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ADOPT BY MOTION, THE 2022 GENERAL PLAN AND HOUSING ELEMENT ANNUAL PROGRESS REPORTS AND AUTHORIZE THE CITY MANAGER TO SUBMIT REPORTS TO THE STATE HOUSING DEPARTMENTS TO COMPLY WITH STATE LAW
recommended action
RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended that City Council adopt by motion the 2022 Annual Progress Reports (APRs) for the Envision Stockton 2040 General Plan and the 2015-2023 Housing Element and authorize the City Manager to submit reports to the State of California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) and the Office of Planning and Research (OPR) as required by State Law.
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Summary
State Law requires cities that have adopted General Plans and Housing Elements to prepare an Annual Progress Report (APR) that identifies the implementation status for the prior calendar year. The APR must be presented to the City Council before submission to the State of California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) and the Office of Planning and Research (OPR) by April 15th of each calendar year.
Following Council’s acceptance, the 2022 APR reports will be submitted to HCD and OPR by April 15, 2023, in compliance with State Law.
DISCUSSION
Background
California State Law (Government Code Section 65400) requires cities to provide an Annual Progress Report (APR) that provides progress status on implementing the General Plan and the Housing Element for the prior calendar year 2022. The APR must be presented to the City Council before submission to the State of California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) and the Office of Planning and Research (OPR) by April 15th of each calendar year.
On December 4, 2018, the City Council adopted the Envision Stockton 2040 General Plan (hereafter "General Plan"). The General Plan is the official long-range policy document for the City of Stockton and is the basis for local government decision-making to achieve the community's overall vision. Various City departments are responsible for implementing these actions throughout the 20-year timeframe established by the General Plan.
In April 2016, the City Council adopted the 2015-2023 Housing Element (hereafter "Housing Element”), which contains policies and programs that enable the City to anticipate and plan for the housing needs of all socioeconomic segments of the community. Tied to the process of updating the Housing Element is the Regional Housing Needs Allocation (“RHNA”). The RHNA is mandated by State Housing Law and quantifies the need for housing within the city during the specified planning cycle.
As a charter city, Stockton was exempt from submitting annual progress reports in the past. Effective January 1, 2018, state law obligated charter cities to begin reporting annually to be eligible for participation in housing funding programs.
Current Situation
The 2022 Annual Progress Reports highlight the status of ongoing and future policy implementation efforts for the General Plan and Housing Element.
• General Plan: The 2022 APR is the third annual progress report for the General Plan. These efforts are further detailed in Attachment A and some are briefly highlighted below:
o Completed significant outreach for the Shape Stockton effort, which includes a Development Code and Design Standards overhauls, updated Housing Element, a new Housing Action Plan, and three Neighborhood Area Plans. Outreach includes property owner notifications for, workshops, Go-to-them-Events, stakeholder presentations. These efforts are all state reimbursable.
o Received approximately $436,000 in funding reimbursement of the $2 million awarded SB 2, LEAP, and REAP grant programs. This reimbursement is related to the Shape Stockton Effort.
o Significant progress made on key ordinance amendments, including food truck parks and commissary, the repeal of “big box”, mini-storage standards in the Commercial Downtown zoning district.
o Completed city-initiated general plan and zoning map/code amendments. These amendments corrected decades of General Plan and zoning inconsistencies and affected thousands of property owners.
o Completed four projects with annexations, expanding the City Limit boundary by 18.91 acres. Another annexation project for 203.5 acres was approved by the City Council but still requires approval by the Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCo) before being completed.
o Staff completed the first formalized annual Development Agreement (DA) review to assess the status of major development projects in the city.
o Significant progress made on updating the Transportation Impact Analysis Guidelines. Ensures the elimination, minimization, or mitigation of transportation impacts brought by a project while meeting the City’s General Plan goals and state mandate SB 743 for CEQA-type projects.
o Completed Assembly Bill (AB) 562 2022 Annual Subsidies Report
o Adopted the 2022 triennial edition of the California building and fire codes with specific local amendments.
o Initiated new Public Facilities Fee (“Impact Fees”) Nexus Studies for Traffic, Utilities, City Buildings, and Parks to align with 2040 General Plan growth.
o Development of new ADA Transition Plan underway.
o Released updated versions of city pre-approved accessory dwelling unit (ADU) plans, available at no cost to the public.
o Significant process improvements made to streamline development application process.
• 2015-2023 Housing Element: The 2022 APR is the fifth annual progress report for the Housing Element. These efforts are further detailed in Attachment B, and some are briefly highlighted below:
o New Housing & Affordable Housing - The City issued building permits for 605 new housing units, including 53 low-income units. Of the permits issued, 60 were accessory dwelling units (ADUs).
o From 2015 to 2022, the City has averaged approximately 492 new housing units per year, totaling 3,935 units for the eight-year timeframe. Based on this average, it is unlikely that the City will achieve 7,889 new housing units within the next year to equal the 11,824 mixed-income RHNA allocation by the end of the 2023 calendar year. While the City has made efforts to encourage housing production, private investment and current market conditions are the primary sources for new housing construction. The City does not have any obligation to construct housing units but must maintain the housing capacity outlined by the RHNA allocation.
o The City is currently processing a Housing Element Update and a new Housing Action Plan with the intent of Council adoption by the end of the 2023 calendar year.
o Stockton Economic Stimulus Plan (SESP) Fee Waiver Program
§ Single Family Residential - $9,043,502 in fees waived in 2022 ($42.3M since program inception)
§ Multi-Family Residential - $116,981 in fees waived in 2022 ($7.8M since program inception)
o In January of 2022, the City of Stockton joined with partners through the regional Continuum of Care (CoC) to complete the biennial count of unsheltered homeless individuals. Over 300 community volunteers turned out on the day of the count to support this effort, and findings were uploaded through the local HMIS system in April and certified by HUD in December 2022.
o During 2022, the City was successful in the pursuit of $5.25 million through the Department of Toxic Substances Control's (DTSC) Equitable Community Revitalization Grant (ECRG) for the remediation of the Downtown waterfront site known as "South Pointe." This site is a key infill site within the Downtown and will be transformative for the community.
The City continues to build upon the policies and actions established by the 2040 General Plan and 2015-2023 Housing Element to encourage increased housing production.
Environmental Analysis
The 2040 General Plan and 2015-2023 Housing Element implementation reports are not considered a discretionary “project” under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).
Public Comment
A public hearing notice was posted in the Record on March 9, 2023. Staff has not received public comments on this item. Any input received at this informational presentation will be used by Staff to perform further analysis and to develop recommendations for pending City housing efforts.
FINANCIAL SUMMARY
This report summarizes past and existing actions, and the requested action will have no direct fiscal impact.
Attachment A - 2040 General Plan 2022 Annual Progress Report (APR)
Attachment B - 2015-2023 Housing Element 2022 Annual Progress Report (APR)