Report Prepared by: Julie Nelson, Temporary Deputy Director of Development Services, Leah Brown, Management Analyst, and Jonnie Lan, Principal Planner, Development Services Department
Title
SUBJECT: Acceptance of the 2023 General Plan Annual Report Summarizing the Status of the Merced Vision 2030 General Plan and the Steps Taken to Implement the General Plan Policies and Implementation Actions and Acceptance of the 2023 Housing Element Annual Progress Report Summarizing the City’s Progress in Meeting the City’s Share of Regional Housing Needs and the Goals and Policies of the Housing Element Including Number of Entitlements, Permits, and Certificates of Occupancy for All Housing Types
REPORT IN BRIEF
Considers accepting the 2023 General Plan Annual Progress Report and the 2023 Housing Element Annual Progress Report and allows the public an opportunity to provide oral testimony and written comments regarding the 2023 Housing Element Annual Progress Report for information only.
RECOMMENDATION
City Council - Adopt a motion accepting the 2023 General Plan Annual Report and the 2023 Housing Element Annual Progress Report for information only.
Body
AUTHORITY
Government Code Section 65400 and 65700 require cities and counties to submit an annual progress report on the implementation of the General Plan and the Housing Element to the legislative bodies.
DISCUSSION
State law requires that all cities and counties submit an annual report on the status of the General Plan and progress on its implementation to their legislative bodies, known as a General Plan Annual Progress Report (APR). State law also requires that all cities and counties create an annual progress report that described the communities progress toward implementing their Housing Element. The Housing Element Annual Progress Report has detailed data requirements, and the State has developed a standardized spreadsheet format for submitting the required data.
Both reports are supposed to be provided to the California Office of Planning Research (OPR) and the Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) by April 1 of each year.
The General Plan Annual Progress Report (Attachment 1) has been prepared to summarize the status of the Merced Vision 2030 General Plan, adopted in January 2012, and steps that have been taken to implement General Plan policies and implementing actions. The report also includes a summary of General Plan and Specific/Community Plan Amendments that were approved from January 1, 2023, through December 31, 2023. The General Plan Annual Report also includes a summary of the Housing Element Annual Progress Report described below.
The Housing Element Annual Progress Report (Attachment 2) describes the City’s progress in meeting the City’s share of the Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) and the goals and policies of the City’s Housing Element (one of the required sections of the General Plan). This report provides information on the number of entitlements, permits, and certificates of occupancy issued for all housing types for calendar year 2023. In addition, the Housing Element Annual Progress Report describes the steps and actions taken to meet the goals and policies set forth in the Housing Element. In order to make the report legible when printing this report, Attachment 2 includes the Summary Table and Table A2. Table A2 was divided into 4 sections - Entitlements, Building Permits Submitted, Certificates of Occupancy Issued, and Other Details. For an electronic copy of the entire report in the format submitted to the State, please contact the Planning Department via email at planningweb@cityofmerced.org <mailto:planningweb@cityofmerced.org>.
It is important to note that the City is required to provide sufficient land zoned for residential uses to accommodate the number of housing units determined by the RHNA. However, the City is not required to build the housing. The City has worked with several non-profit partners to develop affordable housing and with the adoption of City Council Policy 2023-83 for the Regional Housing Needs Allocation Unit Production Plan, more affordable housing is expected to be built by private developers as property is annexed into the City or an in-lieu fee paid to support affordable housing projects.
The Housing Element APR shall be considered at an annual public meeting before the legislative body where members of the public shall be allowed to provide oral testimony and written comments.
In 2023, the City adopted some interim updates to the Zoning Ordinance using LEAP Grant funds to address implementing Pro-Housing Strategies and other updates for consistency with State law. This update helps to bridge the gap between updates needed in the near term and a more comprehensive update of the Zoning Ordinance. A Request for Proposals (RFP) is anticipated to be released in June 2024, to initiate work on the more comprehensive update to the General Plan.
The City’s current Housing Element is an 8-year plan covering 2015 through 2023. The City of Merced and other local jurisdictions are working on a multi-jurisdictional Housing Element Update. This regional approach is becoming more common with neighboring counties having completed them or currently undertaking them. It’s anticipated that the update will be completed in late Summer. That time includes public participation and evaluation - comments by the State Department of Housing and Community Development Department.
City Council Action
The City Council should provide an opportunity for the public to provide oral and written comments regarding the Housing Element Annual Progress Report. Once all comments have been heard, the City Council should adopt a motion accepting the General Plan Annual Progress Report and the Housing Element Annual Progress Report for information only. City staff will then submit the reports to the State by the April 1 deadline.
ATTACHMENTS
1. 2023 General Plan Annual Progress Report
2. 2023 Housing Element Annual Progress Report