CC 09-21-2021 Item No. 15 Housing Element Contract - Supplemental Staff Report Response to Council Inquiries_Desk Item
CITY COUNCIL STAFF REPORT
September 20, 2021
Subject
Consent Calendar Item 15: Initiate Sixth‐Cycle General Plan Housing Element update,
consider awarding a consultant agreement to complete the Sixth‐Cycle General Plan
Housing Element update, related rezoning, and all necessary environmental review as
required under State law, and associated budget modification.
RESPONSE TO COUNCIL INQUIRIES
Discussion
This is a supplemental report provided in response to Council inquiries. Inquiries have
been consolidated and simplified for clarity.
1. From the staff report: “Complete an Assessment of Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing
(possibly)”
Is this not required? What’s the advantage or disadvantage of completing or not completing
this Assessment?
Response: An Assessment of Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing is required as
part of the Housing Element update. (See https://www.hcd.ca.gov/community‐
development/affh/index.shtml.) With the passage of Assembly Bill 686 (Santiago), the
State now requires cities and counties to affirmatively further fair housing and include
an assessment of fair housing as part of the next state‐mandated update to the
Housing Element. The City is actively working on the Affirmatively Furthering Fair
Housing Plan along with the Housing Element.
2. Confirming that $774,248 does not include the $352,613 Grant Funds (LEAP $300,000 &
REAP $52,613).
Response: The $774,248 does not include the grant funds. Although the City has been
awarded a total of $352,613 ($300,000 LEAP grant funds from HCD and $52,613 REAP
grant funds from ABAG/MTC), these grant funds are reimbursement‐based funds.
Therefore, the requested budget update does not include the grant funds.
3. What is “context‐based updates to development standards”? Examples?
Response: An example of “context‐based updates to development standards” might
be when a site is identified as a Priority Housing Site for a much larger density than
currently exists. In that case, an increase in height or reduction in setbacks might be
required in order to ensure that the density can be accommodated on the site.
For example, when the Hamptons site was identified as a Priority Housing Site in the
2015‐2023 Housing Element Cycle, the site was rezoned to allow an additional 600
units. The rezone also required an increase in height on the site to accommodate the
increased density for the site.
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Prepared by: Benjamin Fu, Director of Community Development
Reviewed by: Chris Jensen, City Attorney
Approved by: Greg Larson, Interim City Manager