2014-006 - Santa Ana General Plan Housing Element and Public Safety Element Updates

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Workshop participants look at a map highlighting Santa Ana neighborhoods that will have access to OCTA's new Bus Rapid Transit lines. PUBLIC OUTREACH • Transparency. Several participants mentioned that they wanted a more transparent decision - making process. Residents asked how their input at the workshop will affect the Housing Element. Several participants wanted a stronger voice in local decision making, particularly for people who typically have a lesser voice (e.g., low- income people). • Family Housing. Various individuals and groups emphasized the need to prioritize family housing, specifically rental over ownership housing. Many families earn lower incomes, pay too much for housing, and live in overcrowded conditions. Affordable family rental housing is needed. OUR ECONOMY During the outreach process, concern was voiced that many of Santa Ana's current and potential residents cannot afford to purchase or rent housing in the City. It is also important to have affordable housing for Santa Ana's workforce. Key comments offered include: • Educational Training. The 18 to 30 year olds are moving out of Santa Ana. Young adults with good employment skills cannot afford to stay local. The City should be more proactive. Without adequate educational attainment, it will not be possible to earn enough income to afford housing. Ifgraduates are unable to find affordable move -up housing, the City will lose these skilled employees. • Workforce Needs. Young adults with good employment skills cannot afford to stay local. What can be done to be more proactive? Looking closely at the needs of the workforce and understanding the densities that work best to produce affordable housing were encouraged. Reference was made to local housing projects and "cooperative housing" as models for Santa Ana to consider. • Land Banking/Trusts. There may be a window of opportunity for strategic development. The "shrink back" in housing prices and construction costs presents opportunities to buy land. The land trust model should be used to acquire land, place long -term covenants on affordable housing that run with the land, and guarantee housing affordability in perpetuity. • Public Education. A challenge to advancing the affordable housing agenda is neighborhood concerns and resistance. Prior images of "affordable" housing need to be replaced through public education. A broader understanding of the value of affordable housing to the community is also needed. • Address Incentives. The City should provide incentives to build affordable housing. Standards are challenging to meet; processing time can be long; potential sites are not located near transportation; inadequate densities are available for new housing; and parking requirements can be difficult to meet. The City needs to facilitate development and support affordable housing. ■ Development Costs. While there are requests to improve and/or expedite the development approval process, in many cases it is not the approval process but rather City policies that are the issue. For example, the General Plan and Zoning JA4— Code do not allow housing in the downtown (other than live- work). E -6 CITY OF SANTA ANA GENERAL PLAN HOUSING ELEMENT