REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCIL ACTION
DATE: 11/03/2021
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Planning & Development Department
SUBJECT:
Title
General Plan Amendment to update the Housing Element for the 6th Cycle Regional Housing Needs Assessment covering Planning Period 2021-2029.
End
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
General Plan Amendment 2021-0001 (GPA2021-0001) is an update to the Housing Element for the 6th Cycle Regional Housing Needs Assessment covering Planning Period 2021-2029. The Housing Element is one of the eight mandatory elements of the City’s General Plan. Pursuant to state law, the Housing Element is required to be periodically updated, which is done every eight years. The Housing Element is responsible for identifying: a City’s existing and projected housing need; goals, policies and quantified objectives on achieving housing for all economic segments of the population; available financial resources; scheduled programs for the preservation of housing; and an identification of adequate housing sites for all economic segments of the community, persons with special needs, and emergency shelters
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Recommended action
That the City Council:
a. Authorize the Planning and Development Director to make non-legislative changes to the Housing Element Update that addresses final comments made from the State Department of Housing and Community Development.
b. Adopt Resolution No. 2021-121 adopting an addendum to the General Plan Environmental Impact Report (SCH#2018081039) and approving an amendment to the City General Plan to update the Housing Element for the 6th Cycle Regional Housing Needs Assessment covering Planning Period 2021-2029 (GPA2021-0001).
Body
BACKGROUND & HISTORY:
The Housing Element Update for Planning Period 2021-2029 aligns with the State’s allocation of the Regional Housing Needs Assessment, commonly known as RHNA. The Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) Regional Council adopted the final RHNA allocation for the jurisdictions within its region at its meeting on March 4, 2021. The City of Corona was issued a final RHNA allocation of 6,088 housing units. The City is required to demonstrate the planning of these units within the Housing Element Update for the next eight years.
Public Meetings on the Housing Element Update
The following is a summary of the public meetings that discussed the Housing Element Update covering Years 2021-2029.
Ø January 21, 2021. City Council and Planning and Housing Commission Joint Study Session. The study session covered an introduction to the Housing Element Update, the RHNA allocation process, various state legislation governing Housing Element law, and the information covered in the Housing Element.
Ø February 16 & 18, 2021. Stakeholder Workshops. The City held two stakeholder workshops with special interest groups on the Housing Element Update. Special interest groups included organizations and agencies that provide housing or assist special needs groups with housing opportunities (low-income persons, senior citizens, persons with disabilities, persons needing rehabilitation, persons experiencing homelessness, persons of domestic violence, etc.).
Ø March 17, 2021. City Council Public Meeting. At the request of the City Council, staff provided an administrative report on the RHNA and the state law regarding the implementation of the RHNA.
Ø May 27, 2021. Community Meeting. The City held a community meeting on the Housing Element Update. The meeting discussed the purpose of the Housing Element, the RHNA allocation, and the housing sites inventory.
Ø June 21, 2021. Planning and Housing Commission Meeting. An administrative report was provided to the Commission on the release of the Housing Element Update 2021-2029 Draft. The draft document was posted on the city’s website and was made available to the public for a period of 60 days for review and public comments.
Ø June 23, 2021. City Council Study Session. An update on the status of the Housing Element Update and the housing sites inventory was provided to the City Council.
Ø October 11, 2021. Planning and Housing Commission Public Hearing. Public hearing on the Housing Element Update.
Public Information Outreach on Housing Element Update
On the City’s website a webpage was created for the Housing Element Update to provide information to the public. The Housing Element Update webpage is available at www.CoronaCA.gov/GPUpdate. The website was used to provide the following types of information to the public.
Ø Housing Survey. An online housing survey was made available to the public for a period of 35 days starting on January 25, 2021. The City received 260 responses on the survey. The results of the housing survey are included in Appendix A of the Housing Element Update 2021-2029 Draft.
Ø Stakeholder Workshops. A flyer was circulated on the city’s Facebook page and on the Housing Element Update webpage advertising the stakeholder workshop meetings on February 16 & 18, 2021. An email with the flyer was circulated to 74 special interest groups on the city’s contact list. This information is provided in Appendix A of the Housing Element Update Draft.
Ø Community Meeting. A flyer was circulated on the city’s Facebook page and on the Housing Element Update webpage advertising the community meeting on May 27, 2021. Additionally, staff mailed 100 letters to the property owners that have property identified on the housing sites inventory and circulated an email with the flyer to 74 special interest groups on the city’s contact list. This information is provided in Appendix A of the Housing Element Update Draft.
Ø Map Social Interactive Mapping Tool. An interactive mapping tool on the proposed housing sites inventory was placed on the Housing Element Update webpage and advertised on the city’s Facebook page. The purpose of the mapping tool was to engage feedback on the housing sites being identified in the Housing Element Update.
Ø City Facebook and Housing Element Update Webpage. Announcements on the Housing Element Update are posted on the City’s Facebook in addition to the website. Materials related to the Housing Element are also posted on the website.
Housing and Community Development (HCD) Review of Corona’s Housing Element Update Draft
The City’s Housing Element Update Draft was submitted to the State Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) on July 1, 2021, initiating a 60-day review. HCD completed its review on August 30, 2021. The Housing Element Update has since been revised to reflect the comments received from HCD. The revised Housing Element Update was posted on the City’s Housing Element Update webpage on September 27, 2021.
ANALYSIS:
The element includes six chapters and appendices. The following is a brief description of the chapters and appendices covered in the element.
Chapter 1: Introduction. This chapter gives a general overview of the city’s profile, the purpose of the Housing Element, sources of information used in the Housing Element and the public participation process.
Chapter 2: Housing Needs Assessment. This chapter covers the city’s population growth trend, the characteristics (age distribution, race and ethnicity, employment, household characteristics, household by income category, special need groups), housing stock characteristics, Riverside County’s Area Median Income, and the number of assisted housing units in Corona.
Corona’s housing stock mostly consists of single-family homes, which includes 37,394 units (72.6%). Multiple family homes includes 12,275 units (23.8%) and mobile homes or other units include 1,835 units (3.6%). The information in the Housing Element in based on 2014-2018 data from the American Community Survey.
The average median income in Riverside County based on a 4-person household is $77,500. This is based on HCD’s state income limits published in 2021. Based on the area median income (AMI), the household income distribution in the city is shown in the below table.
Corona’s Households by Income Category
|
Income Category (Percent of County AMI) |
Households |
|
Extremely Low (30% or less) |
8.8% |
|
Very Low Income (less than 50% if AMI) |
15.6% |
|
Low Income (50-80% AMI) |
15% |
|
Moderate Income (80-120% AMI) |
12% |
|
Above Moderate Income (greater than 120%) |
48.5% |
Corona’s household characteristics and average household size along with overcrowded households are depicted in the following tables.
Corona’s Household Characteristics
Corona’s Average Household Size and Overcrowded Households
Chapter 3: Housing Constraints. This chapter covers constraints when it comes to building housing or providing housing. Housing constraints can include market constraints (construction and labor costs, land cost and financing), governmental constraints (land use zoning and development standards related to parking requirements, lot coverage, building setbacks and open space), constraints when it comes to providing housing for persons with special needs (24-hour care facilities, emergency shelters, mobile homes, accessory dwelling units, transitional and supportive housing), development fees and infrastructure requirements associated with new construction, permit processing times, etc.
Chapter 4: Housing Resources. This chapter covers the City’s future housing need and RHNA allocation for the next eight years. Corona’s RHNA allocation based on income categories is shown in the below table.
City of Corona RHNA Allocation
Years 2021-2029
|
Income Category Based on Area Median Income (AMI) |
Number of Units to Accommodate |
Percentage |
|
Very Low Income between 31 and 50% AMI |
1,752 |
28.8% |
|
Low Income between 51 and 80% AMI |
1,040 |
17.1% |
|
Moderate Income between 81% and 120% AMI |
1,096 |
18.0% |
|
Above-Moderate Income greater than 120% AMI |
2,200 |
36.1% |
|
Total |
6,088 |
100.0% |
This chapter identifies how the city plans on meeting its RHNA allocation for each income category for planning period 2021-2029. The analysis uses: a) existing zoning (includes vacant sites and non-vacant sites), b) pending projects that have either been approved but not yet built or submitted to city staff for review but not yet entitled, and c) rezoning of sites.
Sites suitable for low-income units must have a zoning and General Plan designation that allows a higher density of at least 30 dwelling units to the acre. Moderate income units also can be accounted for in the higher density but can be included in a medium density that allows up to 15 dwelling units to the acre. Therefore, to plan for the City’s RHNA allocation of low and moderate income units for planning period 2021-2029, the City will need to rezone property. The proposed rezoning program would need to accommodate at a minimum 2,532 low income units and 887 moderate income units. The City’s proposed rezoning would accommodate 3,123 low income units and 888 moderate income units. The surplus of units provides a 20% buffer to accommodate a potential shortfall of sites should any of the low income sites identified in the sites inventory is underbuilt. HCD also requires that cities plan for at least a 20% buffer in its RHNA allocation. The table below shows the City’s residential site’s inventory.
Residential Sites Inventory
The rezone sites are shown as Figure 9 and Figure 10 in the Housing Element. The City is taking two approaches on the rezone program. The first approach is shown in Figure 9 which includes rezoning property to either a high density or medium density designation. These sites were chosen based on their current condition and if the size of the property can support additional housing units. For example, the properties shown on Quarry Street across from City Park and the parcels on Ford Street and Barth Street are zoned single family residential but have parcel sizes capable of accommodating additional units such as a duplex. Properties such as this are being considered for medium density development to accommodate moderate income units.
The parcels shown on Figure 10 are intended to be rezoned with an affordable housing overlay zone. An affordable housing overlay zone is a zoning tool that allows a city to modify existing zoning to allow for or require certain types of residential development on a parcel without changing the underlying zoning district. This means a parcel currently being used for a non-residential land use, such as commercial or industrial and zoned as such, can continue to be used in accordance with the underlying zoning. However, should the property owner decide to redevelop the site with residential, the site would be allowed to have residential in accordance with the provisions established by the affordable housing overlay. The affordable housing overlay demonstrates where additional housing can be planned should the current use of the property be repurposed in the future. The non-vacant commercial sites included in the housing sites inventory were selected because the sites may be underutilized, have building coverage less than 50%, have struggled with vacancies or turnover over the years and are within walking distance to public transportation and other commercial services.
The affordable housing overlay zone will allow up to 60 dwelling units to the acre. To meet the RHNA allocation assigned to low income units, a higher density is needed on these properties because of the City’s limited land resources.
The Housing Survey distributed in January 2021 asked respondents where housing in the city should be located and which areas would be better suited for high density residential. The majority of respondents (47.97%) said housing should be located throughout the city. However, when asked where high density housing would be better suited the majority of the respondents (75.20%) said in areas where public transportation is within walking distance. The second preference (42.80%) was in areas near commercial centers. A copy of the survey responses is provided in Appendix A of the Housing Element.
Rezone Program
Properties that are required to be rezoned as part of the housing sites inventory of the Housing Element shall be done within three years of the start of the planning period. The start of the Housing Element planning period begins October 15, 2021. The City will initiate a separate process after the adoption of the Housing Element to rezone the properties identified on the sites inventory. The rezone program would follow the same procedures as a change of zone, which requires the city to do an environmental analysis of the changes, create an affordable housing overlay zone, and conduct public outreach and public hearings on the process.
It is worth noting that with the passage of SB 1398, which was signed by the Governor on September 28, 2021, a rezoning program would need to be adopted within one year from the start of the planning period should a jurisdiction fail to adopt a housing element that HCD found to be in substantial compliance with State law within 120 days of the statutory deadline. Therefore, if HCD does not determine the City to have a state compliant Housing Element 120 days from October 15, 2021, the completion of the rezone program identified in the Housing Element would be reduced from three years to one year.
Chapter 5: Review of Past Accomplishments. This chapter covers the past accomplishments of the housing plan programs from planning period 2013-2021. This chapter identifies the previous programs from the Housing Element, the objectives of the programs and the city’s progress and continued appropriateness of the programs.
Chapter 6: Housing Plan. This chapter identifies the goals and policies of the Housing Element and the housing programs that the city will implement in planning period 2021-2029. The programs will include existing programs being carried over into the new planning period as well as new programs. Certain programs are a continuation annually whereas others are required to be implemented by a certain date.
New housing programs included in this Housing Element Update include the Mobile Home Park Program (Program 4), new Site Availability and Rezone Program (Program 7), Flexibility in Development Standards (Program 15), Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (Program 18), Fair Housing Services (Program 19), Segregation in Housing Implementation (Program 20), Housing for Special Needs Population (Program 22), Safe and Healthy Communities (Program 23), Alternative Housing Program (Program 24), Community Outreach Program (Program 25), Community Placemaking Pilot Program (Program 26), and Replacement Housing Program (Program 27).
Appendices A through C. The appendices to the Housing Element Update include the public outreach materials used during the preparation of the Housing Element (Appendix A), spreadsheets of the sites inventory (Appendix B), and discussion on Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (Appendix C).
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
GPA2021-0001 is initiated by the City; therefore, no fees were associated with this application.
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS:
The City has prepared an environmental evaluation to analyze the potential environmental impacts of the Housing Element Update and whether the environmental impacts of the Housing Element were adequately addressed in the Corona General Plan Update EIR (SCH#2018081039) certified on June 3, 2020. The evaluation indicated that the Housing Element Update will not result in impacts beyond what was previously analyzed in the General Plan EIR or require mitigation measures not included previously because the project does not have new or substantially more severe significant environmental impacts. As permitted by State California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines Sections 15164(e) and 15168(c), an addendum to the General Plan EIR was prepared.
PLANNING AND HOUSING COMMISSION ACTION:
At its meeting of October 11, 2021, the Planning and Housing Commission considered the subject matter and took the following action:
Motion was made, seconded (Meza/Sherman) with Vice Chair Alexander voting “No” and Commissioners Siqueland and Woody absent, that the Planning and Housing Commission recommend adoption of the Addendum to the General Plan Environmental Impact Report (SCH#2018081039) and APPROVAL of GPA2021-0001 to the City Council, and adopt Resolution No. 2578 granting GPA2021-0001 to update the General Plan Housing Element for Planning Period 2021-2029. Because Planning and Housing Commission Resolution No. 2578 was not adopted by an affirmative vote of at least a majority of the total membership of the Planning Commission, pursuant to the requirements of Government Code Section 65354 the written recommendation from the Planning Commission is not a recommendation for approval. The minutes of the Planning and Housing Commission meeting are included as Exhibit 3.
PREPARED BY: JOANNE COLETTA, PLANNING & DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR
Attachments:
1. Exhibit 1 - City Resolution No. 2021-121
2. Exhibit 2 - Planning and Housing Commission staff report
3. Exhibit 3 - Draft Minutes of the Planning and Housing Commission meeting of October 11, 2021