Bill Text: CA SB926 | 2009-2010 | Regular Session | Introduced

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Bill Title: Land use: housing element.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2010-02-11 - To Com. on RLS. [SB926 Detail]

Download: California-2009-SB926-Introduced.html

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BILL NUMBER: SB 926	INTRODUCED
	BILL TEXT


INTRODUCED BY   Senator Huff

                        FEBRUARY 1, 2010

   An act to amend Section 65583 of the Government Code, relating to
land use.



	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   SB 926, as introduced, Huff. Land use: housing element.
   The Planning and Zoning Law requires each city, county, and city
and county to prepare and adopt a general plan that contains certain
mandatory elements, including a housing element that analyzes
existing and projected housing needs and includes a statement of
goals, qualified objectives, policies, financial resources, and
scheduled programs for the maintenance, preservation, improvement,
and development of housing.
   This bill would make several technical, nonsubstance changes to
these provisions of law.
   Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: no.
State-mandated local program: no.


THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  SECTION 1.  Section 65583 of the Government Code is amended to
read:
   65583.  The housing element shall consist of an identification and
analysis of existing and projected housing needs and a statement of
goals, policies, quantified objectives, financial resources, and
scheduled programs for the preservation, improvement, and development
of housing. The housing element shall identify adequate sites for
housing, including rental housing, factory-built housing,
mobilehomes, and emergency shelters, and shall make adequate
provision for the existing and projected needs of all economic
segments of the community. The element shall contain all of the
following:
   (a) An assessment of housing needs and an inventory of resources
and constraints relevant to the meeting of these needs. The
assessment and inventory shall include all of the following:
   (1) An analysis of population and employment trends and
documentation of projections and a quantification of the locality's
existing and projected housing needs for all income levels, including
extremely low income households, as defined in subdivision (b) of
Section 50105 and Section 50106 of the Health and Safety Code.
 These   The  existing and projected needs
shall include the locality's share of the regional housing need in
accordance with Section 65584. Local agencies shall calculate the
subset of very low income households allotted under Section 65584
that qualify as extremely low income households. The local agency may
either use available census data to calculate the percentage of very
low income households that qualify as extremely low income
households or presume that 50 percent of the very low income
households qualify as extremely low income households. The number of
extremely low income households and very low income households shall
equal the jurisdiction's allocation of very low income households
pursuant to Section 65584.
   (2) An analysis and documentation of household characteristics,
including  the  level of payment compared to ability to pay,
housing characteristics, including overcrowding, and housing stock
condition.
   (3) An inventory of land suitable for residential development,
including vacant sites and sites having  the  potential for
redevelopment, and an analysis of the relationship of zoning and
public facilities and services to these sites.
   (4) (A) The identification of a zone or zones where emergency
shelters are allowed as a permitted use without a conditional use or
other discretionary permit. The identified zone or zones shall
include sufficient capacity to accommodate the need for emergency
shelter identified in paragraph (7), except that each local
government shall identify a zone or zones that can accommodate at
least one year-round emergency shelter. If the local government
cannot identify a zone or zones with  the  sufficient
capacity, the local government shall include a program to amend its
zoning ordinance to meet the requirements of this paragraph within
one year of the adoption of the housing element. The local government
may identify additional zones where emergency shelters are permitted
with a conditional use permit. The local government shall also
demonstrate that existing or proposed permit processing, development,
and management standards are objective and encourage and facilitate
the development of, or conversion to, emergency shelters. Emergency
shelters may only be subject to those development and management
standards that apply to residential or commercial development within
the same zone except that a local government may apply written,
objective standards that include all of the following:
   (i) The maximum number of beds or persons permitted to be served
nightly by the facility.
   (ii) Off-street parking based upon demonstrated need, provided
that the standards do not require more parking for emergency shelters
than for other residential or commercial uses within the same zone.
   (iii) The size and location of exterior and interior onsite
waiting and client intake areas.
   (iv) The provision of onsite management.
   (v) The proximity to other emergency shelters, provided that
emergency shelters are not required to be more than 300 feet apart.
   (vi) The length of stay.
   (vii) Lighting.
   (viii) Security during hours that the emergency shelter is in
operation.
   (B) The permit processing, development, and management standards
applied under this paragraph shall not be deemed to be discretionary
acts within the meaning of the California Environmental Quality Act
(Division 13 (commencing with Section 21000) of the Public Resources
Code).
   (C) A local government that can demonstrate to the satisfaction of
the department the existence of one or more emergency shelters
either within its jurisdiction or pursuant to a multijurisdictional
agreement that can accommodate that jurisdiction's need for emergency
shelter identified in paragraph (7) may comply with the zoning
requirements of subparagraph (A) by identifying a zone or zones where
new emergency shelters are allowed with a conditional use permit.
   (D) A local government with an existing ordinance or ordinances
that comply with this paragraph shall not be required to take
additional action to identify zones for emergency shelters. The
housing element must only describe how existing ordinances, policies,
and standards are consistent with the requirements of this
paragraph.
   (5) An analysis of  the  potential and actual
governmental constraints upon the maintenance, improvement, or
development of housing for all income levels, including the types of
housing identified in paragraph (1) of subdivision (c), and for
persons with disabilities as identified in the analysis pursuant to
paragraph (7), including land use controls, building codes and their
enforcement, site improvements, fees and other exactions required of
developers, and local processing and permit procedures. The analysis
shall also demonstrate local efforts to remove governmental
constraints that hinder the locality from meeting its share of the
regional housing need in accordance with Section 65584 and from
meeting the need for housing for persons with disabilities,
supportive housing, transitional housing, and emergency shelters
identified pursuant to paragraph (7). Transitional housing and
supportive housing shall be considered a residential use of property,
and shall be subject only to those restrictions that apply to other
residential dwellings of the same type in the same zone.
   (6) An analysis of  the  potential and actual
nongovernmental constraints upon the maintenance, improvement, or
development of housing for all income levels, including the
availability of financing, the price of land, and the cost of
construction.
   (7) An analysis of any special housing needs,  such as
  including, but not limited to,  those of the
elderly, persons with disabilities, large families, farmworkers,
families with female heads of households, and families and persons in
need of emergency shelter. The need for emergency shelter shall be
assessed based on annual and seasonal need. The need for emergency
shelter may be reduced by the number of supportive housing units that
are identified in an adopted 10-year plan to end chronic
homelessness and that are either vacant or for which funding has been
identified to allow construction during the planning period.
   (8) An analysis of opportunities for energy conservation with
respect to residential development. Cities and counties are
encouraged to include weatherization and energy efficiency
improvements as part of publicly subsidized housing rehabilitation
projects. This may include energy efficiency measures that encompass
the building envelope, its heating and cooling systems, and its
electrical system.
   (9) An analysis of existing assisted housing developments that are
eligible to change from low-income housing uses during the next 10
years due to termination of subsidy contracts, mortgage prepayment,
or expiration of restrictions on use. "Assisted housing developments,"
for the purpose of this section, shall mean multifamily rental
housing that receives governmental assistance under federal programs
listed in subdivision (a) of Section 65863.10, state and local
multifamily revenue bond programs, local redevelopment programs, the
federal Community Development Block Grant Program, or local in-lieu
fees. "Assisted housing developments" shall also include multifamily
rental units that were developed pursuant to a local inclusionary
housing program or used to qualify for a density bonus pursuant to
Section 65916.
   (A) The analysis shall include a listing of each development by
project name and address, the type of governmental assistance
received, the earliest possible date of change from low-income use,
and the total number of elderly and nonelderly units that could be
lost from the locality's low-income housing stock in each year during
the 10-year period. For purposes of state and federally funded
projects, the analysis required by this subparagraph need only
contain information available on a statewide basis.
   (B) The analysis shall estimate the total cost of producing new
rental housing that is comparable in size and rent levels, to replace
the units that could change from low-income use, and an estimated
cost of preserving the assisted housing developments. This cost
analysis for replacement housing may be done aggregately for each
five-year period and does not have to contain a project-by-project
cost estimate.
   (C) The analysis shall identify public and private nonprofit
corporations known to the local government which have legal and
managerial capacity to acquire and manage these housing developments.

   (D) The analysis shall identify and consider the use of all
federal, state, and local financing and subsidy programs which can be
used to preserve, for lower income households, the assisted housing
developments, identified in this paragraph, including, but not
limited to, federal Community Development Block Grant Program funds,
tax increment funds received by a redevelopment agency of the
community, and administrative fees received by a housing authority
operating within the community. In considering the use of these
financing and subsidy programs, the analysis shall identify the
amounts of funds under each available program which have not been
legally obligated for other purposes and which could be available for
use in preserving assisted housing developments.
   (b) (1) A statement of the community's goals, quantified
objectives, and policies relative to the maintenance, preservation,
improvement, and development of housing.
   (2) It is recognized that the total housing needs identified
pursuant to subdivision (a) may exceed available resources and the
community's ability to satisfy this need within the content of the
general plan requirements outlined in Article 5 (commencing with
Section 65300). Under these circumstances, the quantified objectives
need not be identical to the total housing needs. The quantified
objectives shall establish the maximum number of housing units by
income category, including extremely low income, that can be
constructed, rehabilitated, and conserved over a five-year time
period.
   (c) A program which sets forth a schedule of actions during the
planning period, each with a timeline for implementation, which may
recognize that certain programs are ongoing, such that there will be
beneficial impacts of the programs within the planning period, that
the local government is undertaking or intends to undertake to
implement the policies and achieve the goals and objectives of the
housing element through the administration of land use and
development controls, the provision of regulatory concessions and
incentives, and the utilization of appropriate federal and state
financing and subsidy programs when available and the utilization of
moneys in a low- and moderate-income housing fund of an agency if the
locality has established a redevelopment project area pursuant to
the Community Redevelopment Law (Division 24 (commencing with Section
33000) of the Health and Safety Code). In order to make adequate
provision for the housing needs of all economic segments of the
community, the program shall do all of the following:
   (1) Identify actions that will be taken to make sites available
during the planning period of the general plan with appropriate
zoning and development standards and with services and facilities to
accommodate that portion of the city's or county's share of the
regional housing need for each income level that could not be
accommodated on sites identified in the inventory completed pursuant
to paragraph (3) of subdivision (a) without rezoning, and to comply
with the requirements of Section 65584.09. Sites shall be identified
as needed to facilitate and encourage the development of a variety of
types of housing for all income levels, including multifamily rental
housing, factory-built housing, mobilehomes, housing for
agricultural employees, supportive housing, single-room occupancy
units, emergency shelters, and transitional housing.
   (A) Where the inventory of sites, pursuant to paragraph (3) of
subdivision (a), does not identify adequate sites to accommodate the
need for groups of all household income levels pursuant to Section
65584, rezoning of those sites, including adoption of minimum density
and development standards, for jurisdictions with an eight-year
housing element planning period pursuant to Section 65588, shall be
completed no later than three years after either the date the housing
element is adopted pursuant to subdivision (f) of Section 65585 or
the date that is 90 days after receipt of comments from the
department pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 65585, whichever is
earlier, unless the deadline is extended pursuant to subdivision
(f). Notwithstanding the foregoing, for a local government that fails
to adopt a housing element within 120 days of the statutory deadline
in Section 65588 for adoption of the housing element, rezoning of
those sites, including adoption of minimum density and development
standards, shall be completed no later than three years and 120 days
from the statutory deadline in Section 65588 for adoption of the
housing element.
   (B) Where the inventory of sites, pursuant to paragraph (3) of
subdivision (a), does not identify adequate sites to accommodate the
need for groups of all household income levels pursuant to Section
65584, the program shall identify sites that can be developed for
housing within the planning period pursuant to subdivision (h) of
Section 65583.2. The identification of sites shall include all
components specified in subdivision (b) of Section 65583.2.
   (C) Where the inventory of sites pursuant to paragraph (3) of
subdivision (a) does not identify adequate sites to accommodate the
need for farmworker housing, the program shall provide for sufficient
sites to meet the need with zoning that permits farmworker housing
use by right, including density and development standards that could
accommodate and facilitate the feasibility of the development of
farmworker housing for low- and very low income households.
   (2) Assist in the development of adequate housing to meet the
needs of extremely low, very low, low-, and moderate-income
households.
   (3) Address and, where appropriate and legally possible, remove
governmental constraints to the maintenance, improvement, and
development of housing, including housing for all income levels and
housing for persons with disabilities. The program shall remove
constraints to, and provide reasonable accommodations for housing
designed for, intended for occupancy by, or with supportive services
for, persons with disabilities.
   (4) Conserve and improve the condition of the existing affordable
housing stock, which may include addressing ways to mitigate the loss
of dwelling units demolished by public or private action.
   (5) Promote housing opportunities for all persons regardless of
race, religion, sex, marital status, ancestry, national origin,
color, familial status, or disability.
   (6) Preserve for lower income households the assisted housing
developments identified pursuant to paragraph (9) of subdivision (a).
The program for preservation of the assisted housing developments
shall utilize, to the extent necessary, all available federal, state,
and local financing and subsidy programs identified in paragraph (9)
of subdivision (a), except where a community has other urgent needs
for which alternative funding sources are not available. The program
may include strategies that involve local regulation and technical
assistance.
   (7) The program shall include an identification of the agencies
and officials responsible for the implementation of the various
actions and the means by which consistency will be achieved with
other general plan elements and community goals. The local government
shall make a diligent effort to achieve public participation of all
economic segments of the community in the development of the housing
element, and the program shall describe this effort.
   (d) (1) A local government may satisfy all or part of its
requirement to identify a zone or zones suitable for the development
of emergency shelters pursuant to paragraph (4) of subdivision (a) by
adopting and implementing a multijurisdictional agreement, with a
maximum of two other adjacent communities, that requires the
participating jurisdictions to develop at least one year-round
emergency shelter within two years of the beginning of the planning
period.
   (2) The agreement shall allocate a portion of the new shelter
capacity to each jurisdiction as credit towards its emergency shelter
need, and each jurisdiction shall describe how the capacity was
allocated as part of its housing element.
   (3) Each member jurisdiction of a multijurisdictional agreement
shall describe in its housing element all of the following:
   (A) How the joint facility will meet the jurisdiction's emergency
shelter need.
   (B) The jurisdiction's contribution to the facility for both the
development and ongoing operation and management of the facility.
   (C) The amount and source of the funding that the jurisdiction
contributes to the facility.
   (4) The aggregate capacity claimed by the participating
jurisdictions in their housing elements shall not exceed the actual
capacity of the shelter.
   (e) Except as otherwise provided in this article, amendments to
this article that alter the required content of a housing element
shall apply to both of the following:
   (1) A housing element or housing element amendment prepared
pursuant to subdivision (e) of Section 65588 or Section 65584.02,
when a city, county, or city and county submits a draft to the
department for review pursuant to Section 65585 more than 90 days
after the effective date of the amendment to this section.
   (2) Any housing element or housing element amendment prepared
pursuant to subdivision (e) of Section 65588 or Section 65584.02,
when the city, county, or city and county fails to submit the first
draft to the department before the due date specified in Section
65588 or 65584.02.
   (f) The deadline for completing required rezoning pursuant to
subparagraph (A) of paragraph (1) of subdivision (c) shall be
extended by one year if the local government has completed the
rezoning at densities sufficient to accommodate at least 75 percent
of the units for low- and very low income households and if the
legislative body at the conclusion of a public hearing determines,
based upon substantial evidence, that any of the following
circumstances exist:
   (1) The local government has been unable to complete the rezoning
because of the action or inaction beyond the control of the local
government of any other state federal or local agency.
   (2) The local government is unable to complete the rezoning
because of infrastructure deficiencies due to fiscal or regulatory
constraints.
   (3) The local government must undertake a major revision to its
general plan in order to accommodate the housing related policies of
a sustainable communities strategy or an alternative planning
strategy adopted pursuant to Section 65080.
   The resolution and the findings shall be transmitted to the
department together with a detailed budget and schedule for
preparation and adoption of the required rezonings, including plans
for citizen participation and expected interim action. The schedule
shall provide for adoption of the required rezoning within one year
of the adoption of the resolution.
   (g) (1) If a local government fails to complete the rezoning by
the deadline provided in subparagraph (A) of paragraph (1) of
subdivision (c), as it may be extended pursuant to subdivision (f),
except as provided in paragraph (2), a local government may not
disapprove a housing development project, nor require a conditional
use permit, planned unit development permit, or other locally imposed
discretionary permit, or impose a condition that would render the
project infeasible, if the housing development project (A) is
proposed to be located on a site required to be rezoned pursuant to
the program action required by that subparagraph; and (B) complies
with applicable, objective general plan and zoning standards and
criteria, including design review standards, described in the program
action required by that subparagraph. Any subdivision of sites shall
be subject to the Subdivision Map Act. Design review shall not
constitute a "project" for purposes of Division 13 (commencing with
Section 21000) of the Public Resources Code.
   (2) A local government may disapprove a housing development
described in paragraph (1) if it makes written findings supported by
substantial evidence on the record that both of the following
conditions exist:
   (A) The housing development project would have a specific, adverse
impact upon the public health or safety unless the project is
disapproved or approved upon the condition that the project be
developed at a lower density. As used in this paragraph, a "specific,
adverse impact" means a significant, quantifiable, direct, and
unavoidable impact, based on objective, identified written public
health or safety standards, policies, or conditions as they existed
on the date the application was deemed complete.
   (B) There is no feasible method to satisfactorily mitigate or
avoid the adverse impact identified pursuant to paragraph (1), other
than the disapproval of the housing development project or the
approval of the project upon the condition that it be developed at a
lower density.
   (3) The applicant or any interested person may bring an action to
enforce this subdivision. If a court finds that the local agency
disapproved a project or conditioned its approval in violation of
this subdivision, the court shall issue an order or judgment
compelling compliance within 60 days. The court shall retain
jurisdiction to ensure that its order or judgment is carried out. If
the court determines that its order or judgment has not been carried
out within 60 days, the court may issue further orders to ensure that
the purposes and policies of this subdivision are fulfilled. In any
such action, the city, county, or city and county shall bear the
burden of proof.
   (4) For purposes of this subdivision, "housing development project"
means a project to construct residential units for which the project
developer provides sufficient legal commitments to the appropriate
local agency to ensure the continued availability and use of at least
49 percent of the housing units for very low, low-, and
moderate-income households with an affordable housing cost or
affordable rent, as defined in Section 50052.5 or 50053 of the Health
and Safety Code, respectively, for the period required by the
applicable financing.
   (h) An action to enforce the program actions of the housing
element shall be brought pursuant to Section 1085 of the Code of
Civil Procedure.