Title
Motion to accept the report regarding the 2023 General Plan and Housing Element Annual Progress Reports (Tony Rozzi, Economic & Community Development Deputy Director; Billy Gross, Principal Planner; and Stephanie Skangos, Senior Planner)
label
RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
Staff recommends that City Council take the following actions:
1. Accept the 2023 General Plan and Housing Element Annual Progress Reports; and
2. Authorize its transmittal to the California Governor’s Office of Planning and Research (OPR) and the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD).
Body
BACKGROUND/DISCUSSION
California Government Code Section 65400 requires that Annual Progress Reports (APRs) be prepared on the status and implementation of the current General Plan and Housing Element. The APRs must be submitted to the City Council, the State Office of Planning and Research (OPR), and the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) by April 1st of each year (with a 60-day grace period). The City intends to file the APR before the April 1st deadline. The General Plan Implementation Progress table is included as Attachments 1 and 2, and the Housing Element APRs are included as Attachments 3 and 4.
General Plan Annual Progress Report
Introduction
A General Plan is the local government’s long-term blueprint for the community’s vision of future growth. Each city is required by California law to have a General Plan, comprised of minimum of seven mandated “Elements”, to guide its future land use decisions. South San Francisco’s last comprehensive General Plan update occurred in 2022 (Shape SSF 2040).
The Shape SSF 2040 General Plan was shaped through a three-year public engagement process, providing a roadmap for the City to implement policies and actions that create a resilient community, improve the quality of life of its residents, and expand economic development opportunities. The development of the plan was guided by an overarching vision, a set of community values, and guiding principles.
- Vision. South San Francisco is a place where everyone can thrive. Its high quality of life, diverse and inclusive community, livable neighborhoods and excellent services, culture of innovation, and environmental leadership ensure all people have the opportunity to reach their full potential.
- Community Values
o Diversity + Inclusion
o Livability
o Sustainability
o Innovation
- Guiding Principles
o Affordable, safe, attractive, amenity-rich neighborhoods
o High-quality and accessible services, facilities, and amenities for residents at all stages of their lives
o A safe, convenient, and accessible transportation network well-connected to the region
o A resilient community
o A prosperous downtown and local economy
Status of the Adopted Elements of the General Plan
State law requires that general plans include seven mandated elements: land use, housing, circulation, conservation, open space, noise, and safety. Cities such as South San Francisco that have identified disadvantaged communities must also address environmental justice and air quality in their general plans. Finally, State law allows the general plan to contain other elements for topics of local concern. Following is a breakdown of how the Shape SSF 2040 elements correspond with State requirements, and the year that each element was last updated.
Table 1: General Plan Elements
Compliance with State OPR Guidelines and State Legislation
OPR adopts and periodically revises General Plan Guidelines for the preparation and content of general plans, including detailed information on statutory requirements of the mandated general plan elements. Shape SSF 2040 was adopted in October 2022, and is consistent with all statutory requirements, including environmental justice considerations and consultation with Native American tribes.
General Plan Amendments
Lindenville Specific Plan
In September 2023, the City Council adopted the Lindenville Specific Plan, which included amendments to the Shape SSF 2040 General Plan and the Zoning Ordinance. The Lindenville Specific Plan will be the guiding document to help realize Shape SSF 2040's vision for the Lindenville sub-area as a mixed-use neighborhood, employment hub, and cultural center of South San Francisco. Walkable, connected districts, including the South Spruce corridor, are envisioned as lively destinations where people have easy access to retail, parks, and other community resources. The Specific Plan will preserve the City's industrial heritage but will also provide new opportunities for people to live in the district. A revitalized Colma Creek has the potential to become a community-serving linear park with restored ecology that benefits the health and wellbeing of people and wildlife. Overall, the Specific Plan presents a unique opportunity to balance priorities that have multiple benefits, including the City’s preparation for climate change impacts and changing demands in the housing and industrial sectors.
As part of the Lindenville Specific Plan, amendments were made to the following Shape SSF 2040 Elements: Land Use and Community Design, Sub-Areas, Mobility and Access, Abundant and Accessible Parks and Recreation, and Community Health and Environmental Justice. These amendments were made to ensure that the Lindenville Specific Plan and Shape SSF 2040 are consistent with one another.
Shape SSF 2040 Implementation
Shape SSF 2040 was adopted with a 20-year time horizon, and implementation of its goals and policies is intended to be a short-, medium- and long-term effort over that span. Within its eleven Elements, Shape SSF 2040 includes 569 policies; 402 of those policies have no separate associated actions, while the remaining policies have 362 associated actions. This results in a total of 764 separate policies/actions for which staff is tracking implementation. Due to the sheer number of items, and the long-term nature of the General Plan, it is important to note that not all policy and action items are part of current work plans.
Since adoption in 2022, 51% of the 764 policies and actions have been completed or are considered as “Ongoing”, 17% are considered underway, and 33% have had no action at this time. The following table summarizes the status of all items by Element; a detailed table showing the 2023 status of all policies/actions is attached (Attachment 1 is a pdf version, Attachment 2 is an Excel version).
Housing Element Annual Progress Report
Introduction
California requires each jurisdiction to prepare a Housing Element as part of its General Plan to ensure that all jurisdictions are planning for the projected housing demand throughout the State. A Housing Element is one of the seven State-mandated elements of the General Plan. Unlike other elements of a General Plan, the Housing Element must be updated by deadlines set by the State. The Housing Element is the blueprint for future housing development in the city, and includes goals, policies, and programs that direct residential decision-making. The Housing Element is required by State law to identify how and where the housing needs of each community will be met.
The process begins with the State advising a region of its Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA), which is the estimated number of housing units that will be needed over the planning period (usually eight years). This allocation is further subdivided among four household income categories: very-low, low, moderate, and above moderate.
The City adopted a new Housing Element in January 2023, that covers a planning cycle running from January 31, 2023 to January 31, 2031. RHNA allocation for Cycle 6 is on a slightly different timeline and covers the period from June 30, 2022, to December 15, 2030. The City of South San Francisco has a RHNA allocation of 3,956 units for RHNA Cycle 6. If a city does not comply with the State Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) requirements for their Housing Element, there is a risk of Housing Element litigation, loss of local land use control, the RHNA numbers (allocation) becoming cumulative (per AB 1233), and ineligibility for qualifying for State Housing Funds and other infrastructure funds.
Housing Element Compliance with HCD Guidelines
The South San Francisco Housing Element covers the period of 2023-2031, and this APR represents the yearly update on housing production. The formatting for the report continues to evolve to match the state’s high priority for new housing units. This APR provides a comprehensive view of entitlement and building permitting activity. The Annual Housing Element Progress Report (Attachment 2 in PDF and Attachment 3 in Excel) includes the following tables:
• Summary Tab of Entitled Units, Submitted Applications, and SB 35 Streamlining Provisions
• Table A - Housing Development Applications Submitted
• Table A2 - Annual Building Activity Report Summary - New Construction, Entitled, Permits and Completed Units
• Table B - Regional Housing Needs Allocation Progress - Permitted Units Issued by Affordability
• Table C - Sites Identified or Rezoned to Accommodate Shortfall Housing Need - Not Applicable to SSF
• Table D - Program Implementation Status
• Table E - Commercial Development Bonus Approved - None
• Table F - Units Rehabilitated, Preserved and Acquired for Alternative Adequate Sites - None
• Table F2 - Units Converted - None
• Table G - Locally Owned Lands included in the Housing Element Sites Inventory that have been sold, leased, or otherwise disposed of - None
• Table H - Locally Owned or Controlled Lands Declared Surplus - None
• Table J - Student Housing Development with a Density Bonus - None
• Table K - Tenant Preference Policy - None
• Local Early Action Planning (LEAP) Grant Reporting - None
The Housing Element Progress Report is informational only and does not change adopted policies or authorize any action or expenditure of funds.
Regional Housing Needs Allocation Progress Summary
For 2023, the City is reporting building permit issuance for 87 new residential units, which includes four (4) single-family homes, four (4) small multi-family units (located within two-to-four-unit structures), 36 multi-family units (for the Baden Station Project), and 43 accessory dwelling units (ADUs). For the RHNA Cycle 6 projection period running from June 30, 2022, to January 30, 2023, the City is reporting building permit issuance for 29 new residential units; there is no breakdown of unit type for the projection period. New units that receive building permit issuance during the reporting year are counted towards the current RHNA allocation.
In addition to the new units issued a building permit described above, a total of 216 new residential units were finaled or issued a certificate of occupancy in 2023. This includes two (2) single-family homes, 178 multi-family units (for 200 Airport Boulevard and two ROEM projects in the downtown), and 36 ADUs.
The City also approved Planning entitlements for 810 new residential units, consisting of three (3) single-family homes, two (2) small multi-family units (located within two-to-four-unit structures), and 805 multi-family units (543 for 7 So. Linden Avenue and 262 for 1477 Huntington Avenue).
This is the reporting year for 2023, the first year of the RHNA Cycle 6 eight-year reporting cycle (2023-2031):
1. The City has issued building permits for 2.9% of the expected housing units, for a total of 116 units out of the 3,956 units allocated through RHNA.
2. For the Above Moderate housing category, the City has issued a building permit for 20 units (RHNA allocation is 1,863 units).
3. For the Moderate housing category, the City has issued a building permit for 28 units (RHNA allocation is 720 units).
4. For the Low housing category, the City has issued a building permit for 54 units (RHNA allocation is 502 units).
5. For the Very Low housing category, the City has issued a building permit for 14 units (RHNA allocation is 871 units).
Program Implementation Status
Table D of the Housing Element Progress Report provides the status of implementing the current Housing Element programs. Most programs are implemented and monitored on an ongoing basis; however, some programs have deliverable dates prior to the end of the Housing Element cycle of 2031.
FUNDING
Submittal of the APRs to OPR and HCD will have no financial impact on the City, but does continue to make the City eligible for regional grant funding.
RELATIONSHIP TO STRATEGIC PLAN
The Shape SSF 2040 Annual Progress Report reviews the status of all eleven Elements of the General Plan, which include goals, policies, and actions that relate to all six of the City’s strategic plan goals: Workforce Development, Quality of Life, Public Safety, Financial Stability, Economic Vitality, and Community Connections. The APR provides a comprehensive view of overall progress on implementation and allows City staff to better determine appropriate implementation timeframes that will assist in meeting strategic plan goals as well.
The yearly reporting on the South San Francisco Housing Element and update on the City’s housing production helps promote the City’s Quality of Life strategic goal in providing a comprehensive view of new housing units produced within the reporting year, with a focus on the number of units produced within four different affordability levels. Additionally, the yearly reporting provides the City with an opportunity to evaluate the adopted programs and policies in the City’s Housing Element and their effectiveness in promoting the creation of new housing and meeting the needs of the City’s residents’ quality of life.
CONCLUSION
Staff recommends that the City Council, by motion, accept the 2023 General Plan and Housing Element Annual Progress Reports on the implementation of the General Plan and Housing Element and authorize its transmittal to the California Governor’s Office of Planning and Research and the California Department of Housing and Community Development.
Attachments
1. Shape SSF 2040 Implementation Status Tables for 2023 in PDF format
2. Shape SSF 2040 Implementation Status Tables for 2023 in Excel - tabbed sheets
3. Annual Housing Element Progress Report for 2023 in PDF format
4. Annual Housing Element Progress Report for 2023 in Excel - tabbed sheets
5. Staff Presentation