The 6th Cycle Housing Element Update is underway and on track for adoption by the Board of Supervisors in August 2021. Housing Elements, which are a component of a General Plan, are required to be updated every eight years. The last Housing Element Update to the Countywide General Plan was adopted in 2013.
In anticipation of the mandated update, County staff solicited proposals in 2020, and contracted with De Novo Planning Group in January 2021. The delayed start of work was due to delays in receiving the Standard Agreement for the grant funds from the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) that were to be used to fund the Housing Element Update. While the statutory deadline for updating the 6th Cycle Housing Element is May 15, 2021, Government Code Section 65588(e)(4)(A) implements the provision of Senate Bill 375, which provides for a 120-day period after the statutory due date during which the Housing Element may be adopted without penalty, i.e., placing the County on a four-year cycle.
The SB 375 120-day extension provides that the County's 6th Cycle Housing Element must be adopted by September 12, 2021, in order to avoid the four-year cycle penalty. County staff is working closely with the consultant team to fast-track the Housing Element Update to ensure its completion prior to the September 12, 2021, 120-day extension deadline.
This 6th Cycle Housing Element is subject to extensive revisions, especially in comparison to previous cycles, due to numerous housing laws that have been enacted since the 5th Cycle Housing Element was adopted. Such revisions have required more rigorous analysis of potential housing sites, new housing types, and permitting provisions to be addressed through the constraints analysis; and extensive analysis related to fair housing constraints, equitable planning for new housing, and actions to affirmatively further fair housing.
The timeline below highlights key activities and dates in the update process:
- 6th Cycle Housing Element Update Kick-Off Meeting with Planning Commission: April 8, 2021
- Virtual Community Housing Workshop (Online Video and Survey): April 20, 2021, through May 31, 2021
- Esparto Citizens Advisory Committee: April 20, 2021
- Capay Valley Citizens Advisory Committee: May 5, 2021
- Clarksburg Citizens Advisory Committee: May 13, 2021
- Dunnigan Community Advisory Committee: May 19, 2021
- South Davis Community Advisory Committee: May 25, 2021
- Public Review Draft Housing Element: June 10, 2021, through July 9, 2021
- HCD Public Review Draft Housing Element: June 10, 2021, through July 1, 2021 (HCD providing an expedited review period)
- Public Workshop with Planning Commission: July 8, 2021
- Planned Planning Commission Adoption Hearing: August 12, 2021
- Planned Board of Supervisors Adoption Hearing: August 24, 2021
It is noted that HCD has made extensive comments on other jurisdiction's Draft 6th Cycle Housing Elements submitted within the last few months. These comments are primarily attributed to HCD's application of Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) requirements, which is an evolving topic with recent HCD guidance. A significant amount of comments have also been made regarding the inventory of sites. Should extensive comments be made on the County's Public Review Draft 6th Cycle Housing Element, staff plans to address the comments and bring the Revised Draft 6th Cycle Housing Element to the Planning Commission and Board for consideration to ensure that the Housing Element is adopted within the 120-day extension period. If additional comments are required, staff and the consultant team will prepare additional revisions to the Housing Element, submit the revisions to HCD to ensure the Element meets State requirements, and will return to the Planning Commission and Board for adoption of the Final 6th Cycle Housing Element.
Yolo County's 6th Cycle Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA)
The total number of units assigned to the County for the 2021-2029 (6th Cycle) Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) is 57 units, which are broken down to ensure that affordable housing is provided for 'Very Low', 'Low', and 'Moderate'-Income Households in the unincorporated area. The affordability level for each category of Household is defined by the amount of annual income for a family of four as a percentage of the Area Median Income (AMI), established by the Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD). The (current) AMI for Yolo County is $92,500, which can fluctuate annually. The numbers of units assigned to each of the above affordable income categories are as follows:
- 14 units for Very Low-Income Households (0-50 percent AMI): $0 - $46,250 ($23/hr)
- 9 units for Low-Income Households (51-80 percent AMI): $46,251 - $74,000 ($23 - $37/hr)
- 10 units Moderate-Income Households (81 - 120 percent AMI): $74,001 - $111,000 ($37 - $56/hr)
- 24 units Above Moderate-Income Households (above 120 percent AMI): $111,001+ ($56+/hr)
The County is in an excellent position to meet and exceed the number of housing units necessary to fulfill the 6th Cycle RHNA due to a number of recently approved and/or proposed projects anticipated to be constructed between 2021 and 2029 (see Table IV-3: Approved and Proposed Residential Development, Public Review Draft Housing Element, Attachment A). In particular, a few of the more recently approved projects in Esparto could provide at least 10 Very-Low Income units, 24 Low-Income units, 63 Moderate-Income units, and 120 market rate homes that could be affordable to Moderate-Income or Above Moderate-Income Households, giving the County a strong start to meeting its 6th Cycle affordable housing obligations. |