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HomeMy WebLinkAbout09 OVERVIEW OF LAND USE OPTIONS FOR HOUSING ELEMENT REZONING PROGRAMDocuSign Envelope ID: 63BOC69D-1BFD-4B3F-8FDF-D6C835E73DF6 MEETING DATE: TO: FROM: SUBJECT: SUMMARY: Agenda Item y AGENDA REPORT Reviewed: os City Manager Finance Director DECEMBER 5, 2023 NICOLE BERNARD, ACTING CITY MANAGER COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT OVERVIEW OF LAND USE OPTIONS FOR HOUSING ELEMENT REZONING PROGRAM The City's adopted Housing Element currently identifies a Rezoning Program that establishes eighteen (18) housing element sites zoned for mixed -use development. These eighteen (18) sites accommodate the City's obligation under the Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA). This report addresses how City staff intends to propose to comply with the Housing Element Law's restrictions on rezoning sites that include mixed - use zoning. This report clarifies that City staff proposes to designate a few of the housing inventory sites for "residential use only" development in accordance with the Housing Element, such that non-residential uses would be prohibited on those sites. By doing so the remaining housing inventory sites will maintain the land use flexibility currently allowed by the City Code. The sites to be designated for residential uses only include a portion of land at The Market Place shopping center that is currently used for parking and a portion of Neighborhood D North within the Tustin Legacy Specific Plan (TLSP). RECOMMENDATION: That the City Council receive and file this staff report. FISCAL IMPACT: The City Council has appropriated funds to complete the Housing Element Rezoning project. CORRELATION TO THE STRATEGIC PLAN: This action correlates to the City's Strategic Plan Goal A, Economic and Neighborhood Development, Strategy 15, which is to create affordable and workforce housing options. DocuSign Envelope ID: 63BOC69D-1BFD-4B3F-8FDF-D6C835E73DF6 City Council Staff Report Housing Element Rezoning Options December 5, 2023 Page 2 BACKGROUND: California housing law requires cities and counties to update their General Plan Housing Elements every eight (8) years (aka, "housing element cycle"). On October 5, 2021 the City Council adopted an update to the Tustin General Plan Housing Element, which was submitted to the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) for their review and comment. The adopted Housing Element was revised to address HCD comments, and subsequently resubmitted to HCD. On September 12, 2022, HCD certified that the Housing Element complied with the statutory requirements of housing element law. On October 4, 2022 the City Council readopted the certified Housing Element. Housing Element Site Inventory The City's certified Housing Element establishes strategies to facilitate the development of housing to meet the City's fair share of the regional housing need by income level (RHNA) by providing an inventory of land adequately zoned or planned to be zoned for housing development. Sites are determined to be suitable for residential development if zoned appropriately and available for residential use during the planning period. If the inventory demonstrates that there are insufficient adequate sites to accommodate the RHNA for each income category, the inventory must identify sites for rezoning. The City's certified Housing Element identifies eighteen (18) sites, fourteen (14) of which already allow residential development under their existing mixed -use zoning. The remaining four (4) sites require rezoning, as they do not currently allow residential development or do not allow the number of residential units needed to meet the City's RHNA requirement. The four (4) rezone sites include portions of the Enderle Center, the Market Place Center, Tustin Legacy Neighborhood D (North and South), and Tustin Legacy Neighborhood G. In addition, where the inventory of sites does not identify adequate sites to accommodate the RHNA for lower income households, the Housing Element must include a program to rezone additional adequate sites that can be developed for housing within the planning period and that are sufficient to accommodate 100 percent of the shortfall of sites necessary to accommodate the remaining housing need for very low- and low-income households. City Staff has calculated the shortfall within the two lower -income categories that must be accommodated on the four (4) rezone sites is 948 units. The rezone sites needed to accommodate a lower -income shortfall must comply with the following requirements set forth in Government Code Section 65583.2(h): • Permit owner -occupied and rental multifamily uses by right for developments in which twenty (20) percent or more of the units are affordable to lower income households. "By right" means local government review must not require a conditional use permit, planned unit development permit, or other discretionary review or approval. DocuSign Envelope ID: 63BOC69D-1BFD-4B3F-8FDF-D6C835E73DF6 City Council Staff Report Housing Element Rezoning Options December 5, 2023 Page 3 • Permit the development of at least sixteen (16) units per site. Ensure the sites allow a minimum of twenty (20) dwelling units per acre. Ensure a) at least fifty (50) percent of the shortfall of low- and very low-income regional housing need can be accommodated on sites designated for exclusively residential uses, or b) if accommodating more than fifty (50) percent of the low - and very low-income regional housing need on sites designated for mixed -uses, all sites designated for mixed -uses must allow 100 percent residential use and require residential use to occupy at least fifty (50) percent of the floor area in a mixed -use project. The City is currently undertaking the Rezoning project in compliance with the certified Housing Element. The City is at this juncture determining the appropriate method of rezoning to ensure that the City can be flexible to facilitate various development activities, while at the same time meeting the Housing Element goals and objectives. As mentioned, all eighteen (18) of the housing inventory sites, as identified in the Housing Element, are zoned for, or will be zoned for, mixed -use development, which allows for a combination of commercial and/or residential development. At the time of the Housing Element approval, staff anticipated that the four (4) rezone sites would each be developed with commercial and residential uses, either vertically or horizontally, with the residential comprising at least fifty (50) percent of a project's square footage (Government Code § 65583.2(h)). However, upon further analysis, it was determined that it would be beneficial to allow more land use flexibility on many of the designated rezone sites. In order to provide property owners with the flexibility to build projects consisting of less than fifty (50) percent housing on these sites, the City is required to rezone fifty (50) percent of the shortfall sites for "exclusively residential" uses; thus, prohibiting any non-residential or mixed -use development. Accordingly, the rezoning project would propose to zone approximately eighteen (18) acres in the Market Place and portion of the Neighborhood D North to only allow residential development. Consistent with the requirements of Government Code Section 65583.2(h), the identified exclusively residential rezonings is sufficient to accommodate at least fifty (50) percent of the 948 lower income units shortfall, or 474 units. By designating these housing inventory sites as only allowing residential uses, the remaining rezone sites can be zoned to provide broader mixed -use flexibility. No Net Loss The City's Housing Element must also demonstrate that Tustin has an adequate number of vacant or underdeveloped sites to accommodate its fair share of housing for an eight - year period. Senate Bill 166, known as the "No Net Loss" law (Government Code § 65863), was adopted to ensure that a city not only have adequate sites at the beginning DocuSign Envelope ID: 63BOC69D-1BFD-4B3F-8FDF-D6C835E73DF6 City Council Staff Report Housing Element Rezoning Options December 5, 2023 Page 4 of their housing element cycle, but that the city maintains adequate sites throughout the housing element cycle. This means that if the City approves the development of a property identified on the Housing Element's site inventory with a non-residential use, or with less than the number of housing units allocated to that site in any income category, then the City must show that there is adequate capacity on other sites identified in the site inventory to accommodate the "lost" housing units. If the City cannot show that additional capacity exists, then the City has 180 days to identify and/or rezone an additional site or sites adequate to accommodate the "lost" housing units. The Housing Element rezoning includes "buffer units" that the City has identified in the certified Housing Element, and these units can be used to offset underdeveloped inventory sites. The Housing Element proposed a rezoning to place 1,356 buffer units within Neighborhood D North of the TLSP. CONCLUSION: The City's adopted Housing Element currently identifies an inventory of eighteen (18) housing sites zoned for mixed -use development. Government Code § 65583.2(h) limits development to predominantly residential projects (over 50 percent residential square footage) when all of the housing inventory sites are zoned mixed -use. City staff proposes a rezoning program that will designate two (2) properties as exclusively residential (prohibiting non-residential uses). The residential only sites currently under consideration include eighteen (18) acres within The Market Place shopping center that are currently used for parking and a portion of Neighborhood D North, within the TLSP. By designating these housing inventory sites as only allowing residential uses, the zoning for the remainder of the rezone sites can maintain broader mixed -use flexibility. °r Jay Eastman, AICP Assistant Community Development Director - Planning Attachment: Government Code § 65583.2 / IA�,, Jus -L-Vvillkom Community Development Director DocuSig'nE/1nvelope ID: 63BOC69D-1BFD-4B3F-8FDF-D6C835E73DF6 �I�"+YW STATE OF CALIFORNIA AUTHENTICATED BUBFnu ELECTRONIC LEGAL MATERIAL State of California GOVERNMENT CODE Section 65583.2 65583.2. (a) A city's or county's inventory of land suitable for residential development pursuant to paragraph (3) of subdivision (a) of Section 65583 shall be used to identify sites throughout the community, consistent with paragraph (10) of subdivision (c) of Section 65583, that can be developed for housing within the planning period and that are sufficient to provide for the jurisdiction's share of the regional housing need for all income levels pursuant to Section 65584. As used in this section, "land suitable for residential development" includes all of the following sites that meet the standards set forth in subdivisions (c) and (g): (1) Vacant sites zoned for residential use. (2) Vacant sites zoned for nonresidential use that allows residential development. (3) Residentially zoned sites that are capable of being developed at a higher density, including sites owned or leased by a city, county, or city and county. (4) Sites zoned for nonresidential use that can be redeveloped for residential use, and for which the housing element includes a program to rezone the site, as necessary, rezoned for, to permit residential use, including sites owned or leased by a city, county, or city and county. (b) The inventory of land shall include all of the following: (1) A listing of properties by assessor parcel number. (2) The size of each property listed pursuant to paragraph (1), and the general plan designation and zoning of each property. (3) For nonvacant sites, a description of the existing use of each property. If a site subject to this paragraph is owned by the city or county, the description shall also include whether there are any plans to dispose of the property during the planning period and how the city or county will comply with Article 8 (commencing with Section 54220) of Chapter 5 of Part 1 of Division 2 of Title 5. (4) A general description of any environmental constraints to the development of housing within the jurisdiction, the documentation for which has been made available to the jurisdiction. This information need not be identified on a site -specific basis. (5) (A) A description of existing or planned water, sewer, and other dry utilities supply, including the availability and access to distribution facilities. (B) Parcels included in the inventory must have sufficient water, sewer, and dry utilities supply available and accessible to support housing development or be included in an existing general plan program or other mandatory program or plan, including a program or plan of a public or private entity providing water or sewer service, to secure sufficient water, sewer, and dry utilities supply to support housing development. This paragraph does not impose any additional duty on the city or county to construct, DocuSign Envelope ID: 63BOC69D-1BFD-4B3F-8FDF-D6C835E73DF6 finance, or otherwise provide water, sewer, or dry utilities to parcels included in the inventory. (6) Sites identified as available for housing for above moderate -income households in areas not served by public sewer systems. This information need not be identified on a site -specific basis. (7) A map that shows the location of the sites included in the inventory, such as the land use map from the jurisdiction's general plan, for reference purposes only. (c) Based on the information provided in subdivision (b), a city or county shall determine whether each site in the inventory can accommodate the development of some portion of its share of the regional housing need by income level during the planning period, as determined pursuant to Section 65584. The inventory shall specify for each site the number of units that can realistically be accommodated on that site and whether the site is adequate to accommodate lower income housing, moderate -income housing, or above moderate -income housing. A nonvacant site identified pursuant to paragraph (3) or (4) of subdivision (a) in a prior housing element and a vacant site that has been included in two or more consecutive planning periods that was not approved to develop a portion of the locality's housing need shall not be deemed adequate to accommodate a portion of the housing need for lower income households that must be accommodated in the current housing element planning period unless the site is zoned at residential densities consistent with paragraph (3) of this subdivision and the site is subject to a program in the housing element requiring rezoning within three years of the beginning of the planning period to allow residential use by right for housing developments in which at least 20 percent of the units are affordable to lower income households. Notwithstanding the foregoing, for a local government that fails to adopt a housing element that the department has found to be in substantial compliance with state law within 120 days of the statutory deadline in Section 65588 for adoption of the housing element, rezoning pursuant to this subdivision shall be completed no later than one year from the statutory deadline in Section 65588 for adoption of the housing element. An unincorporated area in a nonmetropolitan county pursuant to clause (ii) of subparagraph (B) of paragraph (3) shall not be subject to the requirements of this subdivision to allow residential use by right. The analysis shall determine whether the inventory can provide for a variety of types of housing, including multifamily rental housing, factory -built housing, mobilehomes, housing for agricultural employees, supportive housing, single -room occupancy units, emergency shelters, and transitional housing, and whether the inventory affirmatively furthers fair housing. The city or county shall determine the number of housing units that can be accommodated on each site as follows: (1) If local law or regulations require the development of a site at a minimum density, the department shall accept the planning agency's calculation of the total housing unit capacity on that site based on the established minimum density. If the city or county does not adopt a law or regulation requiring the development of a site at a minimum density, then it shall demonstrate how the number of units determined for that site pursuant to this subdivision will be accommodated. DocuSign Envelope ID: 63BOC69D-1BFD-4B3F-8FDF-D6C835E73DF6 (2) The number of units calculated pursuant to paragraph (1) shall be adjusted as necessary, based on the land use controls and site improvements requirement identified in paragraph (5) of subdivision (a) of Section 65583, the realistic development capacity for the site, typical densities of existing or approved residential developments at a similar affordability level in that jurisdiction, and on the current or planned availability and accessibility of sufficient water, sewer, and dry utilities. (A) A site smaller than half an acre shall not be deemed adequate to accommodate lower income housing need unless the locality can demonstrate that sites of equivalent size were successfully developed during the prior planning period for an equivalent number of lower income housing units as projected for the site or unless the locality provides other evidence to the department that the site is adequate to accommodate lower income housing. (B) A site larger than 10 acres shall not be deemed adequate to accommodate lower income housing need unless the locality can demonstrate that sites of equivalent size were successfully developed during the prior planning period for an equivalent number of lower income housing units as projected for the site or unless the locality provides other evidence to the department that the site can be developed as lower income housing. For purposes of this subparagraph, "site" means that portion of a parcel or parcels designated to accommodate lower income housing needs pursuant to this subdivision. (C) A site may be presumed to be realistic for development to accommodate lower income housing need if, at the time of the adoption of the housing element, a development affordable to lower income households has been proposed and approved for development on the site. (3) For the number of units calculated to accommodate its share of the regional housing need for lower income households pursuant to paragraph (2), a city or county shall do either of the following: (A) Provide an analysis demonstrating how the adopted densities accommodate this need. The analysis shall include, but is not limited to, factors such as market demand, financial feasibility, or information based on development project experience within a zone or zones that provide housing for lower income households. (B) The following densities shall be deemed appropriate to accommodate housing for lower income households: (i) For an incorporated city within a nonmetropolitan county and for a nonmetropolitan county that has a micropolitan area: sites allowing at least 15 units per acre. (ii) For an unincorporated area in a nonmetropolitan county not included in clause (i): sites allowing at least 10 units per acre. (iii) For a suburban jurisdiction: sites allowing at least 20 units per acre. (iv) For a jurisdiction in a metropolitan county: sites allowing at least 30 units per acre. (4) (A) For a metropolitan jurisdiction: DocuSign Envelope ID: 63BOC69D-1BFD-4B3F-8FDF-D6C835E73DF6 (i) At least 25 percent of the jurisdiction's share of the regional housing need for moderate -income housing shall be allocated to sites with zoning that allows at least 4 units of housing, but not more than 100 units per acre of housing. (ii) At least 25 percent of the jurisdiction's share of the regional housing need for above moderate -income housing shall be allocated to sites with zoning that allows at least 4 units of housing. (B) The allocation of moderate -income and above moderate -income housing to sites pursuant to this paragraph shall not be a basis for the jurisdiction to do either of the following: (i) Deny a project that does not comply with the allocation. (ii) Impose a price minimum, price maximum, price control, or any other exaction or condition of approval in lieu thereof. This clause does not prohibit a jurisdiction from imposing any price minimum, price maximum, price control, exaction, or condition in lieu thereof, pursuant to any other law. (iii) The provisions of this subparagraph do not constitute a change in, but are declaratory of, existing law with regard to the allocation of sites pursuant to this section. (C) This paragraph does not apply to an unincorporated area. (D) For purposes of this paragraph: (i) "Housing development project" has the same meaning as defined in paragraph (2) of subdivision (h) of Section 65589.5. (ii) "Unit of housing" does not include an accessory dwelling unit or junior accessory dwelling unit that could be approved pursuant to Section 65852.2 or Section 65852.22 or through a local ordinance or other provision implementing either of those sections. This paragraph shall not limit the ability of a local government to count the actual production of accessory dwelling units or junior accessory dwelling units in an annual progress report submitted pursuant to Section 65400 or other progress report as determined by the department. (E) Nothing in this subdivision shall preclude the subdivision of a parcel, provided that the subdivision is subject to the Subdivision Map Act (Division 2 (commencing with Section 66410)) or any other applicable law authorizing the subdivision of land. (d) For purposes of this section, a metropolitan county, nonmetropolitan county, and nonmetropolitan county with a micropolitan area shall be as determined by the United States Census Bureau. A nonmetropolitan county with a micropolitan area includes the following counties: Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, Mendocino, Nevada, Tehama, and Tuolumne and other counties as may be determined by the United States Census Bureau to be nonmetropolitan counties with micropolitan areas in the future. (e) (1) Except as provided in paragraph (2), a jurisdiction shall be considered suburban if the jurisdiction does not meet the requirements of clauses (i) and (ii) of subparagraph (B) of paragraph (3) of subdivision (c) and is located in a Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) of less than 2,000,000 in population, unless that jurisdiction's population is greater than 100,000, in which case it shall be considered metropolitan. A county, not including the City and County of San Francisco, shall be considered DocuSign Envelope ID: 63BOC69D-1BFD-4B3F-8FDF-D6C835E73DF6 suburban unless the county is in an MSA of 2,000,000 or greater in population in which case the county shall be considered metropolitan. (2) (A) (i) Notwithstanding paragraph (1), if a county that is in the San Francisco -Oakland -Fremont California MSA has a population of less than 400,000, that county shall be considered suburban. If this county includes an incorporated city that has a population of less than 100,000, this city shall also be considered suburban. This paragraph shall apply to a housing element revision cycle, as described in subparagraph (A) of paragraph (3) of subdivision (e) of Section 65588, that is in effect from July 1, 2014, to December 31, 2028, inclusive. (ii) A county subject to this subparagraph shall utilize the sum existing in the county's housing trust fund as of June 30, 2013, for the development and preservation of housing affordable to low- and very low income households. (B) A jurisdiction that is classified as suburban pursuant to this paragraph shall report to the Assembly Committee on Housing and Community Development, the Senate Committee on Housing, and the Department of Housing and Community Development regarding its progress in developing low- and very low income housing consistent with the requirements of Section 65400. The report shall be provided three times: once, on or before December 31, 2019, which report shall address the initial four years of the housing element cycle, a second time, on or before December 31, 2023, which report shall address the subsequent four years of the housing element cycle, and a third time, on or before December 31, 2027, which report shall address the subsequent four years of the housing element cycle and the cycle as a whole. The reports shall be provided consistent with the requirements of Section 9795. (f) A jurisdiction shall be considered metropolitan if the jurisdiction does not meet the requirements for "suburban area" above and is located in an MSA of 2,000,000 or greater in population, unless that jurisdiction's population is less than 25,000 in which case it shall be considered suburban. (g) (1) For sites described in paragraph (3) of subdivision (b), the city or county shall specify the additional development potential for each site within the planning period and shall provide an explanation of the methodology used to determine the development potential. The methodology shall consider factors including the extent to which existing uses may constitute an impediment to additional residential development, the city's or county's past experience with converting existing uses to higher density residential development, the current market demand for the existing use, an analysis of any existing leases or other contracts that would perpetuate the existing use or prevent redevelopment of the site for additional residential development, development trends, market conditions, and regulatory or other incentives or standards to encourage additional residential development on these sites. (2) In addition to the analysis required in paragraph (1), when a city or county is relying on nonvacant sites described in paragraph (3) of subdivision (b) to accommodate 50 percent or more of its housing need for lower income households, the methodology used to determine additional development potential shall demonstrate that the existing use identified pursuant to paragraph (3) of subdivision (b) does not constitute an impediment to additional residential development during the period DocuSign Envelope ID: 63BOC69D-1BFD-4B3F-8FDF-D6C835E73DF6 covered by the housing element. An existing use shall be presumed to impede additional residential development, absent findings based on substantial evidence that the use is likely to be discontinued during the planning period. (3) Notwithstanding any other law, and in addition to the requirements in paragraphs (1) and (2), sites that currently have residential uses, or within the past five years have had residential uses that have been vacated or demolished, that are or were subject to a recorded covenant, ordinance, or law that restricts rents to levels affordable to persons and families of low or very low income, subject to any other form of rent or price control through a public entity's valid exercise of its police power, or occupied by low- or very low income households, shall be subject to a policy requiring the replacement of all those units affordable to the same or lower income level as a condition of any development on the site. Replacement requirements shall be consistent with those set forth in paragraph (3) of subdivision (c) of Section 65915. (h) The program required by subparagraph (A) of paragraph (1) of subdivision (c) of Section 65583 shall accommodate 100 percent of the need for housing for very low and low-income households allocated pursuant to Section 65584 for which site capacity has not been identified in the inventory of sites pursuant to paragraph (3) of subdivision (a) on sites that shall be zoned to permit owner -occupied and rental multifamily residential use by right for developments in which at least 20 percent of the units are affordable to lower income households during the planning period. These sites shall be zoned with minimum density and development standards that permit at least 16 units per site at a density of at least 16 units per acre in jurisdictions described in clause (i) of subparagraph (B) of paragraph (3) of subdivision (c), shall be at least 20 units per acre in jurisdictions described in clauses (iii) and (iv) of subparagraph (B) of paragraph (3) of subdivision (c) and shall meet the standards set forth in subparagraph (B) of paragraph (5) of subdivision (b). At least 50 percent of the very low and low-income housing need shall be accommodated on sites designated for residential use and for which nonresidential uses or mixed uses are not permitted, except that a city or county may accommodate all of the very low and low-income housing need on sites designated for mixed use if those sites allow 100 percent residential use and require that residential use occupy 50 percent of the total floor area of a mixed -use project. (i) For purposes of this section and Section 65583, the phrase "use by right" shall mean that the local government's review of the owner -occupied or multifamily residential use may not require a conditional use permit, planned unit development permit, or other discretionary local government review or approval that would constitute a "project" for purposes of Division 13 (commencing with Section 21000) of the Public Resources Code. Any subdivision of the sites shall be subject to all laws, including, but not limited to, the local government ordinance implementing the Subdivision Map Act. A local ordinance may provide that "use by right" does not exempt the use from design review. However, that design review shall not constitute a "project" for purposes of Division 13 (commencing with Section 21000) of the Public Resources Code. Use by right for all rental multifamily residential housing shall be provided in accordance with subdivision (f) of Section 65589.5. DocuSign Envelope ID: 63BOC69D-lBFD-4B3F-8FDF-D6C835E73DF6 0) Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, within one-half mile of a Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit station, housing density requirements in place on June 30, 2014, shall apply. (k) For purposes of subdivisions (a) and (b), the department shall provide guidance to local governments to properly survey, detail, and account for sites listed pursuant to Section 65585. (0 (1) The changes to this section made by Chapter 193 of the Statutes of 2020 shall become operative on January 1, 2022. (2) The changes to this section made by Chapter 193 of the Statutes of 2020 shall not apply to a housing element revision that is originally due on or before January 1, 2022, regardless of the date of adoption by the local agency. (m) This section shall remain in effect only until December 31, 2028, and as of that date is repealed. (Amended (as amended by Stats. 2020, Ch. 193, Sec. 2) by Stars. 2021, Ch. 358, Sec. 2.5. (AB 1398) Effective January 1, 2022. Repealed as of December 31, 2028, by its own provisions. See later operative version amended by Sec. 3.5 of Stars. 2021, Ch. 358.)