RESOLUTION NO. 2023-64
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF VISALIA ADOPTING THE HOUSING ELEMENT UPDATE FOR THE 2023-2031 PERIOD (6th CYCLE) AS REQUIRED BY THE CALIFORNIA GOVERNMENT CODE SECTION 65580 ET SEQ.
WHEREAS, the City of Visalia has prepared a Housing Element Update, a document that provides a citywide housing plan for the 2023-2031 period (6th cycle), in accordance with all applicable portions of State of California Government Code commencing with Section 65300 regarding General Plans and commencing with Section 65580 regarding Housing Elements; and, WHEREAS, after the implementation of public outreach and participation as required in Government Code Section 65583(c)(7), wherein the outreach is summarized in Section 1 of the Housing Element Update, the City published the Public Review Draft 2023-2031 Housing Element Update for public comment from June 9, 2023 to July 10, 2023, and following the public review period, the City took ten (10) business days to incorporate revisions to the Draft based on input received and submitted the HCD Review Draft 2023-2031 Housing Element Update to State Housing and Community Development (HCD) on July 25, 2023; and, WHEREAS, the City of Visalia received written comments from State HCD on October 23, 2023, and has worked with State HCD to address the comments in an effort to ensure full regulatory compliance; and, WHEREAS, the City of Visalia published a Public Hearing Draft 2023-2031 Housing Element Update, on December 6, 2023, that addresses the comments provided by State HCD, and the Draft is being considered by the Visalia Planning Commission and City Council for adoption and final submittal to State HCD; and, WHEREAS, the Planning Commission of the City of Visalia, after twenty (20) days published notice, held a public hearing as prescribed by law on December 11, 2023, to consider recommending adoption of the Public Hearing Draft 2023-2031 Housing Element Update, and at said public hearing considered all testimony and arguments made during the public hearing and considered all factors relating to the adoption of the Housing Element Update, and recommended that the City Council approve of said Housing Element Update; and, WHEREAS, the City Council of the City of Visalia, after twenty (20) days published notice, held a public hearing as prescribed by law on December 18, 2023, to adopt the Public Hearing Draft 2023-2031 Housing Element Update, and at said public hearing considered all testimony and arguments made during the public hearing and considered all factors relating to the adoption of the Housing Element Update; and, WHEREAS, the City Council of the City of Visalia does find the Public Hearing Draft 2023-2031 Housing Element Update in accordance with the purposes, intent, and policies of the General Plan of the City of Visalia, and considers adoption of the Housing Element Update to be in accordance with Section 17.54.070 of the Zoning Ordinance of the City of Visalia regarding General Plan Amendments and on the evidence contained in the staff report and testimony presented at the public hearing; and, WHEREAS, the City Council of the City of Visalia finds that the project is exempt from further review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines section 15061(b)(3) (common sense exemption), as the proposed Housing Element Update represents the adoption of a policy document with implementation programs with no changes to ordinances or regulations going into effect at this time and which will not in and of itself have a significant impact on the environment, although certain implementation programs contained in the Housing Element Update will be subject to a discretionary entitlement process for the amendment of Zoning Ordinance text that will be separately evaluated in accordance with the Guidelines for CEQA.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the City Council of the City of Visalia adopts the Public Hearing Draft 2023-2031 Housing Element Update based on the following specific findings and evidence presented:
That the proposed 6th cycle Housing Element Update, revised according to the State Department of Housing and Community Development comments, is necessary to ensure the General Plan Housing Element remains consistent and in accordance with all applicable portions of State of California Government Code commencing with Section 65300 and commencing with Section 65580.
That the proposed 6th cycle Housing Element Update, revised according to the State Department of Housing and Community Development comments, is consistent with the General Plan and in conformance with the purposes, intent, and policies of the General Plan of the City of Visalia.
That the proposed 6th cycle Housing Element Update, revised according to the State Department of Housing Community Development comments, complies with growth projections as determined by the State Department of Housing and Community Development and as allocated by the Tulare County Association of Governments through the Regional Housing Needs Assessment process.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the City Council of the City of Visalia adopts the Public Hearing Draft 2023-2031 Housing Element Update, as recommended by the Planning Commission on December 11, 2023, which includes the following minor edits and comments:
Corrections to a numerical typo in Table 19 and a spelling error for “Carleton Acres”; and Additional language addressing Governmental Constraints in Section 4 to emphasize that the discussion refers to locally imposed government constraints and does not cover constraints resulting from State legislation.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that any revisions made to the Public Hearing Draft 2023-2031 Housing Element Update subsequent to the City Council’s review be exempt from any requirement for formal subsequent review by the City Council, unless otherwise directed by the City Council.