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Home My WebLink About2020-04-08; Housing Element Advisory Committee; ; SITE SELECTION STRATEGIESHOUSING ELEMENT ADVISORY COMMITTEE Staff Report Meeting Date: April 8, 2020 To: Housing Element Advisory Committee Members From: Scott Donnell, Senior Planner Staff Contact: Scott Donnell, Senior Planner Scott.donnell@carlsbadca.gov, 760-602-4618 Subject: Agenda item 3 — Site Selection Strategies Recommended Action Receive a report on the reasonable capacity assumptions in the current Housing Element and discuss and provide committee input as appropriate. Executive Summary State housing law (Government Code 65583) requires Housing Elements to "identify adequate sites for housing, including rental housing, factory -built housing, mobilehomes, and emergency shelters, and shall make adequate provision for the existing and projected needs of all economic segments of the community." The City's current Housing Element utilized nine strategies, known as reasonable capacity assumptions, as a framework for the identification of potential housing sites. Staff will overview these assumptions and comment on them as to their relevancy to the Housing Element Update. While some aspects of these assumptions are beyond the committee's purview to recommend change (such as assumptions regarding steep slopes and other environmental constraints), committee awareness, discussion and appropriate input on the assumptions is important. To assist the committee, the attached exhibit is an excerpt of the reasonable capacity assumptions from Section 10.3, Resources Available, in the current Housing Element. The nine assumption categories are as follows: 1. Environmental Constraints 2. Multiple Land Use Categories 3. "Underutilized" Sites 4. Parcel Size (outside the Village and Barrio) 5. Existing Units to Remain 6. General Plan Land Use Designation and Corresponding Zoning District 7. Assumed Density 8. Residential on Commercial Sites (Mixed Use) 9. Infrastructure Availability HOUSING ELEMENT ADVISORY COMMITTEE Staff Report Public Notification This item was noticed in accordance with the Ralph M. Brown Act and was available for viewing at least 72 hours prior to the meeting date. Exhibit 1. Excerpt from the General Plan Housing Element, Section 10.3, Resources Available, pages 10-51 to 10-53 General Plan Summary Table 10-25 summarizes the city's progress toward meeting the RHNA based on the data in Table 10-24. Overall, the city has a remaining RHNA of 1,240 lower income and 8 88o moderate income units; the city must demonstrate the avail- ability of residential sites at appropriate densities to accommodate these units. TABLE 10-25: PROGRESS TOWARD MEETING THE RHNA HOUSEHOLD INCOME VERY LOW LOW MODERATE ABOVE MODERATE TOTAL Completed/Under Construction 46 53 62 1,766 1,927 Approved 0 266 120 347 733 Total 46 319 182 2,113 2,660 RHNA 912 693 1,062 2,332 4,999 RHNA Remaining 866 374 880 219 2,339 Source: City of Carlsbad, 2016. Assumptions for Sites Inventory This section describes assumptions for how the sites inventory was determined, particularly as it relates to sites appropriate for lower income households. This includes reasonable capacity, appropriate densities (General Plan land use des- ignations), site conditions, and locations. Unique site conditions exist in certain areas, namely the Village and Barrio; these are discussed below. Reasonable Capacity Assumptions Reasonable capacity is calculated for each site based on environmental con- straints, site size, and the minimum permitted density. • Environmental Constraints. Deductions are made for site constraints, which include steep slopes, water bodies, and San Diego Gas and Electric transmission corridors. — So percent of the land area on 25-40 percent natural slopes are assumed to be available for development — Natural slopes greater than 40 percent are excluded from capacity calculations — Areas within the ioo-year flood zone are excluded from capacity calculations Multiple Land Use Categories. The acreage of any unentitled or under- utilized parcel with more than one General Plan designation (e.g. R-15/L) is appropriately adjusted so unit yields are based only on the portion of acreage reflective of the residential designation. "Underutilized" Sites. These are sites not developed to their full poten- tial, such as an older residence on a large lot designated for multi -family LOU 10-51 Cit o Carlsbad MW residential. The city considers a property underutilized if its improve- ment value is less than its land value, with values as determined by the San Diego County Assessor.2 Other factors considered and reflected in the city's sites selection include absentee ownership and the condition/ age of the structure on the property (greater than 55 years). Parcel Size (outside the Village and Barrio). With the exception of parcels in the Village and the Barrio area, which have the highest densities allowable, all sites that have been assumed to have additional develop- ment potential for lower and moderate income housing are at least 0.24 acre in size —a threshold where infill development and redevelopment have occurred in recent years, as shown in Table 10-26. Existing Units to Remain. Any existing units on underutilized parcels are also deducted before determining unit yields, resulting in a "net" unit value 3 • General Plan Land Use Designation and Corresponding Zoning District. Allowed density is based on the General Plan land use desig- nation and its corresponding minimum density, as described in the sites inventory and the "Relationship between Affordability and Density" sub- section below. The zoning district specifies other site regulations such as parking and lot coverage requirements. TABLE 10-26: APPROVED MULTI -FAMILY PROJECTS ON SMALL SITES PROJECT SITE SIZE (IN ACRES) UNITS DENSITY (DU/AC) APPROVAL DATE Acacia Estates 0.32 4 13 2005 Tamarack Beach Lofts 0.22 4 18 2006 Chestnut 5 Condos 0.27 5 18.5 2008 Walnut Condos 0.80 15 18.8 2008 Seabreeze Villas 0.69 12 17.4 2011 La Costa Bluffs 1.56 24 15.4 2011 Vista La Costa 0.88 19 21.6 2012 201 Walnut Townhomes 0.78 14 17.9 2013 Beachwalk at Juniper 0.20 4 19.8 2013 Juniper Apartments 0.21 4 19 2015 2 Many economic development experts use an improvement -to -land value of 2.0 or less for identify- ing underutilized properties for mixed use development. The city's use of a ratio of less than i.o represents a relatively conservative assumption. 3 When developing the RHNA, SANDAG has already included a replacement factor - an estimated number of existing units that may be demolished to make way for new construction. Therefore, the RHNA is a gross production requirement. The city's sites inventory accounts for a net produc- tion capacity by discounting the existing units on site. Therefore, again, the city's estimate of capacity is more conservative compared to the RHNA. 10-52 General Plan Assumed Density. Each of the city's residential land use designations specifies a density range that includes a minimum density, maximum density, as well as a Growth Management Control Point (GMCP) density (the GMCP density ensures residential development does not exceed the number of dwellings permitted in the city per the city's Growth Management Plan). In the sites inventory, the minimum density is the assumed "reasonable" density for the purposes of accommodating housing affordable to lower and moderate income households. • Residential on Commercial Sites (Mixed Use). The General Commercial, Local Shopping Center and Regional Commercial land use designations represent the city's mixed use districts that permit residential uses as part of a mixed use development. Capacity on these sites is assumed at a minimum of 15 units per acre on 25 percent of the developable site area (the other 75 percent is assumed for non-residential uses). These sites are listed in Appendix B (Table B-5) of the inventory since they support the General Plan vision and are good residential sites for moderate income households. However, the General Plan does not designate residential capacity to these sites (an excess dwelling unit allocation is required) and they are not necessary to meet the RHNA; therefore, these sites are only included in the Appendix B as additional possible residential sites. Infrastructure Availability. Sites are only included if necessary infra- structure is available or planned. Any exceptions are described below. Reasonable Capacity in the Village The Village is the densest district in Carlsbad with the best access to shopping, services, and public transit. Because of this accessibility, it represents a good opportunity for the development of affordable housing for a range of income levels. In addition to the general assumptions above, in the Village, the minimum parcel size included in the sites inventory is 0.13 acre, which is the minimum deemed feasible for multi -family development; the average size is 0.4o acre. This relatively smaller parcel size is appropriate in the Village because: 1. Village development standards such as reduced setbacks and parking requirements, and increased lot coverage, are relatively flexible and in some cases less stringent than similar standards for properties elsewhere. Planned residential densities are higher in the Village, a minimum of 18 or 28 units per acre (maximum of 23 or 35 units per acre), depending on the district, allowing at least two units on a 0.13-acre site. 3. The Village land use designations permit mixed -use development, in which residences are likely to be smaller apartments or condominiums on the upper floors. While the city encourages mixed -use projects in the Village, development of stand-alone high -density residential projects is UOU 10-53