HomeMy WebLinkAbout2024-12-19; Housing Element Program Outreach in the Barrio (District 1); Barberio, GaryTo the members of the:
CITY COUNCIL Date~ALcc ✓
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Council Memorandum
December 19, 2024
To:
From:
Via:
Re:
Honorable Mayor Blackburn and Members of the City Council
Gary Barberio, Deputy City Manager, Community Services
Jeff Murphy, Community Dev~ent Director
Geoff Patnoe, City Manager ({;;;fY
Housing Element Program Outreach in the Barrio (District 1)
{city of
Carlsbad
Memo ID# 2024088
This memorandum is to inform the City Council that city staff and consultants will be conducting
small group and one-on-one stakeholder meetings in and near the Barrio neighborhood between
January and February 2025. This engagement is part of an on-going dialogue with the Barrio
community about topics that have not been fully explored during the development of the Village &
Barrio Master Plan and 2021-2029 Housing Element. The outcome of these discussions are
intended to help strengthen and improve city policies affecting fair housing, anti-segregation and
environmental justice.
This memo provides the City Council with context and details about the activity to help respond to
any public comments or questions that may be received.
Background
On February 13, 2023, the City Council adopted Resolution No. 2024-025 (Attachment A}
approving a professional services agreement with Dyett & Bhatia, Urban and Regional Planners, to
assist the city with implementation of Housing Element Programs 4.1, 4.2, 4.3 and 6.1, which are
related to fair housing, including anti-segregation and environmental justice in housing.
Task 3 of the professional services agreement addresses Housing Element Program 4.3.c, which
aims to reduce barriers to housing, including but not limited to racial inequities, high housing
costs, and public awareness of existing resources. To aid in this effort, Dyett & Bhatia and its
subconsultant Citythinkers are conducting a "culture mapping" effort to identify culturally
significant resources in the Barrio's built environment.
Discussion
Community Development Department staff have worked closely with staff from Housing &
Homeless Services Department and Communication & Engagement Department to craft a targeted
engagement effort that meets the city's Housing Element obligations and builds upon engagement
that has occurred as a part of previous planning efforts like the 2015 General Plan Update, 2019
Village and Barrio Master Plan and 2021 Housing Element update. The engagement is designed as
part of an on-going dialogue with the Barrio community about topics that have not been fully
explored in previous efforts: the lived experiences of minorities, the role culture plays in defining
community, and the needs and priorities of small and less politically engaged neighborhoods.
Community Service Branch
Community Development Department
1635 Faraday Avenue I Carlsbad, CA 92008 I 442-339-2600 t
Council Memo -Housing Element Program Outreach in the Barrio (District 1)
December 19, 2024
Page 2
To complete this effort, small group and one-on-one meetings have been planned consisting of
Barrio residents, business owners, cultural institution representatives or religious organization
leaders/congregants. Staff's consultant team, Dyett & Bhatia and/or Citythinkers, will guide an
informal conversation (conducted in English and/or Spanish) about what constitutes the Barrio's
cultural and historic heritage. The team has prepared a set of open-ended starter questions and
visual materials to gain additional insight into the culturally significant time periods and locations
within the Barrio. The information gained will be used to create a "map" of the cultural
"monuments" of the Barrio in ways that are personal, spatial and relate to both the past and the
present. When meeting with residents, the consultants will also ask about their individual
experiences with barriers (physical or regulatory) to housing and other essential services (e.g.,
affordability, availability, and access to food, healthcare, schools, etc.).
Staff expect to conduct an initial round of interviews and based on the responses and the
recommendations of the first group, conduct a second round of interviews to gain a variety of
inputs and dive deeper into topics raised at the initial round. As much as feasible, the team will
meet stakeholders at locations that are comfortable and convenient for the stakeholder, whether
at their homes, religious institutions or public facilities like a library or community center.
Next Steps
The stakeholder meetings will occur in January and February 2025. The consultant will include the
input gathered at these meetings in a report to city staff, who will evaluate the report to
determine how the information can inform future engagement efforts, improvements to city
housing policies and practices or design and implementation of infrastructure projects in the
Barrio. Any resulting recommendations could return to the Council in a variety of forms, such as a
Council Memorandum or staff report for City Council action, depending on the topic and proposed
action.
The completion of these activities, as well as several others associated with this scope of work, will
conclude the date-specific program objectives contained in the city's Housing Element, which have
been in progress since 2021. Successful completion of these programs sets Carlsbad apart as one
of few in the region and the state to successfully navigate the challenging approval and
implementation process laid out by the state's Department of Housing and Community
Development.
Attachment A: City Council Resolution No. 2024-025
https://records.carlsbadca.gov/Weblink/DocView.aspx?id=7314510&dbid=0&repo=CityofCarlsbad
cc: Cindie McMahon, City Attorney
Allegra Frost, Senior Assistant City Attorney
Kristina Ray, Communication & Engagement Director
Mandy Mills, Housing & Homeless Services Director
Eric Lardy, City Planner
Robert Efird, Principal Planner
Jennifer Jesser, Senior Planner