Title
REF220020 - GENERAL PLAN HOUSING ELEMENT SIXTH CYCLE UPDATE
Receive a status report of the draft Sixth Cycle Housing Element and provide direction to staff.
Project Location: Unincorporated County of Monterey
Proposed CEQA Action: Statutory exemption pursuant to Section 15262 of the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”) Guidelines.
Body
RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended that the Planning Commission:
a. Receive a status update on Referral No. 22.5 - draft Sixth Cycle Housing Element Update; and
b. Provide direction to staff.
SUMMARY:
California state law requires all local governments (cities and counties) adequately plan to meet the housing needs of everyone in the community, at all income levels. California’s local governments meet this requirement by adopting housing plans as part of their “general plan.” General Plans serve as a local government’s blueprint for how they will grow and develop. The County of Monterey is in the process of updating the Housing Element of the General Plan. This is the Sixth Cycle of Housing Element Updates (“HEU6”) and it covers a planning period between calendar years 2023-2031. It is now 2025 and the County is more than 1 year past the legislative due date in state law which was December 15, 2023. Consequences of not meeting the legislative deadline include, most germanely, the “Builders Remedy”, and difficulty in, or disqualification from, obtaining state grants.
As a reminder, the County has an assigned Regional Housing Needs Allocation (“RHNA”) of 3,326 housing units allocated across four income level categories including 1,070 Extremely Low/Very Low-Income, 700 Low-Income, 420 Moderate-Income, and 1,136 Above Moderate-Income units. Additionally, state guidance advises that jurisdictions plan for a buffer of 15-30% above the base RHNA requirement for each income category to avoid being subject to “no net loss” housing law.
The County has made substantial progress and accomplished a significant milestone in...
Click here for full text