SUBJECT: CITY OF HERMOSA BEACH – SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF GOVERNMENTS (S.C.A.G.) REGIONAL HOUSING NEEDS ASSESSMENT ALLOCATION

 

Recommendation:

That the City Council receive and file this report.

 

Background:

Pursuant to State mandate, each local jurisdiction must accept its fair share of housing growth based upon growth projections provided by the State. Regional planning agencies are responsible for allocating this growth to local jurisdictions through a process known as the Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA). The Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) prepares the RHNA for Southern California. The formula for growth allocations is based upon growth forecasts, vacancies, demolition and replacement construction. In April 1999 the RHNA process commenced. The City received a total new construction growth allocation of 332 dwelling units.

Upon reviewing the allocations, staff prepared an appeal to SCAG contesting the allocation as unreasonable given the City’s coastal location, land use patterns, existing density, existing level of growth and lot patterns. Staff also noted that the allocation was generally disproportionate to surrounding South Bay cities. Staff also asserted that multi family housing in the city is more like single family development in that it is typically comprised of two-on-a-lot condominiums. These factors presented in the appeal effectively preclude significant amounts of housing production.

 

Analysis:

The appeal was transmitted in August 1999 and a request for additional information was forward to SCAG in February 2000. A "meet and confer" session was conducted with other South Bay cities on March 10, 2000 to discuss the appeals of three jurisdictions, the cities of Hermosa Beach and Manhattan Beach and Gardenia. The South Bay cities agreed that the appeals had merit and that no housing growth redistribution to other local jurisdictions should occur if SCAG concurred with the appealing jurisdictions, however, SCAG staff did not concur and recommended that jurisdictions go forward with appeals.

On March 16, 2000, staff presented an appeal to the Regional Housing Needs Appeals Subcommittee along with the cities of Manhattan Beach and Gardenia. The appeals for Hermosa Beach and Manhattan Beach were denied and the Gardenia appeal was tentatively approved based upon new more favorable replacement housing data submitted to the Subcommittee. The Subcommittee would only accept an appeal based upon the growth allocation formula and would not recognize any other important planning considerations such as city size, topography coastal location or land use distribution.

The City has produced 158 new net dwelling units over the last decade. Based upon this level of growth it would take approximately 21 years to absorb the number of new units required by the allocation rather than the 7.5 year RHNA planning period.

The result of the denial is that the City of Hermosa Beach has been allocated approximately 332 new housing units which must be reflected in the City’s Housing Element, proposed for revision by December 2000. The Housing Element is required to be certified by the State Department of Housing and Community Development and must contains goals, policies and implementation programs to attain the new housing growth allocated by SCAG and mandated by the State.

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