Title
REF220020/REF220017/REF220018/General Plan Housing Element Sixth Cycle Update
a. Receive a presentation on the General Plan Housing Element Sixth Cycle Update (2024-31), Safety Element Update, and new Environmental Justice Element.
b. Consider the Draft General Plan Elements Updates Community Engagement Plan; and
c. Provide direction to staff.
Project Location: Unincorporated County of Monterey
Proposed CEQA Action: Statutory Exemption pursuant to Section 15262 of the CEQA
Report
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends the Board of Supervisors:
a. Receive a presentation on the General Plan Housing Element Sixth Cycle Update (2024-31), Safety Element Update, and new Environmental Justice Element.
b. Consider the Draft General Plan Elements Updates Community Engagement Plan; and
c. Provide direction to staff.
SUMMARY:
The County Board of Supervisors approved a professional services agreement on September 27, 2022, for Harris & Associates to provide consultant services supporting efforts to amend General Plan Elements including the Sixth Cycle Update to the Housing Element, update to the Safety Element, and preparation of a new Environmental Justice Element. These elements are applicable throughout unincorporated County of Monterey; however, the Environmental Justice Element is applicable in areas of the County identified as a disadvantaged community, per state and local criteria. The consultant will provide the Board of Supervisors an overview presentation of the status of the General Plan Elements Updates and seeks input from the Board.
As part of the Sixth Cycle Update to the Housing Element, the County is required to identify sites and zoning designations that can accommodate housing developments capable of satisfying the County’s Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA) of 3,326 housing units distributed across four Income levels (1,070 Very Low, 700 Low, 420 Moderate, and 1,136 Above Moderate). Along with facilitating the County’s RHNA, the update to the Housing Element must identify and analyze significant disparities in access to opportunity (AB 686 - Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) Act). The AFFH Act requires the Housing Element promote inclusive communities and further housing choice through government programs, policies, and operations that recognize existing racial and economic disparities and remediate these disparities. State law (Gov. Code §65302) requires review of fire and flood impacts in the Safety Element concurrent with each update of the Housing Element. Therefore, staff is working with its consultant to prepare an update to the Safety Element along with the Sixth Cycle Update to the Housing Element.
A Draft Community Engagement Plan is provided to the Board of Supervisors for its consideration and input (Attachment C).
Pursuant to state law, this Housing Element update must be completed by the end of 2023. This timeline includes mandatory outreach, public review periods, State HCD review, and formal adoption. The draft engagement plan reflects the time constraints imposed by state law.
DISCUSSION:
See detailed discussion - Attachment B.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW:
This presentation ca be Statutorily Exempt pursuant to Section 15262 of the CEQA Guidelines as an early discussion on possible future actions that do not involve a commitment to a project. The General Plan amendments will require a CEQA determination prior to adoption.
OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
Multiple County departments are involved in the development of these General Plan Elements Updates including the: Health Department’s Environmental Health Bureau and its Planning, Evaluation and Policy Unit; Civil Rights Office; County Administrative Office’s Sustainability Program, Office of Community Engagement and Strategic Advocacy, and Office of Emergency Services; and the Public Works, Facilities and Parks Department.
Staff provided the Health, Housing, and Human Services Committee (HHHSC) an overview presentation of the status of the General Plan Elements Updates on December 5, 2022.
On November 7, 2022, the Planning Commission received an overview presentation of the General Plan Element Updates. Staff will be returning to the Planning Commission with the consultant to provide additional information about the General Plan Elements update process on December 7, 2022.
Staff is tentatively planning to present to the Housing Advisory Committee an overview of the Housing Element Sixth Cycle Update at its first meeting in 2023.
FINANCING:
Staff time to support the General Plan Elements Updates is included in the FY2022-23 Adopted budget for HCD Unit 8543, Appropriation Unit HCD002. The total consultant contract to complete the General Plan Elements Updates is $967,520, and an approximately $580,520 is anticipated to be expended this FY2022-23. Funding for the consultant’s work is included in the FY2022-23 Adopted Budget for HCD Unit 8543, Appropriation Unit HCD002. FY2022-23 expenditures of approximately $210,180 is to be funded from the Cannabis Assignment and the other $370,340 for the Housing Element portion of the contract is reimbursable with Regional Early Action Planning (REAP) grant funds. To complete the consultants work, funding will continue into FY23-24 and staff will plan to submit an augmentation request as part of FY23-24 budget process.
BOARD OF SUPERVISORS STRATEGIC INITIATIVES:
This project supports the Board of Supervisors’ Strategic Initiatives with revision of the Housing Element for the 6th Cycle Update which will contribute to strengthening a diversified and healthy economy by removing barriers to potential housing development and promoting jobs/housing balance. The Housing Element 6th Cycle Update would include strategies to ease the discretionary review process of potential housing development for the effective and efficient management of resources. The Safety Element Update and preparation of a new Environmental Justice Element will include policies that improve the health and quality of life for Monterey County residents, especially those community members who experience a greater burden of health risks and have inadequate means to rehabilitate from disasters exacerbated by the effects of climate change. Infrastructure needs will be analyzed in the Safety Element Update for areas of less than two points of egress and existing development within known hazard areas.
X Economic Development
X Administration
X Health & Human Services
X Infrastructure
X Public Safety
Prepared by: Jaime Scott Guthrie, AICP, Senior Planner
Edgar Sanchez, Assistant Planner
Reviewed by: Melanie Beretti, AICP, Principal Planner - Advanced Planning, (831) 755-5285
Approved by: Erik V. Lundquist, AICP, Director
The following attachments are on file with the Clerk of the Board:
Attachment A - Consultant Presentation
Attachment B - Discussion
Attachment C - Community Engagement Plan