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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2020-09-08; Traffic and Mobility Commission; ; HOUSING ELEMENT UPDATEItem 5 Meeting Date: Sept. 8, 2020 To: Traffic and Mobility Commission Staff Contact: Scott Donnell, Senior Planner scott.donnell@carlsbadca.gov or 760-602-4618 Subject: Housing Element Update Recommended Action Receive an informational report on the 2021-2029 Housing Element Update. No action is requested. Executive Summary As required under state law, the city has begun updating the Housing Element in the city’s General Plan. The Housing Element will provide the city with a coordinated and comprehensive strategy for promoting the production of safe, decent and affordable housing for varying income levels within the community for the next eight years, from April 2021 through April 2029. The purpose of this report is to provide the Housing Commission with an informational presentation on the Housing Element Update, including the overall project, recent action by the City Council, and next steps. The presentation will assist the Housing Commission in its consideration of the project in 2021. Information about the project is available on the city’s website at www.carlsbadca.gov/housingplan. Discussion For the 2021-2029 Housing Element planning period, the City Council must adopt an updated housing element by April 15, 2021. Prior to City Council review, the Housing Commission will consider the proposed document for recommendation. Public hearings for this purpose will be held in early 2021. The current City of Carlsbad Housing Element, adopted in 2017, identifies strategies and programs that focus on these five objectives to satisfy housing needs: • Conserving and improving existing affordable housing • Maximizing housing opportunities • Assisting in the provision of affordable housing • Removing constraints to housing investment, and • Promoting fair and equal housing opportunities. Since the beginning of this year, the Housing Element Advisory Committee has met to assist in the Housing Element Update effort. In December 2019, the City Council appointed nine residents to the HEAC. Four of those residents serve on existing city commissions, including the Housing Commission. Recommendations TRAFFIC ANO MOBILITY COMMISSION Staff Report of the HEAC have aided staff and will assist decision-makers, such as the Housing Commission and City Council, with their deliberations on the project next year. Carlsbad Municipal Code Section 2.40.060 identifies Housing Commission functions. Some of these functions relate directly to the Housing Element, such as: • Establishment of, or amendment of affordable housing programs, policies and regulations • Adoption of, or amendments to, the general plan housing element, and related strategies or programs • Establishment of, or amendment of programs and services that aim to prevent, reduce and manage homelessness in Carlsbad Environmental Review Pursuant to Public Resources Code Section 21065, this action does not constitute a “project” within the meaning of CEQA in that it has no potential to cause either a direct physical change in the environment, or a reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment, and therefore, does not require environmental review. Public Notification Public notice of this item was posted in keeping with the Ralph M. Brown Act and it was available for public viewing and review at least 72 hours before the scheduled meeting date.