-residential zones and
amending the zoning code, as appropriate,
to expand capacity on commercial, public
facilities, or City-owned sites.
There is interest in allowing residential
developments in the Public Facilities (PF)
zone.
Program HE-25 commits the City to
evaluating the feasibility of high density
residential uses in non-residential zones and
amending the zoning code, as appropriate,
to expand capacity on commercial, public
facilities, or City-owned sites.
There is interest in allowing residential
developments on City-owned parcels,
particularly for student housing projects.
Program HE-25 commits the City to
evaluating the feasibility of high density
residential uses in non-residential zones and
amending the zoning code, as appropriate,
to expand capacity on commercial, public
facilities, or City-owned sites.
Housing and
Neighborhood
Conditions
Some older homes in the city are
uninsulated and have high energy costs due
to not being energy efficient. These families
may benefit from a weatherization program.
Program HE-20 addresses energy
conservation and weatherization.
Some water infrastructure improvements
will be needed in the future due to system
age and occasional issues with leaks. These
Program HE-12 commits the City to seeking
funding for infrastructure improvement
projects.
City of Susanville General Plan
2024-2029 Housing Element
City of Susanville Housing Element | HE-33
Housing
Constraints or
Sites Inventory
Topic Comment Response
improvements are laid out in the City’s
water utility capital improvement plan.
Housing Costs High fire insurance costs can make it
unaffordable to purchase a home,
particularly for first-time homeowners and
low-income families.
To address high costs, Program HE-11
commits the City to seek funding to
implement a Homebuyer Assistance
Program targeted to lower- and moderateincome household.
Workshop #3/Focus Group Meeting #3: Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) On February 12, 2025, the Project Team facilitated a virtual community workshop and a Focus Group meeting to discuss fair housing and contributing factors to fair housing issues. The following table summarizes comments received and identifies how the comment was addressed or responded to in the Housing Element Update:
AFFH Topic Comment Response
Concentrations of
Lower-income
Households
Central Susanville has higher amount of
lower-income housing compared to other
areas of the city.
The City included a number of programs to
address conditions in Central Susanville
(Program HE-11: Homebuyer Assistance
program targeting to Central Susanville,
Program HE-19: Place-based Strategies for
Community Revitalization), as well as to
increase production of affordable housing
and affordable housing types in higher
resource areas (Program HE-5, Program HE8, Program HE-9, Program HE-19).
Areas of
Concentrated
Rehabilitation
Needs
Older, substandard housing is concentrated
in Central and Eastern Susanville.
The City several program that assist in
rehabilitation and community revitalization,
including Program HE-6, Program HE-20,
and Program HE-19
Barriers to
Homeownership
Homes within a High Fire Hazard Severity
Zone find it difficult to afford and/or secure
fire insurance
The Housing Element includes a program to
address fire risk and safety from a housing
and fair housing perspective. Please see
Program HE-24. Please also note that this
program is meant to be coordinated with
programs in the Community Health, Safety,
and Conservation Element Update still
being drafted and is not the City’s
comprehensive approach to fire safety.
Reducing
Displacement
Risk
The City is interested in launching
weatherization or accessibility programs,
with assistance from grant funding.
Program HE-20 addresses energy
conservation and weatherization
City of Susanville General Plan
2024-2029 Housing Element
HE-34 | Public Hearing Draft
AFFH Topic Comment Response
The City takes a strict stance on code
enforcement violations and provides
technical assistance to property owners to
resolve issues.
Thank you for the information; Code
Enforcement and technical assistance are
discussed in Program HE-15
Improving
Livability
The limited capacity of the Susanville
Sanitary District is a constraint on new
residential development. Improvements
and expansions to the system are needed to
allow new development.
This is the main constraint to housing
production in the City. Please see Program
HE-12 and Program HE-14
The City is collaborating with the County to
address internet access issues. Currently,
they have a last-mile technical assistance
grant to improve broadband infrastructure,
including installing fiber and multiple hubs
to distribute internet.
Program HE-26 commits the City to annually
engage local broadband and cell service
providers to explore opportunities for
expansion, assist in navigating constraints,
and expedite permitting for necessary
infrastructure.
The City has taken steps to reduce risk of
wildfire damage to properties, including an
annual weed abatement program and
maintaining its status as a Firewise
community. The City would like to commit
to fuel reduction projects and property
inspections in conjunction with CalFire, as
well as to expand existing programs related
to fire hazard mitigation.
The Housing Element includes a program to
address fire risk and safety from a housing
and fair housing perspective. Please see
Program HE-24. Please also note that this
program is meant to be coordinated with
programs in the Community Health, Safety,
and Conservation Element Update still
being drafted and is not the City’s
comprehensive approach to fire safety.
City of Susanville General Plan
2024-2029 Housing Element
City of Susanville Housing Element | HE-35
Housing Needs Online Survey
From September 16, 2024, to February 19, 2025, the General Plan Update Team posted an online survey to the project website that aimed to understand residents’ opinions on current housing conditions, needs, and opportunities that could influence future housing in Susanville. The survey questions were designed to better understand and respond to the community’s sentiments about future housing growth. This survey included nine questions and took about five minutes to complete. At the end of the survey, participants had the option to sign up for the project e-blast list in order to stay informed on the City’s Housing Element Update. The survey was available in both Spanish and English. All responses to questions asked during the survey are summarized below.
Preview images of the Housing Needs Survey in English and Spanish Question 1: What are the largest barriers to accessing housing in Susanville? Findings: For this question, respondents were asked to rank eight housing barriers from most to least significant. In the table below, responses are ranked 1-8 from most to least significant. Their average scores are shown. The three highest ranked barriers to housing were the cost and availability of insurance, upfront housing costs, and the cost of rent.
City of Susanville General Plan
2024-2029 Housing Element
HE-36 | Public Hearing Draft
Table HE-1 Housing Barriers Survey Responses
Largest barriers to accessing housing within the city Score Cost of fire insurance/inability to secure insurance 6.67 Upfront costs (e.g., security deposit, down payment) 6.07 Cost of rent 5.93
Few options for rental units 5.13
Cost of mortgage payment 5
Few options for units for-sale 3.2
Lack of accessible units 2.27
Discrimination by landlords 1.73
Response: Responses to this question helped the City to prioritize program efforts, as resources are limited. The Housing Element includes a variety of programs that address these issues directly, as well as program actions to encourage new construction and the development of more affordable housing types to work to increase vacancy rates and reduce the cost of housing generally.
Question 2: If you rent or have rented in Susanville in the past, are there barriers to finding affordable rental housing options within the city? Findings: For this question, respondents were asked to select all answers that apply. Half of responses indicated that rental housing in the city is too expensive and/or in poor condition. Additionally, just under 38 percent of responses demonstrate that there are too few units available for rent. The single responses in the “Other” category provided an open response, noting that many landlords do not practice fair housing and that existing apartment complexes in the city do not provide rental housing for a range of incomes.
Table HE-2 Barriers to Affordable Rental Housing Survey Responses Answer Choices Responses
Yes; existing rental housing is too costly 50.0% 8
Yes; existing rental housing was in too poor of condition 50.0% 8 Yes; there are too few units available for rent 37.5% 6 No; there are no barriers to finding affordable rental housing options
25.0% 4
Yes; existing rental housing units are not the right size for my household
18.8% 3
I have never rented within the city 12.5% 2
Other 6.3% 1
Response: The City has included a number of programs that work to address the cost of housing, rental housing, and substandard housing. Key programs include, Program HE-9 (works to encourage new
City of Susanville General Plan
2024-2029 Housing Element
City of Susanville Housing Element | HE-37
affordable housing construction), and Program HE-8 (addresses rental assistance through the Section 8/Housing Choice Voucher program and program expansion).
Question 3: What types of housing are most appropriate to fill Susanville’s housing needs?
Findings: For this question, respondents were asked to rank eleven housing types from most to least appropriate to fill the city’s housing needs. In the table below, responses were ranked 1-11 from most to least significant. Their average score is shown. Respondents felt that single-family housing types on smaller lots and rental units would be the most appropriate type of housing for Susanville’s housing needs. They also felt that affordable homes (for purchase) or housing for seniors would be beneficial.
Table HE-3 Housing Types and Needs Survey Responses
What types of housing are most appropriate to fill
Susanville’s housing needs? Score
Single-family housing types on smaller lots (such as cottage housing or single-family homes with reduced yard space)
8.81 Rental units 8.75
Affordable homes available for purchase 8.44
Housing for seniors, with or without assisted living 6.25 Multifamily housing/apartments 6.06
Townhomes 5.69
Tiny homes or tiny home communities 5.69
Housing for large or multi-generational families 4.81
Supportive housing for individuals with a disability 4.69 Shelters for those experiencing homelessness 3.63
Agricultural/farmworker housing 3.19
Response: Responses to this question helped the City to prioritize program efforts, as resources are limited. The Housing Element includes programs addressing affordable rental housing, affordable homeownership, housing for households with special housing needs, and emergency housing/extremely low-income units.
Question 4: A majority of the housing units in the city are single-unit, detached residences,or mobile homes. What other types of residential development opportunities should be encouraged in Susanville?
Findings: For this question, respondents were asked to rank eight residential development opportunities from most to least desired/appropriate to encourage in the city. In the table below, responses were ranked 1-8 from most to least significant. Their average score is shown. Respondents indicated that accessory dwelling units, both for rent and for housing family members, friends, and extended family, should be encouraged the most in Susanville. They also felt that smaller multifamily
City of Susanville General Plan
2024-2029 Housing Element
HE-38 | Public Hearing Draft
housing developments (i.e. duplexes, triplexes, four-plexes) and larger multifamily housing developments would be beneficial.
Table HE-4 Residential Development Opportunities Survey Responses What other types of residential development opportunities should be encouraged in Susanville? Score
Accessory dwelling units for rent 6.08
Accessory dwelling units for housing family members, friends, and extended family
5.54 Duplexes, triplexes, four-plexes and other smaller multifamily housing types 5.38 Apartments and multifamily developments with 12+ units 4.92 Developments with a mix of commercial and residential uses 4.54 Lot splits that allow owners to build another home on their property 3.92 Tiny home villages/communities 3.69
RV/mobile home parks 1.92
Response: Responses to this question helped the City to prioritize program efforts, as resources are limited. The Housing Element includes programs addressing the top responses here, including ADUs, multifamily rental housing, and residential development in typically non-residential areas (commercial and public facilities zones, and city-owned surplus land).
Question 5: Accessory dwelling units (ADUs; also known as a guest unit or granny flat) are one way to increase housing availability in existing residential areas of the city.
ADUs can take a variety of different forms, but are generally smaller, single bedroom or studio residences located on the same property as an existing single-family home or within a converted garage space. If you own your home, what would make you consider adding an accessory dwelling unit to your property? Findings: For this question, respondents were asked to select all responses that apply. Half of respondents indicated that they would develop an ADU on their property if the City had preapproved building plans they could use. Just under 44 percent of responses would also consider adding an ADU to their property if it would increase their property value and if the permitting process was easy, quick, and expectable.
City of Susanville General Plan
2024-2029 Housing Element
City of Susanville Housing Element | HE-39
Table HE-5 ACCESSORY DWELLING UNIT DEVELOPMENT SURVEY RESPONSES If you own your home, what would make you consider adding an accessory dwelling unit to your property?
Positive
Response
percentage
Pre-approved building plans 50.0%
If it would increase your property’s potential sale price 43.8% Not interested/doesn’t apply to me 43.8%
Easy, quick and expectable application and permitting process 37.5% Reduced, waived, or deferred fees 31.3%
Help with financing 31.3%
The availability of technical assistance relates to permitting and code compliance 31.3% Renting the accessory dwelling unit would be a new source of income 31.3% Other 0.0%
Response: The Housing Element includes programs encouraging ADUs (Program HE-5) as well as a preapproved ADU approvals (Program HE-2).
Question 6: If you are a renter, would you be interested in renting an accessory dwelling unit?
Findings: Over half of respondents noted that they were not interested in renting an ADU, or that it did not apply to them. Just under 38 percent of responses noted an interest in renting an ADU, as long as it was separate from the main dwelling. A quarter of responses indicated an interest in renting an ADU if it were affordable and/or the right size for their household.
Table HE-6 Rental Accessory Dwelling Unit Survey Responses Answer Choices
Positive
Response
percentage
Not interested/doesn’t apply to me 56.3%
Yes, if I had some degree of separation from the main dwelling 37.5% Yes, if it is affordable 25.0%
Yes, if the unit was the right size for my household 25.0% Yes, if it had yard access 18.8%
Very interested, no concerns 12.5%
Other 0.0%
Response: Responses to this question helped the City to understand the extent to which ADUs can assist in meeting the needs of the community, as well as the constraints that may impact a homeowners’ decision-making process.
City of Susanville General Plan
2024-2029 Housing Element
HE-40 | Public Hearing Draft
Question 7: Another way to increase housing availability is to allow multifamily housing developments in more areas of the city. Where should multifamily developments be prioritized?
Findings: For this question, respondents were asked to select all responses that apply. Just under 63 percent of responses indicate that multifamily developments should be prioritized on vacant or underutilized parcels. Half of responses noted a preference for multifamily developments near existing commercial areas, and just under 44 percent of responses would like to prioritize these developments within commercial zones.
Table HE-7 Multifamily Development Location Survey Responses Where Should Multifamily Developments Be Prioritized?
Response
percentage
Underutilized or vacant parcels 62.5%
Near existing commercial areas 50.0%
Within commercial zones 43.8%
Residential areas 37.5%
Along major streets and transportation corridors 31.3%
Near schools 31.3%
In proximity to employment opportunities/major employers 31.3% Other 0.0%
Response: The City considered these responses in the development of the sites inventory, as well as in Program HE-25, which focuses on expanding residential capacity to traditionally non-residential zones.
Question 8: Incorporating new amenities into areas with existing or proposed residential developments can enhance resident’s quality of life and create a more comfortable and appealing environment to live in. What are your top three choices for amenities to prioritize near new residential developments? Findings: For this question, respondents were asked to select all responses that apply. Responses indicate that the highest priorities for new residential developments include parks and play areas (75 percent of responses), open space and trails (56 percent) and bus stops (38 percent). Only one respondent wrote an open response for the Other category, noting that they would like to see “dog runs in each community.”
City of Susanville General Plan
2024-2029 Housing Element
City of Susanville Housing Element | HE-41
Table HE-8 Amenities to Prioritize Near New Residential Developments Top Amenities to Prioritize Near New Residential Developments Response
percentage
Parks and play areas 75.0%
Open space and trails 56.3%
A bus stop 37.5%
Grocery stores and other retail shopping 31.3%
Schools 31.3%
Community centers, libraries, or other public facilities 25.0% Proximity to downtown areas 18.8%
Proximity to government services 12.5%
Health Care Providers 12.5%
Other 6.3%
Pharmacy 0.0%
Response: The City considered these responses in the development of the sites inventory, which prioritized sites in higher resource areas.
Question 9: What additional factors would you like us to consider when updating Susanville's housing plan?
Findings: This question was open ended. All responses received are listed verbatim in the table below.
Responses note a range of important factors to consider in this Housing Element Update. Several responses note the importance of encouraging and streamlining development and public improvements in vacant or underutilized commercial areas. Other responses noted a need for pedestrian infrastructure improvements, allowing for flexibility of land uses in existing developments, encouraging low maintenance landscaping, and encouraging housing for all income levels.
City of Susanville General Plan
2024-2029 Housing Element
HE-42 | Public Hearing Draft
Table HE-9 Other Factors to Consider Open Responses
Additional Factors to Consider in the Susanville Housing Element Adding sidewalks and upkeeping paint on the street
Make development easier. More streamlined. Help with the commercial sector. Need to make a better effort getting commercial tenant/owners to Susanville. Too many vacant spaces within the Main Street corridor. Get help to buildings that are dilapidated.
Have pride in what is already here. Develop, as part of the plan, a strategy for preserving historic character of neighborhoods along with the "uptown" but allow for creative and different uses so they are inhabited.
Encourage low maintenance front yards, xeriscape, low clutter Making places that are currently underutilized and/or areas in town that need general updating and infrastructure improvement, look nicer, and provide housing to folks in need would be great! And to not listen to all the NIMBY folks, considering if we want folks to stay in Susanville, the first thing they need is shelter and employment.
Need housing for MEDIAN income residents. Also, this is a rural area and everyone has a pet, need to be pets ok and have safe available area for dog walkers.
Response: The responses to this question were incorporated into a variety of programs, including programs for community revitalization and investment, infrastructure improvements, permit processing, emergency/extremely low-income households, and a homebuyer assistance program eligible to moderate-income households (as well as lower-income households).
City of Susanville General Plan
2024-2029 Housing Element
City of Susanville Housing Element | HE-43
Fair Housing Online Survey
From September 16, 2024, to February 19, 2025, the Project Team posted an online survey to the project website that aimed to understand potential fair housing issues in Susanville. The survey questions prompted participants to provide information on any differences in housing access and affordability that may exist between different areas and neighborhoods in the city. These responses were used to identify, understand, and respond to housing issues and the impacts they have on Susanville residents.
This survey included 11 questions and took about 10 minutes to complete. At the end of the survey, participants had the option to sign up for the project e-blast list in order to stay informed on the City’s Housing Element Update. The survey was available in both Spanish and English. Fair housing issues expressed through this survey generally fall under the following topics summarized below:
Preview images of the survey in English and Spanish.
City of Susanville General Plan
2024-2029 Housing Element
HE-44 | Public Hearing Draft
Table HE-10 Fair Housing Online Survey Public Input Summary Comment Response to Comment
There are affordable housing options in the
southeast quadrant of Susanville, as well as in the
various low-income housing units throughout the
city.
The City considered these comments in the
development of the sites inventory, and worked
to avoid concentrations of affordable housing in
lower resource areas.
The southeast quadrant of Susanville (near
Riverside Park) is considered to be a low-income,
high-poverty area.
The northwestern quadrant of Susanville and the
Historic Uptown District are considered to be
higher-income areas.
This information informed Appendix C:
Affirmatively Further Fair Housing.
Homes in the southeast quadrant of Susanville
are more likely to have a high need for
rehabilitation for safety or accessibility reasons.
This comment informed Program HE-8.
Rental costs in Susanville are higher than nearby,
unincorporated communities in the county.
The City has included multiple programs that
address affordable/rental housing construction
and preservation. Additionally, the City has
included programs to address infrastructure and
sewer system constraints that limit the potential
for new development, increased vacancy rates,
and, ultimately, reduced rental costs.
City of Susanville General Plan
2024-2029 Housing Element
City of Susanville Housing Element | HE-45
Stakeholder Interviews
From November 2024 through January 2025, the City’s consultants conducted one-on-one interviews with local housing developers and agencies to gain an understanding of the housing conditions, issues, and opportunities throughout the city. The input received during these interviews provides context to the consultants on housing needs and constraints in the city. The interviews included four participants.
Who we spoke to:
Name Details
Cynthia Raschein Lassen County Transportation Department Silas Rojas Lassen County Office of Emergency Services
Gaylon Norwood Lassen County Planning and Building Services Steve Stump Susanville Sanitary District
Summary of Interviews
Each interview lasted approximately 30-45 minutes and was conducted virtually via Zoom. After the Project Team provided a brief project overview, stakeholders were encouraged to share their thoughts on local housing needs and constraints. Although a broad range of opinions and ideas were expressed during the interviews, comments can be generally summarized into issues and opportunities.
Issues
• Governmental constraints. State regulations on residential development have contributed to the rising cost of construction, making residential development less financially viable for local builders. Current construction costs for a basic single-family home range from $300-450/square foot in Susanville.
• Material constraints. The cost of building materials is high and materials are poorly stocked in Lassen County, forcing builders to purchase materials outside of the county at a loss to the local economy.
As a part of the stakeholder interview outreach effort, the City’s consultants reached out to 10 additional stakeholders that were identified by the City, including agencies representing or supporting lower-income households, such as the Susanville Indian Rancheria, Lassen Community College, Banner Lassen Medical Center, and the California Correction Center.
Outreach efforts included emails, multiple phone calls, and voice messages over the course of two months. Despite multiple attempts to contact and schedule interviews with stakeholders, many of the potential stakeholders were unavailable or did not respond to requests for a meeting.
City of Susanville General Plan
2024-2029 Housing Element
HE-46 | Public Hearing Draft
• Electrical infrastructure. Electrical infrastructure in Susanville is old and causes regular power outages throughout the city that can take multiple days to restore, leaving homes without heat or refrigeration. Seniors tend to be more severely impacted by power outages due to reliance on medical devices that need electricity to run.
• Sewer infrastructure. The city currently faces significant sewer capacity constraints limiting the number of new residential units that can be built. Areas of the city north of SR 36 are more susceptible to infiltration issues, while the system servicing the southern portion of the city is in better condition. The current system can support about 10 new residential units, with five in the southern portion and five in the north. These sewer capacity limitations impose constraints on residential development throughout the city and cannot be resolved until the system is updated.
• Substandard affordable housing. There is a limited supply of affordable housing and many of the units that are affordable are in substandard condition. There are issues with local property managers not maintaining their buildings, especially units that are priced as affordable. • Student housing. While there is a demand for education in Susanville and a growing effort to expand trade programs at the local community college, there is a very limited supply of student housing. Limited student housing is forcing prospective students to seek other education opportunities outside Susanville.
• Young residents. While there are education and employment opportunities in the city, many young workers tend to leave Susanville for alternative educational or employment opportunities. The local community college provides some higher education opportunities, but many students end up leaving for four-year colleges. The job opportunities, higher wages, and better housing access offered in neighboring counties often prevent young workers from returning to Susanville.
• Economic development. The Lassen County Economic Development Department has in the past shifted its attention towards housing, resulting in the loss of local business programs that help attract and retain businesses.
• Neighborhood Opposition. There is some local pushback on potential new housing developments in Susanville, especially affordable multifamily housing. • Property insurance. Property insurance for the structure alone can cost up to $12,000 per year, and that is assuming the homeowner will qualify under highly restrictive requirements.
Homeowners then need to purchase a separate policy for personal property, driving prices up even further. The State is currently in the process of updating the statewide wildfire hazard maps, which is expected to increase insurance costs throughout Lassen County.
City of Susanville General Plan
2024-2029 Housing Element
City of Susanville Housing Element | HE-47
Opportunities
• First-time homebuyer program. The formation of a first-time homebuyer program would be helpful in providing pathways to affordable homeownership in Susanville. • Housing rehabilitation program. Establishing a housing rehabilitation program or providing services that assist homeowners in applying for existing rehabilitation programs would help property owners struggling to maintain rental housing units. • Aging population. The aging population in Susanville is increasing the demand for affordable senior housing. A housing rehabilitation program tailored to senior housing needs would help alleviate the demand for affordable housing.
• Transit services. There are existing transit services throughout the southern half of Lassen County; however, there are limited/no connections to Redding or Reno, where many residents commute for medical services. Expanding transit services to Redding and Reno would benefit residents, especially seniors.
• Point-in-Time count. Lassen County only conducts a homeless Point-in-Time (PIT) count in the winter, resulting in the undercounting of people experiencing homelessness in Susanville.
Efforts to conduct an additional PIT count during the summer would provide a more accurate assessment of the need for emergency shelters and transitional and supportive housing in the city.
• Sanitary District coordination. The Susanville Sanitary District is currently engaged in a citywide effort to collect data on the existing sewer system to inform the Sewer Master Plan update expected to begin in 2025. Facilitating collaboration between the City and the Sanitary District on grant funding efforts, data collection, and the Sewer Master Plan update would help improve the service quality provided by the Susanville Sanitary District. • City-County collaboration. Facilitating collaboration efforts between the City and County on cross-jurisdictional issues including providing and maintaining emergency housing, applying for grant funding, and supporting transit services would benefit both parties.
Response:
Information provided by stakeholders was used to inform the Housing Needs Assessment and Policy Document. Specifically, information from stakeholders informed programs related to sewer district constraints, infrastructure improvements/community revitalization, housing rehabilitation, assistance for homebuyers, incentives for housing for households with special housing needs, and emergency housing/extremely low-income households.
City of Susanville General Plan
2024-2029 Housing Element
HE-48 | Public Hearing Draft
Consistency With The General Plan
The City of Susanville 2024-2029 Housing Element is a required component of the Susanville General Plan, which was completed and adopted in August 1991 and has been amended and updated from time to time. California Government Code Section 65300.5 requires that “…the general plan and elements and parts thereof comprise an integrated, internally consistent and compatible statement of policies…” Additionally, Government Code section 65583(c) requires that a housing element describe how consistency has been achieved among the general plan elements. The most important aspect of internal consistency among general plan elements is that policies and implementation measures do not conflict and provide a clear policy guide for the future maintenance, improvement, and development of housing within the City.
The Housing Element has been reviewed to ensure internal consistency between it and other General Plan elements. No conflicts exist between the goals, policies and implementation strategies of the Housing Element and other elements of the General Plan. This Housing Element is for the planning period from 2024-2029 and complies with the state-mandated five-year update cycle. The City will continue to ensure internal consistency between the Housing Element and the General Plan through its annual review and reporting process, as well as through 0: Plan Consistency.
City of Susanville General Plan
2024-2029 Housing Element
City of Susanville Housing Element | HE-49
Section Two
Housing Needs
Assessment
City of Susanville General Plan, 2024-2029 Housing Element Public Hearing Draft
City of Susanville General Plan
2024-2029 Housing Element
HE-50 | Public Hearing Draft
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Section Two: Housing Needs
Assessment
This section analyzes the demographic, household, income, employment, and housing stock characteristics for the City of Susanville and surrounding Lassen County to determine the City’s existing and future housing needs through 2029.
This assessmentis divided into four subsections. Population examines and identifies population trends that may affect future housing needs. Employment describes primary income sources by occupation and individual’s ability to afford adequate housing. Household Characteristics explores Susanville by families, households, or living groups to see how past and projected household changes will affect housing needs. Housing Stock Characteristics discloses the overall housing environment in Susanville and details availability, affordability, and condition of housing. These analyses provide a general direction and focus for goals, policies and programs to meet the City’s identified housing needs.
Population
Population characteristics, such as growth rate and age, affect the type and amount of housing needed in a community, as well as the community’s ability to afford housing. The following section analyzes Susanville’s population characteristics and trends.
Table HE-11 shows population trends in Susanville from 2000 to 2020. Between 2010 and 2020, the city’s population decreased by approximately one percent, which equates to an average annual decrease of less than 0.1 percent (approximately 122 residents annually).
Table HE-11 Population Trends – Susanville, 2000–2020
Year Population Numerical Change
Average Annual Change
Number Percentage
2000 13,574
2010 17,947 4,373 437 2.4%
2020 16,728 -1,219 -122 <0.1%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2000 Census Table DP1, 2010 and 2020 Census, Table P1.
City of Susanville General Plan
2024-2029 Housing Element
HE-52 | Public Hearing Draft
Table HE-12 depicts population trends in Lassen County from 2000 to 2020. During this period, the overall population fell by just over three percent (1,098 residents). However, population trends varied by decade; between 2000 and 2010, the county population increased by three percent, but decreased the following decade by six percent. The county’s remote nature and the lack of access to rail and larger truck routes are limiting factors to industrial and other commercial growth. These limits affect access to the employment necessary for growth, particularly for younger families.
Table HE-12 Population Trends – Lassen County, 2000-2020 County
Population Population Change (2000–2020)
2000 2010 2020 Number Percentage
Lassen County 33,828 34,895 32,730 -1,098 -3.2%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2000 Census Table DP1, 2010 and 2020 Census, Table P1.
Table HE-13 reports on population estimates in Susanville and Lassen County for the year 2022 based on U.S. Census Bureau ACS estimates. As shown, the total population in Susanville was 15,737 while the countywide population was 37,873. This data indicates a population decrease of nearly 1,000 residents in Susanville between 2020 and 2022. Countywide, a similar population decrease was experienced during this period, indicating that residents who left Susanville during this period likely moved to locations outside the county.
Impact of Prisons on City Demographic Data
Individuals in “group quarters,” which includes those incarcerated in prisons, are counted towards the total population for the U.S Decennial Census.
Two prisons were active within the city limits as of the 2020 Decennial Census: the High Desert State Prison and the California Correctional Center. Although the California Correctional Center was deactivated on June 30, 2023, any inmates living in the Center at the time of the 2020 Decennial Census were counted towards the city’s population. In 2020, residents living in correctional facilities for adults accounted for 7,550 of the city’s total population of 16,728 residents. As of January 2025, no inmates live in the California Correctional Center due to its closure and 2,801 inmates live in the High Desert State Prison.
The inclusion of populations in group quarters in Susanville’s census data likely skews other census data points for the non-prison portion of the city, including, but not limited to, the city’s population by age and sex ratio, and population by race and ethnicity. The City has considered the impact of the incarcerated population on city demographic data in the development of the Housing Element and each of the implementation programs planned within. Further, the State of California does not require the City to adopt any actions to address the incarcerated population housed within the city.
City of Susanville General Plan
2024-2029 Housing Element
City of Susanville Housing Element | HE-53
Table HE-13 Population Trends – Susanville and Lassen County, 2022 Jurisdiction 2022 Population
Susanville 15,737
Lassen County 31,873
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American community Survey (ACS), 2010, 2020 and 2022 5-Year Estimates, Table DP05.
Population by Age
Table HE-14 shows population data by age group. Between 2010 and 2022, the number of people in the 25 to 34 age group increased by nearly 35 percent in Susanville. The 65 to 74 age group increased by nearly 17 percent, and the 35 to 44 age group had a nearly 12 percent increase during the same period.
The population for all other age groups decreased between 2010 and 2022. The under 5 years group experienced the largest decrease in population at 43 percent.
Table HE-14 Population by Age – Susanville, 2010-2022
Age Group 2010 2022 Population Change
Number Percentage Number Percentage Number Percentage
Under 5 years 998 5.72% 569 3.62% -429 -43.0%
5 to 9 years 802 4.59% 603 3.83% -199 -24.8%
10 to 14 years 982 5.62% 761 4.84% -221 -22.5%
15 to 19 years 1157 6.63% 685 4.35% -472 -40.8%
20 to 24 years 1728 9.90% 1,462 9.29% -266 -15.4%
25 to 34 years 3,080 17.64% 4,148 26.36% 1,068 34.7%
35 to 44 years 2,636 15.10% 2,943 18.70% 307 11.6%
45 to 54 years 2,753 15.77% 1,851 11.76% -902 -32.8%
55 to 59 years 932 5.34% 639 4.06% -293 -31.4%
60 to 64 years 891 5.10% 576 3.66% -315 -35.4%
65 to 74 years 726 4.16% 847 5.38% 121 16.7%
75 to 84 years 529 3.03% 478 3.04% -51 -9.6%
85 years and over 246 1.41% 175 1.11% -71 -28.9%
Median age (years) 34.9 33.7
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American community Survey (ACS), 2011 and 2022 5-Year Estimates, Table DP05.
Table HE-15 shows that in 2022, a majority of the population of Susanville was between the ages of 18 to 64 years old (75 percent). Just under 14 percent of residents are under the age of 18, and almost 9 percent of residents are 65 years or older. The large number of adults 18 to 64 age is heavily influenced by the sizeable incarcerated population counted in the city demographic data, nearly all of whom fit within this age range.
City of Susanville General Plan
2024-2029 Housing Element
HE-54 | Public Hearing Draft
Table HE-15 Population Age Group, Susanville, 2022
Age Group Total Percentage
Under 18 years 2,367 15.0%
18 to 64 years 11,870 75.4%
65 years and over 1,500 9.5%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American community Survey (ACS), 2022 5-Year Estimates, Table DP05.
Table HE-16 shows population data by sex and age group. Of all residents aged 18 years and older, the city has a sex ratio of over 290 males per 100 females, which reflects the impact of the incarcerated population. However, the city population aged 65 and older has a significantly lower sex ratio of approximately 75 males per 100 females. As with data on the population by age, the large disparity in sex ratio is heavily influenced by the sizeable incarcerated population counted in the city demographic data, as the prisons are intended for incarcerated males.
Table HE-16 Population by Sex and Age Group, Susanville, 2022 Total
18 years and over 13,370
Male 9,945
Female 3,425
Sex ratio (males per 100 females) 290.4
65 years and over 1,500
Male 642
Female 858
Sex ratio (males per 100 females) 74.8
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American community Survey (ACS), 2022 5-Year Estimates, Table DP05.
Population by Race and Ethnicity
Table HE-17 presents population by race and ethnicity. Approximately 29 percent of the city’s population is Hispanic or Latino (of any race). Of this category, nearly 93 percent identifies as Mexican and over one percent identifies as Puerto Rican. The other 71 percent of the city’s population identifies as “not Hispanic or Latino.” The largest racial group of the city’s population is “white alone” at approximately 63 percent of the total city population, followed by “two or more races” at just over 15 percent of the population. Additionally, approximately 14 percent of residents identify as “Black or African American alone.” Almost three percent of the city’s population identifies as “some other race alone”, followed by “American Indian and Alaska Native alone,” “Asian alone,” and “Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander alone”, each with approximately two percent.
City of Susanville General Plan
2024-2029 Housing Element
City of Susanville Housing Element | HE-55
Table HE-17 Population by Race and Ethnicity – Susanville, 2022 Total
Percent of
Total
Population
Percent of
Population
Group
Total population 15,737 - -
Race
White alone 9,873 62.7 -
Black or African American alone 2,157 13.7 -
American Indian and Alaska Native alone 383 2.4 -
Asian alone 273 1.7 -
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone 250 1.6 - Some other race alone 429 2.7 -
Two or more races 2372 15.1 -
Ethnicity
Hispanic or Latino (of any race) 4,516 28.7% -
Mexican 4196 26.7% 92.9%
Puerto Rican 69 0.4% 1.5%
Cuban 0 0.0% 0.0%
Other Hispanic or Latino 251 1.6% 5.6%
Not Hispanic or Latino 11,221 71.3% -
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American community Survey (ACS), 2022 5-Year Estimates, Table DP05.
Employment
Employment characteristics, such as major employers and income levels, can greatly affect the community’s ability to afford housing. The following section analyzes Susanville’s employment characteristics and trends.
Employment by Industry
Table HE-18 shows employment by industry for residents of Susanville. In 2022, there were approximately 3,927 employed residents in Susanville. The largest industries by employment included “public administration,” “Educational services, and health care and social assistance,” and “retail trade” industries, constituting a combined 61 percent of the city’s total employment.
City of Susanville General Plan
2024-2029 Housing Element
HE-56 | Public Hearing Draft
Table HE-18 Employment by Industry – Susanville, 2022
Industry Type 2022
Estimate Percentage
Civilian employed population 16 years and over 3,927 100.00% Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining 114 2.90% Construction 186 4.74%
Manufacturing 107 2.72%
Wholesale trade 61 1.55%
Retail trade 477 12.15%
Transportation and warehousing, and utilities 181 4.61% Information 87 2.22%
Finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing 17 0.43% Professional, scientific, and management, and administrative and waste management services
289 7.36%
Educational services, and health care and social assistance 692 17.62% Arts, entertainment, recreation, and accommodation and food services
342 8.71%
Other services, except public administration 164 4.18%
Public administration 1,210 30.81%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS), 2022 5-Year Estimates, Table S2405.
Table HE-19 shows employment by occupation in Susanville. “Management, business, science, and arts occupations” were the largest proportion of occupations in the city at over 29 percent of all occupations.
This was followed by “service occupations,” which made up over 28 percent of all occupations in the city, and “Sales and office occupations” at just over 20 percent. “production, transportation, and material moving occupations” and “natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations” made up just over 13 percent and approximately nine percent of all occupations, respectively.
Table HE-19 Employment by Occupation – Susanville, 2022 Industry Total Percent
Total 3,927 100.0%
Management, Business, Science, And Arts Occupations 1,155 29.4% Service Occupations 1,115 28.4%
Sales And Office Occupations 789 20.1%
Natural Resources, Construction, And Maintenance Occupations 361 9.2% Production, Transportation, And Material Moving Occupations 503 12.8% Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS), 2022 5-Year Estimates, Table S2405.
City of Susanville General Plan
2024-2029 Housing Element
City of Susanville Housing Element | HE-57
Major Employers
Table HE-20 lists major employers in Susanville in 2024. Schools, health care providers, legislative bodies, and employers falling into the category of “administration of conservation programs” appear most frequently on the list, along with supermarkets and grocery stores.
Table HE-20 Major Employers – Susanville, 2022
Employer Name Industry
Numberof
Employees
Army National Guard Legislative Bodies 50-99
Banner Lassen Medical Center General Medical and Surgical Hospitals 100-249
Credence Continuation High School Elementary and Secondary Schools 50-99 Diamond Mountain Casino-Hotel Casinos 50-99
Diamond View Middle School Elementary and Secondary Schools 50-99 Forestry & Fire Protection Administration of Conservation Programs 100-249
Lassen Community College Junior Colleges 100-249
Lassen County Adult Detention Legislative Bodies 50-99
Lassen National Forest Administration of Conservation
Programs 100-249
Lassen Nursing Rehab Center Continuing Care 50-99
Lassen union High School Elementary and Secondary Schools 100-249 Long Valley Charter School Elementary and Secondary Schools 50-99 Mckinley Elementary School Elementary and Secondary Schools 50-99 Northeastern Rural Health Offices of Physicians 100-249 Safeway Supermarkets and Other Grocery
Stores 100-249
Susanville Indian Rancheria Tribal Government 50-99
Susanville Supermarket Supermarkets and Other Grocery
Stores 50-99
US Eagle Lake Ranger District Support Activities for Forestry 50-99 Walmart Department Stores 100-249
Source: California Employment Development Department, Labor MarketInfo, Largest Employers by County, 2024.
Jobs-to-Housing Balance
Commute times and distances play an important role in housing affordability. These distances are also an indicator of a community’s jobs-to-housing balance, which shows if there is a sufficient number of jobs in the community to serve workforce residents. Communities with longer commutes generally have a poor jobs-to-housing balance, while communities with shorter commutes tend to have a stronger balance. The additional costs associated with extended commuting disproportionately burdens lowerincome households who must spend a larger portion of their overall income on fuel and other transportation costs, affecting a household’s ability to afford decent housing.
City of Susanville General Plan
2024-2029 Housing Element
HE-58 | Public Hearing Draft
Table HE-21 highlights the number of commuters traveling for a given length of time in Susanville. In 2022, approximately 84 percent of commuters traveled less than 30 minutes to work one way. The mean travel time to work is almost 18 minutes, which would seem to indicate a relatively strong jobs-tohousing balance in Susanville.
Table HE-21 Travel Time to Work – Susanville, 2022
Number of
Commuters
Percentage of Commuters
Less than 10 minutes 1,172 30.1%
10 to 14 minutes 869 22.3%
15 to 19 minutes 744 19.1%
20 to 24 minutes 471 12.1%
25 to 29 minutes 312 0.8%
30 to 34 minutes 167 4.3%
35 to 44 minutes 47 1.2%
45 to 59 minutes 160 4.1%
60 or more minutes 234 6.0%
Total Commuters 3,895 100%
Source: US Census Bureau, ACS 2022 Five-Year Estimates, Table S0801.
Household Characteristics and Housing Supply
This section provides an analysis of household characteristics and housing supply, such as household population, composition, size, tenure, overcrowding, and ability to afford housing. The US Census Bureau defines a household as all persons who occupy a housing unit, including single persons, families, and unrelated individuals living together. Persons living in group quarters such as retirement homes, dormitories, and prisons are counted separately from the household population.
Household Growth and Tenure Trends
Table HE-22 shows the number of households by tenure, which refers to whether a unit is owner or renter occupied. From 2010 to 2017, Susanville lost over 46 percent of households; however, the total number of households increased by 14 percent between 2017 and 2022. Since 2010, Susanville has had a consistent rate of homeownership between 47 and 54 percent of total households.
City of Susanville General Plan
2024-2029 Housing Element
City of Susanville Housing Element | HE-59
Table HE-22 Households by Tenure – Susanville, 2010-2022 Year Number of Households Owner- Occupied Percentage Renter- Occupied Percentage 2010 5,581 2,924 52.4% 2,657 47.6%
2017 3,002 1,410 47.0% 1,592 53.0%
2022 3,447 1,867 54.2% 1,580 45.8%
Source: US Census Bureau, 2010 Demographic Summary Profile and ACS Five-Year Estimates 2017, 2022, Table S1101.
The lower percentage of rental housing and the poor condition as identified in the housing condition section of this report are indicators of a need for affordable rental housing. Any growth in the number of service-oriented jobs will require an increase in the number of affordable rental housing units.
Table HE-23 shows household tenure by age. Within the “owner occupied” group, a majority of homeowners are between the ages of 25 to 44 (19 percent of all homeowners), followed by the 65 to 74 year age group (8.7 percent of all homeowners). Only about two percent of all homeowners are 85 years or over. Within the “renter occupied” group, most renters are between the ages of 25 to 34 (8.8 percent of all renters), 65 to 74 (8.8 percent), and 45 to 54 (8.7 percent).
City of Susanville General Plan
2024-2029 Housing Element
HE-60 | Public Hearing Draft
Table HE-23 Households by Tenure and Age – Susanville, 2022 Estimate
Percent of Total
Households
Total: 3,447
Owner occupied: 1,867 54.2%
Householder 15 to 24 years 17 0.5%
Householder 25 to 34 years 311 9.0%
Householder 35 to 44 years 342 9.9%
Householder 45 to 54 years 295 8.6%
Householder 55 to 59 years 65 1.9%
Householder 60 to 64 years 215 6.2%
Householder 65 to 74 years 298 8.6%
Householder 75 to 84 years 243 7.0%
Householder 85 years and over 81 2.3%
Renter occupied: 1,580 45.8%
Householder 15 to 24 years 146 4.2%
Householder 25 to 34 years 303 8.8%
Householder 35 to 44 years 164 4.8%
Householder 45 to 54 years 299 8.7%
Householder 55 to 59 years 147 4.3%
Householder 60 to 64 years 92 2.7%
Householder 65 to 74 years 302 8.8%
Householder 75 to 84 years 95 2.8%
Householder 85 years and over 32 0.9%
Source: US Census Bureau, ACS Five-Year Estimates 2022, Table B25007.
Table HE-24 shows household tenure by size of household. Within the “owner occupied” group, a majority of households consist of 1-person or 2-person households, at approximately 18 percent and 19 percent of all owner-occupied households, respectively. Five percent of all owner-occupied households consist of five or more people. Similarly, a largest categories of “renter occupied” households consist of 1-person or 2-person households, at approximately 16 percent and 15 percent of all renter occupied households, respectively. Nearly five percent of all renter-occupied households consist of five or more people.
City of Susanville General Plan
2024-2029 Housing Element
City of Susanville Housing Element | HE-61
Table HE-24 Households by Tenure and Size – Susanville, 2022 Estimate Percent of Total
Households
Total: 3,447
Owner occupied: 1,867 54.2%
1-person household 614 17.8%
2-person household 644 18.7%
3-person household 280 8.1%
4-person household 153 4.4%
5-person household 118 3.4%
6-person household 41 1.2%
7-or-more person household 17 0.5%
Renter occupied: 1,580 45.8%
1-person household 540 15.7%
2-person household 524 15.2%
3-person household 268 7.8%
4-person household 89 2.6%
5-person household 92 2.7%
6-person household 26 0.8%
7-or-more person household 41 1.2%
Source: US Census Bureau, ACS Five-Year Estimates 2022, Table B25009.
Household Composition
The U.S. Census divides households into two different categories, depending on their composition:
family and non-family. Family households are those consisting of two or more related persons living together. Non-family households include persons who live alone or in groups composed of unrelated individuals.
Table HE-25 shows information on household characteristics in Susanville. The largest household type in Susanville is married couple households, representing 46.2 percent of total households, of which less than half have children under 18. This is comparable to both the county and state. There is a slightly higher percentage of single female-headed households in Susanville (27.6 percent) compared to the county (25.4 percent). In Susanville, there are notably more single female-headed households (27.6 percent) than single male-headed households (18.9 percent). This trend is consistent across both the county and state.
City of Susanville General Plan
2024-2029 Housing Element
HE-62 | Public Hearing Draft
Table HE-25 Household Characteristics – Susanville, 2022 Household Type City of
Susanville Lassen County California
Total: 3,447 100.0% 8,925 100.0% 13,315,822 100.0%
Married-Couple Household 1,593 46.2% 4,500 50.4% 6,545,790 49.2% With Own Children Under 18 Years 655 19.0% 1,424 16.0% 2,762,776 20.8% With No Own Children Under 18 Years 938 27.2% 3,076 34.5% 3,783,014 28.4% Cohabiting Couple Household 252 7.3% 601 6.7% 977,441 7.3% With Own Children Under 18 Years 91 2.6% 177 2.0% 345,763 2.6% With No Own Children Under 18 Years 161 4.7% 424 4.8% 631,678 4.7% Female Householder, No Spouse or
Partner Present 952 27.6% 2,266 25.4% 3,453,571 25.9%
Living Alone 700 20.3% 1,264 14.2% 1,737,142 13.1%
With Own Children Under 18 Years 121 3.5% 398 4.5% 601,899 4.5% With No Own Children Under 18 Years 131 3.8% 604 6.8% 1,114,530 8.4% Male Householder, No Spouse or Partner
Present 650 18.9% 1,558 17.5% 2,339,020 17.6%
Living Alone 454 13.2% 1,132 12.7% 1,439,626 10.8%
With Own Children Under 18 Years 62 1.8% 114 1.3% 169,901 1.3% With No Own Children Under 18 Years 134 3.9% 312 3.5% 729,493 5.5% Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 17-22 (5-year Estimates), Table DP02.
Household Income
A major factor affecting a household’s ability to afford adequate housing is income. The median income of a community identifies the midpoint or middle income of an area’s income distribution and is a key indicator used to determine the level of affordable housing need. The US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) have established income categories using county area median income (AMI) as adjusted for household size. These income categories are a guideline for defining housing needs and include the extremely low-, very low-, and low-income categories.
Table HE-26 illustrates 2024 HCD income levels for Susanville by household size. Susanville’s area median income (AMI) for a household of four 2024 was $87,900.
City of Susanville General Plan
2024-2029 Housing Element
City of Susanville Housing Element | HE-63
Table HE-26 Income Levels – Lassen County, 2024
Income Limit Category
Persons in Household
1 2 3 4
Extremely Low (0–30% AMI) $18,450 $21,100 $25,820 $31,200 Very Low (31–50% AMI) $30,800 $35,200 $39,600 $43,950
Low (51–80% AMI) $49,250 $56,250 $63,300 $70,300
Median (100% AMI) $61,550 $70,300 $79,100 $87,900
Moderate (81–120% AMI) $73,850 $84,400 $94,950 $105,500 Source: HCD 2024.
Table HE-27 highlights Susanville’s income distribution for households by tenure, as estimated by the 2022 ACS. Overall, more renters have incomes of less than $75,000 than homeowner, with the exception of the “$15,000 to $19,999” and “less than $5,000” income categories, which had more homeowners than renters. Far more homeowners have incomes of more than $75,000 than renters.
While HCD’s income limits are controlled by State and federal law, the actual median income in countywide is much lower. According to American Community Survey (ACS) data for 2022, the median income in the city was just $52,997. This equates to $42,398 for a low-income household, $26,499 for a very low-income household, and $15,899 for an extremely low-income household.
As noted above, the State annually determines income levels annually for use in calculation eligibility and rent cost of income-restricted affordable housing units. In developing the income limits, the State applies a methodology that works to protect rents from shifts in the area median income by never decreasing below a minimum threshold. When the minimum threshold is applied, a greater number of residents may qualify for income-restricted assisted housing, however, some households may have to pay more than 30 percent of their income on rents to afford rent calculated in this manner.
City of Susanville General Plan
2024-2029 Housing Element
HE-64 | Public Hearing Draft
Table HE-27 Household Income by Tenure – Susanville, 2022 Income Category
Total Owner-Occupied Renter-Occupied
Number Percentage Number Percentage Number Percentage
Less than $5,000 111 3.2% 74 4.0% 37 2.3%
$5,000 to $9,999 132 3.8% 37 2.0% 95 6.0%
$10,000 to $14,999 66 1.9% 22 1.2% 44 2.8%
$15,000 to $19,999 244 7.1% 149 8.0% 95 6.0%
$20,000 to $24,999 139 4.0% 44 2.4% 95 6.0%
$25,000 to $34,999 372 10.8% 121 6.5% 251 15.9%
$35,000 to $49,999 566 16.4% 246 13.2% 320 20.3%
$50,000 to $74,999 516 15.0% 255 13.7% 261 16.5%
$75,000 to $99,999 373 10.8% 226 12.1% 147 9.3%
$100,000 to $149,999 575 16.7% 436 23.4% 139 8.8%
$150,000 or more 353 10.2% 257 13.8% 96 6.1%
Total 3,447 62.9% 1,867 34.1% 1,580 28.8%
Source: US Census Bureau, ACS Five-Year Estimates, 2022, Table S2503.
Overcrowded Households
The US Census Bureau defines overcrowding as when a housing unit is occupied by more than one person per room (not including kitchens and bathrooms). Units with more than 1.5 persons per room are considered severely overcrowded and indicate inadequate housing.
Table HE-28 shows the number of overcrowded households by tenure. In 2022, overcrowding was not a significant housing issue in Susanville, as about 98 percent of owner households and 95 percent of renter households occupied units of sufficient size. Overall, just over three percent of total households are overcrowded.
Table HE-28 Overcrowded Households – Susanville, 2022
Persons per
Room
Total Owner Renter
Households Percentage Households Percentage Households Percentage
1.00 or less 3,329 96.6% 1,828 97.9% 1,501 95.0%
1.01 to 1.50 70 2.0% 36 1.9% 34 2.2%
1.51 or more 40 1.2% 3 0.2% 37 2.4%
Total 3,439 100.0% 1,867 100.0% 1,572 100.0%
Source: US Census Bureau, ACS Five Year Estimates, 2022, Table B25014.
City of Susanville General Plan
2024-2029 Housing Element
City of Susanville Housing Element | HE-65
Households Overpaying
Household overpayment is defined by State and Federal standards as any monthly shelter costs greater than 30 percent of a household’s income. Shelter costs include mortgages, debts on the property, taxes, insurance, and utilities, or the monthly rent plus utilities costs. Households paying 50 percent or more of their income towards shelter costs fall into the category of severe overpayment. It is important to view overpayment in terms of tenure because renters, particularly lower-income renters, tend to pay a larger percentage of their household income toward housing, which leaves less income for other necessities such as food, clothing, transportation, and education. For owners, the cost of housing tends to be more stable and declines over time, as mortgage payments remain constant while income grows.
HUD Comprehensive Affordable Housing Strategy (CHAS) data, as adapted from the ACS, estimated that approximately 33 percent of all households earn less than 80 percent of the area median income and pay more than 30 percent of their income toward shelter costs.
Table HE-29 shows to what extent occupied housing units (households) are overpaying for housing costs by tenure and whether they were cost burdened (30–50 percent of household income) or severely cost burdened (50+ percent of household income). Of the 405 owner-occupied lower-income households, 250 (61 percent) overpaid for housing costs in 2020. Similarly, 495 (62 percent) of the 795 lower-income renter-occupied households overpaid. Data indicates that renters are more likely to be severely cost burdened (paying more than 50 percent of household income on housing) than homeowners. In 2020 there were 300 severely cost burdened renter-occupied households (20 percent of total renter households) compared to 155 severely cost burdened owner-occupied households (12 percent of owner households).
City of Susanville General Plan
2024-2029 Housing Element
HE-66 | Public Hearing Draft
Table HE-29 Households Overpaying – Susanville, 2020
Type of Household
Renter-Occupied
Housing
Owner-Occupied
Housing
All Occupied
Housing
Number % of
Households Number % of Total Housing Number % of Total Housing Total Households 1,455 100.0% 1,330 100.0% 2,785 100.0% Total Low-Income
Households 795 54.6% 405 30.5% 1,195 42.9%
Cost Burdened (30% to 50%)
Household Income <= 30%
HAMFI (extremely lowincome)230 44.7% 130 42.1% 355 43.3% Household Income >30% to
<=50% HAMFI (very lowincome)140 27.2% 55 17.8% 195 23.8% Household Income >50% to
<=80% HAMFI (low income) 125 24.3% 65 21.0% 190 23.2%
Household Income >80% to
<=100% HAMFI (moderateincome)20 3.9% 25 8.1% 45 5.5%
Household Income >100%
HAMFI (moderate- and above
moderate-income)
0 0.0% 34 11.0% 34 4.2%
Low-Income Subtotal 495 96.1% 250 80.9% 740 90.4%
Total 515 100.0% 309 100.0% 819 100.0%
Severely Cost Burdened (50%)
Household Income <= 30%
HAMFI (extremely lowincome)210 70.0% 120 75.5% 330 71.9% Household Income >30% to
<=50% HAMFI (very lowincome)55 18.3% 15 9.4% 70 15.3%
Household Income >50% to
<=80% HAMFI (low income) 35 11.7% 20 12.6% 55 12.0%
Household Income >80% to
<=100% HAMFI (moderateincome)0 0.0% 0 0.0% 0 0.0%
Household Income >100%
HAMFI (moderate- and above
moderate-income)
0 0.0% 4 2.5% 4 0.9%
Low-Income Subtotal 300 100.0% 155 97.5% 455 99.1%
Total 300 100.0% 159 100.0% 459 100.0%
Source: CHAS 2020.
City of Susanville General Plan
2024-2029 Housing Element
City of Susanville Housing Element | HE-67
Housing Problems
Households with housing problems include those with a cost burden, overcrowded households, and/or households living in units without complete kitchen or plumbing facilities. Households with a cost burden are households paying shelter costs in excess of 30 percent of their household income and are described in detail above.
Table HE-30 shows households with housing problems by tenure and income category, as reported by CHAS. This data indicates that lower income renter households with at least one housing problem account for 40.8 percent of total households, while lower income owners represent 18.0 percent of total households. This data indicates that there is a significant difference between low-income renters and owners with housing problems, which further illustrates the need for affordable, safe, and secure rental housing options for Susanville residents.
Table HE-30 Housing Problems – Susanville, 2020
Household Income
Category
With Problems All Households
Owners Renters Total Owners Renters Total
0–30% AMI
(extremely lowincome)125 235 360 170 290 460
30%–50% AMI(very
low-income) 55 145 200 115 215 330
50%–80% AMI(lowincome) 65 175 240 195 375 570
80%–100% AMI
(moderate-income) 35 30 65 85 205 290
100% AMI or more
(moderate- and
above moderateincome)
50 4 54 765 375 1,140
Total Households 330 585 915 1,330 1,455 2,785
Percentage of Households (0–80% AMI) with any housing
problems 18.0% 40.8% 58.8%
Source: State of the Cities Data Systems: Comprehensive Housing Affordability Strategy (CHAS) Data 2020.
Note: It is important to recognize that, similar to ACS data, the CHAS dataset uses small samples and is subject to large margins of error and thereforemay have totals and percentages that are slightly different fromother data sources used in this document.
Housing Affordability
Table HE-31 outlines the maximum affordable home prices in 2024 for extremely low-, very low-, low-, and median-income households. The table presents maximum affordable monthly mortgage payments by income category and household size, assuming 30 percent of household income for housing costs
City of Susanville General Plan
2024-2029 Housing Element
HE-68 | Public Hearing Draft
including utilities. Although utility costs vary between households, this analysis applies a utility cost of $200 per month for all income categories and household sizes.
Based on these calculations, an extremely low-income household of four can afford a maximum home price of $79,399, a very low-income household of four can afford a maximum home price of $123,551, and a low-income household of four can afford up to $214,110, which are below the 2024 average housing sales price in the city of $234,460, as identified by the Zillow Home Index (see Table HE-34).
Housing subsidies would be needed to make homeownership affordable for these lower income households without paying more than 30 percent of their monthly income on mortgage and utilities.
Households that make the median income can afford a maximum home price of $274,597, which is more than the average home price in the city.
Table HE-31 also assesses the monthly rents affordable to households of different sizes in the different income categories. An extremely low-income four-person household can afford maximum monthly rental payments of up to $580 and very low-income four-person households can afford monthly rental payments up to $899, while low-income households of the same size can afford rents up to $1,558. The range of current rents in the city shows that extremely low-income households cannot afford even the lowest cost for smaller units of one bedroom (see Table HE-37). Very low-income households would also have difficulty affording most rental units in the city. Low-income households could reasonably afford a one- to two- bedroom apartment. Median and moderate-income families could afford a threebedroom unit. Lower-income families that require larger units to adequately accommodate family members have a limited range of units which they can afford.
Table HE-31 Housing Affordability Based on 2024 State Income Limits - Susanville Income Category 1-Person 2-Person 3-Person 4-Person
Extremely Low (0-30% AMI)
Annual income limit $18,450 $21,100 $25,820 $31,200
Monthly income $1,538 $1,758 $2,152 $2,600
Max. monthly rent $261 $328 $446 $580
Max. sales price $35,914 $45,021 $61,243 $79,733
Very Low (31-50% AMI)
Annual income limit $30,800 $35,200 $39,600 $43,950
Monthly income $2,567 $2,933 $3,300 $3,663
Max. monthly rent $570 $680 $790 $899
Max. sales price $78,358 $93,480 $108,601 $123,551
Low (51-80% AMI)
Annual income limit $49,250 $56,250 $63,300 $70,300
Monthly income $4,104 $4,688 $5,275 $5,858
Max. monthly rent $1,031 $1,206 $1,383 $1,558
Max. sales price $141,766 $165,823 $190,052 $214,110
City of Susanville General Plan
2024-2029 Housing Element
City of Susanville Housing Element | HE-69
Income Category 1-Person 2-Person 3-Person 4-Person
Median (100% AMI)
Annual income limit $61,550 $70,300 $79,100 $87,900
Monthly income $5,129 $5,858 $6,592 $7,325
Max. monthly rent $1,339 $1,558 $1,778 $1,998
Max. sales price $184,038 $214,110 $244,353 $274,597
Moderate (101-120% AMI)
Annual income limit $73,850 $84,400 $94,950 $105,500
Monthly income $6,154 $7,033 $7,913 $8,792
Max. monthly rent $1,646 $1,910 $2,174 $2,438
Max. sales price $226,310 $262,568 $298,826 $335,083
Source: Mintier Harnish, 2025.
Notes: Affordable monthly rent assumes 30% of gross household income minus the cost of utilities. A utility cost of $200 per month was applied to rental and maximum affordable sales price calculations. Affordable housing sales prices are based on the following assumed variables: 10% down payment, 30-year fixed rate mortgage at 6.72% annual interest rate, no monthly debts, debt-to-income ratio of 30%.
Housing Stock Characteristics
This section provides an analysis of the housing inventory and supply of existing units in Susanville, including the total number housing units available in the city, changes in vacancy, and structural condition of existing units.
Housing Units by Type
Table HE-32 shows the number of housing units in Susanville by structure type. In 2022, the majority of housing units in the city were single-family (1-unit) detached structures (70.6 percent). The second largest category of housing units were three to four-unit and 20 or more-unit multifamily homes, each consisting of over six percent of the total housing units in the city.
Table HE-32 Housing Units by Structure Type – Susanville, 2022 Structure Type Total Percent
Total housing units 4,183 100.0%
1-unit, detached 2,955 70.6%
1-unit, attached 58 1.4%
2 units 147 3.5%
3 or 4 units 263 6.3%
5 to 9 units 152 3.6%
10 to 19 units 153 3.7%
20 or more units 262 6.3%
Mobile home 193 4.6%
Boat, RV, van, etc. 0 0.0%
Source: ACS Five Year Estimates, 2022, Table DP04.
City of Susanville General Plan
2024-2029 Housing Element
HE-70 | Public Hearing Draft
Occupied Housing Units
Table HE-33 shows the number of occupied and vacant housing units in Susanville. In 2022, 17 percent of the housing stock was vacant. That number includes a large portion of housing units that are purposely left vacant for seasonal and recreational use. When not accounting for seasonal vacancies, the percentage of vacant units is reduced to approximately 15 percent. The vacancy rate is higher than is generally considered healthy and suggests there is an imbalance between the demand for and the supply of housing. The high vacancy rate shown in the data indicates that there are a number of substandard units, unoccupied second/vacation homes, units for sale or recently sold, or homes used as short-term rentals in the city.
Table HE-33 Occupied Housing Units – Susanville, 2022
Number Percentage
Total housing units 4,183 100.0%
Occupied housing units 3,447 82.4%
Total Vacant housing units 736 17.6%
Vacant for rent 90 2.2%
Rented, not occupied 13 0.3%
Vacant, for sale only 145 3.5%
Sold, not occupied 54 1.3%
For seasonal,recreational, or occasional use 89 2.1%
For migrant workers - -
All other vacant units1 345 8.2%
Homeowner vacancy rate 7.0%
Rental vacancy rate 5.3%
1 “All other vacant” includes units that fit into the following categories: foreclosure, personal/family reasons, legal proceedings, preparing to rent/sell, held for storage of furniture, needs repairs, currently being repaired/renovated, specific use housing, extended absence, abandoned/possibly condemned, other.
Source: ACS Five Year Estimates, 2022, Table DP04.
Homes Sales Price
A review of the home value index from Zillow indicates that the average home value in 2024 in Susanville was approximately $234,460 (as shown in Table HE-34). Average home values in the same period in Lassen County were slightly lower at approximately $227,811.
Table HE-34 Home Value Index
Area 2024 Home Value Index
Susanville $234,460
Lassen County $227,811
Source: www.zillow.com, May 2024
City of Susanville General Plan
2024-2029 Housing Element
City of Susanville Housing Element | HE-71
Table HE-35 provides a point-in-time snapshot of home and parcel sales listed between March 1, 2024, and April 30, 2024, in Susanville according to Zillow for comparison to calculations prepared by Zillow (Table HE-34) and the American Community Survey (Table HE-36). The average home sales price during this period was $204,921 for less than 10-acre parcels, with an average developed parcel size of 0.2 acres.
Between March and April 2024, no parcels 10 acre or larger were sold; moreover, no 10-acre parcels have been sold in Susanville in the previous 36 months. Additionally, two undeveloped parcels were sold during this period for an average of $21,500 and an average parcel size of 0.2 acres.
Table HE-35 Average Home Sales Cost in March and April 2024 Sale Type Average Sales Price
10 Acres or More
Developed Parcel – Home N/A1
Less Than 10 Acres
Developed Parcel – Home $204,9212
Undeveloped Parcel $21,5003
(1) No developed 10 acre parcels were sold in the previous 36 months in Susanville (2) Data based on 19 sales listed on Zillow
(3) Data based on two sales listed on Zillow
Source: www.zillow.com, March to April 2024
Table HE-36 shows American Community Survey estimates for home values for owner-occupied units throughout Susanville in 2022. Homes valued between $200,000 to $299,999 represent the largest category, accounting for nearly 34 percent of all owner-occupied units. followed by homes ranging from $150,000 to $199,999 (18.7 percent). Less than one percent of owner-occupied units have a value greater than $500,000. Half of all owner-occupied units have a value of $199,999 or less.
Table HE-36 Home Values, Owner Occupied – Susanville, 2022 Total Percentage
Owner-occupied units 1,867 100.0%
Less than $50,000 149 8.0%
$50,000 to $99,999 114 6.1%
$100,000 to $149,999 298 16.0%
$150,000 to $199,999 350 18.7%
$200,000 to $299,999 631 33.8%
$300,000 to $499,999 313 16.8%
$500,000 to $999,999 12 0.6%
$1,000,000 or more 0 0.0%
Median (dollars) $203,100
Source: ACS Five Year Estimates, 2022, Table DP04.
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Rental Prices
Rents are ultimately determined by the interaction of supply and demand within the housing market.
The two most significant factors contributing to rental prices are location and amenities. Table HE-37 provides data on rental housing prices in Susanville as identified through a point-in-time survey conducted in May 2024. Rental costs for one-bedroom units during this period ranged from $850 to $875, while three-bedroom units ranged from $1,500 to $2,300, depending on their location, condition, and offered amenities.
Table HE-37 Rental Prices in Susanville, May 2024
Type Number of Units Low High
One-Bedroom 2 $850 $875
Two-Bedroom 9 $895 $1,150
Three-Bedroom 3 $1,500 $2,300
Source: Apartments.com, zillow.com, May 2024
Table HE-38 shows the distribution of rental costs across the 1,496 rental units in Susanville in 2022.
Over 40 percent of all renters paid between $500 to $999 in rental costs per month, followed by renters who paid $1,000 to $1,499 in rental costs, which made up approximately 24 percent of all renters.
Approximately 16 percent of all renters paid less than $500 in rental costs. The median monthly rental cost in 2022 was $918.
Table HE-38 Occupied Units Paying Rent – Susanville, 2022 Total Percentage
Occupied units paying rent 1,496 100.0%
Less than $500 234 15.6%
$500 to $999 603 40.3%
$1,000 to $1,499 351 23.5%
$1,500 to $1,999 212 14.2%
$2,000 to $2,499 19 1.3%
$2,500 to $2,999 48 3.2%
$3,000 or more 29 1.9%
Median (dollars) $918.00
No rent paid 84 5.6%
Source: ACS Five Year Estimates, 2022, Table DP04.
Although the monthly cost of rental housing is important, most landlords require an additional first month rental payment plus a security deposit prior to a tenant moving in. Some landlords require a minimum monthly income of up to three times the monthly rent. There may also be requirements for deposits to connect to services such as water and electricity and possibly extra charges for additional
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2024-2029 Housing Element
City of Susanville Housing Element | HE-73
people or pets. Due to these factors, the actual cost of moving into a rental unit is often a greater burden than the monthly rent.
Recent Housing Units Built and Permitted
Most housing units built in the city in recent years have been single-family homes. Multifamily housing construction has historically been sparse in the city and county, as the region has had trouble attracting developers and builders interested in higher density uses. The rural nature, low incomes, and minimal infrastructure are some reasons cited by developers. Most home construction is sparked by individuals seeking single-family homes, and most subdivisions are small, consisting of four parcels or less.
However, as of January 2024, 23 new multifamily permit applications were submitted to the City in the previous planning period. Table HE-39 shows counts of recent housing building permit applications.
Since 2019, 37 building permit applications have been approved, 23 of which were for multifamily units.
Table HE-39 Recent Housing Building Permit Applications – Susanville, 2019-2023 Applications Total New Housing Permitted(2019-2023)
Single-Family 8
Multi-Family 23
ADU 6
Total 37
Source: Susanville Planning Department 2024.
Housing Stock Conditions
Table HE-40 shows the number of occupied housing units by year constructed. As of 2022, about 52 percent of housing in Susanville was 53 years old or newer. The largest period of new housing construction was in 1939 or earlier with just over 13 percent of the city’s total housing stock built during that decade. A similar level of construction took place from 1960 to 1969 and 1980 to 1989. New construction of housing has declined rapidly since 2009. The City estimates that approximately seven percent of housing units citywide are in need of major repair or replacement.
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Table HE-40 Occupied Housing Units by Year Built – Susanville, 2022 Year Number Percentage
Total: 4,183 100.0%
Built 2020 or later 3 0.1%
Built 2010 to 2019 99 2.4%
Built 2000 to 2009 531 12.7%
Built 1990 to 1999 509 12.2%
Built 1980 to 1989 546 13.1%
Built 1970 to 1979 493 11.8%
Built 1960 to 1969 556 13.3%
Built 1950 to 1959 472 11.3%
Built 1940 to 1949 412 9.8%
Built 1939 or earlier 562 13.4%
Source: US Census Bureau, ACS Five-Year, 2022, Table B25034.
Special Housing Needs
Certain segments of the population may have more difficulty finding decent, affordable housing due to their unique needs or circumstances. Examples of special housing needs include accessibility for the mobility impaired and otherwise disabled, transitional housing for those experiencing homelessness, and housing specifically designed for the physical and social needs of older adults.
State Housing Element law identifies the following special needs groups: senior households, persons with disabilities, persons with developmental disabilities, single-parent (particularly female-headed) households, large households, farmworkers, extremely low-income households, and households in need of emergency shelter. This section provides a discussion of housing needs for each group and identifies the programs and services available to address their housing and supportive services needs.
Table HE-41 shows population and household data for noninstitutionalized groups with special housing needs in Susanville. There are 1,051 senior households in Susanville, making up almost 31 percent of all households in the city. Susanville also has 632 female-headed households, making up 18 percent of total households. Around 10 percent of the total population in the city (1,718 persons) has a disability.
The city does not have a high proportion of farmworker or unsheltered persons.
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2024-2029 Housing Element
City of Susanville Housing Element | HE-75
Table HE-41 Special Needs Groups – Susanville, 2022
Special Needs Group Total Percent of
Total Population
Percent of
Total Households
Senior Households 1,051 - 30.5%
Female-Headed Households1 632 - 18.3%
Large Households2 335 - 9.7%
Persons with Disabilities
(including Developmental
Disabilities)
1,718 10.9% -
Persons in Poverty 1,577 10.0% -
Farmworkers3 114 0.7%
Individuals Experiencing
Homelessness (countywide4)
102 0.6% -
1 This is composed of female householder with no spouse or partner present. 2 Large households are categorized as households with five or more people. 3 This is composed of people employed in the agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining industries. 4 City-specific data not available.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2022 (1-Year Estimate), Table S1810, Table S0103, Table DP02, Table S1701; ACS 18-22 (5-Year Estimate), Table C24070; U.S. HUD, CoC Homeless Populations and Subpopulations Reports (2023).
Persons with Disabilities
Persons with disabilities may experience difficulty due to a lack of available housing that is specifically designed to accommodate disabilities. Inadequate bathrooms and kitchens, lack of ramps, and narrow hallways are examples of inappropriate design. In addition, persons with disabilities may also have low incomes due to work disabilities. Often, their housing needs are more costly than conventional housing.
Table HE-42 indicates the employment status of all disabled and non-disabled persons between the ages of 18 to 64. As shown, there are 189 individuals with a disability in the workforce. Further, 61 unemployed individuals have a disability and 583 individuals not in the labor force have a disability. It is assumed that may of the individuals with a disability that fall into the categories of “unemployed” or “outside the labor force” may be in need of housing assistance, especially if living on a fixed income.
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Table HE-42 Persons with Disability by Employment Status – Susanville, 2022 Number Percentage
Total population 18 to 64 years: 5,397 100.0%
In the labor force: 3,943 73.1%
Employed: 3,647 67.6%
With a disability 189 3.5%
No disability 3,458 64.1%
Unemployed: 296 5.5%
With a disability 61 1.1%
No disability 235 4.4%
Not in labor force: 1,454 26.9%
With a disability 583 10.8%
No disability 871 16.1%
Total working population with a disability 833 15.4%
Source: US Census Bureau, ACS Five-Year, 2022, Table C18120.
There are several types of disabilities. Table HE-43 documents the number of persons with disabilities, by disability type in 2022 based on available ACS data. The totals exceed those shown in Table HE-42 because some people have been counted two or more times, depending on whether their disabilities put them into more than one category. Each disability suffered by an individual was tallied separately.
According to ACS data, amongst those with disabilities, the most common disabilities for individuals in all age categories (aged 18 to 64 and aged 65 and older) include ambulatory difficulties and independent living difficulties.
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Table HE-43 Persons with Disabilities by Disability Type – Susanville, 2022 Number Percentage
Total Disabilities Tallied 3,503 100.0%
Total Disabilities for Ages 18-64 1,718 49.0%
Hearing Difficulty 141 4.0%
Vision Difficulty 214 6.1%
Cognitive Difficulty 265 7.6%
Ambulatory Difficulty 439 12.5%
Self-Care Difficulty 249 7.1%
Independent Living Difficulty 410 11.7%
Total Disabilities for Ages 65 and Over 1,601 45.7%
Hearing Difficulty 257 7.3%
Vision Difficulty 119 3.4%
Cognitive Difficulty 190 5.4%
Ambulatory Difficulty 509 14.5%
Self-Care Difficulty 160 4.6%
Independent Living Difficulty 366 10.4%
Source: US Census Bureau, ACS Five-Year, 2022, Table S1810.
The three principal statutes that address the fair housing and building standards for persons with disabilities are the Federal Fair Housing Act, the California Fair Employment and Housing Act of 1964, and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) as supported in Title 24 of the California Government Code. The City has adopted the latest version of the California Building Code (2022), in which Chapters 11A and 11B set forth standards for accessibility of buildings or portions of buildings to persons with disabilities. The City of Susanville ensures that new housing developments comply with California building standards and federal requirements for accessibility.
Persons with Developmental Disabilities
According to Section 4512 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, a “developmental disability” means a disability that originates before an individual attains age 18 years, continues, or can be expected to continue, indefinitely, and constitutes a substantial disability for that individual that includes intellectual disability, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, and autism. Senate Bill (SB) 812 requires Susanville to include the needs of individuals with a developmental disability within the community in the special housing needs analysis.
Many developmentally disabled persons can live and work independently in a conventional housing environment. More severely disabled individuals require a group living environment where supervision is provided. The most severely affected individuals may require an institutional environment where
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medical attention and physical therapy are provided. Because developmental disabilities exist before adulthood, the first issue in supportive housing for the developmentally disabled is the transition from the person’s living situation as a child to an appropriate level of independence as an adult.
The California Department of Developmental Services currently provides community-based services to persons with developmental disabilities and their families through a statewide system of 21 regional centers. Susanville is served by the Far North Regional Center, which provides point of entry to services to approximately 10,600 people with developmental disabilities. The center is a private, nonprofit community agency that contracts with local businesses to offer a wide range of services to individuals with developmental disabilities and their families. According to information received from the California DDS office there are 132 developmentally disabled individuals being served in Susanville. Of the 132, 24 are in an independent living environment, 92 are living at home with a parent or guardian, 13 are in a community care living facility, and less than 11 are in a foster family home.
Table HE-44 Persons with a Developmental Disabilities – Susanville, 2021 Community
Care
Homewith
Parent or
Guardian
Independent/
Supported
Living
Intermediate
Care Facility
Foster/
Family
Home
Other Grand Total
13 92 24 0 <11 0 >129
Developmental Disability by Age Group
Under 18 years Over 18 Years Grand Total
53 79 132
Source: 6
th Cycle HCD Data Packet: California Department of Developmental Services 2021 A number of housing types are appropriate for people living with a development disability: rentsubsidized homes, licensed and unlicensed residential care facilities, inclusionary housing, housing accepting Section 8 vouchers, special programs for home purchase, U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) housing, and SB 962 homes. The design of housing-accessibility modifications, the proximity to services and transit, and the availability of group living opportunities represent some of the types of considerations that are important in serving this special needs group. Incorporating “barrier-free” design in all new multifamily housing (as required by California and federal fair housing laws) is especially important to provide the widest range of choices for developmentally disabled residents. Special consideration should also be given to the affordability of housing, as people with disabilities may be living on a fixed income.
Housing for developmentally disabled individuals is not a one-size-fits-all prospect. In most cases, existing housing can be modified with little effort to accommodate individuals capable of independent living or living with a caretaker. For individuals requiring assisted living facilities there are no regulatory barriers to constructing those facilities in a wide range of zone districts in the city. Ultimately, cost becomes one of the most limiting factors for this segment of the population. It is the goal of the City to help provide housing to meet the needs of the developmentally disabled.
City of Susanville General Plan
2024-2029 Housing Element
City of Susanville Housing Element | HE-79
Resources for Persons with Disabilities
The Section 8 (Housing Choice Voucher) Program for Lassen County is administered by the Plumas County Community Development Commission (PCCDC). The PCCDC serves three counties (Lassen County, Plumas County, and Sierra County), and there are 637 vouchers in use across all three counties.
PCCDC does not separately report on their Section 8 Program by county. According to PCCDC, applications for HCV are currently open as of June 11, 2025. Additional services for residents with disabilities include:
Northern Valley Services (NVS) is a licensed Adult Day Program. NVS provides day-time care and activities including self-advocacy, sign language, learning self-help skills, culinary activities, academic skills, with activities constantly being developed to assist individuals in attaining their personal goals.
North Valley Services is licensed for 30 clients.
Lassen Life Skills (LLS) is a licensed Adult Day Program. LLS provides similar on site-training as well as services in the clients’ homes for one-on-one assistance. Lassen Life Skills is licensed for 45 clients.
In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) is a State and Federally funded program that enables the elderly, blind and/or disabled who qualify, to remain in their home with the aid of a care provider. Lassen County Adult Services offers IHSS services to all residents countywide from their Susanville office. All applicants must have current Medi-Cal eligibility. IHSS provides various services in clients’ homes for one-on-one assistance, such as domestic, medical, and paramedical supportive services.
The Far Northern Regional Center partners with persons with developmental disabilities to live how they choose as equal and valued members of the community. Services include in-home independent living support, respite care to provide temporary relief to caregivers, training programs and/or education support to teach life and work skills, job coaching, residential living arrangements, adaptive equipment to increase independence, and other supports to improve quality of life for their clients.2 As shown in Table HE-42, there are 250 individuals with a disability that are in the labor force, indicating the potential need for independent housing accessible to those with a disability living independently or heading family households. Assuming that Lassen County receives an equal share of Housing Choice Vouchers provided for the four county region, an estimate of approximately 160 vouchers are available to lower-income households in Susanville and the unincorporated county. Additionally, there are 366 subsidized affordable units in the city (Table HE-53). Due to the availability of Housing Choice Vouchers and rent-restricted affordable units, there is not a significant resource gap for persons with a disability in Susanville.
To improve access to housing for those with disabilities, Program HE-10 is included that directs the City to work with housing providers and provide incentives to encourage housing for households with special housing needs, including individuals with a disability. Further Program HE-8 commits the City to 2 https://www.farnorthernrc.org/about-us/
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continuing to partner with the PCCDC to maintain and expand the HCV Program, and Program HE-9 seeks funding in support of affordable housing construction.
Seniors
The special needs of many elderly households (those 65 and older) often result from lower fixed incomes, physical disabilities, and dependence needs. However, elderly households that have purchased and paid off a home have their home as a major financial asset. Table HE-45 provides estimates for Susanville householders by age in 2022. This table shows that 30.5 percent of all households in Susanville are headed by a person 65 years or older. Approximately 59 percent of those elderly headed households are homeowners; the other 41 percent are renters. While the proportion of elderly renters is low, if rental housing costs increase, housing affordability can be severely impacted for the elderly, who are usually on fixed incomes.
Table HE-45 Householders by Tenure by Age – Susanville, 2022 Age Category
Owner Occupied Renter Occupied Total
Number Percentage Number Percentage Number Percentage
Householder 15–24 Years 17 0.9% 146 9.2% 163 4.7%
Householder 25–44 Years 653 35.0% 467 29.6% 1,120 32.5% Householder 45–64 Years 575 30.8% 538 34.1% 1,113 32.3% Householder 65 Years and
Over 622 33.3% 429 27.2% 1,051 30.5%
Total 1,867 100.0% 1,580 100.0% 3,447 100.0%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS Five-Year Estimates, 2022, Table B25007.
Table HE-46 shows senior household estimates for Susanville by income. As shown, Approximately 41 percent of the senior population earns less than $35,000 annually. Just 275, or 26 percent of senior households have annual income higher than $60,000.
Table HE-46 Senior Households by Income – Susanville, 2022 Income Bracket Number of Households Percentage of Households $14,999 and Below 105 10.0%
$15,000 to $24,999 179 17.0%
$25,000 to $34,999 151 14.4%
$35,000 to $59,999 341 32.4%
$60,000 and Above 275 26.2%
Total Elderly Households 1,051 100.0%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS Five-Year Estimates, 2022, Table B19037.
City of Susanville General Plan
2024-2029 Housing Element
City of Susanville Housing Element | HE-81
Resources for Seniors
Eskaton Lassen Manor, located at 205 N Mesa Street in Susanville, provides 40 low-income apartments available to seniors. All units are provided under Section 42, Low Income Tax Credit (LIHTC) program.
Rents are based on the Area Median Income and tenant-based utility allowances. This apartment complex offers support and amenities for seniors who do not wish to live alone and cannot complete typical home maintenance. The complex also provides options for meal service, housekeeping, transportation, and social activities.
Susan River Apartments, located at 1625 Riverside Drive, SPC 41 in Susanville, provides 82 low-income apartments available to seniors. All units are provided under Section 42, Low Income Tax Credit (LIHTC) program. Residents’ income must meet income guidelines for USDA-RD 515 and LIHTC Programs. The apartment complex is designed specifically for individuals 62 years of age and over, or those who are disabled, regardless of age.
Eagle Lake Village, located at 2001 Paul Bunyan Road in Susanville, provides 75 assisted living apartments to seniors. This care facility offers a variety of services, including supported independent living, assisted living, memory care, respite and transitional care, and hospice care. This is the only licensed elderly residential care facility in the city.
Susanville Indian Rancheria Housing Authority (“SIRHA”) was established by the Susanville Indian Rancheria in the year 2000, to develop, manage and maintain affordable housing and housing programs to benefit the tribal members of the Susanville Indian Rancheria, including seniors. The SIRHA office accepts housing applications for rental housing, lease to purchase homes and for the various housing improvement programs. Susanville Indian Rancheria Housing Authority has received over $5 million in Indian Housing Block Grants from HUD between 2021-2023 to develop and operate affordable housing on the Susanville Rancheria reservation. A $2.5 million 2023 IHBG award will support housing activities through March 2025. A $541,049 2021 IHBG formula grant runs through September 2026 to provide housing assistance for tribal members. Susanville also received a 2020 $242,000 Indian Community Development Block Grant supporting housing infrastructure projects on the reservation through 2025.
Susanville Indian Rancheria Housing Authority utilizes its HUD grants to carry out essential housing services for the Susanville Rancheria tribe consistent with federal Native American housing program regulations.3
As of 2022, there were a total of 1,500 people 65 years of age or older living in Susanville. This represented approximately 9.6 percent of the population. In 2024, 52 people were living in a licensed senior care facility; however, the city’s facilities have a total of 75 beds available for senior residents needing these services. This means that over 96 percent of the senior population was living in a traditional housing environment and that there was available capacity within existing facilities. This could be the result of various factors, such as senior residents not requiring assisted housing or low3 https://govtribe.com/vendors/susanville-indian-rancheria-susanville-indian-rancheria-housing-authority-41pg5
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income seniors being unable to afford the monthly costs of living in an assisted care facility. Seniors in the community who do not need special housing can live in normal housing unassisted with the aid of a spouse or caregiver; this housing could be modified, as necessary, to meet most needs. In addition to the 75 total available beds in licensed senior care facilities, there is an 82-unit senior apartment facility and a 40-unit apartment facility which offers housing for low-income seniors in the community. Based on this data, it appears that the special needs of the senior population is being met.
Large Households
Large households are defined as households with five or more persons. These households can have difficulty securing adequate housing due to the larger number of bedrooms they need (three or more) to avoid overcrowding. It becomes even more difficult when large families try to find adequate rentals within their budget, as rentals typically have fewer bedrooms than ownership housing. Low-income large families typically need financial assistance to secure affordable housing that meets their space needs.
Table HE-47 shows household size by tenure. Large households comprise approximately 10 percent of the total households in the city. Large household needs are not a significant housing issue in the city of Susanville.
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2024-2029 Housing Element
City of Susanville Housing Element | HE-83
Table HE-47 Household Size by Tenure – Susanville, 2022 Tenure Total
Total: 3,447
Owner occupied: 1,867
1-person household 614
2-person household 644
3-person household 280
4-person household 153
5-person household 118
6-person household 41
7-or-more person household 17
Renter occupied: 1,580
1-person household 540
2-person household 524
3-person household 268
4-person household 89
5-person household 92
6-person household 26
7-or-more person household 41
Large households shown in bold.
Source: U.S. Census, ACS Five-Year Estimates, 2022, Table B25009.
Resources for Large Households
As shown above in Table HE-47, ACS 5-year estimates reported a total of 335 large households in Susanville in 2022. As shown below in Table HE-48, there are a total of 416 housing units with four or more bedrooms in Susanville. As stated previously, a housing unit is overcrowded when the total number of occupants is greater than one person per room, excluding kitchens and bathrooms. Based on this data, there is not a significant resource gap for large households in Susanville.
Table HE-48 Housing Unit Size – Susanville, 2022
Type of Unit Number of Units Percent of Total
Studio 86 2.5%
1 Bedroom 406 11.8%
2 or 3 Bedrooms 2,539 73.7%
4 or More Bedrooms 416 12.1%
Source: U.S. Census, ACS 5-Year Estimates, 2022, Table S2504.
City of Susanville General Plan
2024-2029 Housing Element
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Farmworkers
Table HE-49 shows the most recent U.S. Department of Agriculture data (2017) on the number of farms and hired farm labor in Lassen County. This data indicates that there are 77 farms in the county employing 249 workers.
Table HE-49 Farmworkers – Lassen County, 2017
Category Number
Farms 77
Hired Farm Labor 249
Source: USDA Census of Agriculture 2017.
According to 2022 ACS five-year estimates, 114 individuals in Susanville (approximately three percent of the workforce) were employed in farming, forestry, fishing, and mining occupations. Although there does not appear to be a large resident farmworker population in the city, other areas of Lassen County produce crops including wheat, oats, barley, and livestock.
The characteristics of migrant and seasonal farmworkers make it difficult to collect data. Migrant farmworkers often do not have a fixed address and work intermittently in various agricultural and nonagricultural occupations during a single year, with only casual employer-employee links. Many live in rural, often remote areas. Many have limited English-speaking abilities and relatively low educational levels and are unfamiliar with and even distrustful of government agencies and agents, including those who work for the Census Bureau. Inaccurate data makes it difficult to determine the seriousness of housing and other needs and the types of services required by this population. Despite these difficulties with collecting accurate data, it is well known that wages for farmworkers in California tend to be some of the lowest of any industry, which indicates that affordable housing for farmworkers is an identified need statewide.
Farmworker Housing Conditions (Statewide)
According to the UC Merced Farmworker Health Study (FWHS), published in 2023, farmworkers in California were most likely to be renters (92 percent) than owners, to live in single-family homes (55 percent), and very few of these renters relied on employers to pay any or all of their rent (2 percent). The research suggests that farmworkers generally experience substandard housing (e.g., older homes, apartments, mobile homes, motels, garages, or other similar spaces), often requiring repairs such as new roofs, plumbing, heating and cooling systems, and termite clean-up. Poor ventilation and crowded spaces put farmworkers at increased risk for respiratory illnesses such as asthma and infectious diseases like tuberculosis and COVID-19.
The FWHS also found that farmworkers statewide faced issues related to the built environment of their homes. More than 37 percent reported a “taste of water at home” that was either very bad (24 percent) or bad (13 percent) — an indicator of poor water quality and possibly health risks. More than one in three also experienced problems keeping a house cool (39 percent) or warm (36 percent), issues that will only
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increase in time as climate change exacerbates the temperature extremes. Farmworkers also encountered problems related to water and moisture—such as rotting wood (16 percent), mold (14 percent), water damage (13 percent), and water leaks (12 percent).
Regarding household characteristics, FWHS respondents lived in large, overcrowded households with low incomes and several household problems, arrangements associated with decreased mental health.
Farmworkers households were larger than the California average (3.0 persons per household), with a median household size of four persons. Over 29 percent of farmworkers' households had six or more persons. More than 55 percent of farmworkers reported that two persons (including themselves) slept in their room—a figure somewhat less than the percent married (67 percent)—but more than 25 percent slept in a room with three or more persons indicating overcrowding.
Of statewide respondents to the FWHS, over 70 percent of farmworkers lived in households with one or more children under the age of 18. The median number of children per household was two, and more than 42 percent of households had three or more children. Only two percent of farmworkers lived in households with children who worked.
Resources for Farmworkers
Though there are currently no specific housing resources for farmworkers in Susanville, Housing Choice Vouchers and the affordability of market rate housing in the city are resources for lower-income households generally, including farmworkers. As identified above, there were 114 individuals employed in farming, forestry, fishing, and mining occupations. Due to the low percentage of residents occupied in farm labor, general lack of agricultural uses in the city, and resources available for lower-income households (366 rent-restricted/subsidized units, assumed 160 Housing Choice Vouchers), the City finds that there is not a significant gap in resources for farmworkers in the city.
To encourage the development of housing opportunities for farmworkers, Program HE-10 commits the City to engage the County, farms with hired labor, and non-profit agencies to seek opportunities to partner in pursuit of the development of farmworker housing to support the local agricultural workforce. Further Program HE-8 commits the City to continuing to partner with the PCCDC to maintain and expand the HCV Program, and Program HE-9 seeks funding in support of affordable housing construction, both of which have the potential to benefit farmworkers.
Female-Headed Households
The US Census provides data on the total number of households headed by a female, the number of those with children, and the number with incomes below the poverty level. The data is not provided separately by tenure. The data includes all female heads of households; those without children may be supporting parents, or a single parent may be supporting an adult child or relative. Female heads of household are often the households most in need of affordable housing, childcare, job training, and rehabilitation funds.
City of Susanville General Plan
2024-2029 Housing Element
HE-86 | Public Hearing Draft
Table HE-50 shows the number of female-headed households in Susanville by householder type. In 2022, just over 15 percent of all households in Susanville were female-headed households, of which 71 have income below the poverty level. Additionally, there were 197 female-headed households with children under the age of 18. These households account for approximately 10 percent of total households.
Table HE-50 Female-Headed Households – Susanville, 2022 Householder Type Number Percentage ofTotal
Householders
Female-Headed Householders 316 15.3%
Female Heads withOwn Children 197 9.6%
Female Heads without Children 119 5.8%
Total Households 2,062 100.0%
Number Percentage of Total Families
Female-Headed Householders Underthe Poverty Level 71 3.4% Total Families Under the Poverty Level 286 13.9%
Source: U.S. Census, ACS Five-Year Estimates, 2022, Table B17012.
Most female-headed households are either single elderly women or single mothers. Traditionally, these two groups have been considered special needs groups because their incomes tend to be lower, making it difficult for them to obtain housing without overpaying, or because they have specific needs related to housing (such as childcare or assisted living support). Single-mother households have a greater need for housing with convenient access to childcare facilities, public transportation, and other public facilities and services.
Resources for Female-Headed Households
Lassen Family Services, Inc. is a domestic violence and sexual assault crisis agency committed to ending abuse in Lassen County through prevention, healing, advocacy, safety, education, compassionate intervention, and effective partnerships with social service agencies. Lassen Family Services operates a crisis response line and an emergency domestic violence and sexual assault shelter for individuals and families fleeing from domestic violence.
The Housing Support Team, operated by Lassen County Grant and Loans Housing Services Department, serves as a liaison within the system of care, community-based organizations, providers, and partner agencies to support placement of individuals and families into safe, stable housing. They aid those who are homeless, at risk of homelessness, or are low income eligible in navigating housing and rental assistance.4
4 https://co.lassen.ca.us/dept/behavioral-health/housing-support
City of Susanville General Plan
2024-2029 Housing Element
City of Susanville Housing Element | HE-87
Female-headed households with children and no spousal support frequently require public assistance due to lower household income and the cost of childcare. As a result, their housing choices are very limited and overpayment is not uncommon. However, due to the availability of affordable market rate housing, subsidized affordable housing (366 units), and housing choice vouchers, there is not a significant gap in housing resources for female-headed households in the city.
Program HE-10 works to incentivize housing for households with special housing needs, including female-headed households. Additionally, Program HE-18 commits the City to encouraging daycare facilities as a way of helping female-headed households meet their childcare needs. Finally, because of their economic conditions, construction of multifamily rental housing would also help this group.
Program HE-9 seeks to support the development of affordable multifamily housing and Program HE-5 and Program HE-6 encourage the development of affordable housing types (ADUs and SROs) that could benefit lower-income households, including female-headed households.
Extremely Low-Income Households
Extremely low-income households are defined as earning 30 percent or less of the area median income.
This group is one of the neediest in the population because its household incomes are so low and require the deepest of housing subsidies in order to make housing affordable. Per HCD guidelines, 50 percent of Susanville’s very low-income Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) number qualifies as extremely low income. Susanville’s projected estimate of the extremely low-income housing need for 2024 to 2030 is one unit.
Individuals and households that fall into the extremely low-income category face tremendous difficulty finding housing that is both safe and affordable. For a family of four, the ELI income threshold shown in Table HE-26 is $31,200. For housing to be affordable for a family of four they would spend no more than $9,000 annually, or $750 a month for housing. Persons falling into the ELI category generally also fall into another special needs category such as single-parent head of household, elderly, or disabled.
Nearly half of extremely low-income households in the city own their home, indicating a high percentage of seniors (or other households on a fixed income) that are long-time homeowners.
Extremely low-income households are likely to face housing problems such as overpaying, overcrowding, and/or accessibility issues as a result of their limited incomes. Generally, extremely lowincome households are more likely to experience substandard housing conditions, and extremely lowincome homeowners often cannot afford necessary repairs and improvements. Many extremely lowincome households fall within a special needs category (disabled, seniors, large households, or femaleheaded households) and require supportive housing services. Most families and individuals receiving public assistance, such as social security insurance or disability insurance, are considered extremely low-income households. Many minimum wage workers would also be considered extremely lowincome.
Extremely low-income households are more likely to face some form of housing problems. Housing problems include a lack of complete kitchen facilities, lack of complete plumbing facilities, an
City of Susanville General Plan
2024-2029 Housing Element
HE-88 | Public Hearing Draft
overcrowded household, or a cost burdened household. Data provided by the Comprehensive Housing Affordability Strategy (CHAS) identifies housing problems by income category and tenure. According to this data, in Susanville, 82 percent of extremely low-income households are cost burdened and 75 percent are severely cost burdened (Table HE-51).
Table HE-51 Cost Burden by Income Category
Owners Renters
Total
Households
% of Total
Households by
Income Category
0-30% AMI 200 245 445 100%
Any housing problem 145 220 365 82%
Cost burden > 30% 144 215 365 82%
Cost burden > 50 % 140 190 335 75%
31-50% AMI 100 150 250 100%
Any housing problem 85 65 154 62%
Cost burden > 30% 85 60 145 58%
Cost burden > 50 % 15 15 30 12%
51-80% AMI 215 410 625 100%
Any housing problem 55 195 215 34%
Cost burden > 30% 55 160 215 34%
Cost burden > 50 % 35 50 85 14%
Source: https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/cp.html? There is significant overlap between extremely low-income households and those that fall within another special needs category (e.g., persons with a disability, seniors, female-headed households).
According to 2023 ACS data (Table B23024; B17001; and Table B17012), there are 326 individuals with a disability, 205 seniors (65+), and 82 female-headed households living below the poverty line in the county, which are generally assumed to be extremely low-income, though some may fall within the very low-income category. These individuals and households are typically constrained by fixed-incomes or disability, and female-headed households must balance childcare on a single-income. Due to these constraints, extremely low-income households benefit from specific housing solutions such as:
• Deeper income targeting for subsidies for programs such as housing choice vouchers and deedrestricted housing. • Housing with supportive services.
• Single-room occupancy, tiny homes, studio units, accessory dwelling units, and/or shared housing.
• Rent subsidies (housing vouchers).
City of Susanville General Plan
2024-2029 Housing Element
City of Susanville Housing Element | HE-89
• Emergency and transitional housing for households at risk of experiencing homelessness. • Expanded access to childcare and daycare facilities and programs.
Resources for Extremely Low-Income Households
Susanville Police Department Community Services Officer provides case management, supportive services, and deposit insurance for extremely low-income households, including households at risk of or currently experiencing homelessness. The Community Services Officer provides case management by appointment or drop-in, support services, and deposit assistance. The Office also provides information to households on available services such as food pantries, employment, parent resources, elder services, Native American resources, housing and shelter assistance, resources provided by Lassen County, and national hotlines and crisis lines.5
The Housing Support Team, operated by Lassen County Grant and Loans Housing Services Department, serves as a liaison within the system of care, community-based organizations, providers, and partner agencies to support placement of individuals and families into safe, stable housing. They aid those who are homeless, at risk of homelessness, or are low income eligible in navigating housing and rental assistance.
The Susanville Indian Rancheria Housing Authority (SIRHA) was established by the Susanville Indian Rancheria to develop, manage, and maintain affordable housing and housing programs to benefit the tribal members of the Susanville Indian Rancheria. The SIRHA mainly manages affordable housing units on Susanville Indian Rancheria land; however, the agency also manages a fourplex along Limoneria Avenue and is in the process of developing a multifamily complex along Paiute Lane for use by lowincome tribal members.
Policies and programs for meeting the needs of ELI population are the same for meeting the needs of other populations including preserving low income and at-risk housing units, applying for grant funding to construct new subsidized housing, supporting the Section 8 program, removing constraints for ADUs, removing constraints for the construction of multifamily housing, and having a provision for single room occupancy (SRO) units. Mobile Home Parks are also another affordable housing alternative for ELI households. The City has six mobile home parks within its jurisdiction with a total of 240 spaces.
Despite the lower cost of housing in the city by comparison to the State, due to high levels of cost burden, the City finds that there is a moderate gap in resources available for extremely low-income households.
To address this resource gap, Program HE-7 commits the City to provide financial assistance (when feasible) and expedited processing for emergency and extremely low-income housing, Program HE-8 supports the maintenance and expansion of Housing Choice Vouchers available in the region, and Program HE-10 incentivizes the development of units for units accessible to special needs households, 5 https://www.sierradailynews.com/local/susanville-police-on-solutions-for-homelessness/
City of Susanville General Plan
2024-2029 Housing Element
HE-90 | Public Hearing Draft
including extremely low-income households. Additionally, Program HE-5 encourages and incentivizes the development of ADUs, which are among the most affordable housing types statewide. Further, Program HE-20 and Program HE-27 assist lower-income homeowners (including extremely low-income homeowners) with weatherization and rehabilitation projects. Finally, Program HE-15, Program HE-19, and Program HE-27 work to address housing needs or conditions in mobile home parks.
People Experiencing Homelessness
Homelessness can be caused by a number of social and economic factors, including a breakdown of social relationships, unemployment, a shortage of low-income housing, cuts to public subsidies, and the deinstitutionalization of the mentally ill. A person experiencing homelessness lacks consistent and adequate shelter. Those experiencing homelessness can be considered resident (those remaining in an area year-round) or transient. Emergency and transitional shelters can help address the needs of the homeless. Emergency shelters provide a short-term solution to homelessness and involve limited supplemental services. In contrast, transitional shelters are designed to remove the basis for homelessness. Shelter is provided for an extended period of time, and is combined with other social services and counseling, to assist in the transition to self-sufficiency.
As addressed in the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) Analysis, most people experiencing homelessness who are unsheltered tend to concentrate in areas of the city that are near Main Street – where retail, services, and transportation options are concentrated – and offer a level of privacy or an area for impromptu shelter. These areas include multiple locations along the Susan River, underneath the bridge located at the intersection of Richmond Road and Mill Street, underneath the Alexander Avenue bridge, underneath the Riverside Drive bridge, and along the Susan River Parkway.
City of Susanville General Plan
2024-2029 Housing Element
City of Susanville Housing Element | HE-91
Commercial, public, quasi-public and commercial services including motels, Safeway, Salvation Army, Crossroad Ministries, and Lassen Family Services are concentrated along or near Main Street in Susanville. Most people experiencing homelessness who are unsheltered tend to stay in open space areas near these services, such as along the Susan River due to the proximity to these services. Image source: Google Maps.
This extracted portion of the City zoning diagram shows the concentration of commercial zones (C-2, red) along Main Street and Ash Street. Those who are unsheltered tend to concentrate in areas of the city that are near Main Street – where retail, services, and transportation options are concentrated – and offer a level of privacy or an area for impromptu shelter, such as along the Susan River and Susan River Parkway.
City of Susanville General Plan
2024-2029 Housing Element
HE-92 | Public Hearing Draft
This diagram shows the bus stops in Susanville. Stops within the City are generally located along Main Street and Ash Street, and stretch to Lassen Community College, Banner Lassen Medical Center, and the Susanville Indian Rancheria.
The NorCal Continuum of Care (CoC) is a seven-county consortium governed by an Executive Board and charged by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to conduct a Point-In-Time (PIT) Count each year. Table HE-52 shows the county’s PIT Count, which helps HUD and local CoCs to understand the number and characteristics of individuals experiencing homelessness sleeping in shelters, on the street or in other places not meant for human habitation. The data collected also serves as a measure for how the community is resolving homelessness and provides the federal and state government information to determine funding needs and eligibility. Countywide, approximately 70 percent of the homeless population was sheltered at the time of the county, with the remaining 30 percent counted as unsheltered. City staff estimates that the majority of the 102 individuals counted in 2022 were in Susanville, due to the presence of Crossroads and Lassen Family Services, the two organizations in the county that have shelters. Since the majority of the city's homeless population is sheltered during the winter at one of these locations, it is estimated that 81of the 102 individuals counted were within city limits.
City of Susanville General Plan
2024-2029 Housing Element
City of Susanville Housing Element | HE-93
Table HE-52 Point-in-Time Count – Lassen County, 2022
Category Number Percent
Unsheltered 31 30.4%
Sheltered 71 69.6%
Total 102 100.0%
Source: NorCal Continuum of Care Lassen County Point in Time Count, 2022.
Resources for People Experiencing Homelessness
The Susanville Police Department Community Services Officer provides case management, supportive services, and deposit insurance for extremely low-income households, including households at risk of or currently experiencing homelessness. This position is provided through partnership between the Susanville Police Department and Susanville Indian Rancheria. The Community Services Officer provides case management by appointment and has drop-in hours each week, provides information on available services such a food pantries, employment, parent resources, elder services, Native American resources, housing and shelter assistance, resources provided by Lassen County, and national hotlines and crisis lines.6
The Housing Support Team, operated by Lassen County Grant and Loans Housing Services, serves as a liaison within the system of care, community-based organizations, providers, and partner agencies to support placement of individuals and families into safe, stable housing. They aid those who are homeless, at risk of homelessness, or are low income eligible in navigating housing and rental assistance.
The Crossroads Ministries Emergency Homeless Shelter is open to anyone in need Fridays through Sundays and during inclement weather. In addition to their homeless services, Crossroads Ministries also provides meal services, emergency food boxes, a summer feeding program for children’s lunches, and a transitional shelter for those requiring employment and educational supportive services.
Lassen County was recently awarded Homekey Round 3 funding, a grant administered by the California Department of Housing and Community Development. In January 2024, Lassen County and ColWest Investments were awarded $2,917,454.00 to convert a former medical facility in Susanville into fifteen units of permanent housing for individuals experiencing homelessness. Ten of these units will be for young adults, ages 18-24 years old.7
Due to the presence of shelter beds in the city and the low proportion of unsheltered individuals experiencing homeless, the gap in available resources is considered to be moderate. Program HE-7 commits the City to provide financial assistance (when feasible) and expedited processing for emergency and extremely low-income housing. Additionally, Program HE-5 encourages and incentivizes 6 https://www.sierradailynews.com/local/susanville-police-on-solutions-for-homelessness/ 7 Lassen County, Draft 2024-2029 Housing Element Update.
City of Susanville General Plan
2024-2029 Housing Element
HE-94 | Public Hearing Draft
the development of ADUs, and Program HE-19, and Program HE-27 work to address housing needs or conditions in mobile home parks, which are among the most affordable housing types statewide.
Assisted Housing Units
State legislation (Chapter 1451, Statutes of 1989) requires that all housing elements include an analysis of at-risk housing within the jurisdiction and, if necessary, the development of programs to preserve or replace those assisted housing units. Many subsidized units are multifamily rental units that provide rental housing at below market rates. If these units cease to be assisted, the owners of the properties may increase unit rents to market rates. Should this occur, low-income housing might be lost, making it difficult for the City to meet its goals for providing adequate affordable housing. The multifamily units to be considered are any units that were constructed using various federal assistance programs, State or local mortgage revenue bonds, redevelopment tax increments, in-lieu fees or an inclusionary housing ordinance, or density bonuses. Low-income multifamily housing is considered to be at risk if it is eligible to convert to non-low-income or market-rate housing due to (1) the termination of a rental subsidy contract, (2) mortgage prepayment, or (3) the expiration of affordability restrictions. The time period that is to be considered in making this determination is the ten-year period following the beginning of the Housing Element planning period (from June 30, 2024, to June 30, 2034).
Affordable Units in Susanville
Table HE-53 lists the units in Susanville that are designated as affordable. As shown, there are 61 units potentially at risk of conversion to market rate in the next ten years (before June 30, 2034).
City of Susanville General Plan
2024-2029 Housing Element
City of Susanville Housing Element | HE-95
Table HE-53 Inventory of Affordable Units
Project Name Tenant Type Total
Assisted Units Total Units Funding Sources
Expiration
Date Risk Level
Citrus Manor
Apartments Large Family 53 54 LIHTC; USDA 2061 Low
Lassen Manor I Seniors 39 40 HUD 1/31/2034 Low
Lassen Manor IV Seniors 11 11 HUD 3/1/2042 Low
Meadowbrook/
Parkview
Garden
Apartments
(Site A)
Family 87 90 LIHTC;
USDA 2067 Low
Mill View
Apartments Family 51 52 LIHTC; USDA 2074 Low
Eskaton Lassen
Manner (Pres.
Andrew
Jackson Manor)
Seniors 22 22 HCD; HUD 1/31/2034 Low
Eskaton Lassen
Manner (Pres.
Harry Truman
Manor)
Seniors 10 10 HUD 5/1/2038 Low
Susan River
Apartments Seniors 40 41 LIHTC; USDA 2066 Low
Susanville
Gardens
Apartments
Family/
Individual 53 64 LIHTC; CalHFA 2071 Low
Totals 366 384
Source: HCD Pre-approved Data Package: California Housing Partnership Corporation, 2023.
Loss of Assisted Housing
From time to time, restricted units lose their affordability controls or subsidies and revert to market rates. As shown in Table HE-53, in Susanville, two assisted projects are at risk of conversion in 2034 with a total of 61 assisted units. Upon contact, the property owner for both developments, Eskaton, confirmed that they still adhere to the affordability restrictions and have no intention of converting in the future. Without binding State or federal affordability restrictions, however, the status of these units is unstable beyond 2034.
Preservation and Replacement
Generally, the cost of preserving assisted housing units is estimated to be significantly less than replacing units through new construction. Preserving units entails covering the difference between market rates and assisted rental rates. New construction tends to be less cost efficient because of the
City of Susanville General Plan
2024-2029 Housing Element
HE-96 | Public Hearing Draft
cost of land and labor, which is often a limiting factor in the development of affordable housing. To maintain the existing affordable housing stock, the City may either work to preserve the existing assisted units or replenish the affordable housing inventory with new units.
Preservation
Rental subsidies using non-Federal (State, local, or other) funding sources can be used to maintain affordability of the 61 at-risk affordable units. These rent subsidies can be structured to mirror the federal Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) program. Under Section 8, HUD pays the difference between what tenants can pay (defined as 30 percent of household income) and what HUD estimates as the fair market rent on the unit. In Lassen County, the 2024 fair market rent is determined to be $853 for a onebedroom unit, $1,121 for a two-bedroom unit, and $1,580 for a three-bedroom unit.
The feasibility of this alternative is highly dependent on the availability of unit type and other funding sources necessary to make rent subsidies available and the willingness of property owners to accept rental vouchers if they can be provided. However, with the passage of SB 329, it is no longer legal for landlords to discriminate based on the applicants’ source of income, including vouchers.
Table HE-54 shows the estimated cost of preserving at-risk units in the city. The total cost of subsidizing the rents for all 61 at-risk units is estimated at $5,146 per month or $61,752 annually.
Table HE-54 Estimated Costs of Preserving At-Risk Units Unit Size Total
Units
Fair Market
Rent
Very Low
Income
(50%AMI)
Affordable
Monthly
Rent
Monthly per
Unit
Subsidy
Total
Monthly
Subsidy
One Bedroom 61 $853 $30,800 $770 $83 $5,063
Two Bedrooms 0 $1,121 $35,200 $880 $241 -
Three Bedrooms 0 $1,580 $39,600 $990 $590 -
Totals 61 $5,063
Source: Department of Housing and Community Development/California Housing Partnership, 2024; Apartments.com, zillow.com, May 2024.
Replacement
The construction of new low-income housing units is a means of replacing the 61 at-risk units. The cost of developing housing depends on a variety of factors, including density, size of the units (i.e., number of bedrooms), location, land costs, and type of construction. Based on cost estimates gathered from Danco Builders, a developer of multifamily structures throughout Northern California, a typical singlestory multifamily building of approximately 15,000 square feet and with 900-square-foot apartments has a cost of $333 per square foot cost for construction with prevailing wage (Johnson 2020). This cost per square foot would result in a cost per unit for 900- square-foot units of $299,700.
City of Susanville General Plan
2024-2029 Housing Element
City of Susanville Housing Element | HE-97
Using this general estimate, it would cost approximately $18.3 million to develop 61 new multifamily units to replace the at-risk units. Given the City’s limited financial resources, development of replacement housing must rely on partnerships with nonprofit or for-profit housing developers or other public entities. Appendix 2 identifies entities qualified in preserving at- risk housing.
Acquisition
Another option would be for a nonprofit organization to purchase an existing multifamily complex, rather than build a new one, lowering the per unit cost significantly. A survey of property prices on Zillow.com in May 2024 showed that two multifamily projects in Susanville were selling for between $485,000 (4-unit project) and $950,000 (5-unit project). These sales prices break down to a per unit cost range of $121,250 to $190,000 per unit.
Cost Comparisons
The above analysis attempts to estimate the cost of preserving the at-risk units under various options.
The cost of acquiring the two at-risk projects and transferring ownership to nonprofit organizations would start at approximately $7.5 million to replace 61 units based on the lowest market price identified.
In comparison, the annual costs of providing rental subsidies required to preserve the 61 assisted units are relatively low ($61,752). However, long-term affordability of the units cannot be ensured in this manner. The option of constructing 61 replacement units has the highest cost (costing approximately $18.6 million). The best option to preserve the at-risk units appears to be the purchase of affordability covenants.
Prepayment of Federal Insured Loans
The Federal government provides low-interest financing or mortgage insurance to housing developers in return for guaranteeing that rents are maintained affordable to lower-income households. Since an owner’s debt service was reduced through mortgage subsidies, the property owner could maintain rents below market levels. After 20 years, the owner could prepay the mortgage and lift the rent restrictions or maintain the affordability controls until the mortgages were paid off.
In the mid-1970s, the Federal government used the Section 8 program to encourage the production of affordable rental housing. Under the Section 8 program, HUD offered a 15- or 20- year contract to provide rental subsidies to property owners in return for making the units affordable to very low-income households. The subsidy is typically the difference between 30 percent of the household income and a negotiated fair market rent for the area. After the expiration of a Section 8 contract, an affordable complex may convert to market rents. The Section 8 (Housing Choice Voucher) Program for Susanville is administered by the Plumas County Community Development Commission (PCCDC). The PCCDC serves four counties (Plumas, Lassen, Sierra and Tehama Counties). As of May 2024, the waitlist is open until further notice.
City of Susanville General Plan
2024-2029 Housing Element
HE-98 | Public Hearing Draft
HUD provides the Mark-to-Market and Mark-Up-to-Market programs for Section 8 projects seeking renewal. If current contracted rents exceed the fair market rent (FMR), HUD will provide favorable tax treatment to property owners in return for preserving the units at affordable rents (Mark-to-Market). For apartments renting at or below FMR rates, HUD allows rents to be increased to levels comparable to market rents, though not exceeding 150 percent of the FMR (Mark-Up-to- Market). When a complex with an expiring Section 8 contract is at risk of conversion, the below-market stock is most likely to be converted given the higher market rents in the area.
The Section 515 program has a loan term of 50 years. Therefore, the projects funded under the 515 Program are typically not considered to be at risk. In order to prepay the Section 515 loan, a project owner must demonstrate that affordable housing for farmworkers is no longer needed in the region.
Based on Rural Housing Service staff assessment, few projects in the nation have been able to demonstrate the diminished need. Furthermore, Rural Housing Service staff indicated that the agency usually offers additional incentives to entice project owners to continue maintenance of the units as affordable housing.
City of Susanville General Plan
2024-2029 Housing Element
City of Susanville Housing Element | HE-99
Section Three
Zoning for a Variety
of Housing Types
City of Susanville General Plan, 2024-2029 Housing Element Public Hearing Draft
City of Susanville General Plan
2024-2029 Housing Element
HE-100 | Public Hearing Draft
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City of Susanville Housing Element | HE-101
Section Three: Zoning For a Variety of
Housing Types
State Housing Element Law (Government Code Sections 65583 and 65583.2) requires local governments to analyze the availability of zoning for a variety of housing types to promote a diverse housing stock (i.e., price, style, size). Having a variety of housing types contributes to neighborhood stability by offering more affordable housing options that meet the needs of different households. This section describes the zoning and availability of sites for a variety of housing types in Susanville and identifies constraints imposed by the existing Zoning Ordinance on households with special housing needs.
Multifamily Residential Housing
Multifamily residential developments are permitted by-right in the Mobile Home Park (MHP), Duplex and Triplex (R-3/R-3A), and Multi-family (R-4) residential zoning districts. The R-3 zone allows for residential development up to 12 dwelling units per acre and the R-4 zone allows up to 20 units per acre.
The maximum density allowed in the MHP zoning district is 14 units per acre, however there is also a 3,000 square foot minimum mobile home space size which makes the maximum density difficult to achieve.
Multifamily residential units are permitted by use permit in the Neighborhood Commercial (C-1), General Commercial and Shopping Center (C-2), Commercial Office (C-O), and Uptown Business District (UBD) zoning districts. The R-3/R-3A zoning district allows for a density range of 0 to 12 units per acre, and all other zoning districts generally allow for a density range of 0 to 20 units per acre; however, the exact allowable density varies by the use permit.
Density Bonuses
California Government Code Sections 65915-65918 require local governments to provide density bonus provisions to projects that comply with specific standards. In 2020, the State enacted new laws that increased the maximum density bonus amount for very low-, low-, and moderate-income housing, and how maximum densities shall be calculated. Additionally, local governments are required to provide one or more incentives for qualifying projects and are required to accept an incentive proposed by a developer unless the incentive proposal is found to cause environmental harm, a health and safety issue, a detriment to historical property, or otherwise contrary to the law. Both density bonuses and incentives are granted based on the number of affordable units present in each project.
Due to the changing nature of the State’s density bonus requirements, the City’s density bonus provisions, addressed in Chapter 17.132.010 (adopted September 18, 2024) default to State standards.
City of Susanville General Plan
2024-2029 Housing Element
HE-102 | Public Hearing Draft
City of Susanville Zoning Ordinance
17.132.010 Purpose and Intent.
Residential development shall comply with the allowability of density bonuses, incentives, exemptions, and concessions in compliance with State density Bonus law (Government Code Section 65915, as revised). Government Code 65945 requires the City to provide incentives for affordable housing, senior housing, and childcare facilities.
Although defaulting to State requirements is an appropriate approach to meeting State law, Chapter
17.130 does not outline a framework for processing density bonus requests. This creates uncertainty in the application and review process that could potentially constrain development. Program HE-2 commits the City to updating the Chapter 17.130 to identify the City’s framework for processing density bonus requests, including but not limited to, submittal requirements, decision-making authority, and review timelines.
Accessory Dwelling Units (Second Dwelling Units)
An accessory dwelling unit (ADU), formerly and still commonly referred to as a second dwelling unit, is an additional self-contained living unit, either attached to or detached from the primary residential unit on a single lot. It has cooking, eating, sleeping, and full sanitation facilities. These units can be an important source of affordable housing since they can be constructed relatively inexpensively and have no associated land costs. ADUs can also provide supplemental income to the homeowner, allowing the elderly to remain in their homes or moderate-income families to afford houses.
To encourage establishment of ADUs on existing developed lots, State law requires local jurisdictions to either adopt an ordinance based on standards set out in State law authorizing creation of ADUs in residentially-zoned areas, or where no ordinance has been adopted, to allow ADUs on lots zoned for single-family or multifamily use that have an existing single-family unit subject to ministerial approval (“by right”) if they meet standards set out by State law.
In recent years, the State has passed several laws to further encourage ADU development. The 2016 and 2017 updates to State law included changes pertaining to the allowed size of ADUs, permitting ADUs byright in at least some areas of a jurisdiction, and reduced parking requirements related to ADUs. AB 68 allows an ADU and a junior ADU (JADU) to be built on a single-family lot, if certain conditions are met.
The State has also removed owner-occupancy requirements for ADUs, created a tiered permit fee structure for ADUs based on their size and location, and prohibits fees on units of less than 750 square feet. In addition, AB 671 requires the Housing Element to include plans to incentivize and encourage affordable ADU rentals.
In 2022, two laws were enacted that affect ADU law and came into effect in 2023. SB 897 increases the allowed height limit for attached and detached ADUs that meet certain conditions. AB 2221 clarifies existing ADU law to close procedural and permitting loopholes for approving ADUs, including the requirement for approving or denying applications within 60 days of application submittal and
City of Susanville General Plan
2024-2029 Housing Element
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providing a full set of comments and remedies to applicants with denied applications. Additionally, AB 2221 adds front setbacks to the list of local development standards that local governments cannot impose if they would preclude construction of an attached or detached ADU of at least 800 square feet, which is at least 16 feet in height and that has at least four-foot side and rear yard setbacks.
The Susanville Zoning Ordinance Section 17.136 defines requirements for ADUs. The City most recently updated the ADU provisions on September 18, 2024, as a part of the Zoning Ordinance update. The City’s ADU provisions permit the construction of attached ADUs, detached ADUs, and JADUs in all zones that allow for residential uses. Portions of these provisions that are not in compliance with State law include the following:
• The existing Zoning Ordinance does not allow up to eight detached units in multifamily zones in compliance with Government Code Section 66323
Additionally, the City does not have a process for approving preapproved ADU plans, as required by AB 1332 (2023).
Program HE-2 commits the City to revise the Zoning Ordinance for compliance with all recent changes to ADU State law. Program HE-2 also commits the City to develop a program for the preapproval of ADUs.
Manufactured Homes
Manufactured housing can serve as an alternative form of affordable housing in low-density areas where the development of higher-density multifamily residential units is not allowed. California Government Code Sections 65852.3 and 65852.4 require jurisdictions to allow the installation of manufactured homes on a foundation in the same manner and zones as conventional single-family residential dwellings, with the exception of some architectural requirements including roof overhang, roofing material, and siding material.
Susanville’s Code of Ordinances defines a manufactured home as “a structure, transportable in one or more sections, which, in the traveling mode, is eight body feet or more in width, or 40 body feet or more in length, or, when erected on-site, is 320 or more square feet, and which is built on a permanent chassis and designed to be used as a dwelling with or without a permanent foundation when connected to the required utilities, and includes the plumbing, heating, air conditioning, and electrical systems contained therein; except that such term shall include any structure which meets all the requirements of this paragraph except the size requirements and with respect to which the manufacturer voluntarily files a certification and complies with the standards established under this part. "Manufactured home" includes a mobile home subject to the National Manufactured Housing Construction and Safety Act of 1974 (42 USC, Sec. 5401, et seq.).” The Code is consistent with State law, as manufactured homes that are placed on permanent foundations are, like houses that are built of standard construction, permitted by right in any zoning district allowing single-family homes that are permitted by right.
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Mobile Homes and Mobile Home Parks
Section 69852.7 of the California Government Code specifies that mobile home parks shall be an allowed use on all land planned and zoned for residential land use. However, local jurisdictions are allowed to require use permits for mobile home parks. Chapter 17.28 of Susanville’s Zoning Ordinance describes the City’s regulations of mobile home parks. According to Susanville’s Zoning Ordinance, mobile home parks are permitted by right in the MHP zoning district but are not permitted in any other zoning district.
Mobile homes, however, are allowed by right in zones R-1, R-2, R-3A, AR-1, AE-20, and U, provided they are “certified under the National Mobile Home Construction and Safety Act of 1974 (42 U.S.C. Section 5401 et seq.) and installed on a foundation system and meeting other adopted development standards, in lieu of a frame-constructed dwelling, provided said unit is not more than 10 years old at the time it is installed.”
Single-Room Occupancy Units
Single-room occupancy (SRO) units can provide affordable private housing for lower-income individuals, seniors, and persons with disabilities. An SRO unit usually is small, between 200 to 350 square feet. These units can serve as an entry point into the housing market for formerly homeless people.
State law requires local jurisdictions to identify zoning and development standards that allow and encourage new SRO construction and include programs in their housing elements that commit to the preservation and rehabilitation of existing residential hotels and other buildings for SROs (i.e., zoning and permitting procedures, regulatory or fiscal assistance, educational programs). SROs are allowed with a use permit in the C-2, R-4, and UBD zones. The City supports the development of SROs and does not regulate SRO development beyond the development standards applied to all uses in the respective zone. Further, there are no additional parking, open space, or lot coverage standards applied to SRO uses. New SROs are required to meet the City’s multifamily objective design standards (§ 17.104.110 Susanville multi-unit objective design standards). The City supports redevelopment projects and works with property owners to pursue opportunities and facilitate an expedited process.
The City has identified a historic hotel in the Downtown area as a suitable structure for conversion to SRO units. As of May 2024, this property was for sale. This property has the potential to be converted into 50 SRO units with 75 beds. Program HE-6 commits the City to continue to support the conversion of suitable buildings to SRO units, provide technical assistance with code compliance issues, provide an expedited review process for the conversion of substandard hotel or motel units to SROs, and pursue available grants funding opportunities to develop SROs.
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Supportive Housing
Supportive housing is permanent rental housing linked to a range of support services designed to enable residents to maintain stable housing and lead fuller lives. Typically, a part of the housing is targeted to people who have risk factors such as homelessness, or health challenges such as mental illness or substance addiction. Supportive housing comes in all shapes and sizes from renovated motels offering furnished single-room occupancy (SRO) apartments; a multifamily development where tenants with disabilities live alongside other families with low incomes; a small, more service-intensive building; or scattered-site apartments. Whatever the configuration, supportive housing allows tenants to access support services that enable them to live as independently as possible.
State law requires supportive housing to be considered a residential use subject only to those restrictions that apply to other residential dwellings of the same type in the same zone (Government Code Section 65583(c)(3)). Further, Government Code Section 65651 requires local jurisdictions to permit supportive housing as a “use by right in zones where multifamily and mixed uses are permitted, including nonresidential zones permitting multifamily uses.” The City’s zoning regulations define supportive housing as follows:
Section 17.08.010 Definitions: “Supportive Housing” means housing with no limit on length of stay, that is occupied by the target population and that is linked to on-site or off-site services that assist the supportive housing resident in retaining the housing, improving his or her health status, and maximizing his or her ability to live, and when possible, work in the community. Supportive housing units are residential uses allowed in any zone allowing residential uses, subject only to those requirements and restrictions that apply to other residential uses of the same type in the same zone.
Although zoning regulations define supportive housing as a residential use, the City’s definition of is not in compliance with State law as it does not allow for supportive housing by right. To ensure compliance with State law, the City should allow for by right development of supportive housing in the MHP, C-1, C2, UBD, and C-O zones, where multifamily uses are allowed with a use permit. For more information, see Program HE-2.
Streamlined permitting. Recent changes to State law add further requirements related to supportive housing. AB 2162 (Chapter 753, statutes of 2018) streamlines and expedites the approval of supportive housing to better address the need of Californians experiencing homelessness. The legislation requires a local government to approve, within statutory timelines, a supportive housing development that complies with specified criteria. Requirements include:
• Supportive housing shall be a use by right in zones where multifamily and mixed uses as defined by Government Code Section 65583.2(i).
• A local government is required to notify the developer whether the application is complete within 30 days of receipt of an application to develop supportive housing.
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• After the application is complete, local governments shall complete its review of the application within 60 days for smaller projects (50 or fewer units) and 120 days for larger projects (more than 50 units).
• Local governments shall not impose any minimum parking requirements for units occupied by supportive housing residents if the development is located within one-half mile of a public transit stop.
The City has not adopted a process for streamlining the approval of supportive housing. Program HE-2 commits the City to amend zoning regulations to outline the City’s processing procedures in compliance with Government Code section 65653.
Transitional Housing
Transitional housing is similar to supportive housing in that it is housing linked to a range of support services; however, transitional housing has a limited term for assistance for tenants. The Susanville Zoning Ordinance defines transitional housing as housing with supportive services for up to 24 months that is exclusively designated and targeted for recently homeless persons. Transitional housing includes self-sufficiency development services, with the ultimate goal of moving recently homeless persons to permanent housing as quickly as possible, and limits rent and service fees to an ability-to-pay formula reasonably consistent with HUD's requirements for subsidized housing for low-income persons. Rent and service fees paid for transitional housing may be reserved, in whole or in part, to assist residents in moving to permanent housing. The Susanville Zoning Ordinance defines transitional housing as follows:
“Transitional housing” means housing with supportive services for up to twenty-four (24) months that is exclusively designated and targeted for recently home- less persons. Transitional housing includes self-sufficiency development services, with the ultimate goal of moving recently homeless persons to permanent housing as quickly as possible, and limits rent and service fees to an ability-to-pay formula reasonably consistent with HUD’s requirements for subsidized housing for low-income persons. Rent and service fees paid for transitional housing may be reserved, in whole or in part, to assist residents in moving to permanent housing. Transitional housing and supportive housing are considered residential use and allowed in property zoned R-1, R-2, R-3, R-3A, R-4, C-1, and C-2.”
State law requires transitional housing to be considered a residential use subject only to those restrictions that apply to other residential dwellings of the same type in the same zone. Although the City considers transitional housing as a residential use by definition, zoning regulations do not allow transitional housing in the UBD or C-O zones. Program HE-2 commits the City to allow transitional and housing in any zone allowing residential uses without additional restrictions beyond those imposed on similar residential dwellings in compliance with California Government Code Section 65583(c)(3). .
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Emergency Shelters
State law requires local jurisdictions to strengthen provisions for addressing the housing needs of homeless persons, including the identification of a zone or zones where emergency shelters are allowed as a permitted use without a conditional use permit. Zone(s) where emergency shelters are allowed as a permitted use without a conditional use or other discretionary permit must also have sufficient capacity to accommodate the need for emergency shelter. AB 139 requires the need for emergency shelter to be assessed based on the capacity necessary to accommodate the most recent homeless point-in-time (PIT) count.
State law also states that emergency shelters “may only be subject to those development and management standards that apply to residential or commercial development within the same zone” along with a list of specific objective standards that may be made. Local governments that already have one or more emergency shelters within their jurisdiction or “pursuant to a multijurisdictional agreement” that accommodates that jurisdiction’s need for emergency shelter are only required to identify a zone or zones where new emergency shelters are allowed with a conditional use permit.
Further, State law dictates that parking requirements for emergency shelters be no more than sufficient to accommodate all staff working in the facility.
Further, Assembly Bill 2339 (2022) expands the definition of emergency shelters to include other interim interventions, including but not limited to, navigation centers, bridge housing, and respite or recuperative care. AB 2339 also requires that zoning designations identified to allow emergency shelters as a permitted use without a conditional use or other discretionary permit must allow residential uses.
This could include zones that allow mixed uses that permit residential.
Under the current Zoning Ordinance, emergency shelters are allowed by right in the Public Facilities (PF) district and are allowed with a use permit in the General Commercial and Shopping Center (C-2) Zoning district. The City does not apply any additional standards to emergency shelters in this zone, beyond the basic development standards applied to any use in this zone. Site development standards for the PF zone are shown below. Among the standards, the parking requirements are not in compliance with State law. Program HE-2 commits the City to revise zoning regulations to require no more parking than is sufficient for staff working in the facility.
§ 17.60.040 Site development standards.
The following site development standards apply in the PF district:
A. Minimum Lot Size. None;
B. Yards. The yard requirements are as follows unless the facility is exempt from local zoning regulations:
1. Front, 20 feet;
2. Street side, 10 feet;
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3. Interior side, none, except where the district abuts a residential district, it shall be 10 feet;
4. Rear, none; except where the district abuts a residential district, it shall be 10 feet.
C. Maximum Structural Height. Thirty-five feet; except as otherwise provided in Section 17.96.030.
D. Parking as required in Sections 17.100.010—17.100.160. • One parking space per each three employees on shift, plus one space per four beds.
The PF zone, however, does not allow residential uses, which, as explained above, is required by State law. Table HE-55 shows the City’s current capacity for a year-round emergency shelter. The identified parcels include only parcels which are zoned General Commercial and Shopping Center (C-2), which are the only zoning districts in the City which allow emergency shelters as a use that also allow for residential uses. The estimated shelter capacity assumes that half of the total parcel size can accommodate useable building space, as well as an average bed space of 200 square feet per bed.
The most recent Lassen County Point-In-Time count (2022) showed 102 individuals experiencing homelessness countywide. Point-In-Time count data specific to the city is not available at this time, however, City staff estimates that the majority of these individuals were counted within the city limits.
The City assumes that 81 of these individuals were staying within city limits at the time of counting.
Table HE-55 Capacity for Accommodating Homeless Shelters, 2024 Parcel Number Zoning Parcel Size
Estimated
Shelter
Capacity
Proximity to Transit and
Services
101-271-12 C-2 5.95 acres 647 beds Within a half mile of transit stops and commercial services
105-191-16 C-2 1.61 acres 175 beds Within a quarter mile of transit stops and commercial services
105-320-01 C-2 2.23 acres 242 beds Within a quarter mile of transit stops and commercial services
State law requires emergency shelters to be allowed by right in a zoning district that also allows at least one residential use. The C-2 zoning district allows emergency shelters by use permit and allows certain residential uses, such as single-family dwellings and multifamily dwellings, as long as these developments are attached to a commercial, on-site use. This zone has more than adequate capacity to meet the point-in-time count for 2022 of 102 individuals. Importantly, none of the C-2 parcels listed above are zoned within a high fire severity zone.
To fully comply with State law, however, the City must allow emergency shelters by right in a zoning district that also allows at least one residential use and has sufficient capacity to meet the current need (81 beds). To ensure compliance, the City should allow emergency shelters by right in the C-2 zone, or otherwise amend zoning regulations in another zone to meet the requirements of State law. The City must also expand the definition of emergency shelters to include other interim interventions, including
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but not limited to, navigation centers, bridge housing, and respite or recuperative care in accordance with AB 2339. Program HE-2 commits the City to revising the C-2 zone to allow emergency shelters by right, revise parking requirements for emergency shelters, and to expand the definition of emergency shelters for compliance with AB 2339.
Low Barrier Navigation Centers
With the signing of Assembly Bill 101 in 2019, a Low Barrier Navigation Center (LBNC) is now a use that is permitted by-right in mixed use zones and non-residential zones permitting multifamily uses. A LBNC is defined as a service-enriched shelter providing temporary living facilities, with the low-barrier component allowing persons to be admitted as they are, with as few entry restrictions as possible. The City currently has one mixed use zone, the Uptown Business District (UBD) zone, and three other nonresidential zones which permit multifamily uses, including Neighborhood Commercial (C-1), General Commercial and Shopping Center (C-2), and Commercial Office (C-O) zones. The City does not currently permit LBNCs in any of these zones. Program HE-2 commits the City to revising the Zoning Ordinance to include LBNCs as a by-right use in mixed use zones and nonresidential zones permitting multifamily uses.
Residential Care Facilities
The city has three licensed residential care facilities: two adult residential care facilities and one residential care facility for the elderly. There are no adult day care facilities or active home care agencies.
Residential care facilities are licensed by the State of California to provide permanent living accommodations and 24-hour supervision for persons in need of personal services, supervision, protection, or assistance for sustaining the activities of daily living. Licensed residential care facilities include hospices, nursing homes, convalescent facilities, sanatoriums, and group homes for minors, persons with disabilities, and people in recovery from alcohol or drug addiction. Under the California Health and Safety Code, section 1568.0831, jurisdictions are required to permit licensed residential care facilities that serve six or fewer persons by right in all residential districts. Additionally, the California Department of Housing and Community Development finds that the subjective nature of the typical conditional use permit process a constraint to the development of care facilities serving seven or more.
The City currently permits community care facilities/group care homes of six or less in all residential zones, in compliance with State law, but does not have a mechanism to permit community care facilities/group care homes serving seven or more persons. Program HE-2 commits the City to permit residential care facilities serving seven or more residents with objectivity and certainty in all residential zones, subject only to the requirements of residential uses of similar from in the same zone.
Reasonable Accommodation
In Susanville, no additional fees, permits, or processing times are required for the development of housing for the disabled. However, the City must also demonstrate efforts to remove governmental
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constraints on housing for persons with disabilities, such as accommodating procedures for the approval of group homes, ADA retrofit efforts, and evaluation of the zoning ordinance for ADA compliance or other measures that provide flexibility in the development of housing for persons with disabilities. The 2019-2024 Susanville Housing Element committed the City to complying with state law, including the provisions of SB 520 and California’s handicap and accessibility laws which require:
• Multifamily developments containing 4 to 20 units: all ground floor units are required to be adaptable (interior modifications) and meet accessibility requirements; and • Multifamily developments containing greater than 20 units: 2 percent of the total units are required to be adaptable, and the remainder of the units must be accessible.
The City completed this commitment through adopting the 2022 California Building Code, which covers these accessibility requirements for new multifamily developments.
Accessible housing for the disabled can be achieved in a number of ways by modifying existing housing units (e.g., wheelchair ramps, grab bars, wider halls, elevated electrical outlets, lowered switches).
Some modifications that can be done can be as simple as adding a tub seat in the bathroom and marking light switches with Braille tape, even the installation of new wheelchair ramps less than 30” in height do not require a building permit. Other modifications such as widening doorways and halls and installing accessible showers/tubs are more labor intensive and would require a permit. The permit process would be the same for accessible housing modifications as they would be for modifications to other single-family and multifamily units.
The City’s definition, below, of a “family” allows unrelated people, including domestic employees, to live in a dwelling provided the habitation is as a single housekeeping unit. This broad definition ensures that the assistance needs of the disabled population do not conflict with basic zoning regulations. “Family” means one or more persons occupying premises and living as a single bona fide housekeeping unit, including all necessary domestic employees of such family.
Individuals requiring special housing can access community care facilities/group care homes as discussed in the Residential Care Facilities section above. Additionally, skilled nursing and intermediate care facilities are permitted in the R-2, R-3, R-3A, R-4, C-1, C-O zones with a Use Permit. To provide exceptions in zoning and land-use for housing development for persons with disabilities, the City has adopted regulations to provide a process for request for accommodation under the ADA as follows:
17.112.090 Reasonable Accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act Pursuant to the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) the City is required to make reasonable modifications in policies, practices, or procedures when the modifications are necessary to avoid discrimination on the basis of disability, unless the City can demonstrate that making the modifications would fundamentally alter the nature of the service, program, or activity. Whether a requested accommodation is reasonable is highly fact-specific and determined on a case-by-case basis by
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balancing the cost to the City and the benefit to the disabled person. Whether a requested accommodation is necessary requires a showing that the desired accommodation will affirmatively enhance a disabled person’s quality of life by ameliorating the effects of the disability. The focus is on whether the accommodation in the case at hand would be so at odds with the purposes behind the rule that it would be a fundamental and unreasonable change.
Reasonable accommodations to the provisions of the Zoning Ordinance may be granted for persons with disabilities seeking equal access to housing under the California Fair Employment and Housing Act, the Federal Fair Housing Act, and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in the application of zoning laws and other land use regulations, policies, and procedures. Application filing, processing, and review standards for reasonable accommodations can be found in Chapter 17.140 (Reasonable Accommodation) of the City’s Zoning Ordinance. Applications shall be reviewed by the Community Development Director or City Administrator designee. The review is administrative and a public hearing or public notice as per government code section 65091 is not required. Required findings for approval shall consider the following factors:
• Whether the land use, which is the subject of the request, will be used by an individual defined as disabled under the Acts;
• Whether the request for Reasonable Accommodation is necessary to make specific land uses available to an individual with a disability under the Acts; • Whether the requested Reasonable Accommodation would impose an undue financial or administrative burden on the City;
• Whether the requested Reasonable Accommodation would require a fundamental alteration in the nature of a City program or law, including, but not limited to, land use and zoning; • Potential impact on surrounding uses;
• Physical attributes of the property and structures; and Alternative Reasonable Accommodations that may provide an equivalent level of benefit. The Community Development Director shall grant the reasonable accommodation if it is found that it will provide reasonable accommodation to a qualified person under the ADA and that the accommodation would not be so at odds with the purpose of the zoning requirement that it would be a fundamental and unreasonable change. Appeals to decisions made by the Director may be made to the City Planning Commission 10 days of the initial decision. The required fee depends on the type of application form submitted by the applicant. To date, the City has never encountered a request for ADA accommodation which could not be met under the current zoning requirements.
Tenants with disabilities often do not own or drive a vehicle. The requirement to include parking spaces for such units imposes an incremental additional cost to the development of said dwelling units. The City’s Zoning Ordinance and development recognize this constraint and provides for reduce parking
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requirements for a 50 percent reduction in required off street parking for housing that is exclusively for physically handicapped or developmentally disabled persons.
The City’s Zoning Ordinance does not constrain the development of housing for persons with disabilities. The City’s reasonable accommodation procedure, however, includes a finding related to “potential impact on surrounding uses” which is a potential constraint to reasonable accommodation for persons with a disability. Program HE-2 commits the City to revise the Zoning Ordinance to remove this finding from the list of required findings for approval.
Farmworker / Agricultural Employee Housing
California Health and Safety Code Sections 17021.5, 17021.6, and 17021.8, relating to employee housing and labor camps supersede any ordinance or regulations enacted by local governments. Specifically, Section 17021.5 mandates that “employee housing providing accommodations for six or fewer employees shall be deemed a single-family structure with a residential land use designation.” Additionally, farmworker employee housing, as described above, cannot be subject to conditional use permits, zoning variances, or other zoning clearances that are not required of any other single-family dwelling in the same zone. Under Code Section 17021.6, larger employee housing facilities featuring a maximum of 36 beds in group quarters, or 12 single-family units, are considered an agricultural use and cannot be subject to any restrictions, conditional use permits, zoning variances, fees, taxes, or other requirements not imposed on other agricultural uses in the same zone. Finally, Code Section 17021.8 requires jurisdictions to provide streamlined, ministerial review for eligible agricultural employee housing developments.
Susanville’s Zoning Ordinance recognizes employee housing as a residential use treated the same as a single-family dwelling. Employee housing for six or fewer employees is allowed by-right in the R-1, R-2, R-3, R-3(1), R-4, MHP, C-1, C-2, and UBD zones. However, larger employee housing facilities with a maximum of 36 beds or 12 single-family units are not an allowed use in any zone. Further, the City has not adopted a streamlined review process for farmworker housing. As such, employee housing provisions are not in compliance with Code section 17021.8 and pose a constraint to the development of employee housing.
Program HE-2 commits the City to revising the Zoning Ordinance for compliance with State law.
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Section Four
Housing Constraints
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Section Four: Housing Constraints
Several factors may constrain the development of housing, particularly housing affordability. These factors can generally be divided into “environmental/physical constraints,” “governmental constraints” or those that are controlled by federal, state, or local governments, and “nongovernmental constraints,” which are factors that are not generally created or affected by governmental controls. Nongovernmental constraints are determined by market factors including land prices, construction costs, materials costs, labor costs, availability of financing, and interest rates.
Analyzing governmental and non-governmental constraints can help to develop policies and programs that lessen constraints to residential development and ensure that local housing needs are met.
Analysis of Environmental/Physical Constraints
In developing the vacant land survey (see Section 5: Sites Inventory Analysis), City staff identified environmental constraints on land that could preclude development within the planning period. The designation of an environmental constraint on each vacant parcel will vary over the years based on changes in environmental laws.
One of the environmental constraints identified in the city affecting future development is the presence of excessive rocky soils on some vacant parcels. Susanville is located in the Great Basin, at the confluence of the Sierra Nevada and the Cascade Range. The Cascade Range was formed largely by volcanic action, whereas the Sierra was formed by plate tectonics (earthquake activity.) Many of Susanville’s large areas of vacant land encompass very rocky soil as a result of geologic processes that formed both of these mountain ranges.
The Banner Lassen Medical Center constructed a new facility in on the northeast side of the city. The development costs for underground utilities and foundation excavation were significant due to the rocky substrate. The land surrounding the hospital has been zoned for Planned Development (PD) for a mix of office and higher density residential uses. There are almost 200 vacant acres of PD zoned lands near the hospital that are now served by sewer, water, natural gas and electrical services. These lands are ready to be developed but it is not anticipated they will be developed in the next five years, as there is a sufficient supply of other land with lower development costs to meet the real housing needs for Susanville.
Additional constraints may include: lack of utilities within close proximity to a vacant site; excessive slope; location within a floodplain; floodway or the presence of wetlands; and lack of access.
Water
Government Code Section 65589.7 requires water and sewer providers to establish specific procedures and grant priority service to developments with affordable dwelling units to lower income households.