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HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 08 - 2022 General Plan Annual Progress ReportPlanning and Building Agency www.santa-ana.org/planning-and-building Item # 8 City of Santa Ana 20 Civic Center Plaza, Santa Ana, CA 92701 Staff Report March 21, 2023 TOPIC: 2022 General Plan Annual Progress Report AGENDA TITLE City of Santa Ana 2022 General Plan Annual Progress Report RECOMMENDED ACTION 1. Receive and file the City of Santa Ana 2022 General Plan Annual Progress Report. 2. Authorize staff to submit the City of Santa Ana 2022 General Plan Annual Progress Report to the State of California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) and the Office of Planning and Research (OPR). 3. Direct staff to proceed with the formation of the Environmental Justice (EJ) Action Committee. DISCUSSION Government Code Section 65400 requires local planning agencies to submit an annual progress report on the status of the General Plan and progress in its implementation to the local legislative body. The progress report is submitted to State of California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) and Office of Planning and Research (OPR) annually. The General Plan is a state -mandated document which plans the framework for the City of Santa Ana's physical, social, and economic development into the future. The 2022 General Plan Annual Progress Report documents and discusses the progress towards the overall implementation of the various adopted elements of the General Plan during the calendar year. This is the first General Plan Annual Progress Report prepared under the new General Plan. The report includes highlights of major accomplishments and a table detailing the work completed by various City agencies toward completing the implementation actions across all General Plan elements in 2022 (Exhibit 1). Housing Element As required by HCD, the Housing Element portion of the progress report includes detailed accounting of all housing projects submitted, reviewed, entitled, and 2022 General Plan Annual Progress Report March 21, 2023 Page 2 constructed in the City of Santa Ana in 2022, in addition to the status of the implementation actions and programs to achieve the City's housing vision in the state mandated form. The Housing Element portion of the report also measures the City's progress to meet state -mandated housing goals as set forth in our Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) for the 61" cycle planning period (2021-2029). Through a process referred to as "RHNA," each jurisdiction is given a target for how many permits to issue in four housing income categories; ranging from very —low income (affordable to those who earn 50 percent or less of the Area Median Income [AMI]), to above moderate income (more than 120 percent of AMI). Based on the income limits published by State HCD in May of 2022, the Area Median Income for Orange County is $119,100. The Housing Element portion of the report includes a summary of Santa Ana's progress in meeting its share of the RHNA allocation for the 6t" cycle. There were a total of 901 building permits issued for new housing units in 2022; of which 191 housing units are affordable to very low-income and 102 to low-income households, respectively. With the issuance of these permits, the City has issued 1,635 building permits toward its 3,137 RHNA. Progress Towards 2021-2029 RHNA Goal (New Housing Units by Category and Year) Total Total Units % of RHNA Income RHNA 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 Units Remaining Completed Very 606 41 191 232 374 38% Low Low 362 43 102 145 217 40% Mod. 545 11 41 52 493 10% Above 1,624 639 567 1,206 418 74% Mod. Total: 3,137 734 901 1,635 1,502 52% Based on building permits issued. EJ Action Committee Senate Bill 1000 requires all cities and counties to update public policies to address environmental justice. As part of the City's General Plan Update, a set of environmental justice (EJ) implementation policies and actions have been established to respond to the health and wellbeing of the City, including the 33 neighborhoods that fall within an EJ disadvantaged community where residents have the highest risk of exposure to pollution in the air, water, and soil and where they tend to be burdened by socioeconomic and health issues, such as higher rates of language barriers, poverty, and asthma. 2022 General Plan Annual Progress Report March 21, 2023 Page 3 In July 2022, the City established an EJ section in the Planning Division and Santa Ana's EJ disadvantaged communities. As such, the Neighborhood Initiatives Program changed its name and focus to the Neighborhood Initiatives and Environmental Resources to expand its programs and align with the City's EJ actions identified in the new General Plan. In October 2022, the Planning Division hired a dedicated staff person to develop the EJ section's focus, including the development of an EJ implementation framework that addresses environmental resources, education, and support inclusive and equitable public engagement for residents in EJ neighborhoods. A next milestone with the new EJ section is the proposed framework for the process and formation of an EJ Action Committee. This organization structure would comprise of residents from geographic clusters of EJ neighborhoods to begin a process of area representation and engagement to identify, prioritize, recommend, and include the larger community of EJ neighborhoods on current and future EJ policy implementation. To form the initial Action Committee, staff is developing an application that would be made available throughout the City through the Neighborhood Associations, as well as at libraries and community and senior centers, to encourage those from identified disadvantaged communities to apply for consideration. The goal of the Action Committee formation is to begin the engagement process and guidance needed with the opportunity to reshape and strengthen the structure to maximize participation and influence in the EJ policy implementation actions and timeframes. Staff is proposing five geographic clusters, where each cluster encompasses a set of unique challenges affecting the neighborhoods within each cluster. These include the following: • The Northeast cluster, which brings together EJ neighborhoods connected to the East First Street corridor in proximity to high -volume of heavy vehicle transportation corridors and the 5 Interstate Freeway • The Southeast cluster, which connects EJ neighborhoods affected by the concentration of industrial businesses on the Standard and Grand Avenue corridors and by the South Basin groundwater plume, a long-range and long-term process for removing contamination in the groundwater shallow aquifer • The Southwest cluster, near heavy industrial areas of the southwestern portion of the City concentrated along Harbor Boulevard and Fairview Street • The Central cluster, in an around the central portion of the City, which contains neighborhoods often adjacent to older industrial areas that were served by old rail spurs • The West cluster, including the Willowick site and Santa Anita neighborhood A framework and accompanying maps of the five clusters detailed above are provided as Exhibit 2 to this report. 2022 General Plan Annual Progress Report March 21, 2023 Page 4 ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT In accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), this action is not considered a "project" as defined in Section 15378 of the CEQA Guideline and therefore is exempt from further environmental review. FISCAL IMPACT There is no fiscal impact associated with this action. EXHIBIT(S) 1. 2022 General Plan Annual Progress Report and Attachments 2. Environmental Justice Action Committee Framework and Maps Submitted By: Minh Thai, Executive Director of Planning and Building Agency Approved By: Kristine Ridge, City Manager General Plan Annual Progress Report r. Santa Ana is a city that promotes the health and wellness of all residents, with a civic culture that actively embraces the power of diversity. Our city invests in resources that create economic opportunities for the next generation, and it is a community that celebrates our past while working together to create a sustainable future. »Above: General Plan Vision Statement.