Item 32 - Resolutions to Exempt Parcels from AB 2011 and SB 6

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Resolutions to Exempt Parcels from AB 2011 and SB 6 June 20, 2023 Page 3 Senate Bill 6 SB 6, known as the Middle Class Housing Act of 2022, was approved by the state legislature, signed into law by the Governor on September 29, 2022, and is also scheduled to take effect July 1, 2023. SB 6 also will allow residential and mixed -use development on sites currently zoned and designated for commercial or retail uses. The law provides a list of qualifying criteria including density, location, and workforce requirements; and a qualifying project may invoke streamline review processes provided under Senate Bill 35 (SB 35), which would make the project ministerial. There is no affordability requirement in this bill. The provisions will sunset on January 1, 2033, unless extended through subsequent legislation. SB 6 also includes a provision that permits local governments from exempting parcels from streamlining permitted under the bill provided the local agency makes certain findings. To exempt parcels of land from SB 6 streamlining, a local agency must make written findings that either lost residential density caused by the exemption will be reallocated to other lots so that there is no net loss, or that the lost residential density can be accommodated on a site or sites allowing residential densities at or above the density for the housing development deemed appropriate to accommodate housing for lower income households in that jurisdiction and in excess of the acreage required to accommodate the local agency's share of housing for lower income households. Impacts of the Bills to the General Plan The City of Santa Ana recently completed a comprehensive update of its General Plan, including the adoption of a new land use plan, to guide future development and address the city's housing needs. That new land use plan encompasses over 1,500 acres of land designated in five focus areas throughout the City and includes over 770 acres allowing residential density at or exceeding 30 dwelling units per acre, which is the threshold established and deemed appropriate by state law to accommodate housing for lower income households for jurisdictions in a metropolitan county. The General Plan Update is the culmination of nearly seven years of work that included over 100 community meetings and workshops, surveys, focus groups, public hearings, and City resources to arrive at a plan that accurately reflects the core values of the Santa Ana community, bridges disparate views into a unifying vision, and accordingly plans for future development in a manner that respects established neighborhoods while meeting the needs of future generations. The General Plan Update, and the community input and engagement process used for the Update, resulted in the City Council's adoption of five Focus Areas in which new mixed -use and residential development at medium and high densities may be constructed. Moreover, these areas are the subject of Zoning Code and public realm plan updates that will account for the infrastructure improvements needed to sustain new quality housing developments and communities in the long term. Projects submitted under the provisions of AB 2011 and