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HomeMy WebLinkAbout07-19-07CITY COUNCIL COMMITTEE ON • DEVELOPMENT Meeting Minutes July 19, 2007 CALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order at 12:20 p.m. in Room 831 of City Hall. ATTENDANCE The following Committee members were present: Miguel Pulido, Carlos Bustamante and Vince Sarmiento. Staff present were: Dave Ream, City Manager; Jay Trevino, Executive Director Planning and Building Agency; Joe Fletcher, City Attorney; Ben Kaufman, Chief Assistant City Attorney; Melanie McCann, Associate Planner; and Itzia Heredia, Senior Office Assistant. AGENDA ITEMS APPROVAL OF MINUTES -JUNE 21, 2007 MEETING • Approved by a vote of 2:0 (Pulido absent). 2. PARKING STANDARDS Mr. Trevino provided the Committee a handout detailing the State law illustrating parking requirements for long-term affordable housing projects. Per State density bonus law, the maximum parking a City can require for a two or three bedroom residence covenanted as an affordable unit is 2 onsite parking spaces. Mr. Trevino affirmed that staff will be working with a panel of parking experts to evaluate parking standards, taking into account the surrounding land uses and proximity to transit hubs. 3. HOUSING ELEMENT Melanie McCann discussed the efforts to update the General Plan Housing Element. As adopted by SCAG (Southern California Association of Governments) on July 12, 2007, Santa Ana's RHNA Regional Housing Needs Assessment allocation is 3,939 or approximately 4 percent of Orange County's overall allocation of 82,332 units. It was noted, that with the exception of the City of Tustin's military housing, no other Orange County cities were successful in their RHNA allocation appeals. The City of Irvine's RHNA allocation remained at about 35,000 residential units, with 40% of these units to be for Above Moderate income households. In comparison, Santa Ana's Above Moderate income allocation was 43% of its overall RHNA total. Concern was voiced by Committee members regarding building affordable housing in Santa Ana given the City's existing share of lower income households and the need to repair and upgrade existing substandard residences. Mayor Pulido requested that staff confirm if RHNA credit can be granted when the City substantially rehabilitates a multifamily residence, resulting in affordable units with long term covenant and an overall reduction of residential units (Example given: French Park multifamily project). In addition, the Police Department's Hot Spots Task Force was mentioned as potential vehicle to address housing problems linked to a concentration of neighborhood crime. The contract to hire a consultant to assist in the Housing Element preparation will be presented to the City Council on August 6, 2007. It is anticipated that efforts will kick-off in early fall with a City Council housing policy visioning forum and community workshops. The Housing Element update is mandated to be adopted by City Council and forward to the State by June 30, 2008. 4. PUBLIC COMMENTS ON NON-AGENDA ITEMS -None 5. COMMITTEE MEMBER COMMENTS Mr. Trevino provided an update for City Council Committee Meeting Schedule. Meetings will take place on the third Thursday of the month at 12:00 p.m. Councilmember Sarmiento asked what actions can be taken to address land use patterns and improvements along corridors such as: Harbor Boulevard, 55 Freeway, and First Street between Grand Avenue and the 5 Freeway. Mr. Trevino responded that efforts to affect change in these areas would be accomplished through a Comprehensive Update of the City's General Plan. 6. ITEMS FOR NEXT MEETING A. Santa Ana Renaissance Specific Plan Development Plan ADJOURNMENT -1:25 P.M. J .Trevino Executive Director Planning & Building Agency JMT:IH:rb Development Council Committee Minutes 2 July 19, 2007