Housing Element Update | Planning Division

First Public Workshop: March 9, 2012

City of San Diego
General Plan
Housing Element Update
Public Workshop
Friday, March 9th 3-5PM
Mission Valley Library
Community Room
2123 Fenton Parkway

For questions, please contact Brian Schoenfisch, Housing Element Update Project Manager, at BSchoenfisch@sandiego.gov

Housing Element Update - Housing Element 2013-2020

The City of San Diego has begun the process to update the Housing Element for the Fifth Cycle (2013-2020). In accordance with the State of California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD), the City must have a certified Housing Element by April, 2013.

About the Update

What is the Housing Element?
The Housing Element serves as a policy guide to address the comprehensive housing needs of the City. It is one of ten elements of the City of San Diego�s General Plan and is mandated by the State of California Government Code. State law requires that local jurisdictions outline the housing needs of their community, the barriers or constraints to providing that housing, and actions proposed to address these concerns over an eight-year period. The Housing Element is subject to detailed statutory requirements and mandatory review by HCD, acknowledging that the availability of housing is a matter of statewide importance and that cooperation between government and the private sector is critical to attainment of the State�s housing goals. Housing element law requires local governments to adequately plan to meet their existing and projected housing needs, including their share of the regional housing need. The law recognizes that in order for the private sector to adequately address housing needs and demand, local governments must adopt land-use plans and regulatory schemes that provide opportunities for, and do not unduly constrain, housing development. Further, in accordance with California Senate Bill 375, the Housing Element will identify how regional greenhouse gas targets would be achieved through feasible development patterns, infrastructure investments, and/or transportation measures or policies, consistent with a regional �Sustainable Communities Strategy�.

What is the Relationship of the Housing Element to Other Elements of the General Plan?
While the Housing Element is an element of the City�s General Plan it is provided under separate cover from the rest of the General Plan due to the need for frequent Housing Element updates, and to facilitate compliance with the state reporting requirements. It must remain consistent with the other elements of the General Plan and incorporate the City of Villages strategy as one of the key components of the City�s housing strategy. The City of Villages strategy is to focus growth into mixed-use activity centers that are pedestrian-friendly, centers of community, and linked to the regional transit system. Further, the City of Villages strategy is an important component of the City�s effort to reduce local contributions to greenhouse gas emissions, because the strategy makes it possible for larger numbers of people to make fewer and shorter auto trips.

Why Update the Housing Element?
State law requires local governments to update their General Plan Housing Elements every eight years in order to periodically address the changing housing needs of their communities and to establish action plans to meet those goals. The contents are established by state law and must include measurable objectives. The Housing Element is subject to certification by the State of California. The Housing Element update process and resulting documentation must meet the minimum requirements of state law and include the following:

A set of quantifiable objectives and programs to address the City�s housing needs for all income levels;
An evaluation of the results from housing programs and policies implemented during the previous review period, including a discussion of their effectiveness, a comparison of projected results to measured accomplishments, and a summary of how these results will guide revisions to the update;
An assessment of the City�s housing needs based on housing, land use, population, demographic and employment trends;
An analysis of governmental and non-governmental constraints to providing housing; and
An analysis of housing opportunities within the City, including an inventory of suitable sites and the City�s capacity to meet regional share goals, as well as the adequacy of the City�s infrastructure and public facilities.

What is the Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA)?
The Regional Housing Needs Assessment, or RHNA, identifies how much housing each city and county should include in their plans. Typically, each council of governments prepares the state-mandated RHNA for each region prior to cities and counties updating their general plan housing elements. Housing elements address how a city or county will meet future housing needs and are required by the state to be updated every eight years and to be in step with regional transportation plans. The state gives each region the estimated amount of homes needed for different income groups. Each region�s council of governments then allocates that housing need among each city and county in the region. In the San Diego region, the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) works with each of the 18 cities and the county to conduct the RHNA, which is then implemented through individual housing elements. The state does not require that the City of San Diego (or other local jurisdictions) build these housing units, but rather, have enough vacant and/or underdeveloped land that could support the development of housing to meet the estimated need. SANDAG expects to approve the draft RHNA by July 2011. Once the RHNA has been approved by SANDAG, the City of San Diego will begin to update its Housing Element to meet the State�s 2013 deadline.