(3)Joint Meeting - AR 062309 General Plan Update

Browse Search

Draft Housing Element Study Session June 23, 2009 Joint City Council / Planning Commission Meeting Page 2 DISCUSSION/ANALYSIS The Housing Element is one of seven mandatory elements of the General Plan, and its primary purpose is to identify ways in which the housing needs of existing and future Colton residents can be met. Consistent with State Housing Element laws, the Housing Element must be updated every five years unless otherwise extended by legislation. This Housing Element covers the period for the SCAG region extending from July 1, 2008 to June 30, 2014. By law, the Housing Element must contain these following major components: • An analysis of the City's demographic and housing characteristics and trends • A review of potential market, governmental, and environmental constraints to meeting the City's identified housing needs • An evaluation of land, administrative, and financial resources available to address the housing goals • A review of past accomplishments under the previous Housing Element • A housing plan to address the identified housing needs, including housing goals, policies, and programs Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) A core component of the Housing Element is the Regional Housing Needs Allocation, or RHNA. The RHNA, developed through a process directed by the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG), represents the number of housing units — divided into various household income categories — that have been calculated to represent Colton's "fair share" of the regional housing need during the Housing Element planning period. By law, the City is required to show in the Housing Element that adequate sites are available in Colton to accommodate the construction of new housing units consistent with the RHNA. Recognizing that development is often constrained by the market and environmental and other factors, the law makes no mandate that these units actually be built. Rather, housing law merely requires that the City do its part to facilitate housing construction by designating and zoning land for residential use at appropriate densities, and by eliminating impediments to housing development. Colton's RHNA for the 2008-2014 planning period was determined by SCAG to be 3,705 housing units, including 854 units for very low-income households , 595 units for low-income households, 693 units for moderate -income households, and 1,563 units for above moderate - income households. Although the City disagreed with the inequity inherent in the RHNA process — faulting its assumptions, methodology and result as described in the attached Executive Summary — under State law Colton is, nevertheless, obligated to show that land use policy and supporting programs provide adequate capacity to meet this allocation.