Title
Public Workshop to Review and Comment on the draft Zoning Amendments to implement the May 2022 Draft Housing Element to address State Fair Housing Law and Accommodate the Regional Housing Needs Allocation for the Period 2023-2031
Body
To: Honorable President and
Members of the Planning Board
From: Andrew Thomas, Planning, Building and Transportation Director
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
This Housing Element workshop provides an opportunity for the Planning Board and the public to review and comment on the May 2022 Draft Zoning Amendments necessary to implement the programs in the May 2022 Draft Housing Element to affirmatively further fair housing and permit, facilitate and encourage residential development to accommodate the Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) for the 2023-2031 Housing Element cycle. Exhibit 1 displays the proposed changes to be made to the Alameda Municipal Code (AMC). All documents are also available for public review at www.alameda2040.org <http://www.alameda2040.org> or www.alamedaca.gov <http://www.alamedaca.gov>.
No final action is required at this time. Staff is requesting the Planning Board and the community provide comments on the draft zoning amendments (Exhibit 1).
BACKGROUND
As described in the draft Housing Element, the City of Alameda is in the process of updating the Housing Element to ensure compliance with State Housing Law. As described in prior staff reports and the draft Housing Element, the City of Alameda (City) must take actions to affirmatively further State Fair Housing Law and remove zoning and regulatory barriers necessary to allow for the development of 5,353 housing units during the 8-year period. Under AB 686, cities are required to affirmatively further fair housing through “deliberate action to explicitly address, combat, and relieve disparities resulting from past and current patterns of segregation to foster more inclusive communities.” This means the Housing Element must not only achieve a numeric goal of 5,353 units, but also demonstrate that new housing opportunities are equitably distributed throughout Alameda neighborhoods and that the AMC does not create barriers which serve to exclude or discriminate against certain types of housing types or household types.
Over the course of the last four months, the Planning Board has held monthly public workshops to review and comment on the draft Housing Element, zoning amendments and programs designed to encourage and facilitate the construction of housing in specific districts and areas of the City to meet the RHNA and address fair housing requirements. The Historical Advisory Board held two public workshops in the last two months, and the City Council held a workshop last month.
On May 27, 2022, the City submitted the draft Housing Element to the State of California for review by the Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD).
While HCD is reviewing the draft Housing Element, staff will to continue work with the Planning Board and community to further refine and improve the draft Zoning Code Amendments. Upon receipt of the comments from HCD in late August, staff will prepare amendments to the Housing Element and the Zoning Code Amendments, if necessary, to address any inadequacies in the Housing Element identified by HCD. These amendments will be considered by the Planning Board at public hearings in September/October.
In October, the Planning Board will hold a public hearing and transmit its final recommendations to the City Council on the draft Housing Element and Zoning Code Amendments. In November or December, the City Council will hold public hearings and consider adoption of the Housing Element and Zoning Code Amendments.
DISCUSSION
With help from the Alameda community and Planning Board, staff has been building a comprehensive set of amendments to the AMC to implement State Housing Law and the draft Housing Element. To date, the Planning Board has held public workshops on individual components of the amendments (e.g. Park Street and Webster Street zoning, Shopping Center zoning, and Residential District amendments to further fair housing), but the community and Planning Board have not had the opportunity to review the entire package of amendments together.
Exhibit 1 includes the entire package of amendments that staff believes are necessary to implement State Law and the draft Housing Element.
The purpose of the workshop is to provide the Board and the public with the opportunity to review and comment on the amendments. Staff will be available at the meeting to answer questions about the amendments and take direction from the Planning Board on the draft amendments.
No final action is requested at this time. As described above, staff is recommending that the Planning Board wait to complete the work on the draft amendments until such time that the Board has completed its work on the draft Housing Element, since it is important to ensure that the draft zoning is well coordinated with the draft Housing Element.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
On November 30, 2021, by Resolution No. 15841, the City Council certified a Final Environmental Impact Report for the Alameda 2040 General Plan (State Clearinghouse No. 2021030563) in compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act, and adopted written findings, a Statement of Overriding Considerations, and a Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program for the General Plan Amendment to update the Alameda General Plan (General Plan EIR), which evaluated the environmental impacts of 12,000 additional housing units in Alameda over 20 years, including 5,353 housing units to accommodate the RHNA between 2023 through 2031.
Pursuant to CEQA Guidelines sections 15162 and 15163, none of the circumstances necessitating further CEQA review are present with respect to the General Plan Amendment EIR. The proposed project to amend the AMC to implement the policies and goals of the Housing Element of the General Plan would not require major revisions to the General Plan EIR due to new significant impacts or due to a substantial increase in the severity of the significant environmental effects. There have been no substantial changes with respect to the circumstances under which the project would be undertaken that would require major revisions of the General Plan EIR due to new or substantially increased significant environmental effects. Further, there has been no discovery of new information of substantial importance that would trigger or require major revisions to the General Plan EIR due to new or substantially increased significant environmental effects. For these reasons, no further environmental review with respect to the General Plan EIR is required.
CLIMATE IMPACT
Accommodating the RHNA supports the region’s Sustainable Communities Strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. A decision by the City to not meet the RHNA would likely have a negative impact on the region’s ability to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
RECOMMENDATION
Review and Comment on the draft Zoning Amendments to implement the May 2022 Draft Housing Element to address State Fair Housing Law and Accommodate the Regional Housing Needs Allocation for the Period 2023-2031.
Respectfully submitted,
Andrew Thomas, Planning, Building and Transportation Director
Allen Tai, City Planner
Henry Dong, Planner III
Brian McGuire, Planning Technician
Exhibits:
1. May Draft Housing Element Zoning Amendments.