HomeMy WebLinkAbout2020-01 - Oppsong RHNA Allocation Approved by SCAGRESOLUTION NO.2020-01
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF
COSTA MESA CALIFORNIA OPPOSING THE PROPOSED
REGIONAL HOUSING NEEDS ASSESSMENT ALLOCATION
METHODOLOGY APPROVED BY SCAG REGIONAL COUNCIL
THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COSTA MESA HEREBY FINDS AS FOLLOWS:
WHEREAS, California State housing law requires that each city and county plan for
existing and future housing needs in accordance with the outcome of the Regional Housing
Needs Assessment (RHNA) process; and
WHEREAS, the City Council is a strong advocate of the development of housing,
including affordable housing, and of local control as the best means to protect the City of
Costa Mesa, its residents and business owners, and to promote the goals and priorities of
its community. The City Council supports the City doing its fair share in meeting the housing
needs of the region.
WHEREAS, the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) is
responsible for developing a uniform methodology for the distribution of the RHNA allocation
among member cities and counties; and
WHEREAS, a transparent and collaborative approach to regional planning, involving
opportunity for informed stakeholder input and thoughtful deliberation is critical to achieving
desirable and equitable outcomes; and
WHEREAS, the SCAG process to develop the allocation methodology for the 6th
cycle RHNA, covering the planning period from October 2021 through October 2029,
included opportunities for stakeholder engagement throughout, including detailed
discussion of three draft allocation methodology options during a series of public meetings
and hearings intended to ensure robust participation by the public and affected agencies;
and
WHEREAS, the City of Costa Mesa has expended significant local resources over
the past decade toward addressing housing related issues and has produced over 1,600
new housing units during the current RHNA cycle, far above its assigned allocation. The
City owns and operates multiple low income housing projects. Housing is a key priority
adopted by the City Council as follows:
Address Housing Shortages and Homelessness. We will continue our efforts to
improve housing and to end homelessness in Costa Mesa using a comprehensive
way, addressing the full continuum of housing needs from crisis -shelter to supportive
housing to affordable to market rate for all, including:
Resolution No. 2020-01 Page 1 of 5
a. Providing for an appropriate bridge shelter and developing a permanent location
for a shelter/navigation center;
b. Ensuring that those Costa Mesa residents who are chronically homeless and who
need specialty care get it;
c. Anticipating and planning for new Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA)
number allocations, and
d. Developing a plan for compliance with our RHNA numbers that takes into
consideration protection of traditional suburban neighborhoods and reducing time
spent traveling to and from work.
Furthermore, the City has been a cooperative and active participant in the 4th and 5th cycle
RHNAs, providing detailed oral and written comments on the draft SCAG methodologies,
including the originally proposed methodology for the 6th cycle RHNA; and
WHEREAS, based in part on stakeholder input, SCAG staff developed a single
recommended RHNA allocation methodology which was introduced in September 2019 at
a public workshop, subsequently reviewed by the SCAG RHNA Subcommittee (including
the Orange County representative) and SCAG Community, Economic, and Human
Development (CEHD) Committee, and ultimately recommended for SCAG Regional Council
consideration and submittal to the Califomia Department of Housing and Community
Development (HCD); and
WHEREAS, the City Council supports the original SCAG staff -recommended
methodology which meets all 5 goals for RHNA and was approved unanimously by the
CEHD Committee at its October 21, 2019 meeting; and
WHEREAS, at the November 7, 2019 meeting of the SCAG Regional Council to
consider the recommended RHNA allocation methodology, a substitute motion was made
by the City of Riverside introducing a modified RHNA methodology, which effectively would
shift a significant portion of the 6th cycle RHNA regional allocation away from developing
areas such as Riverside and San Bemardino County and toward already congested and
impacted coastal areas including predominately Orange County jurisdictions; and
WHEREAS, the methodology submitted to HCD by SCAG has not been vetted
appropriately. It was not part of the 30-day public comment period. It was not part of the
open technical review following the public comment period. The methodology was not
explained in the staff report, or in the substitute motion, so that the Regional Council
members were fully informed in order to vote. The Regional Council members did not have
the same information provided to them prior to the vote taking place. The methodology had
not previously been discussed or presented for input, and was significantly different from
the other methodologies considered throughout the RHNA process. Discussion among the
Regional Council was curtailed, preventing objections from being raised; and
WHEREAS, the modified RHNA allocation methodology was approved for submittal
to HCD by the SCAG Regional Council on a contested vote of 43-19 (opposed by all Orange
County SCAG representatives), despite a lack of detail regarding the associated impacts of
Resolution No. 2020-01 Page 2 of 5
the proposed methodology changes, supporting documentation as to the merit of the
proposed changes, nor any opportunity for informed stakeholder input; and
WHEREAS, modified RHNA allocation methodology fails completely to take into
account the first of the three major aims of the RHNA process as described by HCD: 'The
regional housing needs allocation (RHNA) Plan should promote the following objectives:
Increase the housing supply and the mix of housing types, tenure (rental or ownership),
and affordability in all cities and counties within the region in an equitable manner"; and
WHEREAS, the City of Costa Mesa did not receive sufficient or adequate advance
notice that SCAG would entertain a substantially modified, legally unsupported
methodology. To the contrary, SCAG had consistently and repeatedly set forth certain
methodologies upon which the City of Costa Mesa has relied in developing its plans and
position on the RHNA allocation process; and
WHEREAS, the modified methodology fails to adequately account for local input and
growth forecast data and, due to the late introduction by substitute motion, was unable to
be fully analyzed for potential impacts by SCAG staff before a vote of the Regional Council;
and
WHEREAS, the ramifications of this abrupt, unvetted and non -transparent
methodology are further compounded by and should be viewed in the context of recently
passed State housing laws with which local jurisdictions are obligated to comply. Examples
include, but are not limited to, SB 35 streamlining requirements, which preempt full exercise
of local land use authority over development applications proposing affordable housing
production for jurisdictions that fail to make sufficient progress toward meeting their RHNA
allocations; and
WHEREAS, in sum, the modified RHNA allocation methodology approved by the
SCAG Regional Council effectively compromises the ability of many Orange County
jurisdictions, including the City of Costa Mesa, to achieve compliance with State housing
laws and potentially compromises the City's access to critical funding needed to address
housing production for all income levels.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Costa
Mesa as follows:
SECTION 1. The recitals provided in this resolution are true and correct and are
incorporated into the operative part of this resolution.
SECTION 2. The City Council is a strong advocate of the development of housing, including
affordable housing, and of local control as the best means to protect the City of Costa Mesa,
its residents and business owners, and promote the goals and priorities of the community.
The City Council supports the City of Costa Mesa's continued active participation in fair and
collaborative regional efforts to address housing. The modified RHNA allocation
Resolution No. 2020-01 Page 3 of 5
methodology, as well as the non -transparent and arbitrary manner in which it was approved
by the SCAG Regional Council, undermine the integrity of what is mandated to be a
collaborative RHNA process, negating months of local participation conducted in good faith
and posing a significant threat of lasting damage to the region as well as City of Costa Mesa
if permitted to stand. The City Council therefore publicly states its opposition to the modified
RHNA allocation methodology approved by the SCAG Regional Council and requests
intervention on the part of HCD to direct SCAG to reconsider its action given the related lack
of specificity, lack of supporting documentation, lack of vetting by SCAG staff, and limited
input of stakeholder engagement regarding the adopted methodology.
SECTION 3. The City's Community Development Director is hereby directed to provide
notification to HCD of the City Council's action, provided in Section 2 above, concerning the
modified RHNA allocation methodology and related SCAG Regional Council approval
process.
SECTION 4. This resolution shall take effect immediately upon its adoption by the City
Council, and the City Clerk shall certify the vote adopting the resolution.
PASSED, APPROVED AND ADOPTED this 9th day of January, 2020.
ATTEST:
Brenda Green, dity Clerk
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
-Yjt"4 4,�,j
Kimberly H I Barlow, City Attorney
Resolution No. 2020-01 Page 4 of 5
STATE OF CALIFORNIA )
COUNTY OF ORANGE ) ss
CITY OF COSTA MESA )
I, BRENDA GREEN, City Clerk of the City of Costa Mesa, DO HEREBY CERTIFY
that the above and foregoing is the original of Resolution No. 2020-01 and was duly
passed and adopted by the City Council of the City of Costa Mesa at a regular meeting
held on the 9th day of January, 2020, by the following roll call vote, to wit:
AYES: COUNCILMEMBERS: GENIS, MARK, MANSOOR, REYNOLDS,
STEPHENS,FOLEY
NOES: COUNCILMEMBERS: CHAVEZ
ABSENT: COUNCILMEMBERS: NONE
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereby set my hand and affixed the seal of the
City of Costa Mesa this 10'h day of January, 2020.
Brenda Green, ity Clerk
Resolution No. 2020-01 Page 5 of 5