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<br />City of Santa Ana - 61 - 2022 Annual Action Plan <br /> <br />AP-75 Barriers to affordable housing – 91.220(j) <br />Introduction <br />The City evaluated barriers and constraints to the development of affordable housing as a critical <br />component of the Housing Element. <br />A variety of barriers exist which make increasing the affordable housing stock in Santa Ana difficult: <br /> <br />1. Income and wages are not keeping pace with rising housing costs and the overall cost of living. <br />2. Federal resources for programs, such as the federal Section 8 Program, do not match the need <br />experienced. <br />3. Homeownership is out of reach for the majority of residents. <br />4. Low housing vacancy rates are contributing to higher rents. <br />5. The cost of land is high and there is a lack of vacant land for future growth. <br />6. Impediments to Fair Housing. <br /> <br />The California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) is currently in the process of <br />reviewing the City’s Housing Element for the 6th cycle. The Housing Element will be brought before City <br />Council for adoption in May 2022 and then subsequently sent to HCD for certification which is expected <br />Summer of 2022. <br />Actions it planned to remove or ameliorate the negative effects of public policies that serve as <br />barriers to affordable housing such as land use controls, tax policies affecting land, zoning <br />ordinances, building codes, fees and charges, growth limitations, and policies affecting the return <br />on residential investment <br />Santa Ana will continue to actively fund the development and preservation of affordable housing as well <br />as identify opportunities to leverage and utilize additional state, local, or non-governmental funding <br />resources to develop and preserve additional housing throughout the City. <br />Through the City’s compliance with AB 1486 (Surplus Lands Act) as well as a constant monitoring of <br />state land made available through Executive Order N-06-19, the City will look to identify potential parcels <br />of underutilized land that can be leveraged for potential affordable housing development. <br />With the update for the 6th cycle Housing Element, the City has incorporated AB 686 requirements for fair <br />housing into an Assessment of Fair Housing appendix. Through this process, the City has identified a <br />set of city-specific and regional goals and approaches to address barriers to affordable housing and <br />affirmatively further fair housing in the City. The goal of this assessment is to ensure that people have <br />fair housing choice. The assessment has two main purposes –prevent discrimination and reverse housing <br />segregation. The City will continue to work to meeting the goals and objectives set forth in the <br />Assessment of Fair Housing. <br /> <br />EXHIBIT 1